with Mary Sutton. You saw for yourself how she feels about me. There’s no forgiveness in her. Really, is this the kind of woman you want in your life and the lives of your children? That’s the history I mean.” She kissed Noelle on the cheek and headed down the hallway to her room. “Good night now.”
Noelle shut her eyes and sagged against the wall. She’d been just a moment away from explaining that she was going to meet Thom in order to talk things out. Her mother sounded as though she’d consider it a personal affront if Noelle so much as looked at him. It was like high school all over again.
The only thing left to do now was sneak out the same way she had as a teenager. She couldn’t leave him waiting in the cold, that was unthinkable. Besides, this might be her one and only chance to sort out what had really happened, and she wasn’t going to throw it away. She didn’t intend any disrespect toward her mother or his, but she had to be there. If she didn’t show up, she’d confirm every negative belief he already had about her.
Carley was in bed asleep as Noelle passed her room. She went in to drop a kiss on her sister’s forehead, then softly closed the door. Noelle changed out of her party dress, choosing wool slacks and a thick sweater to wear to the park. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she waited for the minutes to tick past. With luck, her parents would be exhausted and both go directly to bed. Then Noelle could slip away undetected.
Finally the house was dark and quiet. The only illumination came from the flashing Christmas lights that decorated the roofline.
Opening her bedroom door, Noelle was horrified by the way it creaked. On tiptoe, she carefully, silently crept down the narrow corridor.
“Jake.” Her mother was instantly awake. “I heard something.”
“Go to sleep, honey.”
“There’s someone in the house,” her mother insisted.
Noelle froze. She could hardly breathe. Just imagining what her mother would say was enough to paralyze her.
“Jake, I’m serious.”
“I don’t hear anything,” her father mumbled.
“I did. We could all be murdered in our beds.”
“Sarah, for the love of heaven.”
“Think of the children.”
Noelle nearly groaned aloud. She was trapped. She’d have to pass her parents’ bedroom in order to steal back into her own. They were sure to see her. She couldn’t go forward and she couldn’t go back.
“All right, all right,” her father muttered as he climbed out of bed.
“Take something with you,” her mother hissed.
“Like what?”
“Here, take a wooden hanger.”
“So I can hang him out to dry if I happen on a burglar?”
“Just do it, Jake.”
“Yes, dear.”
Noelle had made it safely into the kitchen by the time her father came upon her. “Dad,” she whispered, hiding in the shadows, “it’s me.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” he whispered back.
“I couldn’t. I’m sneaking out of the house.”
“This late? Where are you going?”
He wouldn’t like the answer, but she refused to lie. “I’m meeting Thom Sutton in the park. We’re going to talk.”
Her father didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then it sounded as if he was weeping.
Noelle felt dreadful. “Dad? I’m sorry if this upsets you.”
“Upsets me?” he repeated. “I think it’s hilarious.”
“You…do?”
“Go ahead and meet your young man and talk all you want. This thing is between Sarah and Mary. Greg and I have been friends for years.”
This was news to Noelle. “You’re still friends?”
“Of course. He’s the best golfing partner I ever had.”
“You and Mr. Sutton are golf partners?” Noelle thought perhaps she’d slipped into another dimension.
“Shhh.” Her father raised a finger to his lips. “Your mother doesn’t know.”
“Mom doesn’t know.” This was more unbelievable by the moment.
“Scoot,” her father ordered, and reaching for the keys on the peg outside the garage door, he said, “Here, take my car. It’s parked on the street.”
Noelle clutched the set of keys and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “Thanks, Dad.”
He coughed loudly as she opened the back door. “You’re hearing things, Sarah,” he called out. “There’s nothing.” He gave her a small wave and turned back toward the hallway.
As soon as she was out the door, Noelle sprinted toward her dad’s car. It took her a moment to figure out which key she needed and then another to adjust the mirror and the seat. When she glanced at her watch, she was shocked to see the time. It was already ten minutes past one.
Thom would assume she wasn’t coming. He’d think she’d stood him up…when nothing could be further from the truth.
Thom expelled his breath into the cold, and it came out looking like the snort of a cartoon bull. An angry cartoon bull. That was exactly how he felt. Once again, he’d allowed his heart to rule his head and he’d fallen prey to Noelle McDowell.
He should have known better. Everything he’d learned about heartache, Noelle had taught him. And now, fool that he was, he’d set himself up to be taken again. Noelle McDowell was untrustworthy. He knew it and yet he’d still risked disappointment and worse.
Slapping his hands against his upper arms to ward off the cold, he paced the area beneath the trees across from the pool at Lions’ Park. This had been their special meeting place. It was here that Thom had kissed Noelle for the second time. Here, they’d met and talked and shared their secrets. Here, he’d first confessed his love.
A car door slammed in the distance. Probably the police coming to check out his vehicle, which was parked in a lot that was closed to the public at this time of night. He deserved to get a ticket for being enough of an idiot to trust Noelle.
He didn’t know why he’d hung around as long as he had. Looking at his watch he saw that it was twenty after one. She’d kept him waiting nineteen minutes too long. Her nonappearance was all the proof he’d ever need.
“Thom…Thom!” Noelle called out as she ran across the lawn.
Angry and defiant, he stepped out from beneath the shadow of the fifty-foot cedar tree.
“Thank
