Chapter Twenty-Eight
When Jeremiah woke up, Noelle wasn’t beside him in bed, which was unusual.
With the exception of the first weekend she’d spent in Heart Beach, she’d been trying to take advantage of the freedom to sleep late.
Most mornings, she even covered her face with a pillow when the sun shined too brightly.
Before he fully cracked his eyes open, he reached across the bed, seeking her out, but her side of the bed was empty.
He sat up slowly and looked around the room.
He heard people moving around downstairs.
Noelle’s voice in conversation with his nieces.
Twenty minutes later, he stepped outside into the backyard and found her watching his nieces and their friends as they practiced their routine.
A hurricane of fierce emotions stirred in his chest at the sight of her.
Their decision to give their relationship real legs was more than he could have asked for.
He was glad that they were on the same page.
With Noelle, he saw potential for them to have the kind of enduring bond that his grandparents had shared.
Pop had always said that falling for Grandma Minnie had been the easiest thing he’d done in his life.
That was how Jeremiah felt about Noelle.
The realization caused his steps to falter as he walked across the grass.
But his feelings weren’t something to fear.
They were something to embrace. And after what Noelle had experienced in relationships before, she deserved to be adored loudly and without question.
He wanted to do that for her. He wanted to take her to the Oceanfront for an early dinner tonight before they drove home.
He’d buy her a brilliant bouquet of red roses too.
“Wow, y’all started practice without me?
” he joked. He came behind Noelle and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her temple, and she angled her face up to look at him.
Her smile was less open than usual. He realized that the difference lay in her eyes.
They looked strained, like she hadn’t gotten much sleep.
Or like there was something weighing heavily on her mind.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded first but then changed course and shook her head. “No. I realized that I forgot to schedule a meeting with my advisor yesterday. Now there aren’t any slots left and I’m afraid that I’m gonna have to wait until the middle of the semester to meet with her.”
“Damn.” He pulled back and looked at her head on. A few days ago, she’d told him about how much she wanted to make sure that she scheduled her advisor meeting during the first week of classes. Now her fraught expression made sense. “Is there any way that she can fit you in?”
Noelle shrugged, shoulders tense. “Maybe, I don’t know. I emailed her. She still hasn’t responded.”
“I’m sorry. Hopefully you’ll hear back soon.” He kissed her cheek, and that seemed to relax her somewhat but not much. He wanted to help take her mind off her stress. Maybe they could go for a long drive around Heart Beach or he’d take her to the spa. “How long are you gonna be practicing?”
“Probably most of the day,” she said. She nodded at the girls and lowered her voice so that only Jeremiah could hear her. “They’re a little nervous because the talent show is next week.”
He was ready to say that he’d stick around for moral support.
But Noelle glanced past him, and her expression became strained once more.
He turned and followed her line of sight.
Percy was standing in the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee.
Jeremiah turned to Noelle again, but she’d gone back to focusing her attention on the girls.
“Uncle Miah, you have to leave now,” Ashley said. “This is a serious, closed practice.”
“You’d better listen to them.” Noelle managed a smirk. “I’ll come find you later.”
He was reluctant to leave her, but he didn’t want his nieces to bite his head off either.
“Let me know if you hear back from your advisor,” he said, and she nodded.
Officially exiled, he returned inside. Percy was still in the kitchen, and when Jeremiah walked past him, Percy glanced up and opened his mouth like he was going to say something.
Jeremiah paused, but Percy cleared his throat and fell silent.
Percy might not have been the most talkative person, but he’d certainly never struggled to articulate his thoughts. Jeremiah raised an eyebrow.
“Morning,” he said.
Percy cleared his throat again. “Good morning.”
Before Jeremiah could ask what was up, Celeste breezed into the kitchen, wearing a cover-up over her bathing suit.
Her sunglasses were perched atop her head, and she was holding a thick fashion magazine in her hands.
It looked like she was ready to go relax by the pool.
But her drawn expression didn’t indicate any hint of impending relaxation.
With pinched brows she glanced between Percy and Jeremiah.
Jeremiah frowned again. What was going on with everyone?
