by Unknown
Noah stayed where he was, but Cassie could feel him watching her. Studying her. Probably trying to figure her out the way she was trying to figure him out.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” he asked.
She scrubbed harder, feeling like this entire conversation had been personal. Too personal.
“Did Landon… uh… ever hurt you? Physically, I mean.” The hesitant way he asked made it sound like he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.
The warm water ran over Cassie’s hands for a moment before she finally shut off the faucet and faced him. Lines of concern and maybe even fear were etched across his handsome face. The room suddenly felt humid and stuffy, and her fingers pulled at the collar of her shirt.
“Once.” Her voice was so quiet she could barely hear herself. She cleared her throat and said a little louder. “Only once.”
“Only?” Noah’s jaw clenched, and he looked away, his nostrils flaring slightly.
“Early on in our marriage, we got into an argument.” She bit her lip. “It got pretty ugly, and I lost it. I accused him of not being the same man I married, and he slapped me, saying that I was the one who had changed—not him. My cheek was bruised for about a week. But after that, I learned to keep my opinions to myself, and things were… better.”
“For him, maybe.” The muscles in Noah’s jaw twitched and moved. In his eyes, anger simmered. But it wasn’t an anger that destroyed love and trust, like Landon’s had done. It protected. It made her feel… safe.
Cassie returned to her scrubbing. Noah wasn’t safe. No man was safe.
When the silence went from being comfortable to awkward, Cassie mustered a light tone. “Let’s say you wanted to turn your basement into a playroom for the kids, and Angie wanted a home office. What would you have done then?”
Noah began loading the spoons in the dishwasher. “I would have turned the attic into the coolest playroom ever.”
“What if you didn’t have an attic?”
“Most houses have attics.”
“What if it wasn’t big enough?”
“I would find a way to make it big enough.”
“But—”
“Cassie,” he said, interrupting her. “If it had been me instead of Landon, I would have appreciated how important a dance studio was to you. And if there wasn’t room for a playroom in the basement, and we didn’t have an attic, I would have built a really cool playhouse out back. Or added on to the house.”
She bit her lower lip, not liking her part in that scenario. “Then that would make me a taker.”
“No.” He closed the dishwasher with a snap and grinned at her. “You would have agreed to give me the garage for all my tools.”
A small smile formed as Noah worked his charm yet again. “But where would I park my car?” she teased.
“I might be coerced into leaving enough room for your car.”
She nodded. “Then I might be okay with that.”
“See?” Noah’s finger touched the tip of her nose. “We’re not even dating yet, and we’ve already proved we can compromise. I’m pretty sure it’s because we both like cookie dough ice cream. That makes us compatible.”
All of his words blended together into one big run-on sentence. Except one. “Yet?” Cassie squeaked.
He winked. “Well, here’s hoping anyway, assuming you’ll actually respond to my calls or texts in the future.”
The thought of being in a relationship with Noah filled Cassie with such conflicting emotions. It was a strange phenomenon, probably similar to the feeling of jumping out of an airplane. It was the thrill of the fall mixed with the petrifying realization that things might not turn out the way she hoped they would.
Before, with Landon, Cassie didn’t fully comprehend the dangers. She didn’t know chutes could malfunction or instability could cause midair injuries or throw off the landing. She’d been too preoccupied with the exhilaration of falling.
But now she knew better. Those few moments of bliss weren’t worth the crash landing. They weren’t.
Why, then, did she suddenly want to jump again?
“I’m scared, Noah,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
His fingers brushed against her cheek in a wonderfully soft caress. “So am I, Cass. So am I. But I’m willing to risk it if you are.”
With one last lingering gaze, he took a few steps back, then turned and left, leaving Cassie with warmth in her heart and a freezer full of ice cream.
All chatter died when Noah walked inside. He found Sam, Becky, and Emma waiting on his couch with expectant faces. He wanted to groan. Or pull out his phone and send Justin and Kevin an SOS, begging them to intervene with their wives and daughter.
Not that they would.
“Well?” Sam, the most impatient of the trio, was the first to speak.
“Well what?” Noah dropped his keys on the side table and walked to the kitchen.
“What do you mean, ‘Well what?’ How was the ice cream?”
“Don’t know. Didn’t eat any.”
Emma followed him into the kitchen, pausing next to the bar and folding her arms over her small mound of a tummy. “Noah, we’ve been waiting for you for an hour. I’m exhausted, and I’m sure Becky and Sam are too, and you have to be up early to hang drywall. So, how about giving us a break for once and telling us what happened without making us squeeze it out of you?”
Noah filled a glass of water and drank the entire contents in a long, drawn out chug. He set the cup on the counter. “Who won the game?”
“Noah!” all three girls called out in unison. Noah grinned. Teasing them never got old. Especially when it came to his sister.
“Please, bro, I’m begging you,” said Emma. “We’re only here because we love you and want to hear about your night.”
He sighed. Emma did look exhausted. But that didn’t make him want to talk about his night. “I know.”
“I take it she let you in?” said Sam, plopping down on a barstool next to her mother. She set her elbows on the counter and dropped her chin into her palms.
