Chapter Nineteen

Due to a mix-up in the scheduling of a tour bus, Norah was late leaving Wilson-Dawes House on Friday evening. It couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Lance was supposed to pick her up for the tree lighting in less than an hour. She ran into Mrs. Worsley in the hallway outside her front door.

“Norah, dear. Something came for you. I put it in my kitchen.”

“I wonder what it is. I’m not expecting anything.”

Mrs. Worsley looked amused as they entered the large room at the back of the house. Sitting in the middle of the farmhouse table was a cut crystal vase containing an arrangement of pale pink and creamy white roses.

“Oh, how lovely!”

“I thought so, too,” Mrs. Worsley said. “Everyone raves about red roses, but I’m partial to the lighter shades. To me, they’re the essence of romance. Be sure to press them in a book. That way you can keep them forever.”

“My grandmother did that with the flowers my grandfather gave her every year on their anniversary.”

“Now you can start your own.”

Norah picked up the vase. “Thanks for holding them for me.”

“No problem, dear. I have a feeling this will be the first of many.”

Once inside her apartment, Norah reached for the card tucked in between the blooms.

Looking forward to tonight. Lance

It only took a few seconds to read the words, but Norah stared at them for much longer. Knowing Lance shared her anticipation for the evening ahead lifted her spirits immeasurably. 

In spite of her shortened preparation time, she was ready and waiting when he knocked on the door at five-thirty. She rose to her feet on legs that suddenly felt as if they were made of Jello. That was nothing to what happened when she opened the door. Lance stood on the threshold looking more handsome than any man had a right to be. Her heart expanded tightly in her chest before diving right into her suede half-boots.

“Hello,” she said over the lump in her throat.

His bright blue eyes moved slowly from her head to her feet. “You look lovely, Norah. I’m going to be the envy of every guy there.”

She didn’t have to wonder if he was just being polite. The admiration in his glance confirmed the truth of his words. She waved him inside. “I take my role as a fake girlfriend very seriously.”

“You’ve set the bar pretty high. I’ll have to step up my game.”

“You’ve made a good start already.” She waved a hand toward the coffee table. “You sent me the most beautiful flowers.”

“As beautiful as they are, they can’t hold a candle to you.”

For someone who didn’t date often, he sure knew what to say. “Thank you.” To cover her blush, she reached for her coat and slid her arms into the wide sleeves. “It’s supposed to get down in the fifties tonight.”

“That’s what Jody was saying. Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” she told him, grabbing her purse and keys. “It makes it seem more like Christmas.”

Darkness had fallen by the time Lance was pulling into the parking garage located near Marion Square. Norah admired the decorated store fronts as they walked to the ten-acre park situated in the heart of downtown Charleston.

“What would you like to do first?” he asked.

“Let me answer that with a question. Do you like jazz?”

“I do.”

“The Charleston Jazz Orchestra will be performing in a few minutes.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The seating area around the stage was nearly full. The only seats together were in the middle of the last row. After making their way around a long line of legs and purses, they sat down on the fold-out chairs. It was a tight fit to say the least.

“Now I know what a sardine feels like,” Lance said in a low voice.

“I’ve never eaten them, but they’re great for catching catfish.”

Lance laughed. “You know how to fish?”

“Don’t act so surprised. I’m a country girl. I spent nearly every Sunday afternoon fishing on the lake at the back of our property.”

“I know who I want with me if the world suddenly falls apart.”

“When I was a little girl, I used to pretend I was Laura Ingalls Wilder.”

“I remember those books. One of my sisters had them. I think it was April. Do you play an instrument?”

“My grandmother gave me many piano lessons, but I wasn’t interested enough to put in the time to get good.”

“What were you interested in?”

“I loved anything to do with horses. When I was eight years old, my grandfather bought me my own pony. Her name was Jasmine. I quickly found out that there was much more to having a horse than just riding. I had to feed her, brush her down every night, and clean out her stall.”

“Hearing that makes me feel ashamed of all the times I complained about cleaning out my gerbil’s cage.”

“Oh, I did my share of grumbling, too. It wasn’t until I got into my teenage years that I began to appreciate the purpose behind it all. I came to love watching things grow and change, whether it was corn and beans in the field or calves in the pasture. Fall was my favorite time of year. After the corn was harvested, my grandfather would cut a maze. Everyone came from miles around to go through it. We sold boiled peanuts and warm apple cider along with my grandmother’s homemade jams, jellies and pies. There was a part of me that never wanted to leave, but at the same time, I knew it wasn’t a way of life that would last.”

“How did your grandparents feel about you leaving?”

“They encouraged me to go. They weren’t very educated by academia standards, but they had a wealth of common sense. They understood the world was changing, and that I would have to find my own way in it.”

