Christmas Cancellation

6. NOELLE

Chapter six

T he door swung open, revealing Ms. Winters. She looked much the same as I remembered from church years ago, except for a few more lines around her eyes. She wore a light blue sweater with a snowy scene on the front, the white of her perfectly coiffed gray bob matching the snow in the design. As always, she was impeccably polished and put together.

“Noelle! I’m so glad you made it!” she exclaimed, pulling me into a stiff hug. The embrace lasted longer than I liked, her hands brusquely patting my back before releasing me. “Come in, come in. It’s freezing out there!”

I stepped inside, with Kol trailing right behind me. Ms. Winters’s gaze shifted to him. She eyed him up and down. “And who do we have here?”

“Ms. Winters, this is Captain Vinter. He was one of the pilots scheduled for my flight from New York to Albany before it was canceled.” I smiled at Kol, and my face flushed from embarrassment as I recalled my colorful conversation with Amanda. “He overheard how desperate I was to make it to your office today and kindly”—I shot him a rueful glance—“offered to drive me since he lives nearby.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Captain Vinter,” she said, stretching out her hand.

“Likewise, ma’am,” he said politely, shaking her hand. “Please call me Kol.”

“What a delight to have you both visit on this snowy Christmas Eve, Eve,” she said. “Oh, and please, call me Holly. Ms. Winters is far too formal, especially since Noelle and I are practically family.” She gave him an approving nod.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied respectfully, but I caught the hint of formality in his words.

Holly’s eyes darted to his uniform, and she gestured toward his jacket. “So, who do you fly for?”

“I’m a pilot with National Airlines.”

A slow smile spread across Holly’s face as she glanced back and forth between us. “Is that so? Well, you two make quite the lovely couple. It’s nice to see there are young men who are still chivalrous.” She folded her arms, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

My cheeks burned. “Oh, no, we’re not a couple. We literally just met. It was only a ride. Kol lives in Rotterdam.”

“Rotterdam, huh?” Holly’s eyebrow quirked up. “That’s almost an hour away, even on a good day.”

Kol shrugged, unfazed. “Yes, ma’am.”

Holly’s eyes crinkled as she let out a knowing chuckle. “Mm-hmm.” She turned back to me, her expression softening a little. “ Well, it’s good to have you home for the holidays. It’s been so long since you’ve spent any time in Saratoga. I assume work keeps you busy?”

I forced a small smile. “You could say that,” I muttered. A pang of shame shot through me, and my eyes darted to Kol. I half-expected him to spill the beans about my current jobless state. Thankfully, he kept his lips sealed.

Holly waved a hand as if swatting away an invisible bug. “Oh, and I must apologize for not getting back to you earlier, Noelle dear. I was down at the church helping prepare for tonight. We were setting up beds and getting hot meals ready for folks who need a warm place to stay during the storm.” She glanced out the window. The snow was falling in thick, heavy flakes. “It’s shaping up to be a monster of a storm, and we want to make sure no one gets stuck out in it.” She turned back to me, a tight smile on her face. “Time got away from me. By the time I checked my phone, well…here you are.”

“I’m just grateful you were able to see me after your normal hours.”

“No worries. Come on in and warm up,” she said, ushering us further into the house. “How about some tea? I’ve got a delicious holiday blend, cinnamon and cloves. Perfect for this weather.”

“That sounds great,” I replied, eager to have something to do with my hands other than fidget nervously.

Holly bustled off toward the kitchen, leaving Kol and me standing in the living room, surrounded by her Christmas décor. I laid my tote and coat on the sofa.

Several walls of the room had floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, all of which were lined with tiny collectible figurines. And each and every one of them was decked out in holiday cheer. A towering Christmas tree draped in Victorian-style ornaments and twinkling lights dominated the corner. The whole place screamed Christmas. Kol walked over to the tree, examining the intricate glass ornaments and ribbons that were woven through the branches.

Holly returned, setting down a tray on the coffee table. On it were two steaming mugs and a plate of cookies. “Here you go. This will chase the chill away,” she said cheerfully, handing me a mug.

“Thank you,” I said, taking it and wrapping my hands around the cup. The warm, spiced scent curled up to my nose, comforting in a way I hadn’t expected.

“You’ve got quite the collection here,” Kol said, joining us from across the room.

Holly’s gaze drifted to Kol. “Yes, it’s been a work in progress for ages. I adore the holidays, and this has been a longtime hobby of mine. Now, make yourself at home,” she said before turning to me. “Noelle, shall we step into my office?”

A knot formed in my stomach, but I nodded. “Of course.”

Kol stepped aside. I glanced at him, then awkwardly held out my hand for a shake. “Thanks for bringing me. You can leave my suitcase here in the living room. I really appreciate you driving me all the way here; you were a lifesaver.”

