The Noel Bridge

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

A licia applied eye makeup and curled her hair. She hadn’t done either in a very long time. She borrowed a pair of silver hoop earrings from Evelyn and then applied lipstick. Wearing her red Christmas sweater and jeans, she was ready ten minutes early.

When she went into the living room, Evelyn was all dolled up in a dark green cardigan with a white shirt under it and a matching green bracelet. She sat on the sofa, her attention on the news.

“They’re talking about the bridge,” Evelyn said.

Alicia sat down next to her. “What’s this person’s story?”

“A woman swears that her loved one who passed away guided her to the bridge so she could heal.”

The hair on Alicia’s arms stood up. Just today she felt as if Bo was there with her. Could he have guided her to the bridge so she could heal as well? Could the bridge have some special place in God’s plan ?

Evelyn turned off the TV. “I swear, they do stories about that bridge every day. My wish had better come true.”

Alicia laughed. The bridge sure did seem to be doing something.

Evelyn picked up her keys and purse. “Ready to head out?”

“Yep.” Alicia took her coat off the kitchen chair and put it on.

They left Evelyn’s apartment, walked through the freezing parking garage, and got into her car. The snow had begun to melt just a bit during the day, but then it froze as the temperatures fluctuated. Christmas music played on the radio as Evelyn drove them down the icy roads to The Farmhouse on the edge of town.

On the way, Alicia left a message at Fairlane House, leaving her number for Mr. Fairlane to let her know when she could get her rental car. Although, she didn’t mind being stranded in Noel. Staying there was proving good for her heart.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they made it to a parking space in the plowed lot and got out.

Evelyn spotted Leo waiting outside with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and gestured discreetly before whispering to Alicia, “There’s your man.”

Alicia tried the title—“your man”—on for size. Leo wasn’t hers in any way, but the sound felt strikingly normal, as if it were true.

“Oh, there’s Andy.” Evelyn waved.

Andy looked almost the same as he had in high school, just a little older and with shorter hair.

When they reached the men, Alicia was the first to greet them. “Hey, Andy,” she said. “Hi, Leo.”

“Alicia Silver? Long time no see. ”

“How are you?” She stepped over next to Leo to include him in the conversation.

“I’m doing well,” Andy said. “It’s great to see you.”

“Same.” She leaned toward Leo. “This is Leo Whitaker. He owns the diner on the other end of town. Leo, this is Andy Nelson. Andy was a high school football star and he’s also a pharmacist, I hear.”

Leo reached out and shook Andy’s hand.

“Well, are we ready to go in?” Evelyn asked. “It’s freezing out here.”

Andy opened the door and held it for the ladies. Leo came in after them.

The wide space was filled with glittering Christmas trees, the old wooden floor a bed of fake snow. The bar was covered in mason jars, each full of Christmas candies—red-and-white candy canes, green gumdrops, red-hot candies, peppermints—and Christmas music played all around them.

“I’m feeling the holiday spirit already,” Evelyn said.

They walked up to the hostess stand and she led them through the room to an open table. Every table held flickering holiday candles in reds, greens, and whites. Waitstaff carried trays of festive cocktails while groups of people chatted merrily. When they arrived at their table, Andy pulled out Evelyn’s chair for her and Leo did the same for Alicia.

The waitress came by to get their drink orders.

“I’ll have the Santa’s Sleigh Ride,” Evelyn said, looking down at her menu.

“What’s in that?” Alicia asked.

“Rum, cream, and simple syrup with a crushed peppermint rim,” Evelyn replied.

“That sounds delicious.” Alicia scanned the choices and settled on a drink with vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. “I’ll have the Jack Frost Cosmo.”

“I was going to order that,” Leo said. “But I was split between that and the Winter Wonderland Whiskey.”

“That sounds good too. We could pour half of each in a glass and share them so we could taste both.”

“I’ll bring two extra glasses,” the waitress chimed in.

“Perfect. We’ll do that,” Leo said.

