Elisa waved one hand toward Noah before he could ask any further questions. “Your turn to play. And don’t choose dare, or I’ll just dare you to tell me the truth again.”
“Why do you care?”
This time, her rapid blinking stemmed from real surprise.
“I’m sorry, that came out a little harsh.” Noah released a hesitant chuckle, reaching up to adjust the brim of his hat. “I meant…why are you worried about me?”
“I think that question goes both ways, too.” Still facing outward on the bench, she turned her head to meet his eyes, their faces closer than they were before. She didn’t move away, and neither did he. Bless it, she was being bold—especially in light of his attitude that morning in the Chug a Mug. She could lean in a little if she had the nerve, try to re-create the moment that was interrupted at the inn. It wouldn’t take much effort at all.
But it wasn’t worth the risk to her heart. Noah had left before, and he was leaving again. Besides, they were only on clue two. If something shifted between them before they finished the hunt, they would lose it all.
She couldn’t let Delia down.
“You want to know why I’m worried about you?” Noah’s voice, still an octave deeper, shook her insides. “Are you sure about that?”
This wouldn’t do at all. Elisa broke eye contact and rubbed her palms down her jeans. “Maybe that’s a truth or dare for another day.”
Noah let out a quick sigh—one born of disappointment or relief, she wasn’t sure which—and nodded. “Agreed.”
She reached for the card he held, desperate to switch gears. Solving this clue would be much easier than trying to solve the riddle that was Noah Hebert. The man ran as hot and cold as that rusty apartment sink she’d had to sweet-talk her and Zoey’s building manager into replacing. “So, maybe this first line means?—”
But he didn’t let it go. “Have you ever believed something to have happened a certain way, and then find something later that suggests maybe it wasn’t what you thought at all?”
Talk about riddles. Noah himself was starting to fit into that category, but she couldn’t go there. Elisa’s hand fell back to her lap. “Do you mean in general, or a specific event in history?”
“A specific event.”
“Something like you thought it happened on a particular day but then it turned out it was earlier or later?”
“Not exactly.” Noah leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “My grandfather divorced my grandmother when I was seven. No one talked about it much, but Grandpa stopped going to church regularly after that. I remember hearing rumors when I was a kid, about yet another Hebert man quitting. This time on his marriage, apparently.”
Wow. She leaned toward him, then thought better of it. “That’s horrible for a kid to have to process.”
“I agree.” Noah shrugged. “My dad even made similar jokes about the Hebert men.”
Elisa stiffened. “Your dad?”
“Yeah, and then after my parents divorced too, my mom said it even more often. I guess she forgot she was griping about Hebert mentoa Hebert man.” His lips twisted to one side. “But she saw me as her little boy, not a namesake. I’m sure it was harmless.”
“Maybe not intentional, but clearly not harmless.” She couldn’t take it anymore. She rested her hand on Noah’s arm, his skin warm under her touch. “I’m sorry.”
He looked down and she followed his gaze to her fingers, pale against his tanned forearm. “I’m only telling you this because I found something in Grandpa’s closet today that makes me wonder if he didn’t leave my grandmother, after all.”
“That’s big, isn’t it?”
“I think so. But I don’t know how to find out for sure.”
No wonder he’d been so quiet. He was trying to solve his own puzzle today.
“Maybe you’ll find something else stored away that can confirm.” The moment that merited a comforting touch had passed. She pulled her hand back, missing the warmth of his arm under her palm, and tucked her fingers under her legs on the bench. Just in case.
“I hope so. He’d written in the margins of his Bible that he loved her.” Noah shifted positions on the bench. “He even wrote that he wished he was enough. Which I can relate to. I always thought that about my dad, during the divorce.”
“Understandable. You were just a kid.” Elisa hesitated. “I can relate, myself. There was a little more to the culinary school ex-boyfriend than I told you.”
“What happened?” He leaned back against the bench, his posture stiffer than a moment before. Did he not want to hear this?
Well, he asked. Elisa took a breath. “This guy not only sabotaged my job, he cheated on me.”
