Читать книгу This Just In... - Jennifer McKenzie - Страница 12
ОглавлениеNOAH WASN’T SURE what had made him agree to help Sabrina move. Neighborly assistance? Manners? Something else? Her pretty green eyes?
Maybe because it’s what was expected of him, what he expected of himself. When people in Wheaton needed help, he stepped in. Even when he shouldn’t.
He sighed. Wasn’t that always the way, though? He had deadlines to meet, budget concerns to deal with, council meetings to attend, new staff to train, but he still made time for whatever someone else needed. Some days it meant leaving the house before seven and not returning until ten. Other days it meant skipping meals and breaks. Driving all over town to attend to whatever had cropped up this time.
Usually, he enjoyed doing it. Giving something back to the town and the people. They hadn’t had to accept him, but they had. Opened their arms and their hearts and allowed him to come of age in a place that was safe and loving. Noah had only left them once in his life and even then only long enough to get his business degree.
There had never been any question in his mind about leaving permanently. And upon his return, he’d thrown himself into town life. Eight years later, he still didn’t regret it. Well, maybe he wouldn’t mind a weekend or two to himself. An afternoon to sit by the lake with his fishing pole and no one else. An evening where he turned off his cell phone and wasn’t interrupted. But that wasn’t his life.
Noah poured a cup of coffee and seated himself in front of his computer to do some work before the movers showed up. Sabrina had left him a message that she’d be by around ten to prepare for the movers and until then Noah had plenty of things to keep him busy and not think about what it might mean to have the attractive reporter living across the hall from him.
He started by examining the sales numbers for his two car dealerships, sent an email to the talent booked for this year’s Northern Lights festival and then reviewed the council minutes that were to be posted online on Monday.
He’d just emailed his assistant to approve the minutes when he heard the crunch of wheels turning into the driveway. A moment later, a knock sounded at the door and he rose to answer.
Noah didn’t expect his pulse to hammer when he opened the door. Although he’d seen her multiple times now—five, if he included this one—his attraction to Sabrina still caught him off guard. He wasn’t used to having feelings that snuck up on him or hit him over the head or did anything but stay in the neat little box he’d designed for them.
Bad enough that he wasn’t sure if he could trust Sabrina to interview him. But when he added this spark of attraction, things became tricky. She’d dated his younger brother and though that had been over for years and Kyle was long since happily married, it still created an awkwardness. She’d been with his brother. She had a broken friendship with his sister-in-law. Two of the people closest in the world to him.
“Hi.” She pushed a cup of coffee into his hands.
“Good morning.” Probably best that he just stick to being her neighbor. Help her move her furniture and boxes in and then excuse himself and get back to his own life.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” Sabrina’s eyes were bright and her hair, tugged back into a high ponytail, swirled around her shoulders as she spoke. Summer had arrived suddenly, going from jeans to cut-offs weather practically overnight, and the thin tank top she wore beneath a pink hoodie and a tiny pair of shorts left little to his imagination. His fingers bit into the sides of the coffee. “It all happened sort of fast. Anyway, I’m grateful.”
“No problem.” Noah took a sip from the steaming takeaway cup. Espresso. Double shot. His favorite. The fact that she remembered and had gone to the trouble to pick it up this morning when she was likely juggling a number of other things touched him. Some residents didn’t even remember that he liked coffee, offering tea or another beverage when he was at their homes cleaning gutters, shoveling snow or mowing the lawn.
She turned and headed across the entry to unlock the door to her place. Noah found himself watching the wiggle of her hips as she went. It wasn’t as though he planned to, but the shorts were vibrant red and demanded attention. Who was he to deny them their right? He sipped his coffee and enjoyed the moment.
Soon enough he’d be back to himself, mayor, employer, helper, but for a moment he was simply a guy enjoying a woman walking in front of him.
Sabrina pushed the door open and glanced back at him. “Come on in. Enjoy the dated decor.”
Noah pushed himself away from the door frame, closing the door behind him and followed her inside. She wasn’t lying about the apartment’s styling, but he’d already known that. The former tenants, an elderly couple, had often requested his help for small jobs: changing light bulbs, unclogging drains, dusting the corners of the ceiling. So he was well-versed in the pastel shades that they’d seemed to enjoy.
Sabrina stood with her hands on her hips. “Hideous, isn’t it. I’ll have to do something about it and quick. This stuff will give me nightmares.” She picked at the edge of a piece of wallpaper that had come loose. “How long do you think it will take me to get this off?”
