A smile spread onto Noel’s face, and out of the corner of her eye, she looked over at Cavin as he stared straight ahead at the road.Mrs.Madelyn was right—he was handsome.
“The kids are fast asleep on a makeshift cot on the living room floor,” Mrs.Madelyn revealed.“Why don’t you let them stay the night here with me and Mr.Jack?He said he will sleep in the recliner in case they wake up wondering where they are.”
Noel nearly cried, but she already cried enough for one evening.Having a night alone of completely uninterrupted sleep would be a blessing, especially this night she decided.
However, after climbing into bed, Noel spent the next hour with her eyes wide open in the dark reliving the new memories she made with Cavin Dawson that evening.No one could or would ever take the place of Fletcher Puckett, but with her entire body relaxed and enveloped in the soft covers, Noel closed her eyes realizing that one day at a time she could move forward.She believed she took the first step today although not alone as the piano-playing fingers on her right hand stretched wide over Fletcher’s spot on the bed.
“Thank you, Fletcher,” Noel whispered, remembering how they often fell asleep holding hands.“I love you.”
21
“Are you coming?”the first message from Georgia asked as Cavin checked his phone in the parking lot about ten minutes after dropping off Noel.“Where are you?I thought you were going to be at the mayor’s party?”the second message, sent an hour later, accused.“I guess you are not going to make it,” the last one concluded.“I kind of feel stood up.”
Once Cavin silenced his phone when he and Noel started walking along the Swansboro waterfront, he never glanced at it the remainder of the evening.Prior to reading these messages from Georgia, he spent ten minutes in complete silence gazing out over the creek absorbing his thoughts following a spectacular evening with Noel Puckett.In all honesty the night started off rocky, and he nearly spun the vehicle around and took Noel home before making it out of Beaufort but thank God he hadn’t.At some point everything shifted between them.Noel loosened up and became a different person—a woman like none other.Something about her changed him, too; being with Noel made Cavin want to be a different man, a better man.
Cavin hadn’t purposely avoided the texts from Georgia, as well as other business-related messages, all evening.He usually kept a close eye on his phone constantly working on business deals, checking the stock market, and being available to address other important matters instantly during business hours and his personal time.However, something about the depth of the conversations with Noel captivated his attention compelling him to silence the ringer and notifications.
As the stars twinkled above the shimmering lake, Cavin felt zero remorse for missing these messages and calls or for not responding.His dad sent as many texts as Georgia asking for updates, and he even called around eight o’clock.He insisted on knowing how the rental vehicle ended up with four flat tires.Apparently their administrative assistant forwarded the news although Cavin wished she kept it to herself.He should have asked for her discretion about it, but he didn’t even think of that when she returned his call on the fifth hole earlier today.Afterward they texted back and forth, and she secured a replacement vehicle, but once he returned to the house and everything ensued with Keaton, Cavin cancelled it.He gathered from the messages that his dad clearly wasn’t happy about the situation or about not receiving an update on the potential business development opportunities.
Cavin thought about messaging Georgia and his father, but at this late hour he really didn’t want to shift out of the state of bliss he felt after spending an unforgettable evening with Noel Puckett.He didn’t want to go to bed with anyone or anything on his mind other than the woman who owned the candy shop.
After the relatively late night, Cavin slept an extra hour on Sunday morning, the first day of December.He texted Georgia while sipping a cup of coffee, letting her know his plans changed abruptly yesterday evening and that he had no phone access.He wasn’t sure how else to word it, but he did apologize even though they never had specific plans.He also explained that he wouldn’t be able to make the church service this morning but mentioned perhaps he could attend next Sunday.
Although most people took Sundays off, neither Cavin nor his father did.Therefore Cavin spent a good part of the morning on the phone updating his dad on the groundwork laid during his first two days in Beaufort.He filled him in on the many influential people he met and explained that business development opportunities were already presenting themselves.He shared details about the identified locations of interest and mentioned meeting the owners of the top two buildings on his radar and told him about spending time with them outside of typical business functions.Wining and dining, his father called the dance, and Cavin could hear him smiling through the phone.
