Chapter Twenty-Four
Later, after the storm cleared and Caesar retreated to Celeste’s bedroom and the rest of the Smiths returned home, Jeremiah and Noelle dressed and joined everyone downstairs.
They gathered in the living room to survey the disarray of tree branches in the backyard.
Some houses a few streets over had lost electricity, but luckily the Smiths hadn’t been affected.
Celeste floated the idea of going out for dinner, but everyone agreed that it was too messy outside to leave again.
Instead, they ordered pizza and decided to have another movie night.
It took them a while to decide on a movie that pleased the adults while also being appropriate for Harper and Ashley.
Eventually, they decided on The Lion King live action.
Jeremiah didn’t really care what they watched because he was barely focused on the movie.
Noelle held all of his attention. He kept his arm around her shoulder and held her close as she leaned into his side.
He couldn’t stop touching her in little ways, massaging the back of her neck or resting his other hand on her knee.
All he could think about was the things he wanted to do to her once they were back upstairs in the privacy of his bedroom, and how relieved he was to know that she wanted more than just friendship too, that they were getting their fresh start.
He was willing to remove his arm from around her shoulders only when he went to answer the door for Danny.
It had started to rain again as Danny had walked over from the bookstore.
He was soaked, and raindrops covered his glasses lenses.
He shook out his arms and legs like a wet cat. Jeremiah burst out laughing.
“Bro, why did you walk?” he asked, opening the door wider to let Danny inside.
Danny laughed sardonically and sighed. “I didn’t know it was gonna rain again. I wanted the fresh air. Probably should have checked the weather first.”
“Yeah, probably.” Jeremiah dapped up his best friend.
Unlike his other past friendships, Jeremiah’s friendship with Danny had always been genuine, and that was the reason it had endured.
Danny was born and raised in Heart Beach with parents who’d been born and raised here too.
Growing up, Danny was the pride of Heart Beach as everyone watched him excel in school and sports.
The people here still saw him as their golden boy with his successful tech engineer career in Philadelphia.
Only Jeremiah knew how stressful it had been for Danny to uphold that image when they were younger, and it was one of the reasons that Danny had loved being at the Smiths’ house.
They were Heart Beachers too, but only three to four months out of the year.
Being around Jeremiah and his family had allowed an escape for Danny to simply be.
Even though they’d been attached at the hip during summers as kids, Jeremiah and Danny saw a lot less of each other in adulthood.
They hadn’t chilled together in months. They’d both been focused on work, and Danny worked harder than anyone Jeremiah knew, maybe even Percy.
He was glad that Danny had found time to visit.
“How you holding up? How are your parents and the store?”
“Work is kicking my ass, but that’s nothing new. The fam is good.” Danny smiled and angled his head to see farther into the house. “Is, um, everybody here?”
“Yeah, yeah. We’re all here. Come on back.”
When they entered the living room, Celeste sat up and gasped. “Daniel Martin, did you walk here in the rain? Are you trying to catch your death?”
“Hey, Ms. Celeste,” Danny said, smiling sheepishly. He waved at the rest of the group. He paused when his eyes landed on Amara and Noelle sitting in the corner of the couch. “Hi again.”
Amara was snuggled under a flannel blanket, and she lifted her hand in a wave. Noelle, who was sitting next to her, smiled and waved too.
“I want to introduce you to Noelle,” Jeremiah said, leading Danny over to their end of the couch.
He’d briefly told Danny about Noelle being his new girlfriend, but he hadn’t told him about their arrangement because it wasn’t something to easily explain over text.
Now that he and Noelle were starting fresh, he wondered if he needed to tell Danny about their arrangement after all. Or anyone, for that matter.
Danny sat on the other side of Amara, and Jeremiah reclaimed his seat next to Noelle.
“Noelle and I met earlier today,” Danny said. He leaned forward and smiled at Noelle, who nodded. “She was with Amara when they came by the bookstore earlier.”
Amara pulled the blanket from her body and handed it to Danny.
“You look like you need it more than me,” she said quietly.
“Thanks,” Danny said, giving her a small smile.
“Look,” Noelle said, nudging Jeremiah. She immediately distracted him with her beautiful grin as she pointed at the television, “Beyoncé is about to tell the lionesses to fight with her.”
Jeremiah snorted. “You mean Nala?”
“Yeah. Nala Beyoncé.”
He laughed and wrapped his arm around her again.
After the movie ended, Jeremiah drove Danny to his parents’ house. They lived in northern Heart Beach where it was less touristy. When Jeremiah was younger, sometimes he’d wished that he’d lived in Heart Beach year-round just like Danny.
“I’m sorry the rain fucked things up and we didn’t do anything tonight,” Jeremiah said as they pulled up.
