When Saturday morning dawned, it was with dread rather than relief that I greeted the weekend. I was supposed to be having lunch with Matthew today, and I desperately wished I hadn’t agreed to it. I was tempted to cancel on him because this only felt like another opportunity for him to remind me of all the ways I wasn’t living up to the LaFleur name. I couldn’t bring myself to bail on him though because a small, silly part of me hoped he’d prove me wrong.
More than anything, I wished it were my mom who was waiting for me at lunch. It was only a week since I’d seen her last, but it felt like forever had passed, and I knew it would be a while still before I saw her again. I’d probably have to wait until I had enough time to make the trip home, and given it was more than a day’s bus ride, I imagined it would be Christmas before I could get back.
I took my time as I got ready for the day. I was normally such a morning person, but it was hard to garner my normal enthusiasm when I just wanted the day to be over with. I spent forever in the shower, washing my hair and letting the hot water run over my face. I still wasn’t confident about jogging on my ankle, and the warm shower was the next best way I could think of to clear my mind.
When I emerged from the bathroom, Cress was already dressed for dance practice, and I felt a rush of guilt. She’d been happily asleep before I got in the shower, and I’d taken so long she’d clearly had to get ready without the use of the bathroom.
“Sorry for taking so long in the shower,” I said. “You should have knocked.”
“Don’t be silly,” Cress reassured me. “I’ll grab a shower after practice. I just need to jump in there to brush my teeth.”
She went into the bathroom and came out a second later with her toothbrush in her mouth. “You better get dressed,” she said, nodding at the towel that was still wrapped around me. “Anna came by while you were in the shower and said she’d be back in a minute so you guys can grab breakfast together. You know how she gets when she’s hungry.”
Cress returned to the bathroom to spit out her toothpaste before flitting back into the room and grabbing her bag off the bed. She was normally a bit of a zombie in the mornings, but perhaps that was just on school days. She seemed to be bounding with energy today.
“We’ve got tryouts today, so I’ll be at practice for the next few hours, but we should go hang out by the lake this afternoon.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “I have to head into town around lunch, but hopefully I’ll be back by then.”
“Perfect.” She hesitated by the door. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to try out?”
“Not even a confundus charm could convince me it’s a good idea.”
She let out a small sigh. “Well, it was worth a shot. I’ll see you later.” She flashed me a smile and headed out the door.
Once she was gone, I went to the closet to find something to wear. I had no idea what kind of outfit would be considered appropriate for lunch with Matthew. I also wasn’t sure why I cared. It was just a stupid lunch with a man I barely knew, and I didn’t even want to go. The clothing I wore shouldn’t matter, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to select something without giving it any thought.
A knock at the door pulled me from my dilemma.
“Come in.” I raised my voice so I could be heard from inside the closet. I knew it would be Anna, and she was probably going to be annoyed I wasn’t ready yet. If there was one thing I’d learned about Anna this week, it was that she hated to be kept waiting—especially when food was involved.
I heard the bedroom door creak open, and I called out to her. “Sorry, I’m just going to be a few more minutes. I’m in the closet. Could you come and give me a hand?” Anna was much better at choosing outfits than I was, and I knew she’d have something selected in minutes.
I heard a sharp intake of breath, and as I glanced over my shoulder, I met Noah’s wide eyes. “Noah?” I jolted with surprise. “What are you doing in here?”
He was the last person I expected to see, and my horror magnified as I realized I was only wearing a towel. He immediately looked away, but there was no erasing the fact he’d practically seen me naked.
“Shit!” I clutched my towel tighter to my chest. “Noah, get out of here!”
“Sorry!” He turned and darted back out to the bedroom. “I knocked. You said to come in!”
“You can’t just barge into a girl’s bedroom! Let alone her closet!” I grabbed the first clothes I could find and threw them on.
“I didn’t barge in,” he protested from the bedroom. “Like I said, I knocked, and you told me to come in.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have said to come in if you didn’t want me to come in.”
“I thought you were Anna!”
“I could have been anyone.”
When I was finally dressed, I emerged from the closet and into the bedroom. Noah was standing close to the window, staring outside, his back to the room.
“You can turn around now. I’m dressed.”
He slowly turned, like he wasn’t sure whether to believe me, and his shoulders relaxed when he saw I was telling the truth. Was he seriously worried I’d lie about something like that? I knew the girls at school acted crazy around him, but he didn’t actually think they’d try to trick him into seeing them naked, did he? It was a little hard not to be offended. I didn’t call him out on his reaction though. The sooner this little incident was forgotten, the better.
“So, is there a reason you’re barging into my room on a Saturday morning?” I asked as I tied my wet hair up. There was nothing worse than wet hair dripping on clothes—well, other than a cute boy seeing you in nothing but a towel. God, this moment was going to haunt me forever.
“How many times am I going to have to tell you? I didn’t barge in.”
He probably had a point. I did tell him to come in, after all. “Okay, I’ll rephrase. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit this morning?”
He released a breathy laugh and shook his head. “I was looking for Cress.”
“Oh.” Obviously, that’s why he was here. “She’s at dance practice.”
“Right.” Noah hovered in place and ran a hand through his hair like he wasn’t sure what to say next.
“Do you want me to pass her a message?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll catch up with her later.” From the way his shoulders dipped, I got the impression this wasn’t just a casual drop-in. Something seemed to be troubling him.
