Christmas In Icicle Creek: Home For The Holidays Page 9

  James grinned, his eyes becoming animated. “Haven’t you noticed, bro? There are folks who are willing to plunk down piles of cash for anything we recommend.”

  Tristan pushed aside his beer as a shot of adrenaline surged through him. “James, you can’t go raiding your accounts at Davis and Martin for investors. You know that.”

  “Of course I know that.” James swatted away a gnat. “I’m not going to mess with the goose that lays the golden egg.”

  Tristan sighed in relief.

  James sipped his drink. “I don’t want you to worry about that. But I am interested in your opinion. Do you think it’s a good idea?”

  “Flipping houses? I don’t know. Maybe. I mean, the housing market is booming. If you could get together a crew of guys, you could probably make some money, but it’d be hard to be successful if your labor costs were too high, and the less work you’re doing yourself, the more you’re going to have to pay someone else. That would definitely affect your bottom line.” Tristan sat back, shaking his head. “It’s risky. Don’t you think it’d be better if you worked on something that goes along with your line of expertise?”

  “You mean chasing skirts and drinking rum?” James held his glass up to the amber light of the late afternoon sun.

  Tristan looked down at his beer as his concern roiled through him.

  James laughed at his own joke before leveling his gaze at Tristan. “Any adventure is risky. I’ll start with houses first, but nice houses. Then, I’ll move up to apartment renovations, and eventually I’d like to become a high-end landlord.”

  “You’re not happy at Davis and Martin?”

  “Sure. But I don’t want to be making a commission on someone else’s money for the rest of my life. I want to be the boss.” He made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “Someday, I want people coming to me and asking for sponsorship into a place like this.” He tossed back the rest of his drink. “And I want that day to be sooner rather than later.” He signaled the waiter again before leaning back in his chair. “Stick with me, Tristan, and before too long, you’ll find places like this around the world to be your home.”

  After that conversation, Tristan remembered a couple of good years. James’s promises came true, and the party never ended. James’s flipping business grew exponentially, and he continued to rake in money for Davis and Martin. Before too long, James was living the high life with Tristan as his trusty sidekick. A whirlwind of weekend parties and week-long vacations in places like the Bahamas and Hawaii became the norm. Skiing trips to Aspen and Park City rounded out the year.

  But as the business grew, so did James’s belligerence. Tristan worked feverishly to staunch the bleeding of both of their careers at Davis and Martin that came from James’s arrogant behavior while struggling with his own warring loyalties. He loved his job. He also loved James as a brother, and he worked overtime to reconcile those two things. He pled with their boss at the firm to give James some time to work out the kinks in his behavior, while also warning James of the inevitable firing if he didn’t shape up. But James refused to listen. His accounts fell off, and after a while, he no longer was making money for Davis and Martin. Soon, he became a liability, and he was fired from the firm for sexual harassment.

  After James’s firing, Tristan surveyed his own accounts and found them lacking. So much of his time had gone into trying to save James that he’d neglected his own clients. He worked feverishly to find his footing in the financial markets, but without James to spur him on, his work never quite reached the same level of profit. His supervisors watched him closely and monitored his accounts. He accepted their censoring and worked even harder to prove his worth while steering clear of all female staff, who gave him a wide berth in every meeting and hallway.

  James had no concerns around his firing, and either didn’t recognize or didn’t care the stress and trouble his behavior caused Tristan. Instead, he announced that finally he was the boss he always wanted to be.

  Tristan clenched his phone and double-checked to make sure he’d deleted James’s text messages. He began practicing the deep breathing technique his mother taught him when his thoughts dragged him back to the Arizona heat. Even now, in the cool of the Cascade Mountain autumn, sweat beaded on his forehead. He inhaled again before exhaling through his nose. He wiped his brow as the memory retreated back into the desert landscape of his mind.

