International Player(31)

“Truly, I’m not trying to pry.” She paused. “Well, I’m totally prying, but I just want you to be careful.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing’s going on. Things are . . . professional. . . .” Ish.

“Do you like him?”

“Of course I like him. We’ve always been friends. You know that.”

“You know what he’s like, Truly. I’ve never met one of his girlfriends twice. He’s not your type of guy.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know. Far too good-looking.”

“Pft. It’s not that. You are totally gorgeous but far too lovely to be used and thrown away by Noah Jensen.”

She must be worried if she was throwing compliments around so easily. Gorgeous and lovely were adjectives used about my sister. I got “bookish” and “interesting.” “Seriously, Abi. It’s not like that. Not even a little bit.”

“You’re a terrible liar. Tell me what happened, or I’ll just call Noah up here and ask him myself.”

“Abi, please. Just—” There was no point trying to convince her to drop it. She was like a dog with a bone, and I had no doubt that if I didn’t tell her, she’d ask Noah in front of me and I’d likely die of shame on the spot. “Nothing really. I was on such a high after the speech went well . . . We went for drinks. And, I don’t know. He kissed me. It’s not a big deal. We were both a little drunk—on adrenaline and tequila.” There was nothing more to it than that. “It’s not like we slept together or anything.”

She sighed and rubbed her belly. I wasn’t sure if she was soothing her baby or herself. “But today there’s so much—I don’t know what—between you. That kiss wasn’t nothing. I’m worried—”

I sat on the edge of the bed, and she shuffled back to make room for me. “Don’t be. It was a one-off. I know that men like Noah and girls like me don’t mix.” And I was telling the truth. The way he looked at me, touched me, held me today—I needed to keep my heart safe.

“You’re a beautiful soul who doesn’t know how not to give something or someone everything you have. I’m worried for you. Men like Noah . . .” She shook her head.

She was worried he’d hurt me. She didn’t realize that it was too late for that. An unrequited crush was the worst type of heartache. But I was over that. This was different. It was an alcohol-fueled kiss and it was over. “Don’t worry. My heart is safe.”

“Maybe you just need to take positive action to make sure that remains the case. Call up an ex-boyfriend. Join a class. Do some online dating. Just don’t get caught up in . . . him.”

She’d never known how caught up I’d been all those years ago. But this time was different. I understood the risks. I knew Noah—what he was capable of, who I was to him. That knowledge was inoculation. Against falling in love. But perhaps an insurance policy wasn’t such a bad idea.

Maybe Abigail was right, and I needed something else to spend my time on. I’d kept up with my running, but it wasn’t the distraction I’d hoped for. If anything, it gave me more time to think. I needed something that would stop me from thinking about Noah when I wasn’t with him. Something that would stop me from looking forward to the next time I saw him.

I needed him in the just-friends box. And then I had to nail the lid shut, just to make sure that’s where he stayed.





Sixteen





Noah


I needed a drink. I knocked on Rob and Abigail’s front door and saw Rob’s silhouette through the glass before he opened the door.

“Hey, you know I’m not cooking, right?” He shoved a beer into my hand and headed back toward the kitchen. “You’re far too used to my culinary skills. When’s the last time you cooked dinner?”

“What a welcome.” I chuckled. “I’m here for a drink, anyhow.” I took a long swig.

Rob collapsed onto the sofa in their family room, and I took a seat next to him. “We can order Chinese.”

“Sounds good.” I didn’t care about food. I’d been in meetings all day, and I was exhausted. Rob hadn’t been my first choice of company, but Truly hadn’t returned my call or answered my text. It had been days since I’d seen her and nearly a week since I’d last touched her.

“So, why are you in such bad need of alcohol?” he asked.

I frowned at the footsteps on the stairs. “Is Abigail allowed up?” I lifted my chin toward the sound.

“That’s Truly. She wanted Abigail’s opinion on shoes or makeup or—how the fuck do I know? She’s freaking out over some date.”

My body went icy cold, and I took another swig of beer, trying to hide my shock. A date? A fucking date?

Perhaps Rob had it wrong and it was dinner with a donor. Or a friend or—a fucking date? Seriously?

“I’m off,” Truly said, appearing in the doorway and almost gasping when she saw me, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

I got a weird sense of satisfaction from the fact that seeing me was so unexpected.

She looked incredible. She wore her long black hair in loose, glossy waves over a fitted blue dress that was cut low enough to tease but not low enough to look easy. Where had that come from? She hadn’t bought it from the stylist. Her lips were a blush pink, and I’d never seen her in such high heels.