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“I finished my book. I thought maybe I could browse around the store.”
After a beat she shrugged and muttered her assent, and they rode to the bookstore together in silence.
In the parking lot he took her hand, which had become second nature. The fact that she didn’t pull away told him she wasn’t too upset with his obvious ploy to remain close to her. He briefly dropped her hand when he opened the door for her, but she waited for him to follow her inside and he took it once more.
The café was in the front corner of the store, and Mia led him to a table where two women sat. One was probably in her early fifties, with graying hair and a kind smile, and the other looked closer to his and Mia’s ages.
Mia’s face lit up when she saw them. “Bridget, Anita, this is my husband, Noah.”
Noah exchanged pleasantries with them and slid his hand down to Mia’s lower back. It was well beyond keeping up the act at this point, but he couldn’t stop himself.
The smile she turned on him was the first real one he’d seen in days, and his breath seized in his lungs. She looked so happy to be there, completely in her element. Making new friends had never been his strong suit, and her warm, welcoming nature was one of his favorite things about her. Being around her was the definition of experiencing joy and light.
Without thinking, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger a second longer than necessary. “Have fun,” he murmured, and exited the café, stepping away into the shadows.
1
Mia Adrian stared at her phone screen, wondering what in the hell she’d just read.
Noah:Would you rather—text message edition. Daily messages with strange animal facts OR positive affirmations?
What kind of question was that? She frowned and leaned one elbow on the arm of her chair before tapping out a one-handed response.
Mia:???
Noah:It’s a question. Would you rather receive daily animal facts or positive affirmations?
Mia:Um.
Mia:Neither?
Noah:Both it is.
Mia:Don’t you dare.
A banner appeared at the top of her screen, alerting her to a message from an unknown number.
When I breathe, I inhale confidence and exhale timidity.
She groaned and waited, hoping for some additional message that would give her instructions to opt out of whatever service he’d just signed her up for. Her gaze darted to her computer screen for a second, then back to the phone.
Nothing.
Would she seriously get something like this every day? How the hell was she supposed to stop them?
The text alert dinged again. Another unfamiliar number.
Elephants are the only animal that can’t jump.
She pressed a fist to her forehead.
Mia:I’m going to kill you.
Noah:Should have done it before you taped a banana under my desk. I’ve been wondering what the smell was for days.
She couldn’t help the laugh bubbling up, and glanced around to make sure no clients were around. Noah might be her best friend, but they teased each other at the office like elementary school rivals. She liked her job, but it was still work—and their games usually helped her get through until five o’clock.
This, though? This was her personal cell phone.