“I have no idea.”
“Hours, probably.” She sighed. “Guess you wouldn’t want to help with this, too, would you?”
Noah pressed his lips together just in case his tongue got the idea to agree against his better judgment.
When she looked over her shoulder at him, she laughed. “I was only kidding. You’re already doing more than enough.”
The breath caught in his chest loosened. Sabrina hadn’t gotten upset or given him a look that said he’d disappointed her. His shoulders relaxed. Soon they were chatting about furniture placement and which items would go in which rooms. He was practically enjoying himself. “When is the truck arriving?”
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the front door. “Any minute. Actually, I’ve got some boxes I brought over from my parents’ place in the car. Maybe we should grab those now. Get them out of the way.”
Noah followed her outside to the SUV parked beside the detached garage. She popped the back, exposing a stack of labeled and taped boxes. When she reached forward, her shorts pulled tight. He allowed himself to enjoy the view.
The rumble of a large engine drew his attention from the pretty sight. A box truck pulled into the driveway, followed by a gray sedan that he knew to be her parents’ because he’d sold it to them.
“Fantastic.” She shut the door, leaving the boxes inside and grinned up at him. “Sure you don’t want to back out? You’ve still got time.”
But suddenly, the idea of spending the day working alongside Sabrina sounded much more appealing than hanging out at the lake alone. Even with his fishing pole. “I’m happy to be here.” And he was.
Even four hours later, once she’d directed him to put the couch in four different places and the sweat was running down his back, Noah was still enjoying himself.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “You said it was perfect by the window.”
“I was wrong.” She shrugged. “Plus, I like seeing your muscles in action.” She winked.
A low heat swirled through him. Noah was pretty sure she was flirting with him. Had been for a while now. Ever since the movers had finished up and she’d sent her parents on their way about an hour ago. He moved the couch to her chosen location. “Good?”
Sabrina came around from behind the kitchen counter where she’d been unpacking utensils and cocked her head. “Yes. I think that’s the spot.”
“You realize that was the first spot.”
“I didn’t know that was the right spot until I saw the couch in other places.” She smiled up at him. “So thank you for hauling it around.” She went back to the kitchen, which opened onto the main room. “So tell me, Mr. Mayor. If you weren’t allowing me to appreciate the fine labor of your muscles, what would you be doing today?”
Noah lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his brow. The day had warmed up, the sun now beating through her open windows. He could hear the hum of a nearby mower, the scent of freshly cut grass tickling his nose. What would he be doing? Working on the computer, babysitting his niece or nephews, heading into the office, answering requests from residents. “I’m not sure.”
“Really?” She unwrapped a large plastic spoon and added it to the canister that seemed to be full of them already. “No hot date?”
“No.” He rarely dated. Didn’t have time for it. Which was a sad statement on his life. “Why? Are you asking me out?”
She blinked and her mouth opened slightly. Then she laughed. “Mr. Mayor, look at you flirting with me.”
Noah’s cheeks burned. He didn’t flirt. It wasn’t appropriate for a man in his position. He knew that. And yet, his guard had slipped around her. He needed to watch out for that. “Sorry.”
“Why would you apologize?” Sabrina plunked another spoon in the canister. “You’re a handsome guy. You must have lots of women wanting to go out with you.”
He studied her, unsure if this was more of her casual banter or if she was fishing for information to put in her article. If he answered wrong, she could use his words against him, twist them to make him look like some sort of sex pervert, which he might become if she wore those red shorts very often. So he didn’t answer at all, simply picked up a box labeled Bathroom and carried it in there.
When Noah came back out, he felt more in control. “How long will you be living here?”
“Not forever. Just until I write my book. Then it’s back to the city.” She sounded a bit sad, like she wasn’t sure that was where she wanted to be.
Noah could relate, but he didn’t ask for details. That would be inviting personal questions about his own life. “So I’ve just moved your couch four times for fun?”
“No, that was all part of my plan to see you flex your muscles.” The sad tilt to her eyes lifted. “Actually, I just need my own space while I’m here. My parents let me have the apartment because they want me to move back permanently.”
“Seems like a lot of work to move in all your things if you’re just turning around and leaving.” He didn’t understand why anyone would bother. Was there something more that she wasn’t sharing?
“Okay, that’s not the only reason.” Sabrina put down yet another plastic spoon. “I also moved in because I found out you lived across the hall.”