Danny shrugged, one hand on the door handle. “Nah, chilling with you and your family was more than enough for me. You know that.” He smiled. “You and Noelle seem really good together. I’m happy for you. I know you’ve been working on yourself a lot.”
Hearing that from Danny meant more to Jeremiah than he could express. “Thanks, bro. I appreciate that.”
“Of course. I’ll be back next weekend too,” Danny said, getting out of the car. “I’ll hit you up then.”
“Sounds good.” Jeremiah dapped Danny up before he drove away.
Once Jeremiah was back home, he bounded upstairs to his room, eager to see Noelle again.
She was sitting up in bed with a book open in her lap.
The Missing Women, one of the books he’d ordered for her.
He closed the door behind him, and she tilted her head and smiled as he walked toward her.
He lay down beside her and propped himself up on his elbow.
“I just realized that next weekend is supposed to be our last weekend in Heart Beach,” he said. “We’ll miss Harper and Ashley’s talent show since it’s not until the weekend after.”
Noelle lowered her book and looked at him. “I assumed you’d be getting ready for your move during the weekend of the talent show, since it’s the last weekend of August. You’re still planning to move the first weekend of September, right?”
“I am,” he said, although his move and being away from Noelle was the last thing he wanted to think about right now. “But I’ll have time to pack. I don’t want to miss the talent show.”
“Me neither. Sheree’s bridal shower is that Friday afternoon, so we could drive down Friday night instead if that’s okay with you.”
“That’s okay with me.” He curled one of the ends of her braids around his finger. “So, two more weekends left in Heart Beach?”
She nodded, smiling as she snuggled her back against the pillow. “Two more weekends.”
He loved seeing her comfortable in his bed like this, happy and content with her book.
He loved that her being in Heart Beach meant that she had the chance to enjoy a well-deserved rest. He lowered his eyes to her breasts where he could see her hardened nipples through her shirt.
She took one look at him and the hungry expression on his face and closed her book.
They drew to each other like magnets, kissing and tugging off their clothes until they were naked again.
“Like this,” Jeremiah whispered huskily in her ear after he slid on a condom, positioning Noelle so that she was in front of him on her hands and knees. “I want you like this.”
When he entered her from behind, she arched her back and whimpered.
Jeremiah covered her mouth with his hand.
She felt so good, it took everything in him to stay quiet so that no one would hear them.
Grabbing on to her hip with his other hand and thrusting into her like this was too much for him.
He felt her muscles clench around him and she bit down on his hand to keep from moaning as she came.
Then, only once she was satisfied, did he finally let go too and follow her into bliss.
At breakfast the next morning, Jeremiah couldn’t help gazing across the table at Noelle as she talked with Robin about the talent show.
He was replaying scenes from last night in his head, how she’d straddled him and teased him as she’d lowered herself onto him inch by delicious inch.
When Noelle caught eyes with him, she blushed and lost her train of thought.
He grinned and focused on finishing his cereal.
While Noelle and Robin practiced with the girls in the backyard, Jeremiah swam in the pool.
Amara waded in the shallow end. Celeste and Percy were locked away in Celeste’s office.
Again, Jeremiah thought about asking them if they needed help, but he didn’t want to intrude.
Or worse, ruin the fragile peace that he and Percy had established over the last couple weeks.
So instead, he waited for Noelle while she practiced with the girls.
They were getting better. Even if they didn’t place in the talent show, they’d definitely finish the summer with more confidence, thanks to Noelle.
Afterward, he and Noelle walked to the beach.
Usually, he spent most of his time at the beach trying to become one with the ocean.
Something he’d inherited from his Grandma Minnie.
But today, he lay under the umbrella beside Noelle and listened as she read aloud from The Missing Women.
He was trying his best to focus, but he was distracted by how lovely Noelle looked in her bikini.
Unable to help himself, he lightly brushed his fingers across her belly button.
She laughed and gave him a pointed look.
“Are you listening to me?” she asked.
“I’m trying to. I swear,” he said. “But your beauty is distracting. I can’t help it.”
“Hmm. Well, you’re not so bad yourself,” she whispered, leaning down to press her mouth against his for a kiss. She pulled away and rolled back onto her towel. “Do you want me to keep reading or should I stop?”
“Keep reading.” He folded his hands on top of his chest. “I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
She raised a skeptical eyebrow as she started to read again.
As promised, he didn’t move his hands, even though he really wanted to.
He even closed his eyes so that he could better listen.
But after a few minutes, Noelle stopped reading.
He peeked an eye open and found her staring at him.
The corner of her mouth lifted in a slight smirk.
“What?” he said. “I was listening, I promise.”
“I know, but I’m done reading now.”
She leaned over to kiss him again, and he laughed and pulled her closer.