Chapter Seventeen #2
‘He taught you a lot, didn’t he?’ The wave of melancholy that had washed over her was beginning to evaporate. She recalled Noah’s stories of the time he’d spent in his grandfather’s workshop. ‘Was he the one who taught you not to climb on unstable objects?’
Noah grinned. ‘I don’t remember. Probably. It’s a very important life lesson, you know.’
‘Mmm, so I’ve been told.’
A moment passed before they erupted with laughter, the rift between them mended, just like that. Now she was free to share her news with him.
‘Noah, I—’
‘No, wait, please. Let me apologise for yesterday.’ He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. ‘It was completely unfair of me to ambush you like that in front of everyone.’
She shook her head. ‘You didn’t.’
‘I did,’ he insisted, ‘and I’m sorry.’
His sincerity caught her off guard. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him it was okay, that he didn’t need to apologise, but she swallowed her words, not wanting to brush his aside as if they were nothing more than an empty platitude.
Because the truth was, his regret at putting her in the spotlight proved that he understood her in a way no one else ever had.
Even Rosie, her own mother, hadn’t comprehended the magnitude of her struggles, yet here was this man, who’d known her for no more than a few months and who was her opposite in so many ways, who recognised the signs of her anxiety and regretted contributing to her discomfit.
So instead, she nodded, accepting his apology.
Still, she wondered whether he had any idea just how much it meant to her, because in that moment, if he’d held out his hands and asked for her heart, she would’ve willingly placed it in his care, knowing with absolute certainty that he would always do everything in his power to protect it.
Dipping her head, she turned back to the photos, needing to steer the conversation away from any topic that required her to be overly vulnerable.
‘Tell me more about your grandad.’
‘Beth …’
‘Is this him in his workshop?’ She stepped forward, ignoring Noah’s concern, and gestured to an old photo of a middle-aged man sanding the surface of a large slab of pale wood.
Noah sighed, but nodded when she glanced his way. ‘Yeah, that’s him. In his happy place.’
‘Yours, too, from what you’ve told me.’
‘Yeah. He had me sawing and hammering alongside him from the age of four.’
‘Did he teach you how to make furniture as you got older?’ she asked, recalling that Noah’s grandfather had made a dining table for his wife.
‘He tried.’ Noah chuckled. ‘But I didn’t really have the patience for it and preferred doing things on a bigger scale. My first solo project was a chook pen out the back here for Gran, then I designed and built the arena for Mum’s riding school.’
‘Before moving on to renovating entire houses, huh?’
‘Eventually, yeah.’
‘What is it about renovating that you love so much?’
Noah looked around the homestead, as if drawing on his memories of having transformed the place.
‘Making an old house new again, giving a place that’s been loved a new lease on life.
It’s such an honour, you know? There’s nothing else like it.
It’s—’ His brows drew together and he lifted a hand to the nape of his neck.
‘Shit, it’s like a drug, Beth, I swear.’
The passion in his voice made the hairs on her arms stand up. She’d been feeling confident in her decision before Noah showed up, but now she knew with absolute certainty that she’d chosen the right path.
‘You’ve convinced me,’ she murmured, still slightly mesmerised by the intensity with which he’d spoken.
‘What do you mean?
‘I’ve decided to stay,’ she told him. ‘For the time being, at least,’ she clarified, when she saw hope spark in his eyes.
‘You’ve changed your mind about leaving?’
‘At this stage, I’m delaying leaving. What you said yesterday, about not making a decision based on fear? You were right. I owe it to myself to spend more time here so I don’t end up doing something I’ll regret.’
She planned to contact the selling agent of the Townsville cottage and put in an expression of interest pending finance.
While the money she was set to inherit from Pru was a significant sum, it wasn’t enough to fund the entire purchase.
It would definitely give her a better chance of securing a home loan, though.
And maybe she wouldn’t have to sell Pru’s house at all.
Noah crossed his arms over his chest, but she could see in his eyes that he was pleased. ‘That’s great news, Beth.’
‘Plus,’ she added, ‘I can’t walk away now. I’m itching to see how you transform my house.’ She blinked, realising it was the first time she’d referred to it as her house rather than Pru’s.
Noah’s brows lifted. ‘So you’re saying you’ll stay long enough to see the renovation through?’
‘I will.’
‘Huh.’ He studied her for a moment, then shrugged. ‘Well, brace yourself, Bethany Sullivan, because once I’m done with that place, you won’t ever want to leave.’ He winked, delivering a smug grin before heading for the door.
Beth stood there, stunned by the feelings his promise had stirred in her belly. And as she followed him from the homestead, she tried hard to ignore how much she hoped that, in the end, he’d convince her to stay permanently.