Noah’s chest suddenly felt heavy like someone had laid a wet blanket over it. He sucked in a breath. “Oh.”
“No, don’t get like that.” She stepped around the counter and over to him. “I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. I just hoped that if we were neighbors and you got to know me better, you might see that I’m not so bad.”
“And give you the interview.”
“Well, yeah.” She stopped in front of him. She’d pulled the hoodie off some time ago and the skinny tank top showed off her curves. “I know you’re worried because of what happened with Kyle, but this isn’t the same type of interview.” She reached a hand out and laid it on his arm.
A spark fizzed through him.
“I haven’t always made the best decisions when it comes to my columns. If you read them, you’ll see that I wasn’t always nice.”
And this was supposed to convince him to say yes? “I think you need to work on your pitch.” But he didn’t step back or shake off her touch.
“Probably, but I’m being honest with you. Your interview and the article I write aren’t going to be like that. It’s not what the readers of this town want. It’s not what I want.”
“So you and your readers want something else in Vancouver?”
The side of her mouth lifted in an effort to smile, but ended up looking sad. “Yes. They did and I did. But this is something else.” She took her hand off his arm to run it through her hair. Noah missed the contact. “You don’t need to decide this second. I’m interviewing Pete on Tuesday and his article will run in next weekend’s paper. Wait. Read it and then make your decision.”
“So you’re not going to push me now?” He felt off-balance. Now was the perfect time for her to push. They’d been having a good time, working as a team. Sabrina had done an excellent job of forging a bond to convince him to trust her. Only she wasn’t capitalizing on it. He studied her more closely. Was that part of her plan?
“If you want to say yes right now, I won’t turn you down.” Her eyes stared into his. Such a bright and cheerful green, like grass in summer. “But no, I’m not going to push. You’re helping me move. Really, you’ve suffered enough.”
Noah laughed and the weight in his lungs eased. She seemed genuine and she’d given him the freedom to confirm her sincerity by waiting for Pete’s article to run first. He couldn’t expect more. “All right then. What else do we need to move?”
“I’m so glad you asked.”
His muscles ached when they were done, but it was a good ache. The kind that spoke of a job well-done and a rest well earned.
Sabrina flopped onto the couch. “I’m beat. What do you want on your pizza?”
“Pizza?” He looked longingly at the couch, but didn’t sit. His mother had taught him too well for that. His shirt stuck to his back and his shorts looked like he’d been swimming in them. He wasn’t about to sit on her nice couch and drip sweat all over it.
“And beer. Isn’t that the standard gift for helping someone move?”
“You don’t have to feed me.”
“Of course I do. You helped me move. You don’t think I know the rules of payment for moving?” She patted the couch beside her. “Sit down. You’ve worked your butt off.”
The little shorts rode even higher as she reached over to pull her cell phone from the pocket of her hoodie, which had been left on the floor. Noah swallowed. “I should shower.” A long, cold one.
She grinned up at him. “Mr. Mayor, are you flirting again?”
“No. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Too bad.” She stood up and Noah watched the shorts shift as she moved. He shook his head to clear it of the image of Sabrina in the shower.
She was teasing him, toying with him. The careless flirting probably meant nothing to her.
“Why don’t we sit outside then? It’s cooler.” She walked over to the French doors that had been left open to catch any breeze that might come through. The day had been still, but the temperature was a few degrees cooler outside.
Noah followed her out and lowered himself to the porch step where there was no worry about leaving a sweat outline behind. He leaned his elbows back and inhaled the cool air. Just as good as a shower. Well, not if the shower included Sabrina. He shoved the thought away. Clearly she’d been joking.
He heard the fall of her steps as she headed back inside and let his eyes close. It would be nice to have a neighbor again, to know there was another warm body in the house. He’d never asked his previous neighbors for anything, but he’d liked knowing they were around. He’d like knowing Sabrina was around, too. Watching TV, singing in the kitchen, standing in the shower. A long, hot shower with soap and scrubbing that would leave her skin pink all over.
Noah jumped when cold glass pressed against the back of his neck.
Sabrina laughed and handed the bottle to him. Condensation dripped down the sides, cooling his fingers and some of his distracted thoughts. Imagining his reporter naked in the shower was nothing like imagining the audience in their underwear when he was about to give a speech. Not even close. He shifted and took a long pull from the bottle. It didn’t lower his body temperature.
“I ordered the pizza. They said forty-five minutes.” She sat down on the step beside him, her thigh brushing his. Her skin was soft, silky-looking. His fingers wanted to touch. Noah curled them around the bottle instead.
