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“I met the new cook at the Moose. His name is Noah,” Paige said with a grin. “He’s very attractive, and according to Hazel he’s single.”
“And ready to mingle,” Hazel quipped. “Just ask Sophie. They’re getting along like a house on fire.”
Oohs and aahs rang out in the room. Sophie felt the heat of all their gazes.
“Come on, Sophie,” Grace drawled. “Tell us all about the new cook at the Moose. And don’t you dare leave out a single detail.”
“Yes, please do,” Ruby pleaded.
Hazel sent Sophie a knowing glance. “If I had my druthers, Sophie and Noah would be the next match in Operation Love.”
Sophie swung her gaze in her direction. “Really, Hazel? We’re just friends. I barely know the guy.”
Hazel winked at her. “Ha! That’s exactly how Jasper and I started out.” She held up her fingers and made air quotes. “‘Just friends.’ And look at us now. We’re a perfect match.”
Sophie shook her head. Hazel wasn’t letting this Noah thing go! And the way the other ladies were looking at her made her feel like a specimen under a microscope. They were practically salivating for any details about Noah.
She looked around the table. “Seriously. There’s nothing going on between me and Noah. I mean, he’s gorgeous and he can cook like nobody’s business. But he’s not looking to be matched up with anyone, so there’s no point in even going down that road.”
Sophie knew she needed to minimize any feeling she was harboring toward Noah. If these ladies sensed anything, it would be a feeding frenzy.
“So if he was interested would you give it a whirl?” Hazel asked.
Leave it to her to pose such a blunt question. Suddenly, all eyes were focused on Sophie again.
She fidgeted in her seat. “Maybe,” she blurted out, surprising herself in the process. For far too long now she’d played it safe, never really putting herself or her feelings on the line. It was time to stop making excuses. Being hurt in the past didn’t justify closing her heart off to romance. And if a man truly loved her, she’d like to think he would understand about her being the Java Giant heiress. Deep down, she thought it might take a special kind of man to get past her father’s fortune and the fact that she was the sole heir set to inherit Roger Mattson’s vast empire. Her biggest fear was that no man would ever be able to see past her father’s bank balance.
“What’s that saying? Love finds you when you’re not really looking for it,” Ruby said. “You never know what can happen.”
The thought of being matched up with Noah made butterflies soar in Sophie’s tummy. Was it possible that they could turn a fledgling friendship into something more romantic? The very thought made her pulse skitter with excitement. All this time she’d been dancing around becoming involved with someone here in town. She’d allowed her fears to get in the way. Sophie had put up roadblocks to her happily-ever-after.
If she was being honest with herself, she’d consider that Noah Callahan might just be her match. No other man in Love had ever given her goose bumps. And lately, when she closed her eyes at night and drifted off to sleep, Noah’s face flashed in her vision.
She sucked in a deep, fortifying breath. Sophie had to be strong. Giving in to a feeling was silly. Being drawn to Noah was unfortunate because there really wasn’t any way for the two of them to be together. After all, she wasn’t exactly being honest about who she was and why she had chosen to hide out in Love, Alaska. And she wasn’t at a place emotionally where she could trust a man.
It was such a shame. After all, God’s commandment was to love one another. She was sick of living in the past, but the truth was that she wasn’t over it, not by a long shot. And until those wounds healed, she would just have to stay out of the dating pond.
* * *
Noah stood in the tent on the town green looking around at the bustling crowd. He couldn’t believe the number of people who had turned out for the Taste of Love event. So much for Love being a small hamlet. The event was bursting at the seams.
He had arrived early to help Cameron set up the table and hang up a sign advertising the Moose Café.
Noah had decided to prepare mini pizzas, spinach quiches and Alaskan crab cakes. He knew for a fact that Sophie was a big fan of the crab cakes. It felt a little strange knowing he was making decisions based on her likes and dislikes. And it wasn’t a bad strange, either.
According to Cameron, Sophie would be making blended coffee drinks for the crowd. They would be working side by side at today’s event. Noah blew out a breath of air. Perhaps too close for comfort. In the back of his mind he couldn’t help but think about Sussex’s demand that he court Sophie. He could practically feel his blood pressure rising just pondering it. It didn’t give him a very good impression of his client.
“I’m going to head out, Noah,” Cameron said. “I’d stick around and help, but I promised to take Emma to a birthday party today.” He looked around the area. “Sophie should be here any minute.”
“Enjoy yourself with that little sweetheart of yours. We’ll be fine,” Noah said. It made him happy to think of Cameron spending time with his precious daughter. In a million years Noah had never imagined he would be envious of Cameron’s domestic life.
Noah wasn’t alone for long. Residents began streaming into the tent and lining up for a sampling of his appetizers. Noah couldn’t believe how many townsfolk greeted him by name. It felt as if he was being woven into the fabric of this quaint town, stitch by stitch. And it felt good. He never would have expected to feel so at home here.
Sophie showed up a few minutes after he began serving the crowd.
“I’m so sorry to be late, Noah,” she said, looking a bit flustered as she joined him at the table. She immediately began setting up the cups, ingredients and blender. Watching her in action was akin to seeing a whirlwind.
Of course, she looked adorable, right down to her boots and the hot-pink down jacket she was wearing. She had on a pair of earmuffs and leg warmers pulled up past her boots.
