Chapter 20
Noah
A s the late-afternoon sun sets, the Founders’ Day parade Margo organized comes to an end, with anyone still hanging around, moving inside to McAllister’s to revel in the annual festivities. This year, the McAllisters have embraced the Raiders’ theme with enthusiasm. Scattered throughout the establishment, the menacing skull-and-crossbones symbol can be spotted on every surface. The bartenders have concocted some rather dubious-looking cocktails, complete with eerie eyeballs seemingly suspended in the drinks. The room is brimming with excitement as locals, decked out in their pirate attire, immerse themselves in the celebration.
I spot Whitney from across the room. She’s sitting at one of the organization tables with another girl. Her face lights up as I approach. “Hey, haven’t seen you around much. You must be busy with your campaign efforts.”
“Very.” I smile warmly.
“Noah, I have someone I would like you to meet. This is Sandy, a friend of mine from college, staying with me for a while to help set up my practice.”
I hold out my hand for the redhead grinning at me. “Nice to meet you, Sandy.”
“Noah is running for mayor; he’s the only option, if you ask my opinion. He’s also our neighbor just across the street,” Whitney explains to her friend.
“Whitney’s told me all about you. I think she might just be your biggest fan. I would be jealous if I didn’t have so much to thank you for.”
I glance over at Whitney, wondering what her friend is going on about.
Her cheeks flush. “I told Nan. Sandy’s my girlfriend, and Nan’s coming to terms with it. Thank you for helping me.”
“Happy I could help,” I say, surprised but pleased.
“Noah, if I could do anything to repay you, please let me know.” She grins at her girlfriend, their hands linking.
I smile back at her, so happy she’s been able to truly be herself. “You got any sway in the teams for the games tonight?” I ask cheekily.
She smirks knowingly, motioning with her finger for me to come closer. “You want to be paired up with your girl? Make sure you’re the closest person to her at seven pm,” she whispers.
I take a step back, beaming. “I might just do that.” I wink in her direction. “See you girls around.”
“Good luck tonight, Noah,” they say together and then laugh.
As I walk away, my eyes meet with Paisley’s as she enters through the front door with Mae. She’s looking hot as hell in a short dress and black knee-high boots, a red bandanna holding her curls off her face. She takes one look at me and changes direction, heading for the bar instead of the pool table where our group has gathered.
I join the rest of our group, coming up beside Emerson. “Pais still avoiding you?” Emerson watches my line of sight.
“Looks that way.” I shrug it off like I don’t care either way, even though I do.
Emerson smiles at me softly. “She’s stubborn, she’ll come around when she realizes you’re staying this time,” she says with an optimism in her voice I wish I had.
“Hope so.”
Emerson swirls the drink she has in her hand then throws it back. “Why don’t you just fix whatever it is you did to her? It can’t be that hard.”
I look Emerson over. She’s young, and she’s been so sheltered most of her life. I bet she’s never had to deal with anything remotely similar. She wouldn’t understand. “It’s complicated, Em.”
She smiles sweetly. “Because she’s in love with you?”
I tilt my head, surprised. “Did she tell you that?”
“No, but it’s obvious. Her irrational behavior around you. The downhill spiral she’s been on. I love her dearly. She’s one of my best friends, and I would say this to her face as well, but the summer you came home to take care of your ma, she changed when you left. She hasn’t been the same since. I didn’t work it out till last week. Something happened between you, didn’t it?”
I look her over, wondering how she pieced it all together.
“Paisley doesn’t want to talk about it, but I thought maybe you do. You’re hurting as well. Under that smirk is pain your masking.” She takes my hand, giving it a kind and reassuring squeeze.
“Em, this is bigger than just me and Paisley. I can’t talk about it even if I wanted to.” I sigh, frustrated.
Beckett and Hamilton Prescott walk through the door and head over to Paisley. I square my shoulders, prepared for a confrontation. It’s been a long time since I last saw Hamilton Prescott. When I first received the scholarship, I felt a sense of guilt, as if he deserved it more than me. The Bay Raiders team had him as their star player. Everyone expected him to earn a scholarship and achieve great success. But he was in the passenger seat the night of the car accident. He bore the full force of it. That game was his last. And I stepped into the limelight as the new superstar of our team. Would my life have been very different if it weren’t for that awful accident? Probably. Would Hamilton’s have? Absolutely. He blames me, thinks I stole his dream. But I wasn’t driving the car that ran into us. Even if it was my fault that we were driving down that particular road.
