Noah grabbed a nearby fishing magazine from the end table and flipped through the glossy pages as Peggy babbled about a recent nail salon experience. But all he could see were the events of the day in place of each article. That dreaded FAILED stamp. Elisa’s startling blue eyes. The half-chopped carrot lying next to Delia’s still form.
Elisa flirting with that fireman.
He shifted in the chair. Not that it hadbotheredhim—he just didn’t want a front row seat to this game she seemed to be playing. Since when did she get her way by flirting? It wasn’t Elisa.
Though to be fair, how was he to know who she was anymore?
Noah tossed the unread magazine back on the table. He had bigger catfish to fry without getting all affected by Elisa—like his grandfather’s legacy and his own inheritance hanging in the balance. Maybe if insurance wasn’t going to help with the mold, he could extend his existing loan. But his buddy Owen, who was a loan officer at Magnolia Bank & Trust, had warned him four months ago when he took out the construction loan that Noah was near his approved lending cap.
One way or another, he’d figure it out. He wouldn’t quit until he did.
He wasn’t Russell Hebert.
“August shouldn’t be much longer.” Peggy finally hung up the phone from behind the counter and took a loud slurp of a nearly-empty drink. The middle-aged woman had a penchant for her new granddaughter and Schnauzers, if the collage of photos covering her workspace was any indication. “He’s usually very punctual.”
Noah responded with a brisk nod, but that apparently didn’t curb her need for small talk.
“It’s good to see you again.” She pointed a blue pen at him, despite the one already tucked behind her ear. “I guess you haven’t been back in this office since the estate settlement, have you?”
“No, ma’am.” He hadn’t had a reason to. And he didn’t want to think about what the reason could be now. Whatever August needed, he would have to say no. Noah’s plate was already overflowing with tasks, and his chest hurt thinking about his to-do list, which now included the insurance hassle.
And if this song didn’t stop in the next five seconds he might?—
The lobby door swung open and a woman rushed inside. “Sorry I’m late. There was an emergency.”
The woman’s gaze landed on Noah the exact moment her identity registered. Blood roared in his ears. He started to stand, then sank back into his seat. Twice in one day. Magnolia Bay was shrinking. “Elisa.”
“Noah.” They stared at each other.
“And Peggy.” The receptionist finished off the name declarations in a sing-song voice before cracking up. She wiped at her eyes, still laughing. “Sorry, I watched that Hamilton musical for the first time last week. I couldn’t resist.”
Noah watched the same rod that felt suddenly attached to his spine stiffen Elisa’s posture as she hovered in the doorway. They should have cleared the air between them back in the diner while they had the privacy, but he hadn’t wanted to stay and watch her show with the captain.
So now what? A dozen options flashed through Noah’s head. Offer Elisa a chair? Pretend their reluctant bonding in the kitchen over Delia had never happened? Be friendly?
Peggy’s gaze darted between them. “Well, look at you two! Back together again.”
Elisa sank onto the chair farthest from Noah. “Coincidence, I’m sure.” She crossed one jean-clad leg over the other, a gold sandal dangling half off her foot. “But you never know, do you?” She winked at him.
Noah narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t Captain What’s-His-Name, and he wasn’t interested in joining Elisa’s list of admirers. Especially not when she’d shot down his effort to help her earlier and resorted to flirting instead.
Peggy laughed again, the overeager sound of a woman who hadn’t had quite enough conversation for the day. “Those were the good ol’ days, huh? You two, shoving that family feud where the sun don’t shine.” She tilted her head and squinted. “I was only in my, what, mid-thirties back then? But I remember that star-crossed season like it was yesterday. Y’all were a real-life Romeo and Juliet—with a less tragic ending, of course.”
That point might be debatable.
Elisa kept a steady smile trained Peggy’s way, but Noah caught the flash of emotion skittering through her eyes before she tempered it. “All good things must come to an end.”
Noah raised an eyebrow. “Good?” Not the word he would have chosen to describe that summer. Heated. Reckless, maybe. Foolish, for sure.
“And look at you now.” Oblivious to the tension, Peggy tucked her hands under her chin. “All grown up. I mean, I see Elisa around town now and then—you know I can’t stay away from the café’s bread pudding. Obviously.” She patted her hips. “But Noah, you’ve been a stranger around these parts for years! And apparently even since you’ve been back.”
“Been busy with the inn.” His throat felt as dry as his rote answer.Wherewas August?
“I can’t wait to see what you’ve done with that old place. Everyone loved Gilbert, you know. Was such a shame what happened to him but I’m glad you’re taking up the helm.” Peggy pointed with the pen again. “Now, inquiring minds will want to know—including my niece. Are you single?”
His dry throat suddenly felt clamped in a vise. Was it his imagination, or had Elisa leaned forward a little in her chair?
The phone rang, the shrill alarm a blessed rescue. He exhaled enough to create a draft.
