5
A hundred and fifty pushups later, arms shaking, and Noah still wanted to punch something.
After he'd slammed the door on Jilly, he had picked up his phone to call the sheriff's office. He'd had his phone in his hand, ready to dial, when he'd heard her tractor start up from a distance. As if she'd just gone back to work, unaffected by what had happened.
He'd used the energy coursing through him and started a workout that'd turned into a double.
Now, he lay flat on the floor of the tiny third bedroom he'd converted into a home gym. He was drenched and had ditched his shirt an hour ago. The room reeked of sweat. He couldn't even summon the energy to cool down the way he should, or wipe down the floor mats with soap and water. Five more minutes. Then he'd make himself get up.
Usually, after an intense workout like that, his brain was fuzzy and still.
But this morning, his thoughts were roaring. And it was all Jilly's fault.
He was still jangling from when she'd touched him earlier. He couldn't blame it entirely on the surprise. He'd known she was close. He'd nearly walked right into her. And he should've known she wouldn't back down even when he was trying to edge her out of his house.
He could still feel the press of her fingers against his skin. The heat, the texture.
For him, every touch was a surprise. He couldn't see when someone lifted their hand to touch him. She could've slapped him in the face and he would've had the same reaction. Her touch had shocked him.
He’d starved himself from contact with others. which had made him hyper-sensitive to it.
When he visited Mom, her hugs made him ache inside. Touch was what he missed the most in his isolated life.
He'd felt the ache last night when he'd taken Lindsey's hand in his. That had been intentional, and he'd braced for it.
He hadn't expected Jilly's touch and hadn't had time to shore up his defenses. Had she noticed his reaction? He felt a flush of shame at the thought.
But it was her probing that made him feel like he was crawling out of his skin.
Have you ever been lost?
She couldn't have known how her words would hit him like a punch to the solar plexus, leaving him out of breath and with black spots swimming in his vision.
Sutter's Hollow had been his second chance. His mom had moved them here when he'd been thirteen and in a dark place he'd never thought he'd crawl out of.
For a while, he'd thought moving had been like some sort of magic charm. The demons he'd been running from had faded. He'd thought to exorcise them once and for all.
And two days after he'd told his two best friends his deepest secret, he’d lost their friendship. The car accident had cost him his sight, but it was his past that had caught up with him that cost him the friendships he valued the most.
Even now, panic swelled.Didshe know his secret shame? He hadn't counted Jilly as a close friend, even though they'd been in the same circle. He'd only told Cord and Callum, and he’d sworn them both to secrecy.
Callum had left town before Noah had been released from the hospital. Maybe even the night of the accident.
Cord had left not long after.
Noah had thought his secret was safe, but now the two men were back in town. Callum wasmarriedto Iris. Which meant Jilly probably saw him frequently. What if she'd mentioned that her mean old neighbor was Callum's former friend?
And what if Callum wanted to share a little juicy gossip?
Noah’s breath threatened to spiral out of control, and he rolled over on his back, throwing one arm over his eyes.
His phone rang with a soft trill—the ringtone he'd assigned to his mom—and he was jarred out of his thoughts.
He considered not answering because of how much of a mess he was mentally, but the last time he hadn't answered, she'd jumped in the car and arrived on his doorstep hours later for an impromptu visit.
He ran one hand over his face, and then accepted her call.
"Hey, Mom." He held the phone to his ear. Mom never insisted on video calls.
