Page 8 of Shaded Amethysts
“Not yet,” I answered, doing my best not to sound defensive.
“Hmm.” I’m sure he intended for it to sound noncommittal, but he ended up just seeming like a pompous ass.
I was ready to toss down my napkin and leave in a huff, until he added, “I’m sure you’ll finish and pass the bar exam. You seem like the type of woman who can do anything she puts her mind to.”
The compliment and subsequent raising of his glass in my direction blew me away. I had been starting to become convinced that he didn’t like me at all, and that we were all wrong for each other, but then he knocked it out of the park with his kind, sincere-sounding words.
“Thank you,” I said, even as I felt my cheeks flush with heat.
To shift the subject back to him, I asked, “How are you liking our little town?”
“Oh, I love it!” he enthused.
I gave him a wide smile because I couldn’t agree more with his glowing assessment of the picturesque location that we called home.
He seemed to be lost in thought when he said, “My Grammy brought our family here on vacation a couple of times when I was a kid. Those trips are some of the best memories of my childhood.”
Something about the wistful way he uttered the words made me think that he didn’t have a lot of happy memories from growing up, but I decided not to ask him about it just yet. We had plenty of time to discover all of each other’s secrets.
The conversation flowed naturally after that, and soon it was time for dessert. I was stuffed, so I suggested we go for a walk downtown, instead. Noah readily agreed.
He paid for dinner and took my elbow to escort me from the restaurant, reconfirming my initial impression that he was a gentleman.
As we walked past the harbor, I shivered and pulled my light, knit shawl more tightly around my shoulders. Noah immediately noticed and offered me his suit jacket. I gladly accepted and smiled as I hugged the fabric that was still warm from his body heat around me.
He offered to buy me ice cream from the train caboose, but I declined. “Normally, I can’t turn down ice cream, but I’m too chilly and full tonight.”
“As you wish,” he murmured gallantly as he wheeled us around to head back toward the area where we had parked our vehicles.
I pointed out my little car and said, “That one is mine.”
He backed me up against the driver’s side door and asked, “Can I see you again?”
“That would be wonderful,” I answered honestly, before adding, “But I’m going to need to prioritize my best friend’s custody battle over dating. They are fast-tracking it to court, since her fiancé is wealthy and famous, so it may start taking up a large amount of my time.”
Noah’s dark brows cinched together as if he was truly perplexed. “Grant Chandler is letting an unlicensed lawyer work on his custody case?”
I was not surprised that he figured out who I was talking about. It would be hard to live in this town and not know about the movie star’s latest woes, but the condescending tone he used when asking the question made me bristle with annoyance.
“Yes, he realizes the benefit of having someone who truly cares about the outcome on his team,” I snapped in response. I purposely left out the fact that Grant had the exact same concerns about my inclusion on the legal team for the case.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Noah said, proving that he quickly picked up on my irritation. “I was just surprised to hear that he didn’t hire the most expensive, experienced law firm around.”
“Oh, he did,” I assured him. “They are just adding me into the mix.”
“Gotcha,” Noah said, just before he leaned in to press his lips to mine.
His kiss was soft and warm. I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck as he pulled me closer.
A noise just to our left drew both of our attention. We turned our heads just in time to see the stranger from last night staring at us with a stunned expression.
For some strange reason, guilt churned in my stomach at having been caught kissing by this particular man.
Noah’s hands fell from my lower back as he stepped back and said in a flat tone, “Gage.”
The man’s deep voice responded in the same unemotional tone, “Noah.”
My wide-eyed gaze volleyed back and forth between the two of them before I asked, “You two know each other?”