The arrival of the conductor ended their conversation. At some point during the second arrangement, Lance moved his arm to the back of her seat. It seemed natural to shift closer to him. What happened next sent her emotions into a tailspin. His fingers began to play with the ends of her hair. Each gentle tug had her scalp prickling and her pulse racing. Forming a coherent thought, much less paying attention to what was taking place on stage, was nearly impossible under such conditions. Norah wasn’t aware of anything except the lazy movements of Lance’s hand.

* * * * *

Lance had never been more disappointed when a concert ended, and it had nothing to do with the quality of the performance. 

“I like what they did with that arrangement of ‘Winter Wonderland’.”

“Me, too,” he said, willingly perjuring himself. They could have been playing “Chopsticks”, and he wouldn’t have noticed. His mind hadn’t been functioning at full capacity since they sat down. “The organizers of this thing put the food trucks in the right place. My mouth has been watering since I got my first whiff of cheesesteak.”

“No need to ask where we’re heading next.”

“Only if you’re hungry enough to eat.”

“I’m way ahead of you. I skipped lunch in anticipation of getting something here.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

It didn’t take long to get their food and make their way to the picnic tables arranged under a canopy.

“Does your cheesesteak taste as good as it smelled?”

“It does. How are your hot wings?”

“Fantastic. Would you like to try one?”

“No, thanks. I heard you ask for the three-alarm heat level. I don’t want my mouth to be on fire for the rest of the evening.”

“Oh, look! Hunter, Jody and Logan are heading this way.”

Lance didn’t believe it was a coincidence. Jody had been elated when he told her who he was bringing to the lighting ceremony.

Logan dropped his mother’s hand and ran over to stand by Norah. “Guess what? Hunter and I went ice fishing. I won this.” He held up a small stuffed penguin wearing a Santa hat and bow tie.

“Great job!” Norah said. “What are you going to name him?”

“Skipper.”

“After the one in Penguins of Madagascar?” Logan nodded. “I love that movie. My favorite is Kowalski.”

Hunter and Jody walked up behind Logan. Lance could tell by Jody’s smile that she was having a good time.

“Kowalski reminds me of Lance,” Jody said. “He’s the brains of every operation.”

“Somehow I don’t think you meant that in a good way.”

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m just teasing. You know I think the world of you, Lance. Did you guys just get here?”

“No. We went to the jazz concert first.”

“We skipped that, for obvious reasons. I didn’t realize there would be so many people here.”

Hunter laughed. “It didn’t used to be like this. I can remember when it was just a tree lighting. It seems like they add more vendors and events every year.”

“I’m definitely going to make this a tradition. We were thinking of checking out the arts and crafts area next. I’m hoping to find some Christmas presents.”

“I need to do that, too,” Norah said.

Lance finished his last bite of cheesesteak. “Here’s a suggestion from the brains of the operation. Why don’t the boys head back to the arcade and let you girls do your thing in peace?”

Jody looked at Norah. “That works for me.”

“Me, too.”

“Great. We’ll catch up with you later.”

* * * * *

Norah watched the threesome walk away, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’ve never seen two men so eager to escape. I don’t know whether to be insulted or relieved.”

Jody laughed. “I’m relieved. I don’t often get the luxury of shopping without a six-year-old.”

They left the food area and made their way to the opposite side of the park.

“Is Logan getting excited about Christmas?”

“Every day he counts how many days are left until he can open his presents. What are you doing for the holidays?”

It was easier to say what she wouldn’t be doing. “Well, I won’t be spending it with Perry. Crystal and Kathy still can’t believe I broke up with him. They had me engaged by Christmas.”

“You can put me in that group, too. I even mentioned it to Lance.”

“What did he say?”

“Something about how the female mind goes so quickly from seeing a couple together to planning their wedding.”

“He’s right about that.”

“He’s annoyingly right about lots of things, but he makes up for it by having the kindest heart. You only have to look at what he’s done for me.”

“You don’t have to convince me about Lance’s character. I know firsthand how compassionate and caring he is.”

“He thinks very highly of you, too.”

Norah was glad it was too dark for Jody to see her face. “How do you know?”

“By the way he talks about you. Lance isn’t an easy person to fool or impress. He said you have the unique talent of making the world seem like a wonderful place. For someone who’s had a front row seat for the sometimes seamier side of life, that says a lot.”

Like when Lance touched her earlier, Norah felt a stirring of hope. “I had no idea he felt that way.”

“How could you? He’s not exactly been in a position where he could say anything. You were involved with Perry. It’ll be interesting to see what happens now.”

Interesting was putting it mildly. Thrilling and breathtaking were more accurate.

Jody laughed suddenly. “I better stop talking. Lance will have my head for poking my nose into his affairs. He gets enough of that from the other females in his family.”

