How to Love Your Neighbour(55)

Now it was her turn to smile. He couldn’t see the happiness bubbling inside of her from the easy way he described her. She’d spent too much of her life defining herself in negative ways. Ways she didn’t want to be. But he saw her differently. Maybe one day, she’d be able to do the same.

“I’m pretty good at puzzles. I like running but prefer a treadmill to the road. I can swim but don’t do much else in the water. Predictably, I love reno shows, poring through magazines, and playing with design software.”

“Where are your parents?”

His phone buzzed on the table. He glanced down, but when he looked back up he didn’t stray from the topic. He waited.

“Don’t know my dad. Never did. My mom followed him to Vegas as a teenager. They moved around a bit, had me, he split. She kept moving on, trying to find the next one who’d make her life easier. I counted down the days to graduation and left immediately after. I settled here because even though I didn’t know anything about my family, I knew where my mom grew up. Met Morty about five years ago and now I have all the family I need.”

He nodded, taking it in without judgment, which she appreciated.

She gestured to the phone after crumpling her napkin and dropping it onto her plate. “Who’s that?”

“Group thread with my brothers. They’re razzing me about picking out furniture. I’m not usually so . . . involved.”

She grinned, leaned forward. “You don’t say.”

“Hey.”

“Hey what? You think it’s a surprise to learn you usually hire a crew and come back for the reveal?”

Something passed over his features, making her sorry she’d said it so casually. She almost reached for his hand. Instead, she added, “You’re making this one different, Noah. You just needed the right project.”

“I hope so. I don’t know why it matters that they see that. That they realize I’m not like my dad.”

Deciding she’d do the same for Rosie, she reached out, covered his hand with hers, ignoring the pulse of attraction that she was resigned to believing would always just hover.

“I’m positive they know it. Didn’t we just say we were going to stop trying to prove ourselves to others? All that matters is that you know.”

He nodded, turning his hand so their fingers linked. Both their breaths caught but neither of them pulled back.

“I do. I just want them to see that I can do this. I can commit to something, see it all the way through. I came here because I was tired of turnover. I was looking to make my own legacy. To feel like I was doing something real.”

Grace grinned, slipping her hand out of his so she could form words. “You want real? You want to show them that this time is different?”

He leaned back, eyeing her curiously. “What do you have in mind?”

Lots. But only some of which she’d follow through on. “Just leave it up to me.”

“Should I be scared?” His eyes twinkled. She could get addicted to those smiling eyes.

“Maybe. But I promise you’ll have fun.”

“Famous last words.”

Maybe. But, as his friend, Grace was going to prove to Noah that he could be the man he wanted to be. One he might not even know he wanted to be. If he wanted to show he could go the distance with the house, maybe he’d open up in other areas. Maybe these requited feelings didn’t have to be pushed away. At least not for good.





25


The appliances were in, the kitchen renovations looked fantastic, but the walls still needed fresh paint. The island had been altered to a perfect square with drawer storage on one side and book nooks on each side. Two stools that Grace had ordered were sitting in boxes, waiting to be put together.

“This looks fantastic,” Chris said, turning in a circle, taking in the changes. To separate the kitchen and laundry areas, Grace had worked with Kyle to create a custom, rustic, white barn door with gorgeous sliding hardware. Beside it was a frosted-glass door that led to a shallow pantry. She’d thought of everything. Because she’s freaking amazing. He’d seen glimpses of her talent but taking on this full project with her was eye-opening. And damn impressive.

Noah hadn’t seen much of her in the last few days, because she’d been online shopping and arranging deliveries around her school schedule. He’d golfed with Wes’s connection twice this week and agreed to a couple more outings. He realized that he missed being with Grace, missed working on the house when he wasn’t doing it. He’d also arranged a surprise for his new friend.

“This is the kind of kitchen that could make a person want to learn how to cook,” Everly said, sliding the barn door back and forth.

Chris glanced over, grinning at the woman who’d captured his heart. Noah never thought he’d see the day his baby brother fell head over heels in love. Noah didn’t know how to describe it, but somehow Everly made Chris more. The kind of more you want to be? Labeling Grace as a friend hadn’t stopped his romantic feelings.

Everly joined them at the island countertop, nestling naturally into Chris’s side. His brother looked down at her, stroking her hair in an affectionate gesture that made Noah’s stomach clench.

Everything about them said forever, but how could anyone know? It was always fun in the beginning. How did a couple avoid being just another statistic? Noah couldn’t stand the thought of loving a woman enough to tie himself to her, only to have it fall apart.