“What time do you and Noelle plan on leaving today, Miah?” Celeste asked.
“Later. I wanted to take her to the Oceanfront for dinner,” he said. “Why?”
“I’d like us to have dinner together as a family on the patio tonight,” she said. “And afterward, there are some things I want to discuss with you and your brother and sister. Can you change your dinner plans?”
Alarm bells instantly rang in Jeremiah’s head. He thought of Pop and the heart problems he’d kept from everyone. He stepped closer to Celeste, eyes sweeping over her in concern.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart.” She gently patted his cheek. “Nothing’s wrong with me, I promise.”
Jeremiah eyed his mother. He glanced at Percy, who continued to stand nearby, quietly drinking his coffee.
“Of course we’ll stay for dinner,” Jeremiah finally said.
Because Amara had locked herself away upstairs to paint, and Robin wanted to spend most of the day sleeping, and Danny had already returned to Philly, Jeremiah spent the majority of the afternoon alone.
He went for a run, and afterward, he lay on the beach and tried to read book three in Clara Crawford’s pirates series.
The plot was entertaining, and it would have kept his attention if he wasn’t so preoccupied with wondering about what was going on with everyone.
What did Celeste want to discuss at dinner?
Why had Percy suddenly become tongue-tied in the kitchen?
And then there was Noelle. She was upset about forgetting to schedule a meeting with her advisor, which he understood.
But that didn’t explain the way she’d looked at Percy.
Eventually, he put the book aside and went to submerge himself in the ocean. The sound of the crashing waves drowned out his thoughts.
Celeste hired Chef Amir to cook dinner again.
The Smiths sat around the outdoor table on the patio and ate together as the sun began to set.
Harper and Ashley led most of the conversation, sharing their hopes to place at the talent show.
Robin talked about how she took the twins and Ciara and Zoe shopping for their outfits.
Jeremiah glanced to his right at Noelle, who ate quietly beside him.
She’d been quiet most of today; she still hadn’t heard back from her advisor.
She’d pulled her braids into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck with a light pink scrunchie that matched her dress.
She looked pretty and sun-kissed. She speared a shrimp with her fork and then sent an apprehensive glance across the table at Percy, who didn’t lift his eyes from his plate.
“Hey,” Jeremiah leaned over and whispered in Noelle’s ear. “Did Percy say something that upset you? Do I need to talk to him?”
Noelle quickly shook her head and rubbed his thigh in reassurance.
“No, it’s okay,” she whispered back. “I’m fine.”
She didn’t seem fine. Neither did Percy. And neither did Celeste, who was hardly participating in the conversation as she focused on slicing her scallops in half.
“Okay, what’s up with everyone?” Jeremiah finally asked. “Can someone tell me what’s going on?”
Celeste and Percy sported matching expressions of unease.
“I promise we’ll talk later after dinner,” Celeste said.
Jeremiah shook his head. He’d been stressed over the strange tension all day. He didn’t want to be in the dark for a second longer. “Please. Just tell me now.”
Celeste hesitated. Her fork and knife were poised in her hands as she looked at Jeremiah. She let out a slow, even breath and placed her utensils to the side.
“So, the first thing I want to share is that I officially plan to retire next year,” she said as she looked around the table.
“Originally, Percy and I had agreed that he would step into the CEO role after my departure.” She paused.
“But very recently we were approached by Avid Foods with a lucrative offer to buy Smith’s Sweets. ”
Jeremiah stared, blinking. Confusion clouded his brain.
He glanced across the table at his siblings to check their reactions.
Percy cleared his throat and kept his attention focused on Celeste, while Amara frowned, eyes wide.
Robin gently placed her hand on Percy’s shoulder and chewed on her bottom lip.
Finally, Jeremiah looked at Noelle, who kept her eyes trained on her hands in her lap.
“You turned down the offer, right?” Jeremiah asked, looking at Celeste again.
His mom inhaled deeply. “We haven’t made a decision yet. That’s what I wanted to discuss tonight.”
“But what is there to discuss?” Jeremiah asked, confused. “We have to turn it down.”
“Not exactly,” Percy said. “It’s a good offer.”