Page 2 of Joy to Noel
Sighing, I stand up long enough to change out of my cranberry bridesmaid dress into my flannel Grinch pajamas. The cozy bed tempts me to dive right in, but my conscientious nature wins out. I take time to brush my teeth, remove my makeup, and wash my face.
Once I’m tucked under the covers, my thoughts immediately start picking apart my maid-of-honor speech. Davis struck the perfect balance between sentimentally reminiscing and positively roasting Clark during his toast, and I question whether mine was equally as captivating. When my mind begins rewriting portions of the speech, I cover my face with a pillow and beg my thoughts to quiet down.
The speech is over. You can’t change it. Be quiet and go to sleep!
Chapter one
Madison
December
“What reindeer threw up in this place?”
Clark’s tone borders on horrified as he scans the interior of the bar. It’s been transformed into a holiday wonderland, lit up by thousands of lights with hundreds of ornaments and candy canes hanging from the ceilings. Tucked around the tables, Christmas trees and statues cram into every available inch of space. The menu has even been Christmasified, with dishes renamed for classic Christmas movies and festive cocktails crafted solely for the season.
Clara smacks him on the arm. “Are you kidding? This is incredible!” They’re visiting Kansas City for her annual birthday celebration with her parents—attendingThe Nutcrackerballet three days before Christmas. I arranged for an early birthday gift in the form of a reservation at one of the many Christmas pop-up bars that are wildly popular in the Kansas City metro area.
“I knew you would love this,” I tell Clara as the hostess leads us to our table. “Please appreciate the effort it took to get a reservation months in advance.”
“Best birthday gift ever,” Clara assures me. She turns to Clark. “I wonder if we could convince Ben to do this at the Deer River Bar for next year’s Christmas Fest. How cool would that be?!”
Clark groans. “Please, no more additions to Christmas Fest. The bar is the one haven for locals to escape the tourist chaos. We can’t turn it into a tourist destination too.”
Clara ignores his protest. “I’m sure Ben wouldn’t mind the extra flush of cash. I’m going to ask him,” she says as she starts taking photos and videos of the space with her phone.
“By the way, your movie turned out ah-MAY-zing! Not that anyone is surprised,” I say.
Clara beams. “Thank you! It was so crazy to see my story come to life on the screen.”
“The first of many,” Clark chimes in. “Heartmark hit the content jackpot when they discovered you, hon. So, Mads, how’s work? You holding things together without Clara there?”
I’m the proofreader for WritInc, a company that creates written content like newsletters and postcards for clients around the country. No file heads to the printer without passing through me first. Clara used to oversee the entire writing department, but her move to Noel meant a new manager for me.
“I’m doing what I can. Work life would be infinitely better if they had hired literally anyone other than Chad to replace Clara,” I say with an exaggerated sigh. “You might be a little Grinch-y at times, Clark, but Chad is the Abominable Snowman. Not the nice version after his teeth are pulled.”
To his credit, Chad did fire the lazy writer who consistently took advantage of Clara’s overly accommodating nature. But that’s about where Chad’s credit ends, considering he’s overbearing and micromanages everyone’s every move. He’s also downright rude—and that’s coming from someone who tends to blurt the honest truth before I think through whether it should be an inside or outside thought.
As much as I dislike Chad, it’s a solid job that I’m amazing at, if I do say so myself. Catching mistakes is my greatest superpower, an innate skill honed through years of professional training and constant practice. Pointing out other people’s flaws comes naturally after decades of ruminating on my own.
Clark and I both recognize the unnecessary guilt welling up in Clara over leaving WritInc, and Clark rapidly changes the subject. “Are you going to Nebraska for Christmas?” he asks me.
I nod. “Yes, I’ll leave tomorrow. Nothing like a four-and-a-half-hour drive through corn fields to get you in the Christmas mood.”
“The solitude of a long solo drive doesn’t sound so bad,” Clark says. “I’d choose quiet corn fields over busy pop-up bars any day.”
Clara leans over to kiss his bearded cheek. “I know you would, babe, which makes me extra grateful you came tonight. You’re the most selfless husband ever.”
A smile breaks through Clark’s gruffness, and he turns his head to return Clara’s kiss. I kick his chair under the table. “Ugh, stop it with the PDA, you two,” I tease.
“Can’t help it when I’m married to this gorgeous woman,” Clark says, still making googly eyes at Clara. He turns back to me. “Will you get to see your whole family for Christmas?”
“Yes, my sister’s family will come to the farm, too, which means I’ll get to spoil my cutie niece for a few days,” I answer. JoJo is the most adorable two-year-old there ever was, and I’m not just saying that because I’m biased. I don’t get to see her nearly often enough, even though my sister, Caitlin, isn’t too far away in Omaha, Nebraska. At least, not as far as my parents and younger brother, Chris, who’s taking over the family farm. They’re deep in rural Nebraska, surrounded by acres of the family’s farmland. Chris is married to his high school sweetheart but doesn’t have kids yet, which means JoJo gets the full only-grandchild spoiling for now.
“How long will you be in Nebraska?” Clara asks. “I don’t suppose we’ll see you again until after we get back from our honeymoon in January.”
“Probably not,” I say. “I’ll be in Nebraska until the twenty-seventh, but then I’ll be back to work. And figuring out if I want to find a new roommate to replace Amy or a new place to live.”
“Oh no,” Clara replies, eyebrows knitting together. “Amy’s moving out? You know you can’t handle rooming solo with Ivy. You’ll lose your mind.”
