Chapter Twenty-Two
Aubrey
The amount of nerves she had going into this date was unreal. She’d literally been living with the guy for a couple of weeks and had known him for months before that. There was no reason to be nervous. Minus the stalker who could be watching their every move. She dreaded the idea of getting more pictures of herself and Noah in the mail. Would he be watching them? Watching Noah hold her hand or kiss her goodnight? She felt nauseous at the thought and even more unsure of who would be that invested in her.
Bree shook her head. She had ten minutes to get herself together but picking an outfit was proving difficult for a reason she didn’t quite understand. She was always a jeans and t-shirt girlie and it was just Noah. He’d seen her in cute clothes. He’d seen her in jeans. He’d seen her in her sweat pants that were two sizes too big last week when Aunt Flo showed up and she ate her heart out on the chocolate almonds he liked to keep around the house. The man had literally seen it all—including bedhead and morning breath. Oy. Yet here she was, standing in a destroyed room, trying to decide what she was going to wear on their first date.
She wanted to look beautiful—like she’d been intentional and put effort into planning an outfit for the date. Noah was worth the effort. So, definitely a dress—no heels. There was one more dress to try on before she tossed it all out the window and decided to never leave the house again. It was a strappy black number she had purchased for a party last year, but never had the chance to wear out of the house because she chickened out of wearing it. It was modest in the front, a scoop neckline that showed a little skin but not much and flared down an inch or two above the knee. The back was where the magic happened. It was cut very low with a few crisscrossing straps guiding the eye down the open back and stopping just above the hip. Enough danger to be sexy, but enough coverage to be at least slightly modest.
Bree slipped into black sandals just as her clock struck seven. Her curls—which she’d set yesterday so they were rocking today—stayed non-frizzy. A light knock sounded on her door and she walked over to open it, suddenly hyper-aware of the mess she’d made getting ready. She opened the door slowly and took in Noah, who looked like a GQ model in his slacks and sports coat.
He looked stunned momentarily before stuttering out. “You look beautiful, Bree.”
“Thank you,” She said, a light blush creeping into her cheeks. “Let me just grab my purse really quick—”
A soft muttered curse was the only warning before she was pulled back against his body, his arms wrapped around her waist from behind. “Did I say beautiful?” He growled lightly in her ear. “I meant delectable. That dress is absolutely stunning on you.”
Bree shivered at the compliment and turned around in his arms. “You’re looking handsome too.” She told him shyly.
Noah leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, that turned into a slightly longer kiss, before breaking apart. “Nope, we have reservations.” He said, mostly to himself.
Bree smiled as Noah placed a hand on her lower back, giddy that she could invoke that kind of response in Noah. It made her feel…desired. She frowned, thinking of the image he’d brought home earlier. Was this showing too much skin? Would her stalker be there watching her and enjoying the dress she picked with Noah in mind? Bile rose in her throat. She could change into something else. She stopped her racing thoughts and took a breath. No. She wasn’t going to let him win. She was going to wear the dress and look sexy doing it for herself and her date. There was nothing wrong with that.
Feeling a little better after her internal pep talk, Bree grabbed her purse as they walked into the garage. Noah opened her door as usual, but this time the heated look in his eyes sent butterflies scattering through her stomach. “Buckle up.” He said, closing the door softly before returning to his side of the car and hopping in.
Noah backed out of the driveway carefully and headed toward town, frequently checking the rearview. Bree observed him quietly, unease still flowing through her. Noah seemed like he was in a rush when he came back earlier. If the stalker found him at work how hard would it be for him to find Noah’s home? What if he placed the picture knowing Noah would race home and used that as an opportunity to follow him? What if Noah—in his haste—had been careless?
“Noah…did anyone follow you home earlier?”
Noah frowned. “No. I checked my rearview frequently and made several detours. I would’ve seen them.”
Bree nodded.
“You okay?” He asked, reaching over and placing a hand on her knee.
“Just spooked. If he found you at work what if he finds us at home? How hard would it be to find out where you live?” Bree nibbled on her lip anxiously.
“My home is unlisted. Like you I also take great pains to make sure I can’t easily be found. It’s not hard to make enemies in my line of work.”
An image of Noah bleeding on the ground, a dark shadow standing over him flitted through Bree’s mind, causing her stomach to sink and her heart to flutter. Was she bringing danger to Noah’s doorstep by being with him? He looked so carefree while driving. Focused, but calm in a way she envied. She probably looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Which wasn’t far off.
They chatted more about everything and nothing as they drove through town, the smooth cadence of Noah’s voice and his confidence doing a lot to put Bree at ease. Noah pulled into a cute little Italian mom-and-pop shop that had recently opened and was the current buzz online. “I love Italian food!” Bree exclaimed, her hungry stomach doing an anticipatory happy dance in celebration of what was sure to be a delicious meal.
“I remember.” He said, smiling, offering a hand as Bree got out of the car before lacing his fingers through hers.
They walked into the restaurant, and the hostess smiled as we walked in. “Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes, it’s under Noah Hawthorne.”
“Follow me.” She led them back to the corner of the room where a table with a fancy tablecloth and lit candle waited. Noah pulled out Bree’s chair, and he took the seat in the corner where he could have a view of the entire restaurant. The atmosphere of this place was just incredible. “Your waiter will be with you in just a moment.” The hostess said before walking away.
Before Bree had a chance to say anything, the waiter was there asking what they wanted to drink and whether they had any questions about the menu.
“Could I get a sweet tea, please?” Bree said.
“I’ll have the same.”
