Page 67 of Let Me Show You

Noah

You got it! See you soon

Tonight is all about her, and I’m ready to spoil her. If I’m being honest, I want more than just one evening with her. I want forever, and by the way her eyes soften when she looks at me, I think she might want the same.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been contemplating what to get her. Anything materialistic doesn’t seem right, and we never bought each other those types of gifts when we were younger. It was always something sentimental or homemade. After thinking about it, I came up with an idea and can’t wait to see her reaction when I give it to her.

Heading into the grocery store, I grab two sirloin steaks and a couple of baked potatoes. After looking at the dessert options, I pick a tiramisu since she used to be crazy about it. Hopefully, she still is.

The wine section is a lot larger than it used to be, so it takes me a minute to find something that’ll pair with our meal. After grabbing a Cabernet, I stick it in the cart and think about what else I need.

“Noah,” someone calls out, and when I turn around, I see Brittany with her son behind her.

“Hey.” I smile. “How’re y’all doin’?”

“Great, just picking up some snacks for the park this afternoon. Anthony’s been askin’ when you’ll be free to play baseball with him.” She pins me with a stare, putting me in an awkward position.

“Oh, right. Well, I’m busy today but maybe next weekend?” I suggest to appease her.

Brittany beams. “That’d be great. We should exchange numbers, so we can plan a time.” Before I can say a word, she pulls out her phone. Gemma claims Brittany wants me to ask her out, but that’s not happening. Even if I wasn’t head over heels in love with Katie, I wouldn’t be romantically interested in Brittany.

“Sure,” I say hesitantly, then we add each other to our contacts.

“You can call me anytime. I haven’t seen you at the deli in a while.”

“Yeah, got super busy with work.”

“I noticed your truck was parked behind it for a while. Belinda said someone vandalized it,” she says with a gasp.

Nodding, I respond, “Yeah, probably some punk kids, no biggie. My dad was able to clean it.”

Brittany smiles, then peeks into my cart. “Steaks and wine? What’s the special occasion?”

“It’s Katie’s birthday, so I’m making her dinner,” I respond, watching her reaction.

“Oh wow, didn’t realize you were such a chef. Katie’s a lucky woman.”

I chuckle. “Nah, I’m not. Just trying to repay her for helping me with something. We’re just friends,” I emphasize, so news doesn’t get around that Katie and I are spending time together. Though it’s no one’s business anyway.

“Really, just friends? Interesting.” She bats her eyes and looks at me like she wants to devour me.

“Well, I gotta go so I can get home. It was nice seeing you. Bye, Anthony.” I smile sheepishly at the two of them, then take off.

I feel her eyes on me until I walk out of the aisle and wish I hadn’t given her my number. Hopefully, I can create some boundaries, so she doesn’t assume I’m interested.

Once I’m home, I spend the afternoon marinating the steaks and tidying up. I offered to pick Katie up, but she’s dropping Owen off at her mother’s, and it’s on the way.

Just as I’m grabbing two wine glasses from the cabinet, a knock on the front door grabs my attention. I set them down and rush toward it.

“Wow.” My eyes light up when I see Katie. “You look stunning.”

She’s in a sparkly dark blue mid-thigh dress with a shawl covering her shoulders.

“Thank you.” She beams. “You look quite handsome yourself.”

I take her hand and escort her inside, then shut the door behind us. Bringing her knuckles to my lips, I place a soft kiss on them. “Happy Birthday, Katie.”

Her eyes zero in on my mouth. “You really didn’t have to go through all this trouble,” she mutters as we walk hand in hand through the living room, and I love that she squeezes mine in return. “But dinner smells amazing.”