“He’s not?—”
“—then it means he’s pre-approved,” Mark finished.
Liam leaned in. “Also, the bakery is emotionally sacred ground. You pairing up with the bakery brother? The town will combust with joy. They’ve been waiting for your next good love story.”
“No,” Noah groaned. “Nobodyis combusting.”
Mark patted his shoulder solemnly. “My friend… they’re already warming up.”
“We do not shipanything,” Noah insisted.
Mark raised an eyebrow. “Are you attracted to him?”
Noah drained half his water, debating whether drowning himself in the sink was socially acceptable. “Yes.”
“Does he feel it too?” Liam asked.
Noah swallowed. “Maybe.”
“Meaning?”
“He… looks at me like…” Noah struggled for the word. “Like he’s trying to figure me out. As if he likes what he sees. And today—at the door—we almost…”
Mark leaned forward. “Almost what?”
“Almost…” Noah gestured vaguely. “Kissed.”
Liam clapped. “Our boy isback.”
Noah buried his face in both hands. “We didn’t kiss. The moment was ruined.”
“By who?” Mark demanded.
“Elsie.”
Mark and Liam groaned in sympathy.
“That woman,” Liam muttered. “Agents of chaos, all art teachers.”
“I swear she has radar for emotional tension,” Noah said miserably. “She appears out of thin air anytime two people stand too close.”
Mark grinned. “She cares.”
“She meddles.”
“She cares by meddling,” Liam corrected.
Noah dropped the potato masher into the pan. “I don’t know what to do.”
Mark and Liam exchanged a look.
Liam spoke first, his voice softer this time. “You don’t have to do anything. Just let it happen.”
Noah stared at him. “That sounds dangerous.”
“Loveisdangerous,” Mark remonstrated. “But he sounds good for you.”
“He is,” Noah said before he could stop himself. “And… his name is Eli.”