Andy set his menu down. “I’ll have the Peppermint Punch.”

“Okay, I’ll have those drinks right out,” the waitress said. “And while you decide on your dinner choices, I’ll leave you with a deck of our Christmas-themed playing cards. I recommend Holiday Hearts Go Fish. It’s the same as Go Fish, except the person with the most hearts matches wins.” She set the deck in the middle of the table.

While they looked over their menus, Alicia pulled out the cards and shuffled the deck, passing out seven to each person.

“We should play in teams,” Andy suggested. “Evelyn and me against Alicia and Leo.”

“That sounds fun,” Evelyn said, scooting her chair over to Andy’s side so they could view each other’s hand.

Alicia set the rest of the deck in the center of the table and then moved over to Leo’s side. He leaned in to view her cards, his spicy cologne tickling her nose. She held her breath to try not to inhale his delicious scent.

He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “We already have three matches. Should we bluff and hold them until we have a few more or set them down now?”

It was just a question, but his proximity muddled her mind, and she struggled to process what he was saying. All she could think about was how natural it felt to be sitting there at dinner next to him.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

She looked up at him, catching his gaze, wondering what was happening.

He questioned her with his eyes, but then a smile spread slowly across his face, as if he could read her mind. “What do you want to do?” he asked again, but this time, the question didn’t seem to be related to the game.

The tick of time between his question and her answer felt like a lifetime, their moments together over the last few days flashing like an old filmstrip in her mind.

“I have no idea what to do,” she answered.

Interest in his gaze, he laid down the three matches while keeping his eyes on hers. “Best not to wait. You never know what could happen if you do.”

The waitress arrived with their drinks, breaking through the moment. The group laughed and chatted about the various concoctions displayed in fancy glassware and adorned with peppermints, vanilla ice cream, and whipped toppings. The waitress took their food orders, and they returned to their card game until dinner came, but Alicia couldn’t stop running Leo’s question through her mind. What did she want to do?

Before she knew it, they were all walking out to their cars. They’d had such an enjoyable dinner together, and it was clear how well Evelyn and Andy were connecting. Leo grabbed her elbow and pulled her aside.

“It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow,” he said. “My dad’s coming home.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said. “And you have the house all decorated for him with cookies and everything.”

His expression lifted. “Yes. But I have to go to the diner tomorrow evening to get everything squared away for closing for the holiday, and I’m worried about leaving him. I’ve organized an in-home aide who can stay with him while I’m working, but she doesn’t start until after Christmas. Would you be able to check on him tomorrow?”

“I can do better than that. I’m volunteering at the hospital during the day while Evelyn hangs out with her parents, but afterward I have no plans. I can stay with him until you get home.”

Relief flooded Leo’s face. “That would be incredible.”

“I’m happy to do it.”

Evelyn called her over to the car.

“See you tomorrow,” Alicia said.

With a sparkle in his eye, he returned, “See you tomorrow.”

Alicia hurried over to Evelyn’s car and got in. She put her hands against the heat blowing through the vents and shivered.

“Well, aren’t you and Mr. Diner getting cozy,” Evelyn said as she pulled out of the parking space and drove through the parking lot. “I saw him pull you aside.”

“It wasn’t like that. He wanted me to check on his dad.”

“Okay, but the electricity between you two at dinner was so thick I could’ve cut it with a knife.” She put on the blinker and turned right out of the parking lot.

“Really?” Alicia asked.

“It’s impossible to ignore.”

“How about you and Andy? Did you have a good time?”

“Yes,” Evelyn replied happily. “He said he wants to see me again.”

“That’s fantastic.”

“The bridge is two for two. We found Dean, and Andy and I hit it off. I knew we would…” Evelyn exhaled dreamily as she drove.

Alicia was busy thinking about how the bridge wasn’t two for two, but three for three. She’d asked to feel whole again, and she was miles beyond the dark place she’d been in when she first arrived in Noel.

“It was a good night,” she said.

Evelyn looked over at her and smiled. “Yes. It was.”