Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
SAVANNAH HOLLINGSWORTH
M y mouth goes dry, and I have trouble looking Noah in the eye. I can’t tell him. My family is fiercely private. We don’t talk about the cancer. No one knows why I missed the last two weeks of my senior year, except for the principal, who gave me permission to graduate remotely. I haven’t told anyone, even my best friend, Elizabeth.
“It was nothing,” I say quietly, still avoiding his gaze.
Noah folds his arms, making his muscles tense. “It didn’t look like nothing.”
I force a laugh. “I didn’t realize how tired demolishing a wall would make me.” I yawn, trying to make it look real.
Noah slowly nods, his gaze hooded. “Yeah. I should get going.”
I immediately feel terrible. I shouldn’t have said that. The evening was going so well. Why did I basically push him out the door? But I can’t force myself to take it back.
He quickly leaves, and I plop back down on the couch. I check the time. It’s not quite time for bed, so I turn on more of the sketch comedy shows, but they fall flat for me. Noah and I were laughing so hard at them, but without him beside me, they’re not funny anymore.
I give up and turn the television off. As I get ready for bed, I try not to think about Noah’s expression after I fake yawned, but it keeps coming back to me. The way he looked at me, as if I had hurt him … and it hits me. He knew I faked my yawn.
I go to bed feeling like a lousy friend. I wonder if Noah thinks I took advantage of his kindness. Like I’m using him? Tomorrow I’ll make it better.
* * *
I look at my reflection one last time before leaving my house. My hair falls to my shoulders in soft curls. Normally my hair is bone straight, so the curls will be gone in an hour, but I spent the time with the curling iron, anyway. At least my hair will look good when I walk into church.
I hop in my car and drive the ten minutes to Fellowship Grace. It’s a cute little church building, built in the 1950s. A round, stained glass window depicts flowers around the cross. Apparently, someone famous designed it, but I don’t know the details. I walk up the steps and enter the building.
Noah’s standing in the foyer talking to Tobias and Kiki. Normally, I’d smile and nod and walk right by, but I feel so terrible about how I pushed him out the door yesterday that I can’t do that. I walk up to them.
Noah turns and smiles at me. “Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well last night?” I ask.
He looks a bit taken aback, and I don’t blame him. I’m giving off totally different vibes than I was last night. “Passed out as soon as I got home. Nearly missed church this morning. I think I hit snooze three times.” He chuckles. “How about you?”
His question is weighted somehow, like he’s asking me more than what his words say. “I slept fine.”
Tobias puts his arm around Kiki. I glance at Kiki’s intricate tattoo on the inside of her arm. A phoenix. Makes me wonder if it has special meaning.
“How’s the renovating going?” Tobias asks.
“We got the wall knocked down. Now we just have to paint and patch the ceiling.” I look at Noah, in case I’m missing a step. “Right?”
“Yes. The wall wasn’t original to the house, so the flooring is perfect.” Noah folds his arms. “Do you want help painting this afternoon?”
I want my studio done so badly, I can’t refuse. “Yes, that would be great.”
“Why don’t you come over for Sunday dinner after you’re done painting?” Kiki asks. “I’m making a roast.”
I glance at Noah, silently asking him if he minds. He nods, so I say, “Sure.”
Kiki smiles warmly at me. “Great.”
Skyler comes running up to Kiki and throws her arms around her legs. “Kiki, come sit with me.”
“All right, sweetheart.” She turns to me. “I’ll see you later.” Skyler tugs her and Tobias into the chapel.
Noah shoves his hands in his pockets. “It’s a beautiful day.”
“Yes.” An awkwardness settles in between us, making me feel even worse. I did this. I pushed Noah out the door, physically and emotionally. I need to fix it. “Do you want to sit together?”
His eyebrows lift in a silent question he doesn’t ask. “Okay.”
We walk into the chapel. I ignore the look Josephine gives me as we walk past her. She can gossip all she wants. I don’t care. In fact, if she tells Donald I’m dating Noah, maybe he’ll stop harassing me. Actually, that’s a great idea. I grab Noah’s arm and hug it.
Noah trips on his own feet, shuffling for a moment before regaining his footing. He smooths his tie down. “Sorry.”
I nudge him to sit in a pew and I slide in beside him. I don’t let go of his arm. He doesn’t question me, but I feel like I owe him an explanation. I lean close. “I have an idea,” I whisper.
“What is it?”
“If Josephine thinks we’re dating, it will get back to Donald.”
Noah tugs on his tie, like it’s too tight. “What?”
I suddenly feel foolish, and I let go of his arm. “Never mind.”
He stares at me, his gaze intense. “Why don’t I just have a conversation with Donald?” His arm muscles bulge.