  Looking up from his phone, Tristan noticed his mom watching him from a distance. He smiled and waved before slipping his phone into his back pocket and studying one of the last yellow leaves still clinging to the branches of his apple trees. The sun peeked out from behind the gray dome of clouds and turned them to the color of amber while the cold breeze scooped down the mountain passes and into the valley. Letting out a long sigh, Tristan tried to tap into the weather to help cool the hot disgrace that ran through him. How he wished he could tie all of his guilt and remorse to the wind and send it far away, but it remained firmly entrenched in his heart.

  If he had been a true friend to James, he would’ve seen the train wreck that was coming. What had kept him from probing deeper into James’s business? If he hadn’t gotten so caught up in the glitz and glamour of James’s life, he could’ve tried to help his friend see the destruction ahead.

  Regret coursed through Tristan like a river of fire. It ran through every cell and synapse, reminding him of how he’d failed James, his employer, and his family. He’d been too eager to be the beneficiary of James’s lifestyle when he needed to be asking questions. High-style hotels with free-flowing champagne, fancy cars, fancier women, and high-priced gifts became his regular life. After James no longer worked at Davis and Martin, Tristan threw out his ethical concerns around James’s investors like stale coffee and accepted all of what James offered. Tristan traded his usual caution for all the trappings of money and friendship. After all, wasn’t James living the American dream? His friend had found just the right angle with a business idea and was raking in millions, making it easy for Tristan to forget that he knew absolutely nothing about James’s business dealings.

  On the occasions Tristan asked him to see a copy of his business plan, James would just laugh. “Do you think I’m going to give away all my secrets? Forget about it and have another beer” was always James’s stock answer. Tristan would grin at his friend while sitting poolside and take James’s suggestion. Now, all these years later, Tristan couldn’t shake the self-loathing that partnered with the debasing humiliation. He should’ve known. Or maybe some wiser part of him did know. Now, looking back, Tristan recognized all the workings of a Ponzi scheme, but at the time, the very thought of it was ludicrous. Good people made their dreams come true every day. Why not Tristan’s best friend?

  When James was indicted on fraud charges and accused of bilking hundreds of people out of millions of dollars, Tristan was soon staring at the crumbling structure of everything he’d fought so hard to build while trying to convince the prosecutor that he was completely in the dark about James’s financial activities.

  That’s when the panic attacks started.

  Tristan was beyond grateful there wasn’t any evidence to prosecute him. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t guilty. After all this time, and in spite of what his mother told him, Tristan couldn’t quite shake the shame over the possibility that his ignorance was a choice.

  Chapter 12

  Noelle stood on the banks of Icicle Creek behind her house. Sampson had barked and whined behind the sliding glass door as she traipsed through the yard and then the field. Soon, the sound of his unhappiness faded into the background.

  With her toes against the water’s edge, Noelle unclasped Kendall’s pendant from around her neck. The bright memory of his offering of this gift replayed itself in her mind.

  Now, she was facing another body of water with the cluster of opal turtles resting in her upturned hand. Was she ready to do it? Could she truly let it go, along with everything Kendall meant to her?

  She recalled
the one time he’d come with her for a visit to Icicle Creek last year. After months, she had managed to talk him into a short detour from his own family visit to join her family for a couple of days and a Sunday dinner just before Christmas.

  Noelle was desperate for Kendall to love her family and hometown of Icicle Creek as much as she did. After the initial introductions and greetings, she and her family hurried him downtown. The businesses and restaurants and many of the homes in Icicle Creek were covered in Christmas lights. The trees sparkled with more lights and snow covered them, creating an ethereal glow and offering a Christmas wonderland. Everywhere couples and families were walking hand in hand and laughing while others were sliding down the small hill at Front Street Park. Horse-drawn carriages covered in festive colors meandered down the streets as more people gathered for the tree-lighting ceremony.

  Noelle adored this ritual that took place in downtown Icicle Creek every year. It anchored her in every beloved family tradition. She thrilled at Kendall’s inclusion in the event that was the highlight of her season. But as her anticipation and excitement grew, Kendall looked nothing short of bored, and some piece of her heart broke.

