He and Richard took the stairs to the first floor and faced each other on the sidewalk. Richard’s hand clamped his shoulder in that paternal way that always made Noah miss his dad.
“Give that little girl a hug from me,” the older man said.
“Will do. Thanks for the heads-up.”
Noah walked down the block and cut through the narrow cobblestone alley lined with a boutique and a tea shop, where locals sat at wrought iron tables beneath colorful umbrellas.
He nodded to a shopkeeper and an older woman from church, their familiarity both comforting and suffocating in a town where everyone knew the Aylett name.
The alley opened onto another street, giving him a view into the parking lot behind his building. Before Charlotte had cometo live with him, he’d walked to work on nice days, but now it felt wiser to have his car close in case she needed him.
At least he could count on Miss Wright to handle emergencies. She’d proved competent over and over, and every day that went by, he relaxed a little more, knowing she could manage Charlotte and all her needs.
The October sun glinted off the cars in the lot, and he quickened his pace, already calculating the time it would take to reach the studio. When he’d told Charlotte he’d try to make it, he’d already been composing excuses to give when he failed. But Richard was right. Charlotte wouldn’t stay little forever, and she needed to know somebody was willing to make sacrifices for her.
He stopped short when he reached his sedan.
A woman was leaning against his car.
Lena Monroe pushed away from the vehicle when she spotted him, her red lips curving into a smile that had once seemed sultry but now just looked calculating. She wore a fitted black dress that hugged every curve, her dark hair falling in waves around her shoulders.
“Noah,” she purred. “I was hoping to catch you.”
The sight of her sent him into fight, flight, or freeze mode.
Fight won.
“What are you doing here, Lena?”
She seemed unfazed by his cool tone. “Is that any way to greet an old friend?”
“We’re not friends.” He kept his voice level, though he hummed with anger that simmered beneath the surface. “We used to be, and then you destroyed my life.”
“I made a mistake.” Lena stepped closer, her perfume—something floral and cloying—assaulting his senses. “Marianne didn’t deserve you. The way she bought my story so easily… Honestly, some would say you owe me.”
“Nobody sane would say that.” Noah took a step back, putting distance between them.
“You and I, we belong together.”
“There was never anything between us, Lena. And there never will be.”
“Aren’t you ever going to forgive me?” Her voice softened, taking on a wounded quality he didn’t believe for a second.
“I forgive you,” he said flatly. Because that was what God expected. Maybe someday, with the Lord’s help, his heart would match his words. “But that doesn’t change anything.”
Lena’s eyes narrowed, her entire visage changing. “You moved on from me fast enough.”
“Moved on fromyou? You and I were never together.” As the words were coming out, he realized what she was implying.
“Your young new girlfriend has that same sweet look about her that you fell for in Marianne, and you know how that worked out. You’d think you’d learn.”
The comment hit like a splash of ice water. He took a step toward Lena, glaring down at her. “I don’t have a girlfriend. What are you talking about?”
“Oh.” She blinked, and her countenance changed again. She became a picture of innocence. Did she have an authentic side, or was she just one facade after another? “I assumed. I happened to be in your neighborhood last night and saw you two on the porch swing. Seemed cozy.”
So it had been Lena’s car crawling down Magnolia Street. She’d been watching. She’d seen him with Delaney.
“Stay away from my home.”
