Forever Summer - Melody Grace Page 0,40
wanted, as long as it was with him.
“There’s something different about you,” he said, glancing over at her, trying to put his finger on it. “You seem … lighter.”
“I do?” Evie looked surprised. “Maybe because it’s all finally coming together. The inn. Cooper and his guys are nearly done, the mattresses arrived this morning—”
“Thanks to my expert bouncing help,” Noah added, making her smile.
“—and, I don’t know,” Evie gave a smile. “I guess I decided to stop overthinking so much and just go with the flow.”
“Does that include me?” Noah couldn’t help asking. He could have sworn Evie had been seconds away from turning him down the other day, and he wanted to know what cosmic forces to thank for her change of heart.
He would build a damn shrine to them if it kept her smiling at him like that.
“Maybe.” Evie’s smile turned mysterious. “We’ll see. But good start with the muffins,” she added, picking one from the bag.
Score. Noah grinned. “My mom always taught me the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.”
“Smart lady,” Evie said, nibbling on a blueberry. “Are you guys close?”
“A little too close, now that I’m back in town,” Noah said ruefully. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents, but my sister had the right idea: she moved to Chicago with her husband,” he explained. “So she gets to hang up the phone when she’s had enough helpful advice.”
Evie smiled. “I just pulled the same trick. It turns out, sending mom to voicemail is great for our relationship. I’m an only child,” she added. “And she never remarried after the divorce, so she has a lot of extra time to focus on me.”
“And the cats,” Noah added, remembering their conversation at the building supply store.
“And all the cats,” Evie agreed. She glanced out of the window. “Oh, I think this is the place!”
Noah pulled up the driveway to a stately inn with grey shingles and a white trim. “So, do I need a fake name for this research project?” he asked, as they got out of the truck and approached the imposing front doors. “A wig? Should I keep the car running for a swift getaway?”
Evie giggled. “You really like this secret agent thing, huh?”
What he liked was the excuse to slip an arm casually around her shoulders, like they really were a couple, but he still didn’t know if it was all just an act to her, so he kept his tone light. “I should have joined the CIA,” he said. “My talents are wasted.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“You think I’d pass a background test?” Noah joked.
Evie fixed him with a knowing look. “True, you’d probably be on assignment halfway across the world and run into a woman you’ve dated. Blow your cover right when the nuclear codes were in your grasp.”
She was smiling playfully as she said it, but Noah felt a curious sting. He’d never cared about his playboy reputation before, but now he wondered, was it giving Evie pause about him?
But before he could say anything, Evie stepped inside the foyer and let out a low whistle. “Fancy,” she murmured.
Fancy—but dull. Noah clocked a lot of heavy velvet and wood paneling before a snooty-looking man appeared in front of them. “Can I help you?” he asked, looking them up and down.
“I hope so.” Evie gave him a sunny smile. “My fiancé and I are getting married next summer, and we’re looking for a place for some of our guests to stay. We were hoping to take a little look around.”
“Make sure the place is up to scratch,” Noah added, squeezing Evie’s shoulders.
The man’s smile tightened. “We are one of the premier establishments in the area.”
“Sure, but my aunt Muffy can be awful fussy,” Noah replied, trying to keep a straight face. “And you know how Uncle Wentworth gets about his nightcap. Only the best forty-year scotch will do.”
“Very well.” The man made a vague gesture. “But please don’t disturb our guests.”
“Thanks!” Evie dragged Noah down a hallway, choking back a laugh. “Muffy?” she whispered, once they were out of earshot.
“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Noah asked. “Although that guy’s probably going to follow us around, make sure we don’t make off with any of the silverware.”
“He’s not exactly welcoming,” Evie agreed. “And the decor is pretty …”
“Stuffy? Boring?” Noah offered.
“I was going to be polite and say ‘traditional.’”
Evie nosed around, Noah right on her heels, through a formal dining room with gloomy green wallpaper and a library with stuffed deer