“Frog it?” Mrs. Grady frowned.
“You know, rip it, rip it, rip it. Don’t worry, I’ll help you get going again.”
I hovered awkwardly, not quite sure what to do, until I felt someone sidle up behind me.
“Window or aisle, Faraday?”
His voice was easy. Light. And when I turned, already bracing myself for a reserved version of him, he stretched his arms overhead, lifting the hem of his shirt just enough to flash a stripe of bare skin.
Sweet cinnamon rolls. This man.
Taut abs, a pair of jeans that sat low on his hips, creating maximum distraction, and a few curling hairs I would absolutely not allow myself to imagine touching.
Eyes up, I reminded myself.
But then I caught his expression. Warm. Open. And completely unguarded.
Just like that, the noise in my head quieted.
Of course, he still wanted to talk to me.
“Window?” I shrugged. “Unless you want?—”
He was already shaking his head.
And then, his gaze dipped.
A quick flicker, trailing over my sundress—the one that was snug around the bodice but flared out at the waist. The one I knew showed off my figure more than my usual flowy skirts and blouses.
His eyes lingered, lazily…
And when they lifted back to mine… Yup. There it was. The same thing I was feeling.
A nervous laugh bubbled up before I could stop it, because, oh, no, I felt that.
“Good morning, travelers!” Tay’s voice rang out over the speaker system. “Hope everyone got a good night’s rest because we’ve got a full day ahead.”
While I settled into my seat, pretending I wasn’t buzzing from that look, a few scattered murmurs and yawns filled the air.
Tay continued, “This morning, we’ll be heading west into Utah—specifically, Moab.”
“Everything okay at home?” I asked Noah softly.
“At home?”
“Your phone call yesterday,” I added. “You seemed…worried.”
He rubbed his neck, wincing a little. “Yeah, no. Just work stuff.”
I nodded. Work stuff? I didn’t have to worry about work. Jolted into the reality I had waiting for me at home, I stared down at my phone.
“What about you? Everything good back home?” He’d lowered his voice, and when I glanced up, I couldn’t quite read the question in his eyes. But he knew about the show.
He knew about Leo.
“Pretty much, yeah.”
If Noah was just a friend, I could tell him about the voicemail, right?
