Time After Time (Sweetbriar Cove #14) - Melody Grace Page 0,98
a lacy camisole and panties with some cartoon character on them. And although he knew he probably shouldn’t be watching, he couldn’t drag his eyes away.
For a moment, there was nothing in the world but her.
Then the song suddenly came to an end, and the woman caught her breath, cheeks flushed from the dancing. She took another gulp of wine, glanced over to the window – and let out an almighty shriek.
“AAAAARRGGGHHH!”
Noah startled. She lurched back, frantically grabbing a robe from an open suitcase and wrapping it around her body. “Whoever’s out there, you should leave before I call the cops.” She called. “And I… I… I know kung-fu!”
That’s when Noah realized, he probably shouldn’t be loitering on some strange lady’s porch in the dark.
“It’s OK!” he blurted, stepping into the light. There was only one explanation for what this woman could be doing here, but… It was impossible. Wasn’t it?
“Are you Evelyn Baxter-Jones?” he asked cautiously.
“I… yes.” She blinked. “But everyone calls me Evie.”
Evie.
Noah stared at her in disbelief. This was his spinster?
“I’m Noah. Noah Mackenzie. We’ve been emailing,” he explained quickly. “I came by to welcome you to town.”
“You’re Noah?” Evie said, looking just as flustered as he felt. Then she muttered something under her breath that he couldn’t quite catch. But it sounded like, ‘fisherman’.
Noah wasn’t sure what the hell she was talking about, but he knew, he owed her an apology. “I’m sorry I startled you,” he said. “I tried knocking but the music was so loud… Anyway, hi. I come in peace,” he added – then silently scolded himself.
Way to be charming, dumbass!
He couldn’t help it. He still felt off-balance, dazzled by the sight of her in the candlelight, even swathed in an old terry-cloth robe. Up close, she had hazel eyes and a curious stare, looking him over from head to toe. Whatever she saw must have passed some kind of test, because eventually, Evie relaxed. “Well, come on in,” she said, waving her wineglass at him. “And if you’ve got more booze in that basket, now’s the time to say.”
As Evie gulped down the rest of her wine and examined the baked goods, Noah looked around. She’d settled into the living room, which seemed to have all its walls still standing, at least. He could see a pile of suitcases, and camping lantern as well as the candles burning around the room. “Is the power out?” he asked.
“The power… water… heat. You know, just a few little things,” Evie replied, a faintly hysterical edge to her smile. “Welcome to the luxury hospitality of the Beachcomber Inn!”
“It is a little rough around the edges,” he agreed.
“Ha!” Evie snorted. “That’s like saying I only made a tiny mistake in buying this place. Or went slightly insane. Ooh, cookies.” She tore into the pack, as Noah tried to pull himself together. This was the woman who’d been barking virtual orders at him all week. Surely she must have known what she was getting herself into?
“I can give you the number of a local contractor,” he offered. “And a couple of tradespeople, to get the power turned back on.”
“Oh, I’ve talked to them,” she said, “And they’ve told me exactly how much money it’ll take to get this place habitable again. Why do you think I started drinking?”
“To celebrate your new home?” he offered.
“Ha!”
Evie took a long swallow, straight from the wine bottle. She danced over to her iPod, and started the music up again, then struggled to unpack what looked like a sleeping bag.
Noah frowned. “You can’t sleep here.” He looked around again. The place was draughty and damp, and he was pretty sure there was something rustling over by the couch. “Riley has a couple of rooms at the pub, or you can stay at my cousin’s place, if you need.”
“No thanks!”
Evie unfurled the pad, and danced her way across the room to grab another cookie.
Noah watched her, wondering what she was playing at. Any logical person could see, this place was a disaster zone. “Look, it’s late. You should get a decent night’s sleep – somewhere with the power still running. It’ll still be your property in the morning.”
“Does it look like I can’t handle this?” Evie demanded, but didn’t wait for his reply. “I made a choice, and took a leap, and now it’s just me and my blank canvas of future tomorrows! I’m moving on! I’m