Emerson mutters something under her breath I don’t catch.
“What did you say?” I ask, looking over.
She shakes her head. “I said I don’t like this, and you need to fix it. She shouldn’t be over there talking to the Prescotts.” Bitterness drips off her every word, but it’s the way her cheeks flush with heat that has me the most curious.
I lean into her closer so no one else can hear our conversation. “You know my secrets. What’s yours?”
Her eyes go wide. “Nothing, I… I don’t have any secrets.” Her voice trembles, and I know she’s lying.
Worry courses through my veins for her. The Prescotts are dangerous men. I wouldn’t want the sweet little thing anywhere near them. “Do you have a thing for Beckett?” I ask, my voice heavy with concern.
Her eyes rise to meet mine in utter disgust. “Oh, dear God, no!” she snaps. But by her guilty expression, I know there is something she’s hiding.
“Hamilton then?” I growl, hating the idea just as much.
“No way in hell would I touch either of them with a forty-foot pole,” she says with more determination in her voice.
I look her over, wondering what she’s hiding from me. Her brother won’t like this. He knows as well as I do how dangerous those brothers are. “Stay away from him, Em. He’s dangerous.”
“I know,” she whispers. “I would never…” Her words trail off as she notices Mae.
“What are you two whispering about?” asks Mae, squeezing in between our shoulders, surprising us.
I smirk playfully. “Which Prescott brother little Alexander’s crushing on.” Emerson slaps my arm for having the audacity to say it, but I want to make it very clear to all involved this is a bad fucking idea. Whatever she’s thinking. If she was my little sister, I would be keeping her away from them, and I know Brody would feel the same.
“She better stay the fuck away from both of them.” Brody’s voice booms over us, and I realize he and Gisele were right behind us and probably heard too much just now as well.
Em’s cheeks radiate heat, and she glares daggers at me. “Oh my God, how did this just become about me? Just so everyone knows, Noah is joking, I have no interest in either of them. I’m going to the bar for another drink.” I receive a well-deserved death glare from her, and I respond with laughter. I like to play around, she knows that. But she also knows I’m deadly serious about this.
“We playing a game or what?” Parker calls over us, stepping up to break.
I check my watch. It’s nearly seven, and when I search the room for Paisley, I find her sitting at the bar talking to Elliot’s little brother, Jake. Walking right up next to her, I lean on the bar. I couldn’t get closer to her. “Burbon, thanks, Jake.”
He acknowledges me with a cautious nod and proceeds to pour my drink.
“You’ve sulked for long enough. Come and join the rest of us.” I glance at her, my eyes lingering on her red lips a little longer than they should. But fuck, she looks edible tonight.
Her eyes narrow as she looks me over. “I’m not sulking. I’m enjoying some time with my friend, isn’t that right, Jake.”
“Sure, Paisley.” His raised brow toward me suggests that he is just as skeptical about her story as I am.
She angles her Coke toward him, trying to block me out.
“Not drinking tonight?” I ask her, surprised.
“I’m having a break from alcohol while I’m working the campaign. Got to keep my head straight so I can beat you,” she snips. Her lips turn into a grin, only happy when she’s sassing me.
Jake chuckles under his breath as he slides my drink onto the bar.
“You should come join the winning team, and then you wouldn’t have to try so hard.” I smirk back because I’ll take whatever I can get. Right now she’s still talking to me, and I need to keep her close. “Come and join us, your friends miss you. Emerson’s not happy with me. She wants me to fix this problem.”
“Well, Em’s just going to have to get over it because while they’re all on your side, I’m keeping my distance.” She looks confused, searching the group. “Where is Emerson anyway?”
I glance back toward the group and notice she’s gone as well. She was just with the rest of the crew.
Jake seizes the microphone and declares, “Let the Founders’ Day games commence! Your nearest neighbor becomes your partner in crime for the scavenger hunt.”
“Oh fuck no.” Paisley looks back at Jake, worried.
He shrugs nonchalantly. “That’s the rules.”
I smirk at her, glad I had the insider knowledge, and the look on her face is priceless. Jake has some of the other servers hand out the rules printed on parchment paper. “Come on, Pais. I know how competitive you are, let’s win this thing together.”
She glares at me angrily, then to Jake then back over to our group, who are all pairing up. She knows she has no choice but to play along now. “We better win,” she says, standing and taking the paper from me, a new look of determination in her eyes. The teams take it to town square and line up.