“So I’ve heard.”

For the rest of the time, their conversation didn’t touch on anything personal. The vast array of items offered by the various artisans kept Norah’s thoughts on more practical things. She found a lace tablecloth for Mrs. Worsley, a set of snowman nesting dolls for Kathy, and a knitted scarf and mittens for George. She’d already taken care of Todd, Crystal and Bengie.

Along with everyone else, she contributed to the gift basket that would be given to Lance from the staff of Wilson-Dawes House. That was fine for covering the employer-employee aspect of their relationship. But they were also good friends, and she wanted to give him something that would reflect that. The problem was deciding exactly what form such a gift should take.

* * * * *

“I didn’t realize you had an interest in that direction.”

Lance didn’t have to ask who Hunter was referring to. “There wasn’t much point in talking about it when Norah was dating Perry.”

“This will make Carolyn very happy. She’s almost given up on you.”

“No kidding. On a related note, I hardly recognize the man Jody describes to me.”

“I finally found someone who brings out the best in me. My mother’s been telling me for years it would happen. I should have believed her.” He lowered his voice a few octaves. “I know this thing with Jody will take time. She’s not sure she’s ready to date again. She just wants to focus on being friends.”

“Are you going to see other people?”

Hunter looked appalled by the idea. “Of course not. That would send the wrong message.”

“Being close to someone and not being able to express how you feel can be agonizing.”

“That’s true, but sometimes you have to be what someone needs instead of what you want.”

“You also have to be willing to accept that it’s all you’ll ever be.”

Logan’s return from picking out his prize ended their conversation. When his interest in the games started to lag, Lance suggested they get a treat. Jody might not approve of the consumption of a funnel cake so close to bedtime, but this was one of the occasions when he felt the rules could be broken.

Their return to the arts and crafts area couldn’t have been better timed. The two women were walking into the last booth. Lance spotted Norah holding up an infant-size Santa suit.

Trying to keep a straight face, he walked up to her and said, “Is there something you haven’t told me?”

Her lovely eyes crinkled at the corners. “This happens to be for my landlord’s grandson. How was ice fishing?”

“I caught mostly ice cubes. Logan managed to win another penguin. I believe this one goes by the name of Private. I’ll be happy to carry those shopping bags for you.”

“That would be nice. Thank you.”

He took them from her. “The other half of our group is heading to the North Pole to see Santa Claus. Unless you especially want to go with them, I was thinking we could become a twosome again.”

It was hard to tell in the dim lighting, but Lance thought he saw a tinge of pink enter her cheeks.

“I’m fine with that.”

“Does that mean I’m doing okay as a fake boyfriend?”

“I’ve never had a better one.”

“Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but I’ll take it. We’ve still got about twenty minutes before they light up the tree. What do you want to do?”

“We could look at the entries in the winter art contest if you wouldn’t find it boring.”

“How could I be bored? I’ve got an art expert on hand to explain everything to me. I’ll go inform Jody and Hunter of our plans while you finish up here.”

As he suspected, Jody didn’t mind the breakup of the party. She’d apparently satisfied her curiosity about him and Norah, at least for the moment. He had no doubt there’d be more questions later.

After the two groups parted company, Lance and Norah followed the signs to a cathedral party tent. The artwork was displayed on black panels arranged in rows of four. Other than a few people near the back, they had the place to themselves.

“I’m always amazed by how much local talent we have here.”

Lance laughed. “Honesty forces me to admit that this isn’t something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about.”

“You’re too busy making sure justice is served to worry about things like this. When I was in college, one of my professors gave extra credit for attending art contests. What started out as a desire to bring up my grade became a habit. Nowadays, I do it for fun.”

“Do you draw or paint yourself?”

A curious smile passed over her lips. “A little.”

“I’d like to see something you’ve done.”

“My work is nothing to get excited about. Most of what you see here is better than anything I’ve done.”

“That doesn’t make me any less interested in it.”

“Tell me what you think of this one,” she said, pointing to the drawing in front of them.

“Is this a test? Because if so, I’m going to fail. I know nothing about art.”

“You don’t have to know anything about art to appreciate it. Just tell me what you see and feel when you look at it.”

“I’m feeling intimidated at the moment.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re an attorney. That means you’re incapable of being intimidated.”

“Wrong. It means I’m somewhat skilled at hiding it.”

She nudged him with her shoulder. “Stop stalling and focus on the drawing.”

He laughed. “The competition for my focus is pretty stiff right now.” He knew by the way her eyes fell from his that she got his meaning. With a grin, he turned toward the panel. “Okay. The first thing I notice about this drawing is the lack of color. It’s done in what looks like charcoal gray chalk. It’s so detailed I can see the individual strands of hair that make up the fur on the deer. The deer are standing at the edge of the woods about to enter a clearing. Their mood is watchful, maybe even a little fearful, at the prospect of being so exposed. Is that right?”

