8 #2
Noah pushed the broom past the end of her register and up the other side before returning to his starting position. “Sorry,” he muttered. Then he sighed loudly. “Maybe I do need to blow off some steam.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she said. She scrubbed a wad of paper towels against a shiny spot where something had spilled on her conveyor belt. “You could come out with Bryce and me tonight,” she added.
“And third-wheel it? No, thanks.”
“No, we’re going to a party,” Riley explained. “I don’t even know who’s hosting; some girl from Bryce’s nutrition class sent a blanket invitation to the whole department. Apparently, she’s got a huge place somewhere on the other side of town and is pretty well-known for her events.”
Noah grimaced at the thought of a stranger’s loud, crowded house. “Eh, I don’t know,” he hedged.
“Well, you could also go home and marinate in the Simon-ness of this night,” Riley said thoughtfully, as if she were really weighing the options. “But at least this way you’re not drinking alone.”
Noah and his broom did another circuit of the registers, weaving back and forth between each one while he considered the invitation.
His mind wandered back to Olivia and the many questions he’d asked himself since she’d left town.
Was there something specifically wrong with him that had turned her away?
Was he not good enough somehow? Did she already have somebody else?
He shook his head hard to banish the thoughts before they could take hold.
If he went home alone, he’d have almost no choice but to consider the possibilities—an option that was even less desirable than Misty’s offer. Finally, he made his choice.
“Alright,” he told Riley as he passed by again. “But I’ll drive myself.”
“Deal,” she said.
Noah turned and pushed the broom toward aisle one, ready to start his winding path through the store before closing. He already felt like he might regret his decision, but what was done was done.
And who knew? Maybe the night would surprise him.
The steady thump of R Robin’s mass invitations really got out of hand sometimes. She shrugged off the long peacoat she’d gotten for Christmas and reached to hang it on a rack near the door.
“Wow.”
The single word slipped from Noah’s lips as if by accident, and Olivia glanced down at her outfit like she was seeing it for the first time.
Her top was red with long, split sleeves that fell from her elbows like lacy wings, and the fabric shimmered like a million little stars in the right kind of light.
She’d paired it with black pants that hugged her curves and strappy heels that showed off a fresh pedicure.
She looked good, and she knew it, but the shell-shocked expression on Noah’s face made an unexpected surge of pleasure course through her veins.
Not that she actually cared what he thought, specifically, but it was nice to feel appreciated all the same.
“Close your mouth, Campbell. You’re gonna catch flies,” she warned .
His mouth, which had been slightly open, snapped shut, and she could see his throat work as he swallowed. “Sorry,” he muttered, still watching intently as she crossed the colorful rug and sat on the couch opposite his. “I’ve just never seen you quite like that. I feel like I needed a heads-up.”
“Too much for you, huh?”
What? Don’t encourage him! she chided herself.
Then she cleared her throat and crossed her legs.
She’d intended to take off her shoes, but somehow that felt presumptuous now that she wasn’t alone.
“I didn’t even know you were in town,” she said.
“I figured you’d gone home like everyone else who isn’t local. ”
Noah huffed and swung his socked feet to the floor so he was facing her with his forearms on his knees. “Home is where the paycheck is, and vacations are when I make the big bucks,” he explained.
“Oh, really?”
“Well, everyone else is gone, and somebody has to pick up the slack,” he pointed out. “Might as well be me.”
“Have you not seen your family at all?” she asked. The very idea of spending an entire holiday break alone in a college town was depressing to consider.
“The store was closed for two days at Christmas, so I saw my mom then,” he explained.
He must have seen the stricken look on her face, because he went on.
“It doesn’t bother me, actually. I have the whole house to myself, which means the dishes actually get washed and nobody eats my food.
Conner’s gone, so no booby traps, and I never have to wait in the drive-thru. ”
“Still, though. I’m sorry you don’t get more of a break.”
Noah shrugged as if it didn’t matter. Then he gestured toward his black pants and white button-up shirt. “I just came from work, actually. That’s why I look like a waiter. ”
That pulled a laugh from Olivia’s throat. “Well, you could have kept your green vest on for color.”
“Oh, yeah, and have people ask me if beer is on sale all night? That’s a good idea,” he quipped, and Olivia felt her smile stretch wider.
“So, I take it you didn’t drive yourself here, since you’re hiding instead of bailing?” she asked.