Chapter Ten #2
Penelope looped her arm through Rachel’s and guided her toward a quieter corner near the rose bushes. “You know, when we were in high school, I thought for sure you’d be designing skyscrapers in Dubai or Paris by now.”
“I was. Kind of,” Rachel said. “Turns out, I like the San Diego skyline and mixed-use spaces that everyday people can touch.”
Penelope tilted her head, studying her. “And now you’re here.”
Rachel hesitated. “Just for the wedding. Assisting the redevelopment committee. Maybe some late-night swimming in the falls.”
Penelope smiled gently. “You’re so brave for choosing to leave. I never could decide between my career and this crazy community. I had to have both.”
Brave. The word stung because it felt so far from the truth. Leaving hadn’t been brave—it had been self-preservation. “That’s awesome, Pen.”
She nodded toward the dance floor. “It is. That’s my husband out there twirling our son to a country line dance. The loon.”
They both were laughing, lopsided and happy. Rachel thought, This is Service. “Staying worked out for you.”
“Yeah. Taylor’s an accountant, like me.”
“That’s Taylor—from our algebra class?” Rachel bellowed in recognition.
“One and the same, sister. We got married the year after we graduated from high school. Took us a while to conceive. But we’re parents now and doing what we love. It’s a dream, Rach.”
Rachel’s gaze softened as she took in the scene. “I’m happy for you—for the both of you. You make it seem so easy.”
“It’s not,” Penelope said. “But it’s worth it.
You have to want it enough. Our office is downtown.
Stop by sometime, please. We’re on your side with the clinic.
Driving forty minutes from Whynot with a crying toddler strapped in a rear car seat after immunization day is mommy torture.
Taylor volunteers as the town treasurer, and he’s the fifth council member.
Bethany has our vote, and he’ll make sure the money goes where it’s supposed to once it’s allocated—wink, wink. ”
She smiled, nodded, and listened to updates about kids, casseroles, and committee drama. But her gaze kept drifting.
Across the patio, Rachel caught sight of Noah talking, head tipped back in laughter, the porch light catching the edge of his jaw.
Kanaan, Noah’s cousin, laughed along with someone dressed in navy with the firehouse emblem on his chest. Noah wore that same cocky confidence, now in dark jeans, a button-down rolled to his elbows, and the weight of a thousand unspoken words in his steady gaze.
Their eyes met. For a beat. Maybe two.
Then he looked away.
“If you do stir up some hearts while you’re home,” Penelope added, following her gaze, “I say go for it. Especially that one. You two were never quite finished, were you?”
Rachel blinked and looked down into her drink. “I don’t know.”
“Then maybe it’s time to find out.”
Instead of agreeing, Rachel pasted on a smile. “Let’s talk soon, Pen.”
Benji walked up, tucking himself into her side like he had a secret to share. “Oof, FriendFriend, Noah’s giving you the soulful stare. That man has feelings.”
“Don’t,” Rachel warned.
“Don’t what?” Bethany asked, eyes dancing with playfulness, as she sandwiched Rachel between them.
Benji, so eager to form a drama duo, started talking. “Acknowledge that Noah ‘Hot Guy’ Calvary is ready to pull up to Rachel’s fire engine and connect his big hose.”
“OMG, Benji. Shut it.”
“Too late,” Bethany chimed in. “Benji’s right. And Noah cleaned up nicely today. I’m just saying.”
Rachel shook her head. “You’re both fired.”
Bethany elbowed her playfully. “Admit it. Part of you missed this.”
Rachel looked around. Her dad laughing with the Zunigas. Kids playing tag near the toolshed. The smell of hickory-smoked brisket, wildflowers, and home.
“Maybe,” she whispered, “I did—a little bit.” Then she sighed. “I also miss Caribbean cafés and people who don’t know my eighth-grade GPA.”
“Give it a day,” Benji said. “You’ll remember why this town truly gets under your skin. Spoiler alert”—he waited a beat—“it’s not the grades, it’s his waves. Oh, that hair.”
“Is that a Noah reference?”
“I’m just here for the cupcakes and drama, FriendFriend.”
Rachel leaned into the swing of conversation and laughter, catching up with old teachers, childhood friends, and folks she hadn’t seen since high school. But a constant hum buzzed beneath her skin.
She didn’t have to look up to know he was coming. The air shifted when he moved. Noah always had that effect—like the storm that rolled in silently and suddenly, all pressure and heat.
“I wanted to check on you,” he said, his voice low and warm, caressing her body, which no one had touched in months.
Rachel turned slowly. He stood beside her now, arms crossed loosely, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“I’m fine.” Her throat tightened around the word.
“Is that always your first response?”
“When it fits.” She glanced at his rolled sleeves, strong forearms; the way his fingers curled slightly at his sides like he didn’t quite know what to do with them.
“You settling into the idea of us together?”
“If by ‘settling’ you mean being locked into this committee project with you and then lovingly smothered by half the zip code—sure.”
He chuckled, eyes softening. “Tomorrow’s my day off. Thought I’d hit the lumber yard in Whynot, pick up some materials for the ceremony arch. Unless you had something different in mind?”
Her pulse tripped. “Actually, that could work—I sketched a draft.”
“When did that happen?”
She could slip on her professional mask, pretend this afternoon had left her unaffected, and on task. But, with Noah, she had always shown her true self—pale skin dotted with brown freckles, curls that tangled more than spiraled without their daily dose of control mousse.
“After the meltdown, before the surprise party. It’s in the barn.”
His smile deepened, but he didn’t push. “You want to show me?”
She hesitated for a beat too long. “Yeah. Sure. Let me grab the flashlight.”
“The barn?” Benji asked, materializing with the flair of someone who’d been just out of earshot. “Is that where a high school jock and the farmer’s daughter sneak off to after bonfires and Sunday school?”
Noah tilted his head, glaring at her plus one. “Go find something safe to do.”
“Whew,” Benji chirped. “Don’t go Cowboy Bebop on me. I spoke my truth. Have fun in the hay bale, FriendFriend. I know I will.”
Rachel groaned. “Benji.”
But he was already backing up, with a smug smile and a cupcake in hand. “Don’t mind me. Just saying Stella shouldn’t miss an opportunity to get her groove back.”
Noah shot him a dry look, then turned back to her. “Ready?”