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“I was hoping you’d say you wanted to come here,” he said when he pulled into the garage and the door closed behind his car.
“I’m warning you. If you don’t have anything to eat here…”
When he raised a brow, I stopped talking.
He opened the door to the house, turned around, and told me to close my eyes. “Watch your step,” he said, taking me by the hand. “Okay, you can open them.”
Outdoor patio lights were strung from rafter to rafter, illuminating the space where a rounded sofa made of rattan with cushions on top was placed so it faced the view of the ocean. There were two rounded seats set on each side and a round ottoman, made of the same rattan topped with a cushion.
“Have a seat, and I’ll be right back.” Noah left the room, but came back a minute later carrying a tray. When he set it on the ottoman, I saw it held wrapped sandwiches, a variety of fruit, and two wineglasses. “Red or white?” he asked.
“Is this an Italian sub?” I asked, pointing.
“Two of them. I also have a Greek salad in the fridge, if you’d prefer that.”
I smiled. “Red please, and when did you get a fridge?”
He opened the bottle, poured two glasses, and sat beside me. “Tryst came to visit. He insisted on outfitting the place with a few things.”
“Like a refrigerator?”
“And a makeshift bathroom.” He patted the seat. “And this. If you put it all together, it makes a bed.” Noah unwrapped one of the subs and handed it to me.
“Where do you get these? I love them,” I said, taking a big bite.
“Soto’s. Do you know of it?”
“In Cambria? You drove all the way up there to get these?”
Noah shook his head. “They opened another location in Pismo.”
“That’s a little closer, at least.”
After we’d eaten our sandwiches and some of the fruit, Noah set the tray on the floor, stood, and poured us each more wine. Before he sat down again, he scooted both of the chairs over.
“Put your legs on the ottoman,” he said, pushing the four pieces until they formed a circle.
I rested against the pillows behind me. “This is heavenly.” I raised my glass in the direction of the water. “The views, I mean, I’ve always loved this view. Although I’ve never been this comfortable when I was looking out at it.”
“Are you warm enough?”
I rubbed my arms. “I’m fine.”
He put his hand under both my legs, raised them, then moved the ottoman’s cushion to the side. He reached in and pulled out a blanket, then set my legs down before covering me with it.
“I can share,” I said when he sat beside me. I unfolded it and draped half over him.
Noah put his arm around me and ran his fingers through my hair when I snuggled up against him.
“We have a lot to talk about, Sera.”
“I know.”
“There are a couple things I want to get straight first.”
I shifted to move away, but he held me close to him.
“One, I trust you. Two, I’d give anything to spend every night like this. Until I get more furniture and maybe walls. In other words, I want to be with you, Seraphina.”