“What the hell, Emerson?” Brody snaps when he notices who his sister is paired with. She’s standing with Hamilton Prescott, and I stiffen as well. How the hell did she end up with him?
“Don’t worry, Alexander, I’ll take good care of your little sister,” the asshole says smugly.
“Oh no,” says Gisele, grabbing Brody’s arm to stop him from going over there.
“I was coming out of the bathroom when it got announced,” Emerson grumbles to her brother. Her guilty eyes meet mine, and from the blush rising on her cheeks, I know this wasn’t an innocent mistake. Something is going on there.
“Paisley, you like the Prescotts, trade with Emerson,” Brody demands, his attention coming to us.
I look over at Emerson, and she shakes her head, her eyes pleading with me not to make a scene. Paisley looks happy about the idea, but there’s not a chance in hell I’ll trade her. She’s mine for the next couple of hours. “Not how this works, Brody. You know the rules,” I add. I’m not missing out on an opportunity to win her over. It’s been years since we’ve played one of the McAllisters’ Founders’ Day games, but we all know the rules. And this year they’re working in my favor.
Brody glares at Hamilton, rage radiating off him. “You lay one finger on her and…”
Emerson wraps an arm around him, guiding him back toward us. “Brody, I’m fine. Rules are rules, and I can handle Hamilton. Go enjoy the fun with Gisele,” she says sweetly.
Paisley drops her head toward Gisele’s. “Good luck, girl, he’s one raging bull tonight.”
Gisele giggles. “Lucky I know how to tame the beast.” She takes his hand, pulling him in the opposite direction.
“This isn’t some joke. He can’t be trusted with her.” He turns to Paisley. “This is all your fault. If you didn’t blur the lines by jumping on team Beckett, this wouldn’t be happening.”
“Chill out, Brody. It’s just a game. I’m stuck with this guy, and you don’t see me crying about it. Em’s a big girl, she can handle herself,” she snaps back at him. But she doesn’t know what we do. The Prescotts are big trouble, and his sister might be a grown woman, but I don’t want her anywhere near them either.
“Brody, come on. Everyone else has started.” Gisele tugs on his hand, trying to get him to leave with her. Reluctantly, he goes.
Emerson wanders off with Hamilton, and I watch them. “We need to stay close,” I tell Paisley.
“Why are you lot so worried about Em with Hamilton?”
I glance back at Paisley. “The same reason I worry about you spending so much time with Beckett. They can’t be trusted.”
“Didn’t you all used to be friends? All I hear is they can’t be trusted, but no one says exactly why.”
“Used to,” I huff, not ready to dive into our past tonight.
She rolls her eyes. “What’s first on the list? Let’s get this done as quickly as possible.”
I check the list, following in the direction of the others. “We need a photo with Captain Harrington.”
“Ha, I never realized our founder was a Harrington before. Guess it makes sense, ruthless invader that takes what he wants, leaving a trail of destruction and pain in his wake.” She kicks up the dust as she tries to take a dig at me.
I ignore her comment and make my way toward the statue. I take out my phone so we can take a pic. “Come on, it says we both have to be in the picture.”
Reluctantly she joins me, and I snap a shot of us together with the statue of my great, great, great relative.
“Take a photo of the inscription. There’s some trivia questions at the bottom, and one is the name of the ship he arrived on. Black Serpent,” she tells me, so I do.
“What’s next?”
We spend the next hour speeding around town ticking items off the list. She’s lit up and happier than I have seen her in so long. I can tell she’s starting to enjoy herself, even if she is stuck with me. It looks like we might even have the lead at this point. The only other team who is even close to us is Emerson and Hamilton.
The other couples are all close by, and every so often I look out for Emerson. She keeps her distance from Hamilton, but the tension between the two of them is strange. It makes me nervous. Part of me wonders if it’s time we tell the girls all we know about their family. But Parker hasn’t found the hard evidence we need. So, at this point, it’s all my father’s word and some evidence from years ago that we have to go off. We can’t risk it getting out before we have uncovered the full truth.
Paisley comes running back to me with her hands full. “I got the last one, five seashells.” She squeals with excitement, showing me the loot in her hands. I move in close with her and take a selfie, the beach as the perfect backdrop behind us. A breeze kicks up, and the waft of her sweet shampoo hits my nostrils, taking me back years. For a second, it’s like she’s transported back in time with me. She stares up at me, her eyes wide as she licks along her lips.
