Snowflakes In Autumn (A Novella)

Thirteen

He'd left his credit card with her that morning before he left for work, telling her to get anything she wanted until he could manage the trip to Rhode Island in two weeks. He planned to fly there, empty her storage unit, then drive back.

She'd kept her phone turned off ever since the conversation with her brother four days prior. They were going to get a new phone for her the day before, but she blew it off and now He'd written it in all caps on the note he left for her. He told her to get whatever she needed clothing and 'girly crap' wise, and anything she wanted to make this feel more like a home to her.

Faith had gone a bit overboard making the house feel like a home rather than a giant study and wasn't sure if Noah would be okay with all the feminine touches. She tried to keep it to minor things. A new throw blanket and pillows for the living room, matching curtains for the windows, an area rug for below the coffee table, some vanilla and lavender candles, a few floral arrangements, a table runner for the dining room. All things that could be easily undone and wouldn't feel too over the top.

For her new room, all she'd purchased was a closet organizer, a pretty lamp, curtains and new bedding, along with a watercolor artwork matching the same color scheme as the other already in the room and a mirror.

By the time Noah got home from work, she had acoustic music playing in the background as she made a salad for dinner. When she heard the front door open, Faith looked up and flashed him a smile. "Honey, you're home!" she teased, unable to help herself.

Noah's eyes looked around the house, taking in all the minor changes, before his eyes finally fell on her and he walked into the kitchen. "Looks like you've had a busy day."

"I kept all the receipts and did my best to keep the packaging intact, so if there's anything you don't like, we can return it."

"I'm not complaining," Noah reassured her. "New dress?"

Faith looked down at the orange cashmere wrap dress. She'd placed it back on the rack six times, reminding herself that it was too expensive and it wasn't her money she was spending, but her heart won out. She'd spent probably three times more than she'd intended and still felt like an asshole about it. "I may have gone a little overboard. I put your credit card in your room. Never give me that power again, because you can't trust me."

Noah placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. "Again, I'm not complaining. You look beautiful, little snowflake." His hands lowered to her arms, then went back up. "Now tell me what this fabric is and if they make blankets out of it."

A laugh escaped Faith's lips. "It's cashmere, and yes, it comes in blanket form."

A fist pounded against the door, causing Faith to jump.

Her first and only thought was her mother. They'd kept her phone off for the most part, ever since her call with Ryan, but Faith had turned it on twice to check any missed texts and voicemails. The texts were all angry messages from her brother, one of which said that he told their mother everything when she called him. Faith hadn't been able to bring herself to listen to the voicemails.

Noah walked over to the front door and checked through the small window to see who it was, letting out a sigh before opening it.

"It's Tuesday, you know. I called you six times." The voice was a man's, and not her brother's.

"Shit. We were supposed to meet for coffee today, weren't we?" Noah walked away from the door, and an older man walked into the house, wearing a sweater and tan khakis. "Sorry, Dennis. I've been distracted this week and didn't have my phone on me today."

She recalled several missed phone calls from a 'Dennis' on Noah's phone, but had decided not to answer when it rang, and completely forgot to call Noah at his work to let him know.