“You okay?” he whispered.
She did her best to muster a smile and nodded.
He tipped his head toward the front door. “Let’s get going.”
Noah stood up from the table, and she followed suit, picking up her plate and his. She made her way toward the kitchen, but Karen immediately stopped her.
“Honey, you don’t need to take the dishes to the kitchen. You’re our guest. Let me.”
“I don’t mind,” Jessa said.
Karen smiled. “I appreciate it, but I insist.”
Karen took the dishes from Jessa and carried them to the kitchen and quickly returned. Jessa turned toward Miles, where he still sat at the table.
“Thank you so much for dinner. It was fantastic. Best meal I’ve had in a while.”
He smiled softly and blushed. “You’re welcome.”
Noah bumped her shoulder with his. “You know, Miles is the chef at the resort. He made those nachos you love.”
Jessa’s eyes widened. “You made the nachos?”
Confusion crossed Miles’s face. “Um… yes?”
“Can you teach me how to make that masterpiece?”
Miles’s face screwed up. “You want me to teach you to make… nachos?”
Jessa nodded emphatically, and Noah chuckled beside her.
“You should have seen the way Jessa and Megan put down those nachos. It was impressive. Megan ordered them again when we were hanging out, and I swear she’s a bottomless pit,” Jackson said before scooping a bite of his baked potato into his mouth.
“Who’s Megan?” Karen asked.
Jackson’s eyes widened as if he had just committed a cardinal sin. “Um… she’s just Jessa’s friend.”
“Oh, that’s right. I met her in the lobby. Are you dating her?”
Noah clapped Jackson on the back before heading toward the door, tugging Jessa with him. “Well, fam, it’s been fun, but we need to get going. Thanks for dinner, Miles. Amazing as always. Pleasure seeing everyone.”
Jessa waved, following Noah. “It was great seeing everyone. Thank you for having me.”
“I hope to see you again soon,” Karen said. She walked to the door with them and waved goodbye, and Noah booked it to his truck with Jessa.
Before the front door had time to close, Karen’s voice carried outside. “Are you seeing Megan? Maybe we should invite her over for dinner. I’d love to meet her.”
The door clicked shut. Noah and Jessa burst out laughing.
“Poor Jackson,” Noah said.
“Think we should save him?” Jessa asked.
Noah went around to the passenger side of his truck with Jessa, but before he opened the door, he pressed her up against it and caged her in with his arms. Warmth immediately flooded through her body, and the cold air suddenly didn’t feel so cold.
“If we go back in there, we’ll be there for several more hours,” Noah said, his warm breath caressing her face.
She swallowed hard. “I see. So what are we going to do now instead?”
“Would you like to come back to my place?”
“Very much,” she said softly.
He dipped his head and lightly brushed a kiss over her lips. His hand settled on her waist and his fingers immediately trailed the panty line beneath the fabric of her dress.
“Is this what I think it is?” His voice came out low and quiet.
She swallowed hard. “Mm-hmm.”
He stepped back and cleared his throat. “Let’s get going before I throw you on the hood of my truck and do dirty things to you in front of my parents’ house.”
