Page 8 of Wish For Me

“Okay,” I said. “I mean, I could stay in the garage or something if that would be better?”

Noelle snort-laughed.

I was so surprised I laughed too. “What?”

“You don’t need to stay in the manger. I’ll set up the couch in the living room.” She moved to open the door, then hesitated. “You should know my dad is a retired cop.”

“Okay…”

“He’s going to kill me for taking in a stranger, but he’ll also kill anyone who touches me.”

“Touches you? I wasn’t—”

She inspected me a minute. “What’s your mom’s phone number?”

I wondered if she really did hit her head. “She’s out of town; she might not pick up.” Although if she did I was sure she’d be happy to know I was with a woman.

“I’m not going to call her. Yet. Just tell me. Actually, let me see your favorites.”

I showed her the list. It wasn’t big. My parents. My grandparents. My best friend at Stanford, my academic advisor.

“No girlfriend? Not that it matters.”

“No girlfriend. I barely have time to eat back home.”

She opened mom’s contact. “Lucky. It matches.”

Scratch that, my mom would be delighted with Noelle and her safety measures. Meanwhile I don’t think I’d ever stop being surprised at the way women had to bend over backward to protect themselves. And I grew up with parents who’d spent their entire careers protecting women in danger.

Noelle went to hand my phone back to me, but jumped as she looked at the screen.

My stomach dropped. Did someone text me? Some old girlfriend from out of the blue?

But when she turned the phone around, a look of distaste on her face, I saw only my screensaver, which was a Golden Eagle I’d snapped on a hike a few weeks ago, one of the rare times I’d left the lab on the insistence of a friend. It was a pretty good picture, I thought.

“Something wrong?”

“I just don’t really love birds.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “Who doesn’t like birds?”

“Me! They’re terrifying. They move weird and they can fly.”

I had to pinch my lips together to keep from laughing. “I quite like them. I hope this isn’t a dealbreaker.”

She grimaced. “No. Unfortunately I’m in the minority so I can’t exactly blame you for being wrong.”

I had to laugh again.

Her lips curled up. But then she looked out at her parents’ house. Was she having second thoughts? I really didn’t have to stay here. My closest relative lived only a few minutes from here. As much as I didn’t want to leave, I also didn’t want Noelle feeling unsafe, even for a second. “Hey, you don’t have to do this. I can—”

“It’s fine. I do like dogs, and I don’t need this cute little one getting hurt when you spin off the road tonight.”

“Wait, you’re worried about Floof?”

“Aren’t you? She’s adorable.” Then she broke out in a smile. “Come on.”

I was so stunned by how beautiful she was in that moment, I rationalized it was okay for me not to mention all those other places I could stay—probably more than most people in this town. All I could do was nod and say, “Okay.”

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