Page 37 of Noel Secrets

Jayda’s stunned eyes watched him. “Yeah, let’s thank God tonight. Did you know I asked Him to protect you? I think He just did.”

Now Michael stood stunned. She had prayed for him, prayed for her enemy? Chuck had said Jayda was a precious gift, but being prayed for behind his back was the best gift anyone had ever given him.

Maybe Chuck was right, and God was always with him.

Chapter Ten

Jayda tugged her coat tighter around herself as she sat beside Michael on the old station’s cracked bench. Her knee brushed his with every nervous shift, but he didn’t seem to mind, and neither did she. A week ago, she wouldn’t have depended on him for anything, and now she was leaning against his shoulder as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

What was going on between them? How was she trusting him so easily?

Trust. That was the word echoing through her skull like a mocking refrain. She had no business trusting him. Not after years of his torture, not after the way he had dismissed her when she’d been dropped off on his doorstep as if she chose this life. And yet here they were, side by side, waiting for the train with his family to arrive, both content in each other’s presence.

Michael’s voice broke the silence. “The train should be here soon.”

“I can’t believe we beat them.”

“That we did.” He chuckled, his smooth timbre poured out like hot caramel, but she heard the edge of relief in it too.

She turned, catching the glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. Jayda offered a small smile. “Guess miracles happen.”

The words felt almost foreign. She hadn’t believed in miracles for a long time. But tonight, she let herself believe—just a little—that maybe the tide was turning. Maybe they weren’t doomed after all.

The clock above the ticket counter ticked to five a.m., and at last the distant hum of an engine rumbled through the dark. The station windows rattled as the train pulled in, metal screeching against the frozen tracks.

They rose together, Michael’s hand brushing against hers for just a second too long. The accidental touch made her pulse stumble. She glanced away quickly, hoping he hadn’t noticed, and they made their way out onto the platform.

The doors hissed open. Silence. No chatter of early risers, no footsteps pounding down the corridor. They stepped inside and found the cars dimly lit for the overnight ride. Passengers were still tucked in their berths.

Michael released a quiet laugh. “Looks like nobody even realized we left.”

A giddy ripple moved through Jayda’s chest. “Do you think Simon told them?”

“Not likely. He would’ve let us handle it. And my mother would have called me relentlessly. He probably figured alerting everyone wasn’t worth the panic.”

“He was right,” Jayda murmured. “And not just about that. I put you in danger, and I’m sorry.”

“I wouldn’t have done anything differently. Thank you for trusting me enough to ask for help.”

They exchanged a look—half conspiratorial, half incredulous. A second chance. Somehow, impossibly, they’d been given one.

They drifted toward the dining car, which sat empty and still under the dim glow of the lamps. On one table lay the remnantsof Ginny’s late-night project with the twins—scissors, scraps of ribbon, twigs bundled together with string.

Michael picked up a twig, holding it between his fingers. “Mistletoe,” he said, twisting it thoughtfully.

Jayda reached for a length of satin ribbon left behind, her fingers weaving through it absently. “She’s got the kids making decorations? Does she ever turn the joy off?”

“Never.” His tone carried amusement.

The quiet wrapped around them, but it wasn’t heavy anymore. For the first time in days, Jayda felt almost…safe. Her gaze drifted to Michael’s hands, steady and strong as he fiddled with the twig.

Then his words cut through the calm. “Chuck said something…while you were asleep. Could help us.”

She looked up. “Tell me.”

“We’ve been so worried about running, we haven’t considered who exactly we’re running from. If Veronica ran, who was she running from? It’s probably the same person making the orders. Tell me about the case.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know much about it. Professor Dandridge said the case was in the news because the convict was getting out of jail this month. Albert Langston was the man in the case.”