“Fine,” he said. “I’ll help.”
“Really?” Noah’s smile was immediate and dazzling. “That’s great.”
“Don’t oversell it,” Eli said. “I’m sure I’ll be terrible.”
“We’ll fix that,” Noah replied. “I’m good with hopeless cases.”
Aileen choked on a laugh.
Eli rolled his eyes. “You two need boundaries.”
“I disagree,” Aileen said in a cheerful tone. “I think we’re just bonding. Nothing wrong with that.”
“You know very well that’s not what I said.”
She ignored him and handed Noah a bag of croissants. “On the house. I insist.”
Noah took it, flushing. “Thanks. I really should get going. But… I’ll see you Monday?”
“Looks like it,” Eli said with resignation.
“Great.” Noah hesitated for a fraction of a second, long enough for Eli to see something flicker across his face. A warm, slightly curious expression, with maybe the faintest trace of nerves. Then Noah pushed the door open, letting in a gust of cold air and delicate snowflakes that swirled around him like an accidental halo. He glanced back once and smiled before disappearing into the gentle snowfall. The bell jingled behind him, leaving the bakery too warm and too quiet.
Aileen waited exactly three seconds before exploding.
“Eli. Oh. My.God.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Eli dropped onto the stool. “It was just a weird hardware store moment.”
“It was amoment,” Aileen said, shaking him by the shoulders. “A real one. Do you understand how rare that is? People have dated for five years without that much energy.”
“It wasn’t energy.”
“No, it waschemistry,” she countered. “You could’ve lit those Christmas lights between you two bylookingat each other.”
Eli stared at the lights he’d been about to work on. “We barely know each other.”
“So?” Aileen scoffed. “Get to know him. Let someone be good to you, Eli.”
He swallowed. The last person who had claimed to be good to him had left the toothbrush holder half-empty.
But Noah’s smile…
Noah’s hand.
The way he’d saidI’ll see you aroundas though it was a promise instead of a polite exit.
Something fluttered low in Eli’s stomach, and he pretended it didn’t.
Aileen went back to the counter, humming something annoyingly romantic under her breath. The bakery filled with customers again, the holiday bustle rising in warm waves. Snow drifted past the windows. The garlands twinkled.
