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He stumbles too but manages to stay steady on his feet. Looking down, I see that Raffy has run a full circle around us in his excitement, wrapping us in the leash and tying us together.
“Raffy, are you ever going to stop being a fluffy cockblocker?”
“Technically, he was tying us together this time,” I say with a flirty twist of my lips.
He might be grumpy about Raffy’s interruption, but Noah pats Raffy on the head as he safely untangles our feet. Raffy tries to jump into Noah’s arms, but there’s no way he could get that high, even with a running leap from the couch.
“Rowf!”
“I’m gonna hold you to that promise later,” Noah promises.
I pull on running shoes, noting that Noah must’ve gone home before coming over because he’s in gray sweats, cut off at the knees, a white T-shirt, and running shoes. I haven’t seen him in full casual gear too often, but he does seem to have a propensity for gray sweats since I mentioned them. Sweet, sexy man.
We get outside, and Raffy immediately beelines for his tree. While Noah and I both turn our backs to give him a bit of privacy, Noah asks, “How was your day?”
“Amazing, actually. The reveal post is getting tons of likes and comments, mostly positive, which I’m sure is because of the ‘male model’ I’m with.” I tease him, and he gives me a Zoolander Blue Steel model look, pursing his lips and eyeing me vacantly. I laugh and push at him, but he doesn’t budge.
“And I posted India’s photos, which are blowing up in a major way for us both. The sponsorship meeting about the candles went really well too. They’re sending me the contract and samples to review. But the best part? Well . . . the first best part? I met a woman named Myra right here in this very spot. She told me how she spread sunshine and ended up with a new job at a time when she really needed it.”
My smile stretches my cheeks. I’m still so over the moon excited for Myra.
“She’s a Sunshiner?” he clarifies, and I nod. “That’s great. Inspiring the masses, that’s my girl. And the second-best part?” Noah prompts, reminding me.
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” I tell him as we start to walk down the block. “I had lunch with Eli. It sounds like he and Arielle are going to figure stuff out. It’s just going to take some time. She’s skittish, especially of Eli.”
His lips curl in a snarl. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing. My sister and Eli? I don’t think I’ll ever be okay with that.”
“Arielle’s a big girl, and she’s making Eli work for it,” I say as I pat Noah’s chest soothingly. “It sounds like he’s going to stick around through the obstacle course to get Arielle’s heart, though. Gotta give him credit for that.”
“How about if I give him credit after he sticks around and makes her happy? Till then, I’m reserving judgment and protecting Arielle.”
He sounds like every big brother of a little sister, and the idea makes me laugh a little. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate the restraint before you jump into her love life. It’s progress, at least.”
“Is it concerning that my not killing him before he can hurt her is considered progress?” he muses.
I tap my chin like I’m giving it serious thought. He’s not a real risk to Eli and actually does a pretty good job of letting Arielle control her own destiny. Mostly because Arielle would castrate anyone who got into her business without an invitation.
“How about your day? Anything exciting?”
“It was . . . interesting, to say the least. I got called into Lady Elisa’s office.”
“A good call or a bad call?” I ask, holding back the jokes for now because I know how important Elisa is to Noah as the company’s president and also as a role model.
“A good call, I’d say. She started off by asking me about BlindDate and what I’ve learned at Life Corp. It was kind of weird and personal. But then, she brought out the big guns, reminding me why she’s Lady Elisa of Life Corp. Let’s just say it’s no accident.”
I can’t read Noah’s face. He’s not smiling, but he doesn’t look grumpy either. More dazed, I guess.
“What’d she say?” I ask.
“There are always opportunities,” Noah says, sounding like he’s quoting Elisa. “In fact, she offered one to me at the end of the meeting. Well, an opportunity for you, really. She wants to use our story to promote BlindDate.”
I stop in the middle of the sidewalk, feeling shocked by what came out of Noah’s mouth. “She wants to . . . what?”
“She wants to offer you a contract to sponsor and promote BlindDate,” Noah repeats, grinning now. “Well, for us to. We can share what we’ve found together with the world. It’ll draw thousands . . . maybe millions of people to the app and to your brand.”
