Page 46 of Stay With Me
TWENTY-TWO
Noah
“Sheseemstoreallylike school. Don’t you think?” Luna asks me.
“Yeah, and Cassidy is enjoying teaching her this summer. She’s smart and is catching on fast.” I reach across the console to grab her hand, bringing it to my mouth to kiss the back of it.
Lacing our fingers together, she smiles and looks at our joined hands as I lower them to the center console.
“As I help her with some of her homework, I’ve wondered how I would have done in school.”
I squeeze her hand. “You would have been just as smart. The older I get, the more I realize that you only learn so much in school, and most of it doesn’t prepare you for the real world. While I think school is important, a lot of the skills you and Jess have put you leagues above the rest of us. I mean, you guys made butter the other day from scratch, and it’s the best tasting butter I’ve ever had.”
“I still can’t believe you’ve never had real butter before, and you thought the store-bought stuff tasted good,” she mumbles.
I just laugh before shifting the topic. “I’m going to reach out to the FBI agent today when I get back in. Are you okay with me setting up a time for you to chat with them?” I ask cautiously, knowing how nervous she is to bring them in.
“You think it’s a good idea?” she asks softly.
“I do. They have resources I don’t have, and if you talk to them, between what you know and what they know, we can better gauge the level of danger you may be in.”
She clears her throat. “Do you think they’ll throw Jess and me in jail?”
I glance over at her and see her knee bouncing. “No, neither of you has done anything wrong.”
She takes a deep breath. “Okay. If you think it’s a good idea, I’ll talk to them.”
“Just think, once we get that settled, we’ll get you a birth certificate and your other identification needed, then we’ll get you your GED. And if you want to go to college, we’ll enroll you in some classes,” I tell her as I pull into the bed-and-breakfast.
“I never really thought about actually going to school. What if I take some web design classes and don’t like them?” she says as I park the truck.
“You don’t have to choose right away. Hell, some people change their mind several times before they finish school.”
She nods and goes to unbuckle her seat belt. I pull my hand from hers to remove mine and go to open her door.
As she slides out of the truck, I admire how beautiful she is in a simple T-shirt with the bed-and-breakfast logo on it, black leggings, and a pair of tennis shoes. She looks at me, and her green eyes sparkle, a smile taking over her face. I brush a stray piece of blond hair out of her face that never seems to stay in the braid she always wears.
“You have to go to work and keep the town of Griffin’s Den safe,” she tells me.
“I know, and you have to keep the guests of Griffin Farm’s Bed-and-Breakfast comfy and fed.” I squeeze her shoulders.
She rolls her eyes. “My job isn’t as important as yours.”
“I beg to differ. If the guests aren’t happy here, they might be inclined to do illegal things, and then I’d have to work a million hours with stacks of paperwork and court dates. You’re the real hero here.”
I tilt her head up to give her a goodbye kiss, and she meets me halfway. I fight the urge to deepen the kiss as her lips touch mine even though she tries.
Pulling away, I kiss her forehead. “Have a good day at work, my Lunabella.”
“Stay safe, Noah. Have a good day.”
She walks toward the front door, and I shove my hands in my pockets, watching her.
With her hand on the doorknob, she turns and looks at me. “Can you let me know when you’re off the phone with the guy you’re calling? I want to know how it goes before Jess is around.”
“Of course. I’ll call you soon. It’ll be okay, I promise,” I say, knowing I’ll do everything I can to keep that promise.
Once she’s inside, I walk around to the driver’s side of the truck and hop in to head to work.
