How to Love Your Neighbour(78)

Nervous excitement swept through her. They were headed over to Josh and Rosie’s tonight to work on the website. She and Rosie would also finish up a partner project they had for one of their classes.

Noah tapped the envelope against his palm. “Thanks for everything, Emily.”

She looked at him a moment. “You have no idea how very much I mean it when I say, it’s my pleasure. Turns out my boss, who’s about one hundred and four, interviewed your father back in the day. He’s very excited about having the next generation featured.”

Grace saw the slight twitch under Noah’s eye. He didn’t want praise that came connected to his father, but still, he could be proud of his legacy. Couldn’t he?

When Emily left, Grace nearly tore the envelope out of Noah’s hand. “What is it? What is it?”

Noah laughed as she opened it. Grace’s breath got stuck somewhere between inhaling and exhaling. There was a yellow sticky note on the black-and-white photo:

Not to be intrusive but the sun was just right & this moment felt like magic. Jack

It was a photo of them kissing and it was magic. Noah’s head was tipped down to Grace’s, hers tilted up toward him. One hand cupped her jaw while the other sat at her waist. Their lips weren’t touching, but they were close, and the emotion simmering between them, the heat she could still feel, emanated from the glossy image.

“Damn. We look good together.” Noah curled his arms around her from behind, staring over her shoulder.

She had no words. She’d never been photographed with a man in this way. She didn’t even have photos with old boyfriends. Mostly because she’d been on such a straight and specific track, she hadn’t veered off for more than moments of time. She hadn’t connected with anyone enough to take the relationship to the picture-taking level. Every guy she’d dated had been on the periphery. A momentary distraction from the ultimate goal.

Though it was a profile picture, she could see the depth of emotion in her gaze, feel it in Noah’s. This wasn’t one of those high-society glamour photo ops. This was raw and real. They were both so in the moment the world had fallen away. She’d slipped under the surface and truthfully, she hadn’t even seen it coming. All that caution she’d exercised for so long? It didn’t exist in this picture. This picture was Grace, all in. It was as terrifying as it was stunningly beautiful.

Noah reached up, moved the picture. “There’s two. One for me and one for you.”

A lump lodged itself in Grace’s throat, so she nodded.

“You’re a beautiful woman,” he whispered against her cheek.

She nodded again. “So are you.”

It took her a second to figure out why his body was shaking behind hers. Turning in his arms, she smiled up at him. “Only, you know, a man.”

“Thanks for noticing. You’re so sweet,” he said wryly.

She didn’t want to get overly emotional about a photo. She liked the fun they were having and just because she looked all wrapped up in all things Noah in the photo didn’t mean he was everything. His house was proof that she’d held her laser focus. She hadn’t lost herself.

“I need to go get ready to go to Josh and Rosie’s.”

“Right. I still can’t believe my assistant lives with your best friend.”

“I know. Life is full of strange things. Them moving in together, you thinking you picked the couch, and evidence of you falling hard for the girl next door.” She waved the pictures, trying to sound like she was mostly joking.

“The girl next door is pretty hard not to fall for,” he said, kissing her one more time. “Go get ready so we can head out. I’m starving.”

“You just ate.”

“I’m a big guy. I need food. We can stop and get brownies.”

“You had me at brownies.”

His laughter followed her out of the house. Lean into the fall, Grace. You’ve got this and you’re not alone.





36


Rosie and Josh had moved into his apartment, since hers was smaller. It was on the other side of town, farther from the beach but in a nice neighborhood. Noah carried a bottle of wine while Grace held the brownies. When they approached the steps, he looked at Grace before pressing the buzzer to their apartment.

“What? Want to eat the brownies before we go in?” She bounced her eyebrows.

“I might have to stage an intervention for you and those brownies.”

She held them closer to her chest and angled her body away. “Watch yourself, Jansen.”

“I just realized I’ve never done this. I want you to know you’re not the only one in uncharted territory,” he said, looking down at his feet.

“You’ve never brought wine and brownies to someone’s house before?”

He looked up with a smile. “Actually, not together, I don’t think, but what I meant was, I’ve never . . .”

When he trailed off again, her curiosity spiked. “Never what? It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s not bad. I haven’t visited a couple as a couple.” He said it like he was ripping off a Band-Aid.

Because she was having to put effort into keeping a leash on her heart, she decided to lighten the mood and his obvious discomfort.

“Does that mean I can call you my boyfriend?” She singsonged the word.