“So tell me what you’d normally do for fun on a Saturday night.” She stretched her legs out in front of her. Her skin brushed his again, stirring his nerve endings.
He called on his mayoral face, but he was having trouble bringing it to the surface. Really, he just wanted to look at her. “Sometimes there’s an event where I need to make an appearance. But often I have work from the week I need to catch up on.”
Sabrina nodded and sipped her beer. He watched the smooth glide of her neck as she swallowed. The pulse point just below her ear that thrummed a steady rhythm. “Those are things you do for other people. What about you?”
Concern spiked through him. “I thought we weren’t doing an interview.”
She remained reclined in her loose pose. “We’re not. I’m just curious about you.”
He swallowed. This was not good. He still wasn’t sure about her. She seemed sincere, but how well did he know her? And now, sitting on the porch like a couple, her spicy-sweet scent mingling with the grassy smell from the neighbor’s lawn. He looked away. Dinner. Together. And beer. When he was already filled with confusing push-me-pull-you thoughts. This was not a good idea. He cleared his throat. “I just remembered, I can’t stay.”
Her mouth opened and then closed. “You sure?”
“Yeah.” Noah set the beer down, barely touched. Fantasies of her naked in his bed rolled through his mind, followed by the worry that this sparking attraction would make him do something he’d regret. No, he definitely couldn’t stay. Not tonight. Not when his mind was in a whirl. “I promised Kyle and Marissa I’d babysit.” He hadn’t, but they were always happy for the extra hands.
Sabrina nodded, but he couldn’t tell if she believed him. “You do that a lot, don’t you? Babysit.”
He felt something icy and irritable slide down his spine. “They’re family.” Why shouldn’t he babysit? He loved his family. He loved helping them.
She sat up and put a hand on his arm. “I think it’s great.” Her eyes bored into him, reading him. “You do a lot for other people.”
“No, I don’t.” Noah hated it when people talked about him like that. He didn’t want them to notice, just to know that they could count on him to be there. “Anyone would do the same.”
“No, Noah. They wouldn’t.” Her hand was warm, comforting.
He reminded himself that he didn’t know who she was, what she wanted. He pushed himself into a standing position. “Right. Well. Thanks for the beer.”
Sabrina lifted her bottle to him in a toast. “Anytime. We’ll rain check dinner.”
Noah knew he should correct her. Tell her that dinner wasn’t necessary, that he hadn’t agreed to help her for any reason other than it had seemed like a good idea at the time. But he didn’t.
And he beat it out of there before desire could overwhelm common sense.
But he didn’t feel any better once he arrived on Kyle and Marissa’s doorstep.
“Hey, bro.” Kyle welcomed him in with a slap on the shoulder. “What brings you here?”
“Kyle?” Marissa came into the entry. “Noah, hi. We weren’t expecting you.”
He could hear the rumble of kids. “I should have called first. Sorry.” He hadn’t brought anything with him. Hadn’t even taken that much-needed shower. Just climbed into his car and driven straight over.
“It’s not a problem.” Kyle turned to the kitchen. “Want a beer?”
“Yes, that’d be great.”
“What were you doing?” Marissa plucked at his shirt, which was still stuck to his skin as they turned to follow Kyle. “You look like you’ve been chopping wood.”
Close enough. “I was helping someone move.”
Kyle pulled a pair of bottles out of the fridge. “Who? You should have called me. I could have helped.”
But Marissa, always more astute than her husband, didn’t wait for his answer. “Sabrina, right?” She shook her head when he didn’t respond to her query. “What else did she want?”
“Nothing. She didn’t want anything.” He twisted the beer cap. No, he was the one who wanted something. Something that he couldn’t have.
“Are you sure?” Marissa asked.
“She’s my new neighbor. That’s all.” Sabrina didn’t want anything else. He didn’t think. Well, except the interview, but she’d been perfectly up-front about that. No, he was the one with the wicked thoughts of her naked body. Damn her little tank top and littler shorts.
“Noah.” But whatever Marissa had been about to say was interrupted by his noisy niece, who burst into the room singing and dancing.
Daisy flung herself at his legs when she saw him. “Hi, Uncle Noah.” Then she launched into a story about some tights with a hole in the knee.
He picked up his niece, suddenly wildly interested in the case of the striped tights.
“Mommy threw them away.” Her tiny face was set in a picture-perfect expression of outrage. “And she won’t buy me more. Will you buy me a pair?”