The waiter nodded and excused himself so they could look at the menus. Bree looked around the room, unsure of what exactly she was looking for. Surely there wasn’t going to be some man standing off by himself in a trench coat with a hat low on his brow and a sign reading STALKER hanging around his neck. She was being ridiculous. She turned back to Noah as she opened her menu.
“So, Noah Hawthorne.”
Noah smiled indulgently at her.
“Know anything good here?”
He looked over the menu. “I’ve only eaten here twice since it’s newer, but honestly I haven’t had anything bad here. Fair warning, I am a creature of habit, so my knowledge extends purely to their pasta dishes.”
Bree laughed. “Well, I’m a pasta girlie, so if it’s all good that’s all I need to know.”
“What’s your favorite memory growing up?” Noah asked a few moments after they’d given the waiter their order.
“When I was in high school, I had an art teacher named Mrs. Reyes. She was one of those teachers who could command a room just by walking in it, but who still had relationships with her students. She saw me sketching in the quad when I was a freshman and asked if I wanted to sign up for art class the next semester. I wanted to, but my parents wouldn’t allow it because I needed to focus on what would help me successfully attain an MBA, and in a moment of borrowed bravery I told her so.”
“What happened?”
“She showed up at our front door with a research article in hand waxing on about the benefits business leaders gained from taking art classes. She also pointed out that the state required fine art credits to graduate. My parents relented and let me take art the following year.”
“Did you do it your last two years also?”
Bree frowned. “No. My parents wouldn’t allow it once I’d satisfied the minimum fine art requirement for graduation. But Mrs. Reyes let me come into her room at lunch and she’d teach me the basics that she could during those times. It was the first time I had someone genuinely interested in me and what I liked. What was your favorite memory growing up?” Bree asked, taking a sip of her tea.
Noah paused for a moment. “Nerf gun wars.” He said with a grin.
“Nerf gun wars?”
“Yeah. When I was like I don’t know, seven or eight—this was before my sister was born—I would come home from school and there would be a fully loaded nerf gun on the island in the kitchen with a small note that said ‘game on’. Mom would be hiding somewhere in the house with her own nerf gun and we’d have a full on battle. I never knew when those days would be—there never seemed to be a rhyme or reason for when there’d be a nerf gun on the counter, but those were my favorite.”
“She sounds like a lot of fun.”
“She was. She tried to keep our childhoods magical and keep us shielded from the struggles of adulthood despite being a single mom.”
The food arrived a few moments later, and conversation dwindled a bit as they tucked in. It was delicious, just as Noah had said.
***
Noah helped Bree stand as they prepared to leave for the evening and she smiled at him. This was the best date she’d ever had. And the restaurant was phenomenal. They walked outside and Noah helped her into the car. Before they left she pulled out her phone and frowned, noticing a few more missed calls and voicemails from that same local number.
Noah got in the car and paused when he saw the look on her face. “What’s wrong, Bree?”
“I missed like five calls today from this number.”
“Is it him?” Noah asked darkly.
“I don’t think so. They left messages, but…”
“You don’t want to listen to them?”
“Not really. Does that make me a chicken?”
“No, babe. It makes you human. Want me to listen?”
Bree nodded and handed the phone over to him. He listened attentively, furrowing his brow in adorable confusion from time to time as he listened to all the voicemails. When he listened to the last one, he handed her back the phone and turned to face her.
“Who was it?”
“It was the hospital. I guess Jessica had some complications today, and they weren’t able to reach your parents. Apparently, the phone number they had was disconnected, and you were the next point of contact. They want you to come in tomorrow to meet with one of her doctors.”
Bree gulped.“Tomorrow?”
“They wanted it to be today, but when it got late, they left another message asking you to come by tomorrow. Billing also called. They asked if you could swing by sometime soon. Might as well stop in tomorrow.”
Bree sighed heavily. “It’s not going to be good—is it?”
“It’s hard to say.”
“Will you go with me?”
“Of course.”
The rest of the drive home was silent as Bree considered what they could possibly want to talk to her about. Her mind was racing as she contemplated what it could be—maybe her sister had a miraculous recovery and woke up. Maybe she had died. Bree”s heart sank. They”d try harder to get in touch with her if Jess had died, right? Noah parked the car on the driveway and left the engine running before getting out and coming around to open her door. He closed it gently behind her and escorted her up the front steps, his hand on her lower back the whole time.
“Noah, what are you—”
“I thought you deserved a proper end to our first date—even though we currently live together.” He said with a smile.
He stopped in front of the front door and unlocked it, but left it shut. He turned back to Bree and pulled her close to him, his muscular, warm body pressed tightly to hers. The tingling went all the way to her toes, and her stomach swooped.
“Goodnight, Aubrey Gray. I’d like to see you again.” He said, his voice husky.
“I’d like that too,” Bree said quietly.
Noah leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull away, before swooping down and giving her a good night kiss that heated her up from the inside out. His hands lingered on her waist, tightening as he nibbled her lower lip, and she opened for him, his tongue dancing with hers. He nibbled her lower lip, and she moaned softly while he pulled her even closer. He pulled back after a moment and kissed her again softly.
“Lock the door behind you.” He said with a smile.
Bree nodded, her head firmly back up in cloud nine, and carefully made her way into the house, locking the door behind her. She wasn’t lying to him earlier—that man could kiss her anytime. She smiled when the garage door opened, Noah moving the car in for the night as he always did. Bree waltzed down the hall to her room, wincing at the storm of laundry that was literally everywhere as she shoved some of it off her bed so she’d have a place to sleep. It was worth it.