Cavin also briefed him on the waterfront parking lot which the town of Beaufort owned.When he explained making friends with Georgia—being sure to highlight her positions as a real estate attorney and town councilwoman—as well as the mayor and other local dignitaries, his dad verbally applauded his efforts.
“Keep up the great work, Son,” his father encouraged.“I planned on giving you a hard time about the flat tires and all the hassle my administrative assistant went through on her day off to secure the second vehicle you never required, but I will let it go since you have hit the ground running.As you know, weekends are either used for getting ahead or falling behind.”
Cavin knew his father didn’t care if the administrative assistant put in a few extra hours on a Saturday, but he let that comment slip into the salty Beaufort air even as the two of them worked on a Sunday.“Thanks, Dad.”
The line grew silent for a moment.
“At least tell me what happened with the tires,” his father asserted.
Cavin should have known the man couldn’t actually let it go.“I think some teenagers were just out on a Friday night having fun,” Cavin assumed because honestly he didn’t have anyone else to blame.“A local mechanic pumped up the tires for me on his day off, so it all worked out.”
“That is good because I thought you did something stupid,” his dad chastised.“I hope you gave that fellow a good tip and showed him how much his business revenue would increase if he opened on Saturdays.”
After all that transpired yesterday, Cavin realized he never even thought about paying Keaton, let alone giving him a tip.He should have.Later he would have to make it up to him; Cavin not only felt indebted to Noel’s brother for the work but also for underestimating him.
Once Cavin hung up with his father, he replayed all the details of their conversation in his mind.This made him think of Noel and how much her candy store meant to her and her family.However, Cavin knew if he brought up that point to his dad, he would have heard, “Business is not personal.”
Cavin spent the next few hours crunching numbers and drafting preliminary proposals for the properties he briefed his dad about although these offers wouldn’t be formally presented until weeks later.A lot of research still lay ahead, and he needed to get to know decision makers personally, individually tailoring each proposition to meet the specific needs of the business owners and the community.
Each property presented its own unique challenges.Cavin needed to remain in the good graces of Georgia, the mayor, and the other town council members.Ultimately, since these matters usually came to a vote, he would need to convince the majority of the key players that selling the parking lot would benefit Beaufort as a whole.He could back up his proposal with sales figures and tax revenue data, but experience reminded him that he also needed to demonstrate that the loss of prime waterfront parking access would ultimately be a valuable tradeoff from the community’s perspective.
Walt’s interest in Noel’s property posed a dilemma in regards to Cavin’s interest in both his and Noel’s buildings; however, Cavin already determined the man’s love of dollar signs and imagined he could make an offer Walt couldn’t refuse.Walt’s focus on purchasing Noel’s property at a fraction of the value, and likely splitting the building into several smaller shops as well as renting the home above the store actually played to Cavin’s advantage.Walt might also want to divide the home into a couple of small apartments.
While the revenue in Walt’s plan appeared lucrative, Cavin’s lens stretched much wider as did the budget at Cavin’s disposal.Walt, an accountant who dabbled in real estate, understood money, but Cavin spotted red flags that revealed the man didn’t have as much as he pretended.
As for Noel, Cavin knew he could offer her a more competitive deal than Walt and ultimately a fair value for the property.However, the idea of buying her family’s building which happened to be smack dab in the middle of the other two properties stung him the most.Noel didn’t seem to care about the money aside from having sufficient funds to meet the needs of her family and run the candy shop.Cavin hoped that time would lead him in the best direction.
After eating a salad for lunch, Cavin wandered onto the porch to stretch his legs and decided to walk across the street to the creek.The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.As he neared the sidewalk, Cavin spotted Noel, Levi, and Laney walking in his direction, all three donning their Santa hats.
“Kevin,” Levi shouted a moment later, noticing him before the others.
Levi came running up to greet him, and Laney followed behind while Noel continued to walk at a leisurely pace.Cavin couldn’t help but notice a smile sprout on Noel’s face as quickly as a wildflower bloomed in the spring nor could he contain his excitement to see the three of them, especially Noel.Truth be told he wanted to kick himself for not asking for her number last night at the end of their date.Fear hadn’t held him back; he had simply been wrapped up in their conversations until the moment he walked her to the front doors of the candy shop which had to be the most interesting place he’d ever dropped a woman off following a first date or any date for that matter.
