“He’s not working you too hard this weekend, is he?”
“No, not at all.”
“Good,” she says, turning and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “Let’s have a drink and you can tell me all about yourself.”
While the prospect of spending my afternoon detailing my existence to a celebrity would usually be enough to drive me underground for the rest of my life, something about Vivian sets all my worries at ease. She exudes charm, and it isn’t hard to see where Noah gets his.
Vivian waves at a few things as we pass through the house, promising a full tour later, and soon we’re settled on plush ivory sofas in the main living room. A man, who Vivian introduces as her assistant Frank, drops a tray of iced tea and lemon wedges on the table and then disappears to follow the trill of a cell phone.
“Charlotte,” Vivian says, squeezing her lemon slice into her glass. “Where are you from?”
“I’m from Portland, born and raised.”
“And you like the rainy city?”
“Truthfully, I haven’t lived anywhere else to compare. But yes, I like the rain. And the summers are near perfect.”
She smiles and sits back with her ankles crossed and her legs tipped in a way that screams class. “It must be so nice being so close to your family though.”
The statement was clearly a loving, albeit pointed, jab at Noah, but her eyes trace back to me as she waits for a response. Not wanting to bring down the mood I offer a closed lip smile and give my most polite answer.
“I don’t have much of that, but yes, I keep the ones I do have close.”
Her smile pulls at the delicate wrinkles around her eyes as her attention darts between me and Noah. “And you’ve worked for Flourish for just a short time, yes?”
“Yes, only about a year.”
“Is working for the next up and coming wellness company what you’ve always wanted?”
I chuckle, appreciating her candor. “Not exactly.”
Noah shifts in his seat and I offer an apologetic look. “I mean, itisa great company, and they’ve been good to me.”
She waves her hand as she reaches for her glass again. “Yes, yes, no need for flattery here, dear. I’m sure my son’s company is a fine employer. That’s not what I asked.”
I slip my hands under my thighs, uneasy with the attention. Vivian waits, and Noah’s eyes are on me. We’ve never talked about this, and while I can’t imagine he thinks I would be with Flourish forever, it’s uncomfortable to be talking about long term dreams with your current boss sitting about two feet away.
“I’ve always wanted to run my own business. My sort of adopted grandma, Nan, used to run this diner in one of the historic districts downtown, and I’ve been uh—my throat is tight uttering the words out loud—“Uh, I’ve been saving and hoping to buy out the lease so I can restore it. To, er, bring her dream back to life.”
There is a brief silence as I reach for the glass of iced tea to quench my nerve-induced thirst. Noah is the first to speak, his voice quiet enough I may be the only one to hear.
“I had no idea.”
Vivian chimes in, louder, and full of praise. “That sounds wonderful. What a beautiful way to honor who I’m sure is a loving influence in your life.”
Frank struts in, stealing the show with some news for Vivian and I sneak a sideways glance at Noah. The pleasant smile on his face tells me he isn’t upset, but a whispered apology tumbles out anyway.
“I’m sorry. This is a weird way for you to find out I don’t plan on making Flourish my long term career. It’s just she asked and I felt weird lying to her, even though she probably won’t remember me, or the silly dreams of some employee her son brought home one weekend.”
Noah’s head falls back as he breaks into a full laugh and I quiet.
“You thought I would be upset because you’re not planning to tie yourself to Flourish for the rest of your life? There’s no shame in having a dream, Lottie. And only a fool would meet you and think you had any intention of pouring yourself into someone else’s dream. You are far too driven to not run your own show.”
The crimson heat rises on my cheeks and sinks low into my belly as I search his face for any hint of his compliment being given with anything but sincerity. I don’t find it. What I do findis the same admiration I’ve seen all weekend, the look I assumed was part of his act with the Barkers. But here we are, nearly two hours from anyone who thinks we’re together and Noah’s storm gray eyes are still drinking me in with a toe curling fervor.
“Ahem.”
I jump, remembering we aren’t alone, and shake out of the embarrassing trance, beaming a smile at Vivian.
