Page 121 of Best Friends for Never

He holds his hand out to me, and I happily accept it, letting him pull me to my feet.

I can’t help but giggle as he drags me to the door, and I wave to the café customers looking at us with wide eyes.

We look ridiculous, but I don’t care. That seems to happen a lot with Noel, the whole not-caring thing. He makes me feel far too good to be bothered by much.

My giggles subside when we step outside and come face-to-face with Leonard Figgins.

I school my features, trying to hide my displeasure at seeing him.

“Leonard, hi. How are you?”

“Me? Oh, I’m fantastic.” He grins widely. “How are you,Parker?”

I hate the resentment he puts on my name, as ifIhave wrongedhim.

I paste on a fake smile. “Positively peachy. Couldn’t be better.”

His grin widens, and I hate it. I want to reach up and wipe it off so badly. “That’s lovely. It’s a beautiful day outside, isn’t it? I hear we’re getting even more rain tomorrow. It’s good. We could use it.”

No, we really couldn’t. We’ve been drowned enough over the last few days.

“While we’d love to stay and chat about the weather, we’ve got plans. I’m sure you understand,Figs,” Noel says snidely.

Leonard narrows his eyes at Noel. “Right. I don’t want to keep you. I’m sure you’re a busy man. I heard you’re up for a new role. The nextAvengers, I believe, is what they’re calling it.”

I look up at Noel. “You’re up for a new role?”

Is this the same script he was reading the other night? The one he was so engrossed in that he was late to the fundraiser at Bigfoot’s?

“Nothing’s set in stone,” he says, but he doesn’t return my stare, and that giddiness I felt just moments ago is replaced by a heaviness that leaves my stomach feeling sour.

“Well, while this has beenlovely,” Leonard says, clearly knowing it’s been anything but, “I’d better run. I have lots to do at the paper. There are so manyimportantthings to report on.”

Leonard grins like he’s just won a prize, pushes his rain-streaked glasses back up his nose, and continues on his way. He’s only a few feet away when I hear his jaunty whistle, making me want to kick him all over again.

“Well, that was something, huh?” I mutter, looking back up at Noel.

He nods, still keeping his eyes anywhere but on me.

I loop my arm around his. “Are you still coming over?”

“Hmm?” he asks distractedly, thenfinallylooks my way. “Oh. Yeah. Let’s go.”

We don’t talk on the walk there or when we walk inside my cozy house, hanging our raincoats by the door. Not a word is uttered as Noel drags me into his arms, then down the hall and straight to my bedroom, where he makes good on his promise from the café.

And that dreadful feeling never does go away.

Chapter Seventeen

Noel

A loud buzz wakes me, and it takes me a moment to realize where the noise is coming from—my phone.

It shakes across Parker’s bedside table, and I reach for it as fast as possible, praying it doesn’t wake her up.

Yesterday, she went back to work at the theater and stayed until 10:00 p.m. She was so exhausted that she ate the dinner I made in the bathtub, then promptly crawled into bed and started snoring before I was even out of the bathroom.

The phone quiets for only a moment before springing back to life.

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