“That’s what friends are for, right?”
They settled into an easy silence while they ate. After the waitress refilled their sodas, Grace lightened the mood. “So? Love? Hate? Must-haves in life? Favorite sport?”
Noah pursed his lips, wiped his hands on a napkin. “Love my family. Hate traffic jams. I need peanut butter brownie ice cream like I need air. Anything with a ball if I’m watching but if I’mdoing,I prefer running or being in the water.”
“Yes. I remember. You came out of the ocean like you were part of it.”
“How about you? Hidden talents besides dog wrangling, decorating, and making a man feel good about his life choices?”
Now it was her turn to smile. He couldn’t see the happiness bubbling inside of her from the easy way he described her. She’d spent too much of her life defining herself in negative ways. Ways she didn’t want to be. But he saw her differently. Maybe one day, she’d be able to do the same.
“I’m pretty good at puzzles. I like running but prefer a treadmill to the road. I can swim but don’t do much else in the water. Predictably, I love reno shows, poring through magazines, and playing with design software.”
“Where are your parents?”
His phone buzzed on the table. He glanced down, but when he looked back up he didn’t stray from the topic. He waited.
“Don’t know my dad. Never did. My mom followed him to Vegas as a teenager. They moved around a bit, had me, he split. She kept moving on, trying to find the next one who’d make her life easier. I counted down the days to graduation and left immediately after. I settled here because even though I didn’t know anything about my family, I knew where my mom grew up. Met Morty about five years ago and now I have all the family I need.”
He nodded, taking it in without judgment, which she appreciated.
She gestured to the phone after crumpling her napkin and dropping it onto her plate. “Who’s that?”
“Group thread with my brothers. They’re razzing me about picking out furniture. I’m not usually so… involved.”
She grinned, leaned forward. “You don’t say.”
“Hey.”
“Hey what? You think it’s a surprise to learn you usually hire a crew and come back for the reveal?”
Something passed over his features, making her sorry she’d said it so casually. She almost reached for his hand. Instead, she added, “You’re making this one different, Noah. You just needed the right project.”
“I hope so. I don’t know why it matters that they see that. That they realize I’m not like my dad.”
Deciding she’d do the same for Rosie, she reached out, covered his hand with hers, ignoring the pulse of attraction that she was resigned to believing would always just hover.
“I’m positive they know it. Didn’t we just say we were going to stop trying to prove ourselves to others? All that matters is thatyouknow.”
He nodded, turning his hand so their fingers linked. Both their breaths caught but neither of them pulled back.
“I do. I just want them to see that I can do this. I can commit to something, see it all the way through. I came here because I was tired of turnover. I was looking to make my own legacy. To feel like I was doing somethingreal.”
Grace grinned, slipping her hand out of his so she could form words. “You want real? You want to show them that this time is different?”
He leaned back, eyeing her curiously. “What do you have in mind?”
Lots. But only some of which she’d follow through on. “Just leave it up to me.”
“Should I be scared?” His eyes twinkled. She could get addicted to those smiling eyes.
“Maybe. But I promise you’ll have fun.”
“Famous last words.”
Maybe. But,as his friend,Grace was going to prove to Noah that he could be the man he wanted to be. One he might not even know he wanted to be. If he wanted to show he could go the distance with the house, maybe he’d open up in other areas. Maybe these requited feelings didn’t have to be pushed away. At least not for good.
25