He stared at my hand, an odd expression crossing his face, like I’d just spoken in a foreign language. Then his eyes met mine, questioning, but he said nothing.

My stomach did a funny little flip. Of course he’d be eager to get out of here. Why wouldn’t he be? I was sure he had better things to do than babysit some girl who had been stranded in the middle of the airport. A guy like him—airline captain, military pilot, someone who looked like he’d just stepped out of a magazine—wouldn’t want to waste any more time on me. He was probably just doing his good deed for the year. It wasn’t like I was his type; that was for sure .

Holly’s lips twitched in amusement. “Take your time, Kol. Enjoy the tea.” Her tone made it clear she wasn’t in a hurry to see him leave. “We’ll just be a minute.”

He gave a small nod, and Holly guided me toward her office.

As I closed the door, I noticed Kol’s gaze lingering on me.

The office was cramped, with all the antique furniture and Christmas trinkets Holly had stuffed in here. She gestured to a chair across from her desk and sat down, flipping through a stack of papers. I settled into the seat, glancing at the shelves, which were lined with old books, porcelain figurines, and a few framed photos. She cleared her throat, glancing up at me over the rims of her glasses.

“As you know, Noelle,” she began, her tone firm, “I sent you a certified letter two weeks ago explaining that your aunt Mary’s will specifically required you to be here in person to accept the assets she left you. I’m glad you made it today because this is the last day the probate court will allow for the estate documents to be signed and notarized. If they’re not finalized today, it will be assumed that you’ve declined the inheritance, and the assets will automatically go to the next in line—the church.”

I nodded. “Yes, and I came as soon as I could with work and all.” My eyes drifted to the stack of legal documents on her desk. “What exactly did she leave me?”

Holly sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Before we get into that, Noelle, I need you to understand how deeply Mary was affected by the loss of Joy and Shep. She was distraught, and not seeing you after they passed hurt her terribly. She wanted to give you time, but being all alone made it difficult. Even so, Mary knew you needed space to grieve.”

A heavy lump formed in my throat. Guilt crept in, winding its way through me. Holly kept talking, her words chipping away at the walls I had built around those memories .

“I know your parents’ deaths must have devastated you,” she continued, her voice gentle, “but Mary just wanted to be there for you. She waited, hoping one day you’d come back, visit the house, or at least give her a call.”

I stared down at my hands, trying to ignore the stinging in my eyes. By avoiding Saratoga, I’d been ignoring everyone connected to my parents, including Aunt Mary, hurting them in the process. Facing that reality twisted my stomach into a painful knot.

A wave of shame crashed over me. Holly was dredging up memories I’d shoved deep down. “I was busy with work and trying to cope after losing both my parents,” I replied, more defensively than I’d intended.

“Of course you were,” Holly agreed, her gaze softening for a moment. “But Mary just wanted to protect you. She worried about you making impulsive decisions in your grief.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, completely confused.

Holly adjusted her glasses, picking up the top document. “The terms of her will are simple yet strict. She left you her entire estate.”

My head snapped up. “Wait, what?”

“But on one condition,” she added quickly, holding up a hand. “You must live in Saratoga Springs for at least one year.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Live here? For a year? The news knocked the breath out of me, leaving me reeling.

“So…you’re saying she left me her house? Here in the city?” I managed to croak out.

“Yes,” Holly confirmed. “Her house and all its contents.” She paused, fixing me in her steady gaze. “But keep in mind, if you don’t meet her one requirement, the entire estate will be donated to the church.”

My heart pounded as my mind tried to wrap itself around this unexpected revelation. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe this,” I mumbled, running a hand through my hair. “So if I don’t live here, the church gets it all?”

“That’s right. Living here is Mary’s one stipulation.” Holly’s expression remained unchanged, almost as if she was challenging me to say more, but I just sat there, dumbfounded.

She cleared her throat, shuffling some of the papers on her desk. “And, Noelle,” she started, leaning toward me, “there’s more.”

I braced myself. “Go on,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.

Once more, she adjusted her glasses, peering at the documents. “Mary didn’t just leave you her house in Saratoga,” she began slowly, her eyes flicking between the papers and me. “She also left you your parents’ property out in Greenfield.”

That hit me hard. My mind went blank for a moment before the questions came tumbling out. “Excuse me. Run that by me one more time. Greenfield? My parents’ property? I thought…I thought after Mary took all of it when my parents died, she sold it like she did the horses.”

Holly shook her head, a hint of impatience in her expression. “No, she didn’t. Your aunt held onto it, Noelle. She never sold the property.”

I stared at her, clenching the arms of the chair. “Why?” I asked after a beat, the doubt spilling out, raw and unfiltered. “Why did she keep it? I thought she hated my dad. I thought she took everything out of spite after my parents died.”

