When we get inside, I see people standing near the entrance, waiting to be seated, and the entire dining area is packed. We get in line, and I look around, noticing that many of the patrons have their eyes on Noah. Not just women but also men. I wonder if he always draws so much attention everywhere he goes.
“Is it just you two?” A young woman who’s probably still in high school greets us with a smile when we finally reach the podium.
“Yep,” he tells her, and she drops her gaze to the paper in front of her, then looks between Noah and me.
“It’s going to be about ten minutes. Is that okay?”
“That works for us.” He lifts his chin, then gives her his name. She writes it down on the list.
As we move to stand in the alcove near the front door with everyone else, a handsome man with gorgeous dark skin, dressed in jeans and a thermal shirt with a vest over it, approaches us with a blinding-white smile. There’s a woman on his arm that I swear must be a model. If she’s not, she should be. Like the man’s, her skin is flawless, and her tall, thin frame would make most designers cry with happiness. I mean, honestly, even in the jeans she has on with a turtleneck and trench coat that matches her pointy boots, she looks like she should be on a runway.
“Noah.” The man gives Noah a fist bump. “I was just talking about you this morning.”
“Oh, yeah?’ Noah asks while the woman leans in to give Noah a one-armed hug with a smile to match her guy’s. I stand slightly away, feeling awkward and out of place.
“Heard you tossed your hat into the ring for detective.”
“I did,” Noah tells him, and I tip my head back to look at him, in awe of the news because I’m sure it’s a big deal.
“If they don’t give it to you, I’ve got a desk in Nashville with your name on it.”
“I appreciate that, man,” Noah says quietly.
“Just speaking the truth. They’d be stupid not to give you what you want, especially when you’ve been helping them solve cases without the title,” he says, and Noah places his hand against my lower back, sliding it around my waist to pull me closer to his side.
“Babe, this is Sergeant Devon Marshall and his wife, Nova. This is my best friend’s sister, Bridgett.”
“Nice to meet you both.” I fiddle with the handle of my bag in front of me as Nova looks between Noah and me.
“Your best friend’s sister?” Nova raises a brow, her eyes landing on Noah. “That sounds complicated.”
“We’re just friends,” he tells her, and I chew the inside of my cheek. That’s a stretch, I think. We’ve only been around each other a handful of times over the last couple of months and have barely spoken.
“Hmm.” She meets my gaze. “I love your scarf and bag.”
“Thank you.” I touch the Burberry scarf around my neck, one I have plans to sell and probably shouldn’t be wearing. “I love your whole outfit.”
“Thanks.” She smiles at me, then leans into her husband. “We should go before your mother kidnaps our children.”
“I wish she would,” Devon tells her, and she smacks his chest, making him laugh. “All right, all right. It was nice meeting you, Bridgett. And, Noah, I expect a phone call if things don’t work out.”
“You’ll hear from me,” he replies. Nova gives us a wave while Devon lifts his chin. When they leave, I look up at Noah and start to open my mouth to ask about him wanting to be a detective, but a woman approaches carrying two menus.
“If you’ll follow me.” She smiles, then turns. We walk behind her, wending through tables to the back of the room and a corner booth just big enough for two.
I remove my jacket and start to take the seat facing the restaurant but stop when Noah carefully moves me to the bench on the opposite side of the table. He waits until I’m seated before sliding into the booth across from me.
Well, okay then.
“I’m Holly and will be your waitress this morning. Would either of you like coffee or a mimosa while you look this over?” She hands each of us a menu.
“I would love a cup of coffee, please.” I smile at her. She smiles back, then looks at Noah, who asks for the same.
“I’ll be right back.” She takes off, and I tuck my bag and coat into the space next to me, lifting my eyes to Noah and finding him scanning the room.
“So, you want to be a detective?”
At my question, his gaze moves to me, and he relaxes in his seat. “Yeah.” He takes off his hat. “I’ve been working toward it for a while now, but my station is small, so there’s not much turnaround.”
“But something opened up?” I guess, and he nods.
“A week ago, a detective retired, and a spot became available. A few of us applied for the position, so now we have to wait and see who gets chosen.”
“You’ll get it,” I tell him, then lean back when Holly stops at the end of the table to drop off our coffees.
“Do you two need a few more minutes?” she asks.
“Yes, please,” I tell her. She nods before taking off once more. With her gone, I take the tiny pot of creamer she set down, dump some into my cup, then pass it to Noah. “And it sounded like if you don’t get it, you can get that position somewhere else.”
“Except I don’t want to go anywhere else,” he tells me while pushing a container of sugar packets toward me.
“Why not?”
“I love my town, the people here, and the men and women I work with. Not saying there’s anything wrong with Nashville, but I’ve never had a desire to work in the city.”
“I can understand that.”
“Do you miss living near the city?” he asks, and my nose scrunches.
“No. I mean, I miss Starbucks being just a two-minute drive from my house and not having to go so far to get to the grocery store, but I don’t miss the city and its traffic.” I pick up my coffee and take a sip, then grab the menu from where I placed it and start looking it over, figuring I should find something to eat before Holly comes back. “So, what’s good here?”
“Everything,” he says, and I smile at him.
“That’s not helpful.”
“But it’s true,” he replies. I settle on a biscuit breakfast sandwich with ham, egg, and cheese.
And he’s not wrong. It’s delicious. But what is even better is enjoying it while sitting across from him. Because even if the morning started off strange, by the end of breakfast, my nerves have settled, and all the awkwardness from earlier is long gone.
Chapter 4
Noah
Ignore It
Sitting next to Bridgett in a chair three sizes too small in an office at the car dealership, I listen to Hunter, the loan specialist, explain the limited warranty the car comes with. As he carries on, I glance over at Bridgett and find her looking adorably confused and cute as fuck as she jots down notes on a notepad while nibbling on her bottom lip. When I started thinking of her as adorable and cute is something I can’t figure out, especially when I just thought of her as Aiden’s stuck-up, bitchy little sister for years.
What I do know is that I need to shake off the urge I have to protect her. Particularly when that urge comes from a place that has nothing to do with her being my best friend’s little sister and everything to do with the fact that she is a beautiful fucking woman who is going through some fucked-up shit.