Noah looked at the three faces before tossing his cup in the sink. “Okay, I’ll give you the Cliff Notes version and that’s it.”
“We’ll take it,” said Emma.
“Assuming we can ask a few questions,” Becky added.
“Yes, we most definitely need some time for Q&A.” said Sam. “Wait, when did you change clothes? You look really good in that.” Noah glared, and her mouth snapped shut. “Sorry. I’ll be good and listen.”
Noah leaned against the sink. “The only reason she answered the door was because she thought I was the pizza delivery guy. But, using my irresistible wit and charm, I convinced her to let me in and discovered that her favorite ice cream is mint cookie dough.” He shot Becky a meaningful glance. “Then we shared a pizza, talked for a few minutes, and I came home. End of story.”
From the looks on their faces, they weren’t appeased.
“You did not talk for a few minutes,” argued Sam. “You were gone for hours.”
“Will there be a second date?” asked Emma.
“Not until there’s a first,” said Noah.
“Will there be a first?” said Becky wryly.
Noah nodded slowly. “That’s up to her. If she says yes, then… yes.”
Three happy, smiling faces appeared, and Noah took the opportunity to end the discussion. “Is it okay if we call it a night? Sam, thank you so much for watching the girls tonight.”
“It’s never a problem, you know that.”
“I’m still grateful. They adore you.”
“Of course they do. What’s not to adore?” Sam said, making everyone snicker.
Noah watched them all file out the door, then went to check on his girls. Even though there were three bedrooms in the house, they still shared the fairy room that Emma had created years earlier. Noah had switched out the queen bed for two twins with picket fence style headboards that he’d made himse
lf. Emma had painted them white with vines and flowers wrapped around them, then intertwined them with the little white lights that used to hang from their ceiling.
As usual, Adelynn was curled into a cocoon of blankets, and Kajsa was sprawled out on her stomach with her covers on the floor. Noah smiled and retrieved her blanket, spreading it over his daughter.
A pink scarf hung over the end of Adi’s bed, reminding him of Cassie. Noah picked it up and sat down at the foot of her bed, playing with it between his fingers. Was he doing the right thing by wanting to go down the dating road again? Was Cassie a woman who could someday be more than just a dance instructor to his girls? Would they want her to be more? Would he?
Noah looked at the painting on the wall, the one of Angie and his girls that Emma had painted years earlier. He loved that picture. He loved that it reminded his daughters every day that they’d once had a beautiful mother who loved them. Even though she hadn’t been around much, Angie had adored her girls.
What would happen to that painting if he ever did remarry? Would Emma paint another to rest beside it, or would it be replaced? Noah didn’t know. That would be up to the girls. All he knew was what he wanted to happen: that the memory of Angie remain beside the new memories that came from a new mother.
Whoever that turned out to be.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Kevin grunted. His face was a deep red from the exertion of holding a large piece of drywall in place on the ceiling of Cassie’s basement, while Noah drove in screws as fast as he could.
“I can’t believe it either. If you had any common sense you would have turned me down,” Noah said, knowing that Kevin wasn’t the turning down type. He was too good of a guy for that. “Okay, you should be able to let go now.”
“Whew.” Kevin shook his arms and hands, reviving them, while Noah continued to drive in screws. “I also can’t believe you actually like doing this.”
Noah chuckled. “I don’t. Drywalling is my least favorite part. But when it’s done, and the room finally takes shape, it makes it all worth it.”
“Even when it’s someone else’s room?” Kevin looked skeptical, or maybe he was just thinking of all the work that still needed to be done.
“Yes, even when it’s someone else’s room,” Noah said. “As soon as you see the look on Cassie’s face when she sees this all hung, you’ll understand.”
“I seriously doubt it.”
Together, they reached for another sheet and hefted it above their heads, sliding it next to the one already in place. Kevin splayed his arms and maneuvered his body toward the center of the board, keeping it in place, while Noah drove screws.
“Any news on the job front?” Kevin grunted, his face going red once more.
“I’ve gotten a few bites on my resume, but no offers just yet,” said Noah, putting screw after screw in the drywall. With his magnetic drill bit, it didn’t take too long. “Okay, it’s good now.”
Once again, Kevin let go and shook his hands. “Do you think you’ll hear from your old company?”
“Already have. He’s thinking he’ll be able to hire me back near the end of the month—which will be about the time I finish this project. So hopefully everything will work out.”
Kevin nodded, his expression thoughtful.
“What?” asked Noah.
“I was just wondering… have you ever considered starting your own company?”
Noah fiddled with a screw between his fingers before driving it into the drywall. “I’ve considered it, but I don’t think I’m ready yet. The girls need stability—not the ups and downs that come with startups.”
“As opposed to the steadiness of your past”—Kevin made quote marks with his fingers—“stable jobs?”
“Exactly,” Noah grinned, even though Kevin was right. The nature of the construction industry was a constant flow of ups and downs. No matter what job he landed, there was never a guarantee that it would last. And if anyone did make him a guarantee—like his previous boss had done—there was always the contingency of “assuming we have the work.” Which they hadn’t.
“Seriously, what’s keeping you from going out on your own? You’ve definitely got the skills, and you have the potential to make a lot more money.”
