Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
SAVANNAH HOLLINGSWORTH
I walk around the counter to the pie display at Peachy Keen. The owner’s a bit neurotic about keeping the glass clean so customers can see the selection of pie. I spray the blue cleaner, then wipe the front of the display with my towel.
It’s Friday afternoon, and I’m excited to finish my shift and leave. The place is empty, except for a teen girl sitting alone at a table, drinking a cup of coffee. Noah promised to come over tomorrow and help me finish up the ceiling in my studio. I admit, I can’t wait to see him again.
Levi walks up beside me and leans on the glass where I just wiped. “So, you really back together with my brother or what?”
I stare at him, surprised he would ask. “Yes. Why?”
Levi scrutinizes me. “Because I haven’t seen him come in here once, all week. He’s crazy about you. I figured he’d be in here every day before his shift.”
Heat creeps up my neck. Levi’s right. We’ve made a mistake. We haven’t been acting like a couple all week. Maybe walking into church, arm in arm, isn’t going to be enough to convince people we’re an item. “Um…he’s been busy,” I say as a lame excuse.
Levi’s eyebrow quirks up. “Really?”
Before I have a chance to elaborate, the teen motions to Levi, and he leaves to see what she needs. The door chimes and Donald walks in. I freeze as he scans the place until he sees me by the pie. He walks over to me. “Hey, Savannah.”
“Hi Donald,” I say, keeping my tone light. I wipe where Levi had been leaning and smudging up the glass.
“Are you doing anything tonight?” Donald smoothes his already slicked-back hair down.
I crouch down and pretend the glass near everyone’s knees is extremely dirty. That’s another mistake Noah and I’ve made. He has Friday nights off. We should have made plans. That’s what a normal couple would do. “I’m sorry. I’m busy,” I say, the words falling out of my mouth.
“What about tomorrow night? We could take one of my company boats out on the water. Have a romantic dinner. What do you say?” He grins at me.
I put my muscles into wiping the glass, my face growing hot. Either Donald hasn’t heard the rumor about me and Noah, or he’s ignoring it. I’m going to have to be blunt with him. “I’m dating Noah.”
Donald grunts in response. “But I thought you said you’re not dating right now.”
I stand to face him. What I’m saying obviously isn’t sinking in. He’s still leering at me. I’m going to have to get out the big guns. “It just happened. I wasn’t looking to date anyone, but you can’t stop love , can you?”
I let the “L” word fall between us, hoping it will make him back off. Instead, Donald squints at me. “You just played with me, didn’t you?”
“Excuse me?” I ask, too shocked to do anything but stand there.
Donald’s cheeks turn pink. “You never meant to go out with me. You pretended to like me to mess with me.”
I turn to get help from Levi, but he’s no longer with Alice. I scan the area, but I don’t see him. “I wasn’t messing with you,” I say quietly, trying to calm Donald down. “I really wasn’t looking for a relationship.”
“You smiled at me. You flirted with me. You were only leading me on.” Donald’s voice continues to rise.
I glance around again, now desperate for anyone to help me out. No one is around, just Alice sitting at her table, staring in my direction. Everyone must be back in the kitchen. “I never flirted with you,” I say, my voice low. “I said no every time you asked me out.”
“Lame excuses. I knew what you meant.” Donald repositions, blocking my view of the door.
Anger rises in me, but I’ve been schooled since I was a little girl that I must be polite. I grit my teeth, and ask, “What did I mean?”
“You were playing hard to get. Women do that. Y’all say no, but you mean yes.”
“Women do not do that,” I hiss, tossing my Southern manners out the window.
The door dings and Noah walks in. He’s wearing street clothes, and when he spies me, he comes over and slides his arm around me. “Everything okay here?” he says, his voice gruff.
Donald glares at Noah. “Fine, fine. We were just talking. Don’t get jealous or anything.”
“Is he bothering you?” Noah asks me. His grip on me is strong, and the tension comes off him in waves. The image of a big, burly bear about to tear someone to shreds comes to mind.
I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss Noah’s cheek. “I’m fine, sweetie. It was so thoughtful of you to come pick me up, but I have another thirty minutes until the end of my shift.”
The surprise on Noah’s face from my kiss is delightful. His eyebrows fly up and he stares at me. “That’s okay. I can wait for you.”
I love the way Noah reacts to my cues. I turn and put my arms around his neck. “Thanks, hon.”
His expression brightens and he pulls me closer. “Of course.”
Donald doesn’t say anything else, he just leaves. I glance after him and grin at Noah. “That worked well. How did you know he was here?”
“Levi called me.”
As if on cue, Levi comes out of the kitchen. “That was fast.”
“I was just down the street. Thanks for the heads up.” Noah goes to pull back, but I hang onto him. We haven’t been looking like a couple, and I need Levi to believe this is real.
“Have you made up your mind where we’re going tonight?” I ask, playfully.
He raises his brow again and I hide a giggle. Why is that expression so adorable on him? “Uh…I don’t know. What are you thinking?”
“How about we rent one of Donald’s charter boats and eat dinner on the water?” I grin, knowing I probably look a little devious.
Noah chuckles and leans down to my ear. “Are you really okay? Did he scare you?”
“Only a little,” I say, being more honest than I normally would, and surprising myself.
Noah hugs me tightly, and whispers, “Do I need to be more forceful with him?”
“No. I think he understands. Thank you for coming in.”
Noah’s hand splays across my back, and I feel secure in his arms. No, it’s more than security. It’s amazing, but I don’t really want to explore those feelings.
“Are we really going on a date tonight?” he whispers.
“I think we should.” I can’t elaborate because Levi’s standing right there, but I think Noah understands.
Noah nods. “All right. I’ll stick around until your shift ends.”
I pull back, finally releasing his neck. “Sounds good.”
I walk around the counter to the cash register. Noah turns to look at me. “Were you serious about renting a boat?”
I laugh. “I think that might drive things home, huh?”
He grins. “All right. I’ll set it up.”