She stepped out onto the back porch and took a breath of fresh air, closing her eyes against the bright white glare of the sky.
When she opened her eyes again, Noah was watching her from just a few feet away. Her pulse sped, even as her conscious mind grasped at practicalities.
“What color are you painting the roof?”
“Green.” There was an intensity in his gaze that had nothing to do with their conversation.
“VeryAnne of Green Gables,” Zoe said sourly. She stepped outside, letting the screen door bang shut behind her. “Was that deliberate?”
“It was free,” Noah said, unruffled. “A client of mine bought way too much, and he told me to take what was left.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and stalked off to the ‘ohana unit.
“I’ll get your roof too,” Noah called, “if there’s enough paint left.”
She gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up without looking back.
“Charming,” Anne muttered.
“She’s not wrong,” he mused, looking up at the house.
“About what?”
“It’s going to end up looking like Green Gables. Your tourists will love it.”
Anne bit her lip, suddenly trying not to cry.
“What’s wrong?”
“Arriving homeless at Green Gables… that’s a narrative for a kid. I should be past that. Off in Ingleside with a family of my own. Instead I’m floundering. My business failed. My marriage failed. I’ve got no home of my own, no Gilbert Blythe. This isn’t what life was supposed to look like at forty-four.”
“Anne?” Noah put one strong finger beneath her chin, and her breath caught in her throat. She turned to look at him and tried not to lose herself in the intensity of those dark eyes.
“He was never your Gilbert.”
They stood there for a moment, completely still. She couldn’t even take a breath.
Then Pete came to the window, and Noah pulled back.
“Mom, we can’t find any bottles.”
“Try grandma’s bathroom upstairs.”
“Am I allowed in there?”
“I’ll come help you look.”
Noah was still watching her, his expression unreadable. She smiled nervously and got a half-smile back, but there seemed to be a haunted look in his eyes. He turned away, breaking the spell, and she wondered whether she had imagined it.
A movement caught her eye, and she looked out to see Dawn walking towards them from the cliffs.
More and more now, she was getting out and moving instead of shuttering herself in her room. She usually opted for solitary walks rather than her old routines with friends, but still. It was progress.
Dawn didn’t notice them until she was already at the back steps. Then she gave a little start, coming back from whatever faraway thoughts were occupying her mind. She took in the equipment that Noah was putting together and then glanced up towards the roof.
“We don’t want any more leaks this winter,” he said lightly.
Dawn nodded in a distant sort of way. “Thank you, Noah.”
