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Chance pulled Noelle into his arms. He looked at her face, probably trying to figure out how mad she was. She put her hands on his shoulders.
“I am so sorry, Noelle. Carly needs some serious help,” he apologized.
“I can see that,” she said with pity and not anger. She smiled at him to let him know she was not blaming him. Carly was out of control with her behavior. “I hope she gets it. It must be sad to live in a made-up world like she does. I am not letting her cause an argument between us, Chance. That was the old me.”
“Let’s go on some rides,” Noelle suggested, wanting to enjoy her evening with him.
He grabbed the bear, looking at her one last time to make sure she really was okay.
“Sounds like a plan. Then we can play some games of our own tonight. I have a big, hard prize for you.” He winked.
Noelle burst out into laughter, filling her cheeks up. She was no longer going to allow people to bring her down or make her feel less confident of who she was. She was a successful business owner, and she had the love of a good man. She loved Chance, and she would do whatever it took to make this work. That included believing in him again and talking things out with him instead of reacting with tears and accusations. Love wasn’t an easy road, but to Noelle it would be worth the effort if she and Chance could make it work this time.
Chapter 11
Noelle was feeling nervous about the fashion show. Her store had been rearranged with the help of Jesse Sanchez and Chance. The teen had been hanging out with Chance whenever Chance came by to wait for her to close up. School was out for the summer and Jesse had more time to be around his family store. Chance and Chase had put a basketball hoop up in the back alley for Jesse to use when he could.
Chance’s old army buddy Jaxon and Chase offered their security services, but Noelle had a feeling they wanted to see the show, too. She just smiled and left them to it. This was her first time meeting the ex-soldier. He was a handsome man, with shaggy black hair and deep blue eyes. Noelle had felt a little nervous meeting him, but she soon realized he was a nice guy.
Noelle had a long table filled with refreshments and small appetizers. Chairs were set up in rows, and the models were using the fitting rooms to change. There was a buzz of excitement, even for the audience. Maybe this could be a yearly event for her store. Her mind went further. Maybe she could add men’s clothes and swimming trunks next summer.
It was a full house. Noelle went to the back to check on her first model Lisa. She was nineteen and thin, with short blonde hair.
Lisa smiled at Noelle, twirling around with joy. “I love this suit. I am going to be using this a lot.”
Noelle smiled at the young girl. The hot-pink-and-black bikini did look good on her. She gave Lisa a thumbs-up and a five-minute warning for curtain call. Other girls scurried around with excitement.
Quinn came out of the dressing room. She looked nervous, but Noelle had convinced her to take the place of a sick model. Noelle had done her makeup and helped her curl her long red hair. “What if I fall, Noelle?”
“You won’t, but if you do, fall into Chase’s arms. I have a feeling his idea of providing security has to do with you and not the other models,” Noelle teased her.
Quinn blushed. She had admitted she liked the handsome deputy very much. Quinn’s suit was turquoise. The bottoms were short shorts of the same color with black trim, and the top was skimpy but covered her full breasts. Quinn took a deep, nervous breath. “Okay, here goes nothing.”
Noelle was glad when the show ended with loud applause. Carly had not showed up to destroy anything. Maybe she finally wised up. A person could hope.
* * * *
Chance let out a breath of relief when the store was back to normal and everyone was gon
e. It had been a long tiring day but so worth it to see Noelle glowing with happiness. He felt guilty he never took much of an interest in her business last year. He had stopped by once or twice to pick her up for a date but never asked questions or showed an interest. He could see how important it was to her. It was a big chunk of her life. She took pride in her success, and she deserved to. He was proud of her, too.
“Finally we are alone.” He pulled Noelle into his arms and yawned. She went soft against him, and it went to his heart, and to his cock. He would never get tired of feeling her softness against him.
“I’ll be glad to go back to work. I am telling my commander what a slave driver you are. I didn’t get a break. I was afraid to even get a drink. I could see Hattie’s eyes following me everywhere. I don’t know if she was expecting me to run off with a model or what. That woman is a barracuda.”
She giggled and swatted his arm. “Oh yeah, you had it so tough. A bunch of beautiful models in bikinis all day prancing around in front of you. Poor baby. Some of them were giving you heated looks.”
He chuckled and nuzzled her neck. He inhaled her sweet perfume. He felt content. He didn’t think a civilian life would ever make him feel that way. It was Noelle, and the love he felt for her. He wanted to take care of her and spoil her. He wanted to build a life for her and their future family. “I only had eyes for you, angel. I am glad you did not model. I thought Chase was going to have had a heart attack when Quinn came out in that bikini. I swear he almost grabbed her off the stage, but Jaxon and I held him still. There were men drooling all over the place. So sad. I am much more refined than that.”
Noelle chuckled. There were definite sparks between Quinn and Chase. She sincerely hoped it worked out. “I say we go to my place, order Chinese, and be couch potatoes for the rest of the night. I might even be too tired to take my clothes off.”
“Oh I will help you with that, no worries.” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
He waited for her to grab her purse and leave one light on while turning off the rest. He helped her lock up.
“Ah, a breeze.” Noelle inhaled the night air and closed her eyes once they were outside.
Chance took her hand and led her to his truck. As they were walking, he noticed a small black car parked across from her store. It was late in the evening and most people had closed and gone home. He saw movement and tried to see if it was a male or female. Something made him feel wary and alert. He opened the door for Noelle to get in. He closed it and went around, keeping his eye on the car. He got in and slowly pulled away. He was turning the corner to pick up their takeout order when he noticed the car slowly following behind him.
