Stepping through the glass doors, Noah let his gaze sweep from one side of the space to the next. He offered a smile to the receptionist as she lifted her eyes to meet his.
“Hi. What can I do for you?”
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I thought I might come to volunteer today.”
Her eyes brightened. “Wonderful. Did you set up an appointment?”
He grimaced. “I didn’t. Was I supposed to?” Of course he was. That was the preferred way to keep tabs on the people coming and going. But he also had a policy where they wouldn’t turn away a charitable individual. He’d specifically chosen not to have his name put on the list in case Jane saw it and requested that he not be placed under her supervision.
The receptionist, whose name was Courtney, nodded. “That’s perfectly fine. We have a lot of work to do since we recently opened our doors. I could put you with?—”
“Is there a chance I could work with Jane Ashley?”
Courtney blinked a few times. “Do you know her?”
He nodded. “She’s a friend. Told me all about this place. Thought I’d come check it out.” Who cared that he was lying through his teeth. No one had to know that he was the one funding this whole operation. He flashed Courtney his most charming smile. “Is she in today?”
The woman rifled through some papers then trailed her finger down a list. “Yep. She’s on the schedule. She’ll be in?—”
A woosh of air at Noah’s back had him turning to find Jane striding into the room. She stopped, her focus bouncing from him to the receptionist and back. “Noah,” she murmured, “what are you doing here?”
Courtney’s spunky voice didn’t allow for him to explain. “He’s volunteering today. You up for some help?”
He didn’t want to look to closely at Jane. What if she told Courtney no? She wouldn’t do that, would she? Thankfully—or perhaps unfortunately—he couldn’t get a read on her.
Jane shrugged. “Sure. It’s gonna be boring, but you’re welcome.” She jerked her chin toward a hallway. “Follow me.”
Noah grabbed a visitor’s pass from the front desk and scampered after her. Was this weird? Yeah, he was pretty sure it was weird. They hadn’t spoken since the gala. While he’d asked her to dance twice, and she’d accepted, they’d steered clear of any conversation regarding the marriage pact.
It was clear enough to him that she still thought it had been one big joke. She wasn’t interested in him that way. And she wasn’t going to marry him just so she could have what she considered a simple life or to appease her mother. The only way to get to her would be the old-fashioned way.
He grinned as he strolled behind her, hands in his pockets as they wandered down the hallway toward a door at the end. The storage room. It was the largest room except for the space they had set up for veterans to stay the night on cots when the weather was bad. The storage room was full of food, clothes, and other donations that needed to be sorted through. Sometimes they had to throw out some of those donations because they were spoiled or unusable. It was best to go through them right as they came in.
Jane pushed into the room and flicked on the light. She placed her purse and jacket on a table and shot him a quick look. “So…” she drawled. “You wanted to volunteer?”
Noah rocked back on his heels. “Thatiswhy I showed up.” Then he moved closer to her and whispered, “Unless I came here just to see you.”
She gave him that smirk—the one that said he needed to stop flirting with her. But he wasn’t going to do that. Nope. He was already hooked, and he was going to do whatever it took to get past those defenses she’d put up.
Jane motioned toward several boxes near a door that opened to the alley behind the building. That was another reason this room was perfect for sorting. The items that were donated could be left or dropped off in the back of the building and easily brought inside. “We need to go through that stuff, organize it, and toss what we can’t use.”
He nodded, unbuttoning his sleeves and rolling them to his elbows. He didn’t know why he’d opted for one of his button-down shirts rather than a t-shirt. Probably had something to do with being able to see Jane today. He needed to make agood impression on her. He needed her to admire him for volunteering.
Normally, none of that mattered. He didn’t care for recognition, but with Jane, it was different. He needed her to see that he was worth something.
Was that wrong?
Maybe a little.
He shrugged off that feeling and headed for the boxes. He scooped up one of the larger ones and brought it to the table. Jane retrieved one for herself and placed it beside his. She pointed to the shelves lining the room. “They’re labeled. Food items go over there. Clothes, shoes, and blankets there. If you can’t figure it out, let me know.”
Noah nodded. Simple enough.
They worked for a short while in silence until he couldn’t take it any longer. He kept looking in her direction, hoping, praying she’d start some small-talk so he could hear her voice. He loved the way it sounded—like the beautiful sounds on a spring morning just as the sun came up.
But she didn’t talk.
It’d be up to him.