  Her dad and brother tried to encourage some enthusiasm from Kendall by asking him if he wanted to cross-country ski Blackbird Island before it got dark. But Kendall just shook his head. He wasn’t wearing the right clothes, he said. He was dressed in Alek suede loafers and Ralph Laren chinos, in spite of Noelle’s urging to dress in something that could get dirty and keep him warm.

  Her brother turned to Noelle and gave her a look of disappointment mingled with contempt as he rolled his eyes heavenward and shook his head.

  All of the earlier hope and longing Noelle had banked for this trip withered. How could Kendall turn down her dad and younger brother? What kept him from seeing the beauty that surrounded him in this place that she loved to call home?

  On their way back to the airport, Kendall grabbed her hand. “I’m so glad you’ve escaped such a small-town upbringing,” he said, his eyes focused on the road. “One of these days, I’ll have to take you to meet my folks in L.A. You’ll be dazzled.”

  She smiled and tried to breathe that same relief in order to cover the disappointment pulsing through her. Maybe she would love L.A. After all, glamorous living was her dream, and Los Angeles was the crown of glamour. Kendall was part of that dream, and L.A. was a part of him. But did it mean she would have to leave Icicle Creek behind?

  Anxiously, she waited for the invitation to L.A., but it never came. Instead, soon after they arrived back in Hawaii, Kendall asked Noelle to move in with him. Noelle was surprised. Did he want to move in together even if she hadn’t met his parents? Did this mean he loved her, or was he just looking for a convenient arrangement?

  Much of his argument made sense. They could pool their money, and in the tight and expensive Hawaiian rental market, they could upgrade their living conditions. This would benefit her the most.

  Unmoored from her upbringing, Noelle seriously considered Kendall’s offer. It would solidify their status as a couple, and he might take her home to meet his parents if they were living together. But in the end, she couldn’t turn her back on her own sense of value. “I’m saving myself for marriage, Kendall. You know that.”

  “Pfff … C’mon, Noelle. I thought you recognized how old-fashioned and silly all of that is. I’ve been fairly patient over the last year. More than patient. I mean, who waits for marriage anymore? The whole thing is borderline hilarious.”

  Shame mingled with embarrassment and doubt while fear swirled within an eddy of emotions for Noelle. She knew her values were old-fashioned, but she had never considered them silly or humorous. Was this how Kendall saw her? But underpinning all of these feelings was a stronger sense of indignation. She loved her sweet sense of how things should be, and even though others didn’t agree, her values certainly weren’t something to mock.

  After she turned down his invitation to move in together, she couldn’t tell if she began to withdraw from Kendall or if he was moving away from her. It started with small things. He no longer left a flower or note on her car. Instead of dropping everything to see her at work, he would make her wait. There were no longer any candlelight dinners or gifts. Soon after the New Year, his gaze began to linger over Sophia, Noelle’s desk mate. Sophia blushed and, unaware of Noelle’s relationship, confided that she thought Kendall was beginning to notice her in a way that went beyond work.

  Noelle said nothing to Sophia, but instead saved her rage for Kendall. As the hotel decorations came down and the holidays turned into a familiar January, where one day melted into the next, Noelle quietly put in her notice to her supervisor before approaching Kendall.

  “I may be from a small town,” she hissed. “But I’m not so stupid that I don’t see the writing on the wall.”

  Kendall looked at Noelle for a moment before shutting his office door. “You’re talking about Sophia, aren’t you?”

  Noelle nodded as she looked down and tears filled her eyes. Her small outburst left her spent after carrying the anguish from his visit to Icicle Creek and his hurtful remarks about her upbringing.

  Kendall grabbed a chair and sat opposite of Noelle. For a long minute, they sat in stillness as Noelle blinked away tears and kept her eyes focused on her hands resting in her lap. The longer the silence, the more convinced she became that her suspicions were correct.