Holly shook her head and sighed. “Mary didn’t hate your father, Noelle. There were misunderstandings and hurt feelings, yes, but she never hated him. They had their differences, but that didn’t mean she wanted to punish you for them. ”

She pushed the documents to the side and leaned forward, folding her hands on the desk. “You have to understand that Mary was ten years older than Joy and a devout Catholic. When Joy married Shep, an atheist, outside of the church, outside of the sacrament of marriage, Mary was beside herself—it was sacrilegious. It took Mary and your parents many years to reconcile. It wasn’t until after you were born, and your parents agreed to raise you in the Catholic church, that they were able to overcome most of the hard feelings.”

I sank back into my seat, staring at the edge of Holly’s desk, confusion swirling inside me. Why hadn’t anyone ever told me these things? I’d never known my father was an atheist. I’d spent my whole life in the dark about who he truly was. We’d always attended church, just like so many other families. Had he changed his beliefs, or had he just been playing along all those years to keep the peace with Aunt Mary? It shattered me to think I’d never really known what was in his heart…how little I knew about my parents in general. I’d never gotten to know them as individuals, never understood why things were strained with Aunt Mary. As a kid, I’d picked up on the dynamic but had just accepted it as the way things were.

Tears blurred my vision. There was so much I would never learn. Had coming here been a mistake? Maybe I was better off in the dark, pretending I understood them. What I didn’t know—what I refused to face—couldn’t hurt me, right?

Holly scooted a box of tissues toward me. I pulled a couple out and dabbed at my eyes. Twisting them in my fingers, I took a breath and regained a bit of my composure.

“So, she took everything to…protect me?”

Holly nodded. “She was worried about you. You were young, grief-stricken… She thought you might do something impulsive, like sell the farm, or worse, marry someone who’d manipulate you out of your inheritance.”

I sat there trembling, still trying to make sense of what Holly was telling me. “So she’s been holding on to all of it for me this whole time?”

“Yes. She didn’t want to burden you with it until she felt you were ready. She wanted to give you time. Time to grieve, to grow up a bit, to find your own way. But you never visited, never spoke to her.” Her words cut deep, each one landing with a sting. “She always planned to give it back to you, Noelle. She even sold the horses to a nearby farm to ensure they were well taken care of, knowing you weren’t in a place to make those decisions. Sadly, she just didn’t live long enough to make things right in person.”

The room spun slightly. “She did all that? For me?” I whispered, more to myself than to Holly. A wave of emotions hit me, the grief I had buried so deep breaking through.

“Yes,” Holly said gently. “She wanted you to have a place to always call home, to have something to fall back on no matter where life took you.”

My mind swirled with memories of the farm, the horses, and my parents. It was too much, all hitting at once. I brought my hand up to my mouth.

Holly tapped her fingers on the desk, regarding me kindly. “Noelle, she loved you in her own way. She wasn’t perfect, and maybe she should have reached out to you and explained sooner. But now she’s giving you a choice.”

My chest tightened, the pressure building until I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Tears spilled over before I could stop them. A sob tore from my throat, raw and jagged. Holly rose from her chair, moving around the desk to pull me up into a hug. I didn’t resist, just stood there letting the tears flow, releasing years of pent-up hurt and misunderstanding.

“She only wanted the best for you,” Holly whispered.

I buried my face in her shoulder, overwhelmed by the truth of it. All this time, I had believed the worst of my aunt, pushed away any thought of reconciliation. And now, it was too late.

Holly rubbed my back, offering what comfort she could. Then she pulled away slightly, keeping her hands on my shoulders. “But there’s something you need to understand clearly,” she said, her tone firm. “Mary set up the estate so that you can only have it if you move back here. You need to live in Saratoga Springs for at least a year, or everything goes to the church. You will have full access to both properties and may choose where to live. Basically, it will be as though you’re living rent free in a fully furnished home. Also, there is a life insurance policy. Those monies were designated to be paid into a trust. You will receive an allowance each month you live here, and money may be withdrawn for approved care and maintenance of the properties by the trustee until and at which time you complete the living requirement. At the end of the twelve-month period, the trust will be liquidated. If you have met the requirements, then that too will be yours.”

“Who is the trustee?”

“Me.”

I stared at her, the reality of the situation starting to sink in. Moving back here—to the place I’d been avoiding for so long—felt impossible, but now it seemed like the only option. It also meant I would get a chance to hold on to a piece of my past—a chance I hadn’t realized I might want until now.

Holly’s hands loosened from my shoulders, and she took a step back, letting out a quiet breath before returning to her side of the desk. I stayed rooted in place, fighting to calm the storm inside.