That was just it. Noah had the potential—yet another thing he couldn’t guarantee. “The construction industry is incredibly competitive, and I don’t have a name or the experience to land the kind of jobs I’d need to support a business. Besides that, the thought of running my own company freaks me out. I guess I’m not much of a risk-taker.”
Kevin swiped his forehead with the back of his hand, leaving a trail of powdery white dust. “I can understand that. It’s the reason I bought an existing practice instead of starting one on my own.”
“So there you have it,” said Noah.
“But,” said Kevin, reaching for another drywall sheet. “If you ever change your mind, let me know. I’d be happy to help you out.”
Noah gave him a wry smile. “Even if it includes hanging drywall every weekend?”
“I’d probably draw the line at that.”
Noah laughed. “If I did ever start my own company, drywall is the first thing I’d contract out.”
“Smart man.”
They continued to work until the ceiling was completely covered with the muted gray sheets, minus the cut-outs for the can lights. Already the basement seemed larger, brighter, and more open. Cassie was going to love it.
While Kevin packed up the tools, Noah grabbed a broom and swept up the drywall scraps that had collected all over the concrete floor. As he worked, Noah listened for sounds upstairs. But there was no Irish music, no running water, and no overhead footsteps. Cassie hadn’t even texted him about leaving the basement door open this morning. It had just been left open. Was she even upstairs? Or was she avoiding him again?
He’d put his money on avoidance. That’s what scared people did. They avoided.
As Noah swept up the last of the scraps, he heard the faint sound of the garage door opening. He dumped the dustpan into the garbage sack and continued sweeping, even though it did little good. Kevin stood by the exterior basement door, checking something on his phone while he waited for Noah to finish up. Up above, a door closed and footsteps pattered lightly.
Noah held his breath, waiting… hoping… wondering…
“Are you going to tell her the ceiling is finished, or should I?” Kevin said dryly, apparently aware of the fact that Noah was lingering on purpose.
Noah leaned the broom against the wall. “No, we can go. She’ll see it when she sees it, and I know you’re anxious to get back to Emma.”
One of Kevin’s eyebrows lifted. “What about all that talk of the look on Cassie’s face making it worth it? Are you really going to deny me my only reward for showering in drywall dust?”
“I really am.” Noah brushed as much chalky dust from his hands and clothes as he could, all the while wishing another door would open, followed by footsteps coming down the stairs. But the sound of running water filled the silence instead.
It was time to go.
Noah headed for the door, stooping to grab his keys and drill case on his way out. Kevin watched him as he brushed past. “You sure you don’t want to at least say goodbye?”
“I’m sure.”
“You’re the boss.”
Noah reached for the doorknob at the same time the squeak of the upper basement door sounded. He froze, his heart thumping inside his chest. It was like he’d reverted back to his teenage years when the thought of talking to a girl made him anxious.
Light footsteps echoed down the stairs, and Noah brushed past Kevin again to meet her. But she wasn’t looking at him, she was looking at the ceiling. Her beautiful eyes were wide with delight.
“You’re finished already?” In her hands, she carried a pitcher of water and two glasses, which she handed off to Noah as she walked by, taking in all their hard work. She poked her head into t
he bathroom before walking through the short hallway to her future dance studio. “It looks so much lighter down here. This is so exciting! I can’t wait until the walls get done.”
Noah elbowed Kevin and shot him an I-told-you-it-would-be-worth-it look.
Kevin rolled his eyes and grabbed the pitcher of water from Noah, pouring himself a glass. “Should I leave you two alone?” he said under his breath.
Yes, go away. “Cass, this is my brother-in-law, Kevin. It’s thanks to him we were able to get this done today.”
“Yeah,” said Kevin. “Noah had nothing to do with it. He sat around and watched me work the entire time.” Kevin handed the pitcher back to Noah with a grin.
“I’m sure he did,” Cassie said dryly. “But really, thank you both so much. It looks great.
Kevin gave Noah a brotherly side hug. “He’s so great, isn’t he? So, so great.” He slapped Noah’s back, and some of the water from the pitcher sloshed over the side and landed on Noah’s dusty shoes.
He glared at Kevin, then glanced down at the gooey mess, resisting the impulse to dump the remaining water over his brother-in-law’s head.
“Oh, that reminds me,” said Cassie. “I figured you’d be hungry, so I picked up some sandwiches on the way home. They’re upstairs in the kitchen. You can either eat them here or take them with you if you’re ready to go.”
“We’ll stay,” Noah said before Kevin had a chance to say otherwise. Then he shoved the pitcher into his brother-in-law’s hands and followed Cassie up the stairs.
Noah had just taken a bite of his sub when Kevin said, “Cassie, don’t you think Noah should start his own company?”
Nearly choking on his sandwich, Noah shot Kevin a will-you-shut-up look.
Cassie set a glass of ice water in front of each of them. “Are you considering doing that?” she asked.
“No,” said Noah.
“Why not? You’re really good at what you do.”
“Because it’s risky. Because ninety-five percent of all startups fail within the first year. And because I don’t want the added stress and hassle of owning a company.” He paused. “As Kevin already knows.”