My hand moves into her hair, and I pull her closer to me. “Paisley.”
She blinks back at me, waiting for me to say something. Then she drops her line of sight and takes a step back. “I’ve answered the questions as we were going. We’re all done. I’ll run this in and we might just win,” she says excitedly as she takes off for the marquee that’s been set up on the beach. I try to grab for her hand, not giving two shits if we win or not. I just had her in my arms, she was so close. And I know she feels this as well, the undeniable pull we have toward each other.
As she takes off up the beach, I notice Hamilton make a run for the marquee as well. They’re neck and neck. He mutters something to her, and she sprints forward to hand her phone over to the judge first.
Emerson and I walk toward the marquee together, hearing Paisley’s cheers of excitement. “Looks like your team won. Maybe you two can get along after all. Well played, Noah.” She grins cheekily.
“All this proves is we’re both fiercely competitive. Tell me, Em, how did you really end up partnered up with Hamilton?”
“This is none of your business, Noah.” She blushes a deep shade of crimson, her guilty eyes avoiding mine.
“I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“You’re as bad as my brother,” she huffs, unimpressed.
“Maybe you should trust him on this one. Hamilton’s not a good guy, Em.”
“I know,” she says sadly, and I wonder what he’s done to her.
Anger surges through me. “What did he fucking do?”
Her hand comes to my arm. “No, Noah. I can handle this,” she says, her voice filled with more authority than it normally is.
“If you’re sure.”
“I am. Besides, you have your own stuff to deal with. Go get your girl.”
Paisley comes running toward us way too excited. “We won!” She beams, throwing her arms around me. I pick her up and twirl her around before lowering her back down to the sand.
“I knew we would.” I smirk back at her, brushing a stray curl behind her ear, seeing for the first time how badly she needed this. She’s like a little kid at Christmas, and I’m glad for once I was the one able to put that grin on her pretty face. I lower my head toward hers, and she doesn’t push me away. But right as my lips brush hers, I feel her hand on my chest.
“Noah, we can’t.”
I pull away from her, disappointment filling me. She wants this as well. She’s just running scared. And I feel like an asshole all over again, knowing how much I hurt her last time.
Some of the other teams start bringing in their entries, and the beach becomes crowded.
I lower my head toward hers. “What did Hamilton say to you?”
“You needed the win more than him, because it would be the only one you’re going to get.”
“He’s just saying that because he’s a sore loser,” Margo says, joining us from out of nowhere. She leans in and kisses my cheek. “Congratulations. Now you can add the Founders’ Day trophy to your long list of accomplishments.”
I chuckle lightheartedly. “This one was all Paisley. The trophy’s hers.”
Margo turns and looks her over as if she is noticing her for the first time. “How did the two of you end up working together, anyway? Not really ideal PR for the campaign, Noah,” she chastises me.
I notice Paisley’s not-so-subtle roll of the eyes. She’s not keen on Margo at all. “You might want to keep your candidate in line then, sweetie. Pretty sure he set this one up, because I’m just so irresistible he couldn’t stay away from me.” She smiles extra sweetly toward her, a knowing look coming back to me. I smirk back at her, not giving two shits if she thinks I rigged it. I’m happy for her to know what she means to me. And I would be crazy not to try for some time with her.
“Sounds about right. Noah is all for charity,” Margo snaps back, claws out, and I throw her a look. The last thing we need is a cat fight in the middle of Founders’ Day.
“Margo,” I warn.
Paisley’s hurt eyes come back to me. “Whatever,” she snaps before striding away up the beach.
“Paisley. Come back, she was joking,” I call to her, frustrated. The two of us were finally getting along. But she doesn’t even look back, she just keeps marching away quickly. I return my attention to Margo. “That wasn’t very nice.”
Her delicate hand comes to my arm. “Noah. Getting involved with Paisley in any way is a terrible idea. She works for Beckett now. She can’t be trusted. Who knows what he would have had her do tonight to mess up your chances. He’s not a nice guy like you. He can and will play dirty to ensure he wins, that’s why we have to be smart about this.”
I look Margo over, knowing she could be right. I’m sure Beckett would do anything possible to win, including turning Paisley against me. But even though I’m not her favorite person right now, I don’t think she would truly do anything to hurt me. Something is still lingering between us. Something real, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.