I sniffed, reaching for a couple more tissues from the box, dabbing at my eyes and blotting my nose.

I needed to pull myself together.

Taking a deep, unsteady breath, I relaxed my shoulders and sat back down in the chair. Holly sat down, keeping her eyes steady on me, and waited. My hands felt clammy as I rested them on my lap. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on emotions. We had business to finish.

Holly once again shuffled through the documents on her desk, tapping them into a neat stack before setting them in front of me and placing a pen on top. The ball was now in my court.

I stared down at the papers, my fingers toying with the pen. Could I really do this? Could I move back to the farm and face all those memories?

The ink on these documents represented so much more than property. My parents had built the farm from the ground up. It was where I had learned to ride, where I’d spent hours mucking stalls and feeding horses. But going back meant facing everything I’d lost, and I wasn’t sure I could do that.

Holly shifted in her seat, a hint of impatience crossing her face. “Noelle, I didn’t mean to overwhelm you. I just thought you’d be…happy about all of this. I understand this is a lot to take in. You grew up on that farm; it’s part of who you are.”

Happy? That word seemed so far away from what I was feeling.

I clenched my jaw, glancing up at her. “It’s not that simple, Holly.” The words came out harsher than I’d meant them to, but I couldn’t help it. My emotions were all over the place, and I felt cornered .

She didn’t know that I’d just quit my job in Atlanta, or that my life was a complete mess. The fact that this was my only option—unless I wanted to start over, looking for a job doing who knew what, who knew where—was a harsh reminder of how much of a failure I was. I could imagine my old coworkers at the agency and my sorority sisters from NYU whispering about how I’d ended up back in Saratoga. A total loser. God, it was all so embarrassing and unfair.

Growing up, I had always taken a back seat to all the rich girls who could afford two-hundred-fifty-thousand-dollar warmbloods with which to compete in the AA horse shows. It was then I swore to myself that one day I would make the kind of money that would allow me—or maybe my daughter—to compete at that level. I’d learned early on in life that having money gave you power and allowed you to have all the best things. I’d worked hard to earn a scholarship to NYU, and I’d managed to get into one of the best sororities, where I’d studied and emulated the wealthiest girls. I’d learned to walk, talk, and act like the elite pony girls whose shadows I’d grown up in. I’d obtained my MBA and secured a high-paying job at one of the most prestigious marketing agencies in the country. I’d been so close to realizing my ambitions when that fucking Blake had ripped them away. Senior account manager would have been just one stepping stone away from partner. Now, I was starting all over again—alone.

Holly cleared her throat, bringing me back to reality.

“That farm was my…my parents’ dream. I’m not sure I can live there without them.”

Her eyes softened, but only a fraction. “I understand,” she said. “But this is a gift, Noelle. Your aunt left you everything she had, including the farm. It’s an opportunity, not a burden.”

Opportunity. There it was, that word that made it all sound so easy, so black and white. “And what if I change my mind after I sign the papers?” The question slipped out before I could stop it, and I braced myself for the answer.

Holly sat up straighter, running her finger over the edge of the documents in front of her. “The will is very clear, and Mary set strict terms. You have to live in either of the properties for at least forty-six weeks of the next year. If you fail to meet that condition, the assets go straight to St. Peter’s Church.”

Forty-six weeks. It seemed like a lifetime. I nodded slowly. This wasn’t just some property to flip or a temporary escape. It was a commitment. “I understand,” I said, lifting the pen. My hand hovered over the first signature line. A war was being waged inside me. I was full of uncertainty. But what choice did I have?

I swallowed, trying to ignore the lump forming in my throat.

My hand trembled slightly as I scrawled my name on each document, the pen scratching across the paper like nails on a chalkboard. When I finished, I pushed the stack toward Holly and sat back, staring blankly at the desk.

It was done.

“Good. This is good,” she said, gathering the documents and assembling them neatly. “You made the right choice, Noelle. Your parents would be proud.”

I didn’t respond, too drained to argue or even acknowledge what she’d said. Standing up, I forced a tight smile onto my face and followed her out of the office. When we stepped into the living room, I froze. Kol was still there, sitting on the couch, his eyes glued to his phone. I had assumed he would be long gone. But no. There he sat.

He glanced up, and his expression softened the second he saw me. Then he stood, his gaze narrowing as he glanced between Holly and me. His jaw tightened, like he was ready to go into battle. It was the same expression he’d worn when he first approached me at the airport—except this time, it was directed at Holly, and there was nothing friendly about it.

Apparently oblivious to the coldness in his stare, Holly turned to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You know where to reach me if you need anything.”

I nodded, unable to form any more words. Kol watched me, his expression unreadable, but I caught the way his eyes crinkled ever so slightly, like he could sense that something life-changing had happened in that office.