Chapter 23
When I push open the front door to the bookstore, I am met with two sets of inquisitive eyes—make that three. Mrs. Packer hurries through the joined door with a tray of coffees and a plate filled with pastries.
“Oh, don’t you girls tear into her until I’m here for it,” she says hurrying toward the counter where she deposits the plate and the coffees. “Now.”
Julia and Lily study her and then turn their eyes back to me.
“Spill it,” Lily says.
“Don’t spare one detail,” Julia says.
“And if it wasn’t good, make that shit up,” Mrs. Packer says.
I coolly eye each of them. “What has gotten into you three?” I ask, moving past them and toward my office to deposit my things.
They all follow me, cornering me in the office.
“His car was here all night long,” Lily says.
“He got out of your car this morning, in the same clothes he wore yesterday, and got into his car and drove toward the hotel,” Julia confirms.
Mrs. Packer picks up one of the pastries off the counter, takes a bite, but keeps her wide eyes on me—waiting.
“I am fifty-two-years-old. I don’t have to answer to anyone about who I spend time with,” I say.
“Bullshit,” Lily says. “You’ve nearly been a hermit for the past decade, so when something good happens, you have to tell us everything.”
“Where is that written?” I ask, crossing my arms in front of me.
“Best friend code. You can look it up online. It’s there. And if it’s on the internet, it’s real,” Lily confirms.
I shake my head. “Are the three of you going to hold this vigil the whole day until you get answers?”
“Yes,” Lily and Julia say at the same time.
“Yeah, so hurry. I have customers, but I need a fix,” Mrs. Packer says, taking another bite of the pastry.
I let out a small laugh. “I had a wonderful evening.”
Julia lets out a groan. “That’s not going to cut it.”
“What details do you want?”
“All of them,” she says. “You know I’ve dreamt of him, so please tell me it was at least that good.”
I pull in my lips because a wide smile will burst from me if I don’t.
These three women are my everything, and have been for the twelve years I’ve been back in this town. If the tables were turned for either one of them, I’d be standing where they are now begging for the same details they are.
“There was wine. Some dancing. Dinner, which I made. And,” I let out a breath and let that smile escape, “I’ve only had three hours of sleep, and I’ll need a new box of condoms because we nearly ran out.”
Mrs. Packer is the first to let the whooping begin. “I knew he’d be a stud.”
“He was a stud,” I confirm with a laugh.
“Tell me it wasn’t all missionary, shit,” Lily says wrinkling up her nose. “I mean you know every damned detail of my sex life, and even though I’m in a committed marriage, you know for a fact there is some kinky shit in there.”
Mrs. Packer turns to Lily. “Please begin to share that with me from now on. I could use some kinky sex stories.”
I shake my head. “Ladies,” I scold as the front door opens and two women walk into the store.
Lily raises her brows at me.
“Okay, it wasn’t all missionary. Very little,” I choke out the words, whispering, but smile through it all. “There was certainly a lot of exploration going on between us. How’s that?”
Lily shrugs, but there is a smile ready to burst from her. “It’s a start. But you’re happy?”
“I’m so fucking happy,” I say and it resonates in my words.
“Okay, I won’t castrate him and throw him off a cliff,” she says, letting that smile surface as she turns toward the store and heads off to help the customers.
Mrs. Packer finishes her pastry as she watches me, and Julia, cheeks pinked, turns to the register and signs in.
I turn back into my office and close the door. I did bring a few of the condoms we didn’t use with me. I think my office would be a nice place to explore some things too.
Noah strolls through the door from the cafe an hour later. He has a cup of coffee and a wrapped brownie.
I watch him walk toward me, his eyes laser focused on me, and not the three women comparing the back of his book jacket to the man on a mission.
When he walks behind the counter, he finally acknowledges Julia before he steps to me and kisses me solidly on the mouth.
“Mrs. Packer sent us a brownie,” he says looking down at the wrapped treat in his hand.
“She did, did she?”
“She was being very strange when I stopped in. I’m afraid of what she laced this brownie with,” he admits.
“Why would you worry?”
“I have a feeling she beat you down for details. So, am I being poisoned or Viagra’d?”
I snort out a laugh and pull him in to the office, closing the door on the women who keep watching Noah’s every move.
He’s quick to set down his coffee and brownie and pull me into his arms.
We fit.
Not just our bodies, but everything about him fits into my life. And, when I think like that, I go right to the fact that he’ll be gone in a few weeks and this will be over. But in this very moment, we fit.
“I don’t know which one of us is distracting the other from working,” he says as he feathers kisses down my neck.
“I have employees. But you should get some work done.”
“Katie gets back tomorrow, right?”
“Uh-huh,” is about all I can say with his mouth on me and his hands gripping my waist.
“Yeah, she, my agent, and my editor are harping on me. I guess I should get some work done.”
I ease back from him. “I’d be happy to read what you’ve been working on,” I offer.
Noah’s lips flatten. “Everyone wants a free book,” he says, but I can’t read his tone. “I’m kidding. If I write something worthwhile, I’ll let you read it.”
I’m not sure how to take that. He’s been here a week. Surely he’s been writing up a storm. But, when I think about the times I’ve asked him how his writing is going, he usually just shrugs and changes the subject.
I hear the bells above the door chime, and then chime again. Saturday is our busiest day of the week. I know that Lily and Julia are giving me some grace, but that will wear thin soon.
“I should get back to work,” I say, pressing one more kiss to Noah’s lips.
“Give me a name,” he says.
“A name?”
“Yeah. Give me a name. Let’s say a name of a woman, late thirties, two kids, and a husband who is deployed.”
Studying him, I watch as his eyes darken, just as they had when he was aroused. His lips twitch between anxious and happy.
“Susan Black,” I say.
“Just a name you made up?”
“Off the top of my head,” I promise.
Noah gives me a nod, steps away from me, and opens the office door. “I have work to do.”