“Yes,” Noah said just as Marissa said, “Absolutely not.”
Marissa plucked Daisy from Noah’s grip and set her down with a pat. “I need to talk to your uncle. Go see what your brothers are doing.”
“I don’t wanna.” Daisy crossed her arms and stamped her foot.
“Daisy.” The warning note in her mother’s voice was clear.
Daisy looked from her mother to her father, and stuck out her chin. “Uncle Noah will buy me tights. He loves me. Right, Uncle Noah?” She grabbed his leg.
“Don’t manipulate your uncle, Daisy. Go and play with your brothers.”
Daisy responded by wrapping her arms more tightly around Noah’s thigh and clinging like a monkey. “No!”
Noah sighed, used to these exchanges. He’d learned to simply stand by and let Marissa handle her daughter as things inevitably ended more quickly and with less screeching.
“Daisy, I swear.” Marissa attempted to pry her daughter’s fingers loose, but Daisy was a girl on a mission.
“No. No. You can’t make me.” She tried to wrap her legs around Noah’s shin.
Marissa tugged on her daughter’s arm. “Yes, I can.” She pried her daughter free. “Off to find your brothers or you won’t get dessert.”
Daisy seemed to consider that, then nodded. “Okay. Bye, Uncle Noah.”
So much for his three-foot savior. Marissa was now bearing down on him with a gleam in her eye that looked remarkably like the one Daisy often wore. “I can’t believe Sabrina moved in beside you. You need to be careful.”
“Why?” Noah honestly wanted to know. Was it really such a big deal? It’s not as if they were cohabitating.
Marissa’s eyebrow lifted. “People already think there’s something going on because of that talk the two of you had in the parking lot. Do you want the whole town talking about you?”
Noah’s stomach rolled. He did not want the whole town talking about him.
“This is ridiculous.” Kyle piped up with a snort. “What are they going to say? That he helped someone move? That they’re neighbors?”
The roll slowed. His brother had a point. Living next to each other wasn’t scandalous. “We’re just neighbors. I hardly know her.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the interview. I don’t think you should do it,” Marissa insisted.
Just when he was thinking that he should.
“Marissa.” Kyle draped an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t you think that’s a little harsh?”
Marissa’s face was set in a hard line. She glanced at her husband. “Have you forgotten what it was like here after she wrote that article about you?”
Kyle nodded. “I remember, babe.” He wrapped his arm more tightly around her. “But that doesn’t mean it’ll be the same for Noah.”
Noah watched the tension seep out of his sister-in-law. “I know. I just worry.” She looked at him, brackets of that worry around her mouth.
He was deeply touched. “It’ll be fine. She’s not going to write anything horrible about me.” Her openness today had convinced him of that. She was telling the truth about what people in Wheaton wanted. A blistering exposé on him was not it.
“I know her better than you.” She turned her head and looked at her husband. “Better than both of you.”
“You knew her better before,” Kyle said. He ran a hand up and down Marissa’s arm. “Maybe she’s changed.”
Marissa sighed. “Maybe. But I’m going on record now that I am not in love with this idea.”
“I haven’t even said I’ll do it.” Noah told them. He would wait to see how Sabrina’s article on Pete turned out before making a final decision. “But even if I agree, it’s only one interview. I’ve handled reporters plenty of times. I know how to stay on message.”
If Sabrina asked him a question he didn’t want to answer, all he had to do was respond with a piece of information he did want to share. Simple.
And there wasn’t much that was off-limits. His life wasn’t exciting enough for that. Look how he was spending his Saturday night. Hanging out with his younger brother and family instead of drinking beer and eating pizza with his sexy new neighbor. He bashed the thought down.
Marissa frowned. “She’s not some small-town reporter who’s going to ask what your favorite pie is. She’s a professional, and she’s good.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You sound almost complimentary.”
“Well, I don’t mean to.” But a ghost of a smile drifted across her face.
Noah smiled, too. “It’ll be fine.” Sabrina was welcome to ask about his childhood and how that had shaped him. How being the only kid in school who didn’t have a biological parent had impressed upon him the need for community spirit, how a person could forge family bonds with anyone they loved, blood-relation or not and how giving back fulfilled him.
He wouldn’t have to share that he still felt as if he was trying to achieve “local” status, how he often felt that he didn’t fit in, that if he stopped giving back, the residents might eventually lose interest in having him.
Those were his own private demons and not for public consumption.
