Page 50 of The Pumpkin Spice Romance
Abrupt sunlight filtered through the church, sending dust motes dancing on the air and alerting Noah Ford.
He glanced at his watch. Barely after 9:15 a.m., and he’d already been polishing carvings in the ends of their sanctuary pews for three hours. The tedious work meant crawling on hands and knees with an old toothbrush in one hand, wood polish and a cleaning rag in the other. His knees might scream in protest, and his back would be plenty stiff, but cleaning and protecting the impressive carvings for future generations to admire outweighed the aches he’d have to show for his meticulous methods.
Sitting back on his heels, Noah stopped the music playing on his phone and pulled the AirPods from his ears. Then he looked to see who’d entered the sanctuary.
An angel.
Aflame in blinding rays streaming from the open doorway, her wavy auburn hair glowed. Her skin, alabaster contrasted by a peachy blush of heightened color in her cheeks,revealed agitation. An impatientHello?seconded the notion of her piqued demeanor.
Aspiritedangel.
“Hello?” she repeated, basically bellowing. “Is anyone here?” she demanded.
Her disgruntled tone inspired the opposite effect of what she’d probably intended; instead of answering, Noah eased deeper into the shadows. He used the dark corner of the sanctuary to observe the girl while remaining unseen. Noah sensed he’d never regain that advantage once surrendered.
“Oh, good heavens,” she muttered, closing the church doors behind her with a firm push against the heavy wood. Noah had polished them a few days earlier, and they possessed a timeless, all-powerful quality.
The girl turned in a circle, surveying the space. She ran a hand over the velvet-covered pews as she walked to the perimeter of the room. There, she studied — but didn’t touch — the quilts that hung from rods along the wall. After a few minutes, her eyes lifted to study the elaborate stained-glass windows running horizontally along the top of the exterior walls.
A whistle of appreciation escaped her lips, but she didn’t utter a word.
Noah watched her explore his favorite room on earth for a few more minutes, eager to see if she detected the energy and aura he felt deep in his bones every time he entered the hallowed space.
While her back was toward him, Noah tiptoed toward the side entrance at the back of the pulpit stage, opened the door, and pretended to emerge from it.
“Hi there,” he greeted, pleased when she twirled to face him. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.” Technically, it wasn’t a lie. With headphones in each ear, he hadn’theardher, only seen her. . .glorious in the ethereal light haloing her angelic self.
“I don’t see how,” she quipped. “I about raised the dead next door, banging and pounding to get inside.”
“Aren’t we lucky that the cemetery is secure and the door was unlocked?” he replied, lifting an eyebrow at her drama. Averyspirited angel indeed.
Hmph, she sounded, eyeing Noah with a skeptical gleam. “I’m meeting two people here: M’Kenzee Stewart and Maree Larsen. Have you seen them?”
“In that case, you’re here for me.”
“Certainly not,” she retorted. “I’m here for a job M’Kenzee promised and a place to sleep that Maree offered.”
“The new personal assistant, right?”
Her eyes narrowed. Her brow furrowed.
“Yes.” Suspicion dripped from all three letters like sap from a tree.
“And do you have a name?” Noah asked.
“Maybe,” she said. “But if I’mhere for you,shouldn’t you already know it?” She crossed her arms and tilted her head with attitude.
Not just spirited. . .salty.
Noah’s heart soared.
“Valid point,” he said, dipping his chin in an indulgent nod. “Safety first,” Noah added with a sly grin as he pulled his phone from his back pocket, scrolled through the contacts, and hit both the call button and the speakerphone.
“Noah!” Scarlett recognized M’Kenzee’s commanding voice when it boomed from the other end of the line.
“Is she there?” Maree’s much bubblier voice asked from the background.
“I believe she is,” Noah answered, never taking his eyes off their subject.
