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I don’t realize until we’re in the car that he didn’t apologize.
Chapter 50
Glutton
Ryan:How goes the hunt?
Noah:Out of season.
Ryan:They can’t be that serious if she hasn’t mentioned him to Claire.
Noah:That would be more convincing if I hadn’t seen them. Or heard her roommate’s glowing reports.
Ryan:I’m serious. Sisters tell each other everything.
Noah:Did she ever mention I was her tutor?
Ryan:...
Noah:Ha
Ryan:Maybe I wasn’t listening.
Noah:If you had inside information from Ivy, that would be something.
Though Noah had only met her briefly on Halloween, Ivy’s name had come up often in the math lab. He was sure she and Grace were close, and he was willing to bet his left pinky that Ivy knew more about Grace’s current relationship status than anyone—with the possible exception of Jamie.
Ryan:Who’s Ivy?
Any hopes Noah had had of gleaning even a particle of useful information from Ryan were quickly dwindling to nothing.
Whether an optimist or a glutton for punishment, he had gone to last night’s YCS service project hoping for an opportunity to talk to Grace without Alec present. Unfortunately, she hadn’t come, so he’d spent most of the time with her roommate. As a result, he now knew everything Jamie did about the couple, including their dating habits and exactly how excited Grace had been the first time Alec kissed her.
In spite of the too-much-information so willingly proffered, the optimist inside him argued that Jamie was more enthusiastic about the relationship than her roommate was. He was no psychologist, but Grace hadn’t seemed all that taken with Alec.
Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
Another text came through from Ryan.Claire knows who Ivy is.
Noah:So do I. That doesn’t mean she’s sharing information with me.
On the dark side of things, his time spent with Jamie was beginning to remind him of Amy’s dogged pursuit. He might have to change his approach to prevent a disaster there, but as painful as it was to hear Jamie’s Grace-and-Alec stories, he hated to give up the scoop. It would be a fine line to walk without hurting Jamie’s feelings.
Maybe if he expressed interest in one of the other girls or invented an imaginary girlfriend...
Ryan:Don’t let Grace be your Marianne.
Momentarily confused, Noah groaned when he caught the reference to the old Boston song, pulled himself out of bed, and changed into his running clothes. If he waited any longer, it would be too hot—the high for this first day of September was predicted at ninety-one. At not quite eight o’clock, it was still in the midseventies. Manageable.
It would have been cooler if he’d gone early, but Noah wasn’t much of a morning person. That was one of the things that had helped him choose which of his three job offers to accept—flexible hours. As long as he got his time in and his work done sometime between seven a.m. and nine p.m., his boss didn’t care what time he showed up or went home. Noah didn’t miss getting up at the crack of dawn to work construction and had quickly adjusted to a routine of going to bed when he wanted and getting up when he woke.
His phone buzzed again as he left—Ryan had sent a link to the “More Than a Feeling” music video. With a humph, Noah slid the phone into his armband and made for the gravel path that formed one side of the parking lot and flanked a canal. The waterway was one of several that snaked through the city, delivering river water to fields, orchards, and vineyards in Grand Valley.
The flat trail beckoned him to increase his pace and made him grateful to be off the streets. Lingering paranoia from Matt’s accident wasn’t overwhelming, but it was enough to make the bland route palatable. If he’d had the time, he would have tried a hike in Monument Canyon. He started his run playlist and zoned out, staying to the right in case anyone caught up with him from behind.
As he rounded a bend in the trail, he noticed a runner in the distance going the same direction. Another minute or so brought recognition—the form, the long legs, the swinging ponytail of dark, curly hair—along with a surge of speed and focus.
Definitely a glutton.