I moved toward him, my feet stealing steps completely unbidden by me. “Noah, is something wrong?”
He frowned, and as he looked into my eyes, I could see whatever was worrying him still stirring there. He opened his mouth to respond but then closed it and looked away. “It’s nothing.”
“Are you sure?”
He didn’t get a chance to respond as my phone rang. It was sitting on my bed, and as I glanced at the screen, I could see it was my father calling—or more likely Caldwell. I’d answered several calls from the number this week, expecting to talk to Matthew, only to find Caldwell on the other end of the line. In the end, I’d changed his contact name to the old butler’s, seeing as it was never actually Matthew LaFleur who called.
“Do you need to get that?” Noah asked. He was standing right by the phone, so there was no doubt he’d seen the name on the screen.
“No. It’s just one of my father’s employees. I’m sure they’ll leave a message.”
Noah frowned. “Your dad doesn’t call you himself?”
“Not unless he has to, I guess.”
He nodded with understanding. “I’m sorry to hear that. A lot of parents here are too busy for their kids. The only person who has time for me is my grandfather, and sometimes I think that’s more of a curse than a blessing…”
“Oh, why’s that?”
Noah shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “Because everything with my grandfather comes with strings attached.”
His eyes had fallen to the floor, and he seemed to be slightly hunched over. He suddenly appeared so much younger and smaller, like he had shrunk at the mere mention of his grandfather. His vulnerable stance was a stark contrast to the proud figure he portrayed most other times I’d seen him. A hard lump formed in my chest as I watched him.
“That must be hard” was all I could think to say.
“It’s not easy.” He let out a heavy sigh, and I could almost feel the weight of his sadness in that one breath. I was surprised by how open he was being with me. He didn’t really seem like the type to talk about his family with people. Then again, I didn’t really like talking about my dad either, but it felt natural talking with Noah.
“So, do you always dodge calls from your father’s employees, or is it just because I’m here?” His voice was a little lighter now, and as I looked at him again, his confidence and composure seemed to have returned.
“It’s not just because of you,” I admitted. “Things with my dad are complicated. I didn’t know him growing up and only recently met him. He wants to get to know me, but I’m not sure if I want to get to know him. So far, I haven’t been all that impressed by the guy.”
“Ah.” He gave me a sympathetic smile. “Well, if it’s any help, you should know that people can surprise you sometimes.”
“Do you mean by barging into their room when they’re only wearing a towel?”
“Well, that’s one kind of surprise.” He chuckled under his breath. “But, no, I was thinking more like when you meet someone and expect them to be just like everyone else, but they keep proving you wrong.”
From the way he was looking into my eyes, I knew he was talking about me. I blushed and glanced away. “So, you think I should give him a chance?”
“That’s up to you.” He shrugged. “I just know that, if I was in his shoes, I’d want to be given the opportunity to get to know you.”
I knew he was only saying that to make me feel better, but my heart still did a small flip. Noah was just being nice. I had to remind myself that several times before I managed to respond.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I murmured.
There was a knock at the door, and as it opened, I moved a step back from Noah. Without me even realizing it, we had drawn closer to each other. It was like we’d slowly been pulled together by some magnetic force. Surely, he had moved toward me. Or had I stepped toward him? I couldn’t remember.
“Isobel, you better be ready for…” Anna’s voice drifted off, and she stopped in her tracks as she glanced between Noah and me. Her eyes were wide, and I could tell she was surprised to find him in my room. She wasn’t the only one.
“Hi, Anna, I was just leaving,” Noah said as I struggled to think about how I was going to explain the situation to her. She already looked like she was bursting with questions. “Isobel, if you could let Cress know I was looking for her, I’d appreciate it.”
Right, there was a simple explanation. He was here looking for his cousin. “Sure, I’ll let her know.”
Noah made his way to the door but paused before leaving the room. “If you girls are free tonight, you should come to the old boathouse. A few of us will be hanging out. It’ll be fun.”
There were a few moments of silence before I realized both Anna and Noah were looking at me waiting for an answer. It wasn’t as if he’d asked me personally. Had he?
Anna rolled her eyes before turning to Noah. “Sounds great,” she said. “We’ll be there.”
He nodded and gave me a small smile before he left the room. As the door closed behind him, Anna burst into action.
“What was Noah Hastings doing in your room?” she squealed. I really hoped Noah hadn’t heard her through the door.
“He was looking for Cress, just like he said.”
“It didn’t seem like he was here for Cress,” Anna replied. “You should have seen the way he was looking at you.”
“He wasn’t looking at me any way.”
“He was. And he invited you to the boathouse tonight.”
“He invited both of us.”
“Because he wanted you to come.”
I shook my head. “I really think you’re reading into things too much.”
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
Noah Hastings was the most unavailable boy in this school. He was emotionally closed off to all but a few select people and left a trail of brokenhearted girls in his wake. He was everything I didn’t want in a guy. But that didn’t stop my body from gravitating toward his or my heart from beating faster whenever he was near. I kept trying to ignore the way I reacted to him because I didn’t want to like Noah. But it was getting harder to pretend my feelings were completely neutral toward him.
“I guess we’ll find out if I’m right at the boathouse tonight,” Anna said.
I rolled my eyes, not wanting to argue with her any longer. Even if I did like Noah, and I didn’t, there was no way he liked me in return.
Besides, tonight felt like a lifetime away. I had to get through lunch with my father first.