I shake my head. Noah has a heart of gold, but a body of steel. It’s been years since I’ve seen him get angry enough to use his fists, but back in high school he was known for it. As his jaw muscles flex, and I know I have to do something. “Don’t do that.”
“You’d rather I tell him we’re dating?” he whispers.
I blush. “You don’t have to. It was a stupid idea.”
“No.” His gaze softens. “It’s not a terrible idea. Let’s do it. The way gossip travels on this island, people will all think we’re dating after we walked into church together, anyway.” He slides his arm around me. “Let’s help that rumor along.”
“Really? You don’t mind?” I smooth my dress down over my knees. Is that asking too much of Noah? I feel guilty for even suggesting it now.
“I don’t mind.”
The sermon starts. I stare at the pastor, unable to process his words. He’s talking about Jesus, but all I can think about is Noah’s arm around my shoulders, and how we used to snuggle on his couch. It feels good to be this close to him again, even if it’s just to get Josephine’s tongue wagging.
As we leave, Noah grabs hold of my hand. The zing of electricity at the contact startles me. It shouldn’t. I’ve been feeling it ever since he moved in next door. We walk through the chapel and out to the foyer. I notice people staring at us, and a small part of me feels guilty again for using Noah to get Donald off my back. And a whole other part of me is enjoying the contact.
I go home to change into my grungy paint clothes, then I make myself a sandwich. Twenty minutes later, Noah knocks on my door, and I let him in. He has a drop cloth draped over one arm, and paint rollers in the other. “What color are you thinking for your studio?”
“I bought a light grey paint.”
Noah looks at my bright coral living room walls. “Really?”
I laugh at his expression. “The grey is best for taking photos. If I were using the space for anything else, believe me, it would be full of color. I like life on my walls.”
“I never thought this color on a wall would look good, but you make it look great.” He pauses for a moment, studying my living room. “I think it’s the splashes of teal and pink you have around the room. You have them in good proportions.”
“Good eye. That’s the 60-30-10 rule. It’s a decorating trick. I’ll teach you some tips when we do your house.” I take the paint rollers from him.
He shifts. “I’m not really a pink or coral guy.”
I hold in a laugh. “I was thinking something monochromatic for your house. All purples. We can accent your living room with bowls of grapes.”
He slowly nods, playing into my joke. “And plums.”
“And fresh violets.”
“Don’t forget the onions.”
He says it so deadpan that I almost crack up, but I manage to hold it in. I search for something else purple that would make him laugh. “What about large stuffed Barney the Dinosaurs? We could scatter them around the room.”
He snorts. “No, please, not Barney.”
I can’t hold it in any longer, and I laugh so hard tears come to my eyes. “All right. No dinosaurs.”
After we settle down, he heads toward the studio. “Do you have painter’s tape?”
“I already put it in the room.”
Noah goes to work spreading out the drop cloth and taping while I get the lid off the primer. We’re painting over red and orange, so we’ll need a lot.
After Noah tapes off one wall, I get to work on the primer. Seeing the red disappear is satisfying, even though I loved the color. It’s one step closer to my dream coming true.
“Tell me more about your studio. Will you hang backdrops on this wall?” Noah asks.
“Yes. And I think I’ll have enough room to set up a small area for merchandise photography, too.”
“Merchandise photography? What’s that?”
“So many people are selling things online now. I’m going to set up a small area so I can take photos of things like handmade jewelry or crochet projects so they can have professional photos for their online shops.”
Noah grins at me. “That’s a great idea. I don’t know anywhere on the island you can get that done.”
His compliment warms me. “Thanks.”
We work for another hour before my doorbell rings, and I set down my paint roller. I wipe my hands on a rag to get the spots of wet paint off before I walk through the house to answer the door.
I swing the door open to find Ellie standing on the stoop. She’s wearing a dress covered in large pink flowers and carrying a pecan pie. She’s one of the older ladies on the island. “Hello Miss Savannah. I made this for you, my dear.”
Ellie’s a sweetheart, but she’s definitely just here for the gossip. She stands on her tippy toes to peek into my living room. Her smile widens when Noah comes to see who’s at the door. “Why, Noah, I didn’t know you were here visiting Savannah, too.”
He puts his arm around me. “We’re working on a renovation. And rekindling an old flame, right, Savannah?”
My face heats and I know I’m bright pink. But it was my idea to start this. I can’t fault Noah for going along with my crazy idea. “Yes.”
“Ooh, are you two dating again?” Ellie’s eyebrows raise up high.
“Yes, ma’am.” Noah’s grip on my shoulder tightens. “We’re getting quite close.”
I take the pie from Ellie. “Thank you so much for making us this treat. We’ll enjoy it.”
She waves a hand. “It was nothing. I’m so happy you two are reconnecting. I just love that Tobias has found someone too. He and Kiki are so adorable together. When are they getting married?”