“There’s no right or wrong answers. Art is open to interpretation.”

“If that’s true, then there’s no reason why I can’t see your work.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I see what you did there. You’re good. I hope I never have to face you in court.”

“Me, either. I’d have to recuse myself. I wouldn’t be able to be impartial. How I feel about you would create a conflict of interest.”

“Because we’re friends?”

He reached for her hand. “There’s a little more to it than that.”

The look of confusion mixed with hope in her eyes was his undoing.

* * * * *

The intensity of Lance’s gaze brought the color surging into Norah’s cheeks. Heat simmered in her veins, warming her from the inside out. When his glance dropped to her mouth, a thrill ran through her. She closed her eyes as his head bent toward her. The brush of his lips was gentle, easing the knot of tension in her belly and clearing her mind of everything but him. He didn’t try to deepen the kiss; instead he tilted his head so that the touch of his mouth sharpened every sense even as it soothed. It was the kind of kiss that made her want more; the kind she wished would never end.

“Do you see what I mean?” he asked as he drew away. “I can’t adequately build a case against someone I want to do that to.”

Norah completely understood. “I guess that would be a problem.”

He let go of her hand to trace the curve of her face, his touch sending tiny shivers down her spine. “It’s been a problem for a while. This isn’t the first time I’ve wanted to kiss you.”

She took a deep breath. “As long as we’re laying our cards on the table, this isn’t the first time I’ve wanted you to kiss me.”

He laughed softly. “I’d like to hear more about that.”

“You go first.”

“It was the night of the storm when I found you in Crystal’s office.”

Norah had no trouble remembering that night. It was burned into her memory. “What stopped you?”

“The fear of messing up our friendship and the fact that I knew how you felt about Perry.”

She felt the start of tears in her eyes as a strange mixture of delight and guilt welled up inside her. “You’re a much better person than me.”

A puzzled look entered his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“The night you’re referring to is when it happened for me, too. It was a wake-up call of the worst kind. I knew something had to be wrong with me. A woman in love with one man doesn’t want to be kissed by someone else. I tried to shrug it off, but I couldn’t. It made me question whether I was really in love with Perry, or just caught up in the emotional and nostalgic feelings of what he used to mean to me. I think I know the answer, but it’s not easy to say where love begins and ends.”

“I understand, Norah. More than you know. It’s human nature to hold on to memories and give them more significance than perhaps they deserve. In some cases, we use them as an excuse for not moving on. That’s what I’ve been doing. In others, they can become a distraction that blinds us to reality. Maybe that’s what you’ve been doing.”

“Whatever it was, it’s a relief to have it clear in my mind at last.”

His smile was gentle. “It’s a relief for me, too. I’m finally able to tell you that I don’t much like fake relationships. I’d rather be a real boyfriend with all the rights and privileges therein. Is that something you might be interested in?”

Norah blinked the tears from her eyes. “Yes. Very much.”

* * * * *

There was really only one way for Lance to respond to that. Norah tasted like butterscotch drops and something else that was uniquely her. He felt her fingers feather through his hair before moving down to caress the skin at the nape of his neck. His brain turned to mush at the same time his body slammed into overdrive. When he finally came up for air, he wasn’t sure his legs would be able to support him.

He’d kissed more than a few women in his life; none of them had moved him like this. He was reeling from the sweetness of Norah’s lips and the eagerness of her response. She hadn’t merely let him kiss her; she participated.

“It’s, um, almost nine,” he said reluctantly. “Unless you want to miss what you came for, we better get going.”

The look she sent him had his knees weakening again. “I got much more than I came for.”

That was the understatement of the year. He’d be dreaming about those kisses all night long.

They joined the crowd standing behind the barricades surrounding the massive live tree. During the mayor’s welcome speech, Lance felt Norah’s fingers slide around his. He turned to look at her, his breath catching at the look of anticipation and delight on her face. A few seconds later, he saw the reflection of the lights in her eyes. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

He smiled, his glance never wavering from her. “I’ve never seen anything more so.”

She turned her head. “You’re not even looking at the tree.”

“I don’t feel as if I missed anything.”

“So you’re glad you came?”

He slid his arm around her waist. “I’ve produced a mountain of evidence to support that.”

Later when they were walking up the stairs to Mrs. Worsley’s porch, Lance remembered the night he drove by and saw her with Perry. He’d been so angry and frustrated. It had seemed as if fate was once again having the last laugh. He never imagined that a few weeks later he’d be here with her instead. Maybe his mother was right; maybe Christmas was the time for miracles.