Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(27)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I’d never met anyone that was my age when their mother had cancer. It was a horrible thing to have in common with someone, but for some reason I felt connected to him because of it. Then I was almost jealous knowing that he’d got to keep his mother and I didn’t. “Is that who you just called?”

He nodded. “I left her a message.”

“That was thoughtful of you. You’re very lucky, Noah. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t give to have my mother back, even if it were only for one day. After she died my whole life pretty much ended. It hasn’t been the same since. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I had a day where I felt completely happy. It’s pathetic isn’t it?”

Noah shot me a half-smile. “No. It’s sad, but you’re not pathetic. You’re human.”

“Yeah, the last time I checked I was.” I grabbed a ton of sugar and added it to the black coffee. “Although, I think I may have sealed my fate by driving my boyf – I mean my ex’s car into a pond. That might qualify me as crazy.”

“Don’t go back there. You said you got nothin’ there holdin’ you back. You’re lucky that people don’t depend on you. My life was set in stone before I was born. My dad knew his son would take over the business. I’ve never been allowed to voice my opinion, or even have one.”

I felt bad for Noah, and was finally understanding why he’d left. “I’ve got ten bucks to my name, since all of my money was left at my ex’s. I’m sure he’s already found it. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be in the same clothes.”

“About that,” he paused and took a drink. “We need to get you somethin’ else to wear tonight. If you want to be remembered, you should dress the part.”

“Ugh, don’t even talk about shopping, especially since I know ten bucks isn’t going to get me shit in this town.”

“I’m buyin’.”

I shook my head. “Absolutely not. Noah, you’ve done enough. I feel bad enough already. I’m going to be mailing you I.O.U.’s for the next ten years.”

He laughed at me. “You don’t owe me nothin’. All sexual jokes aside, you’re nice company. I don’t expect money, or nothin’ else. I get that you’re in a bad way. If it was goin’ to be a problem I wouldn’t have let you come with me.”

Settled on the fact that he wasn’t going to let me say no, I smiled and accepted that maybe Noah was meant to come into my life, to give me at least a couple days of happiness. After all, in a little while I’d be on stage, doing something I’d only dreamed of. “Okay.”

Our food came, and as I picked at my bagel, I watched Noah devour every bite on his plate except for one. “What?”

“Where do you put it?”

“Woman, you’ve obviously never experienced pancakes before.” With a fork full of pancakes, he aimed it at my mouth. “Take a bite.”

“I don’t know where your mouth has been.” I turned my face away, but he didn’t move the fork. “I’m sure you won’t die. Just take a bite.”

I opened my mouth and let him feed me his last bite. The maple flavor of the syrup hit my taste buds first. Then the perfection of pancake filled my senses. Satisfied that I’d done what he asked, he finished his coffee and wiped his face with a napkin.

“My mom used to make these when I was little. I guess I forgot how much I liked them.”

“We’ll get more tonight after our show. I know this place that serves them all day and all night.”

“It’s a date.” I said the words without the loaded pun behind them. It was a simple saying, that came with a certain assumption.

Noah didn’t argue or correct me. “Sounds good.”

We paid for our check and headed outside where Noah hailed us a cab. I had no idea where he was taking me, but somehow I knew he’d keep me safe. It was very reassuring to feel that way, but it came with a price.

The longer I hung out with Noah, the harder it was to resist my growing desire to know more about him. I liked him, and time was only going to intensify that feeling.

Where I should have been a mess over a breakup, I’d hardly thought about my ex. I didn’t know whether to thank Noah, or runaway, because it could only mean that he was replacing all of the negative in my life. Since I knew we’d part ways that really scared me. Once he’d gone home to his family, I’d feel even more alone than ever.

Determined not to think about it, I climbed into a cab with Noah. I wasn’t going to think about what was going to happen. I was just going to have fun while it lasted and hope a friendship could come out of it.

Noah

Breakfast had been a real eye-opener for me, after hearing how Shalan’s mother died. I could feel the pain of it, as if it were my own mother’s fate. As sad as it made me feel, it had given me reason to call home and make things right.

My message was short, and I was glad she didn’t answer, so I had time to prepare exactly how I was going to apologize. I just knew I had to make peace, because one could never determine when our time on earth was up.

To Shalan, my helping her was definitely out of pity. I’m sure that had something to do with it, but I was being honest about liking her company. She was so easy on the eyes, and behind that attitude was someone I wanted to get to know. Of course, I wasn’t about to admit that to her, especially when she was giving me such a hard time about certain things. Plus I liked teasing her, making her think I was an ass**le.

With the exception of my major f**k-up a couple weeks back, I wasn’t a terrible boyfriend. Time was always my downfall, because my job was so sporadic. Like a plumber, I was always on call. If the cattle broke a fence in the middle of the night, I’d be out fixing it. Committing to someone and being reliable wasn’t a promise that I could keep.

After breakfast I decided that I’d take Shalan around the city. She’d obviously never been and there was some special places to see.

The key to sightseeing in the city was to get there before all the tour buses arrived. Shalan had no idea where we were going until the cab dropped us off at the long entrance for the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. The smile on her face definitely told me that she was excited.

After we’d gotten through security, and finally made it on the boat, I saw another side of her. She looked green immediately. “You alright?”

“I’ve never been on a boat before. Is it supposed to rock this much?”