Page 53 of Joy to Noel
The pillow I’m holding suddenly turns into a motor engine. Its rumbling hum grows louder, vibrating my arms. I must have fallen asleep in the tractor for some reason.
But that doesn’t make sense. I don’t live on the farm anymore.
My eyes suddenly snap open, awakening me from my dream. The engine pillow in my arms isn’t an engineora pillow at all.
It’s a cat.
Hamlet is lying under my arm, his back snuggled up against my chest, purring softly.
The events of last night crash through my waking memory. The storm, the laundry room, the comfort of Liam’s arm around me. The soothing timbre of his voice as he talked—reallytalked.
My gaze moves from Hamlet over to Liam lying on a mattress a few feet away from mine. He’s sprawled on his back, one arm angled above his head and the other stretched out across the space between us. His eyes are closed, his hair is disheveled, and the early morning light illuminates the faint brush of stubble across his jaw.Will I ever catch him in a state where he doesn’t look attractive? Is it even possible?
His chest rises and falls with deep, even breaths, and I remember what the movement of those breaths felt like beneath my cheek last night. I also remember the cold vacuum of air left behind when he abruptly left the room. And all at once, this moment feels too intimate.
Glancing down at Hamlet, I telepathically question him,Will you punish me if I move right now? I stroke his striped gray fur until heraises his head and looks at me, seafoam eyes narrow with sleepiness. As he stares at me, I don’t see any sort of transition to ill intent in his expression. I give him a quick scratch under his chin, and then I slowly, silently stand up from the mattress. I turn off the fireplace, making a mental note to give Liam some cash to help cover that utility bill this month. Slowly tiptoeing, I ninja my way to my bedroom.
Away from Liam.
When I try to turn on the light in my room, I discover that the power is still out.So much for texting Clara.Guess I’ll just have to drive over.I quickly change clothes and brush my teeth as quietly as possible.
As I quietly step out of the bathroom, I see Hamlet staring at me from where he sits perched on Liam’s chest. Liam is awake now, rubbing Hamlet’s back with one hand and his eyes with the other.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Morning.”
Liam drops his hand from his eyes and props up on an elbow. “Morning. Did you sleep okay?”
“Mmhmm,” I hum. “The power is still out, so my phone is dead. I’m gonna drive over to Clark and Clara’s and see how the town is doing. If there’s anything I can do to help.”
Liam sits up fully, scooping Hamlet into his arms in the process. I extinguish the flicker of jealousy that flares up.
“Is it safe for you to be out driving? If the power is out, there could be electric lines down,” Liam says as he rises to his feet. He crosses the room to look out the front window. “If you give me a few minutes to get dressed, I can drive you. I should probably go over and check on the factory.”
“Oh, I didn’t even think about that. Will it be a total disaster without power?” I ask.
“Nah, there are backup generators for this reason. But we definitely don’t want those going out, so I should go make sure everything is still running smoothly. Give me five?” Liam asks.
I don’t have a good reason to say no, so I nod. “I’ll feed Hamlet while you get dressed.”
He looks at me as though he can somehow sense that Hamlet and I have buried the hatchet. “Thanks,” is his only response as he heads to the opposite side of the house.
As I open the container to scoop out Hamlet’s breakfast, he rubs against my ankles, tail swaying in the air. “This is a real truce, right? You’re not going to turn on me when my guard is down?” I ask as I pour food into the dish.
Meow.
“Well, I don’t know what that tone means, but rest assured that you do not want me for an enemy. So no double crossing me.Capisci?”
Meow.
Hamlet busies himself with the food, so I refresh his water dish. By the time I’m done, Liam emerges wearing a pair of jeans and a polo shirt.
“I’m honestly shocked that you own a polo, Suits,” I sass, trying to recalibrate our vibe.
Liam simply rolls his eyes. “You and your pigeonholes. Let’s go.”
Liam dropped me off at Clara’s cabin before heading to the Pure Fur All plant. He took my cell phone with him to charge at his office and promised to find me after he made sure things were okay at the factory.
“Although Noel wasn’t directly hit, there was a tornado a few miles away. We got hit with high winds, enough to knock out several electric poles,” Clark explains as he navigates his truck around a large branch in the road. “Being such a small town, we don’t have the same resources to get the power back online right away. It might take a couple of days for the power company to get everything fixed.”
