“Thank you,” I said, and my voice came out lower than usual. Almost breathless.
We stood there looking out at the view, the vines rustling in the breeze, the workers finishing up for the day.
And all I could think about was how easy it would be to lean the slightest bit sideways, and my head would be resting on his shoulder.
Honestly, Holly. Get a grip.
I kept my eyes firmly on the vines.
“So,” he murmured after a moment, “everything seems… back to normal.”
“Suspiciously,” I said. “I’m almost afraid to speak it out loud.”
He turned his head towards me, and we were very close. He didn’t look away.
A heartbeat thudded in my ears. It might have been mine. It might have been his.
“You did well today,” he said, voice low, a little rough.
The compliment hit deeper than he probably intended. My breath caught, just a fraction, but enough for him to notice.
Izzy walked past the terrace, arms full of equipment, wine-stained apron and all. She flicked her eyes at Noah, then at me, then back to Noah again, her eyebrows lifting so dramatically they practically deserved their own soundtrack.
Noah gave her a look that very clearly saidnot now.
Izzy smirked like a woman receiving confirmation of absolutely everything she suspected and kept walking.
I pretended very, very hard that I hadn’t seen any of it. Unfortunately, my body chose that exact moment to betray me completely and suddenly I forgot how mouths worked.
A tiny dribble of tea escaped down the wrong side of my lip and landed on my top.
Oh fantastic. Sexy. Very elegant behaviour.
I swiped at it quickly with the back of my hand, which somehow only made me more aware of how hard I was blushing.
Noah’s mouth twitched. “You all right there?”
“Mm-hm,” I mumbled, despite very obviously not being all right there.
I cleared my throat like I was trying to dislodge a pebble. Or my remaining self-respect.
“Anyway, ah…” My fingers tightened around the cup. “There’s only one of your grandfather’s letters left.”
“Right.” Noah’s mouth still held the ghost of a grin, like he was far too entertained by my complete loss of composure a few minutes earlier. “We should probably read it then.”
I nodded, very deliberately focusing on the vineyard stretching beyond the terrace instead of on him. “If you’re ready.”
He exhaled slowly and glanced out towards the vines as well, one hand resting loosely against the railing. “I don’t know if I’m ready,” he admitted lightly. “But I’m definitely curious enough to ignore that.”
A small laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
His grin widened, which absolutely did not help my situation.
I turned towards the hallway, trying to gather what remained of my dignity, acutely aware of him falling into step beside me. Every now and then our arms brushed as we walked, each tiny touch sending an annoyingly noticeable spark through me.
As we reached the study, his eyes drifted to the desk where the letters were.
“Time to see what happens next,” he said quietly. “In his story.”