  Then, Kendall took her hands and kissed them. “I’m sorry.” He lifted her chin, and her tear-filled eyes widened at Kendall’s sincerity.

  Shock drummed through Noelle. She didn’t expect Kendall to apologize, and the genuine remorse she saw reflected in his gaze left her undone. The words she had wanted to hurl at him for weeks stuck at the back of her throat. She sat very still for several minutes, willing herself to feel something that would guide her decision.

  But even in the face of his honest amends, she couldn’t erase the painful ache that had become a part of her life since Kendall’s visit to Icicle Creek, or the fresh hurt from his enamored behavior with Sophia. She rubbed Kendall’s warm fingers with her own. “I appreciate the apology,” she said quietly. Some of the anger seeped out of her, but the core of it still burned hot, building her defenses. “But I’ve put in my notice. You’ll probably hear about it tomorrow.”

  There! It was finished. The earlier heartache punched her in the chest, and she found it hard to breathe. After eighteen months of dating, everything about him was familiar. She loved him, almost with desperation, but his belief around her values and the way he treated her family could not be undone. “I’m going home, Kendall,” Noelle said.

  Kendall blinked, and Noelle watched as confusion came into his eyes. “What do you mean, you’re going home? I thought you didn’t like it there.”

  A small spark of crisp anger rose up again from the center of Noelle’s soul, strengthening her intention. “You’re wrong about that, Kendall. You don’t like it there. I love it! I love my family and the values they instilled in me, no matter how borderline hilarious they may seem to you. And I love my small-town upbringing.”

  “Oh, Noelle, I didn’t know—”

  “Well, now you do.” She stood and dropped Kendall’s hands as her resolve turned stony. “Please, don’t call me, and let’s keep our distance from each other at work, okay? It’ll only be for a couple of weeks. I wish you and Sophia all the best.” With every last bit of ragged strength beating in her heart, Noelle pushed through the sharp pain that pierced her like a burning spear and stepped out of Kendall’s office, quietly shutting the door. He did not follow.

  Now, standing on the banks of Icicle Creek, the same old questions swirled with the current of the creek. Had he really cheated on her with Sophia, or did their amorous looks ever get past the front desk? She never gave him the chance to explain because her decision was already made. He’d offered a heartfelt apology and was subdued and maybe even chastened by her defense for her family and hometown, and she’d
never even let him finish his sentence! What more was he planning to say? Should she have given him another chance to recognize and understand her values and her family? Noelle sucked in the cold mountain air, heavy with the dying season and the scent of water, as the big question loomed in her heart. Did Kendall ever love her?

  She glanced down at the pendant in her open palm. Some part of her desperately wished to fling the pendant far downstream, but her fingers held it tight. As much as she desired to be free of Kendall’s memory, she stubbornly clung to the fading recollections of their time together and the questions that swirled in the eddies of her mind.

  Chapter 13

  Several days later, Noelle breathed in the pungent autumn mountain air mixed with sunshine in the late October afternoon and grinned at Tristan with keen delight. She’d been looking forward to this afternoon hike, alone with Tristan, for days.

  “This might be the last of the warm spells,” Tristan said. “It was so cold just a couple of days ago.”

  Noelle readily agreed as she took in her surroundings. The trailhead was tucked away in the shady glen several miles from the main road and up several feet in elevation at the end of a deeply rutted road that would scare away any casual city tourist. Theirs was the only vehicle in the gravel parking lot. “I’ve never hiked this trail before.”

  Out of habit, Noelle reached for where the pendant would usually be as her thoughts lightly touched on Kendall. The cluster of turtles no longer lay against her skin. Instead, the pendant was closeted in her jewelry box. Kendall was not invited on this hike, and she was glad.

  Her thoughts happily bounced from Kendall to take in the glorious scenery. The last of the yellowing golden larch trees and orange and red vine maples against the dark evergreens fluttered in the afternoon breeze, bringing with it the rushing sound of water. “I hear falls.” Noelle turned toward Tristan with eager anticipation.