Page 18 of Cluelessly Yours

Cool liquid touches my tongue just as he does the same to my eyes, and I nearly choke on my wine when I realize the attractive man in question is someone I know.

Oh my God. Noah is here.And I’m gawking at him.

All I can hear is the sound of Brooke’s annoying voice in my head.“Out of eleventy billion bars in the city, you picked the one where you run into him? This is a sign, Sam!”

I shake my head against the incessant power of her mental takeover, but the Brooke of my imagination keeps pushing just like the nasty old devil would if he were sitting on my shoulder.“I’ll freaking kill you if you waste this opportunity. You know that, right?”

I nearly laugh. My imagination isn’t far off the truth. Brooke Baker will definitely murder me if I let the opportunity to chat up Noah Philips in this bar go unused.

Okay, fine. Fine! I’ll do it.

It takes a hot minute for me to gather some courage, but ultimately, I do. I slide off my stool with my wineglass in hand and weave my way through the crowd toward the other side of the bar where Noah sits. He’s mostly keeping to himself; though he does exchange a few good-natured hellos with people he’s probably seen before in his immediate vicinity.

I press on, excusing myself as I have to physically push in between people to close the distance between us.

I approach from behind, and I steel my nerves against the quaking power of how strong he looks in his suit.

I’ve just lifted a finger to tap him on the shoulder—I’m so close, I can smell the scent of his woodsy, fresh, amber-warm cologne—when a redheaded woman ten feet in front of him affectionately shouts, “Paging Dr. Philips!”

Her smile beams, and I rock to a stop as he jerks his head up from his drink.Not even a second later, his feet kick into motion, and he’s off his barstool and heading straight for her.

They embrace in a warm hug, and the visibly attractive woman presses a gentle kiss to his cheek.

My whole chest deflates. Of course he’s not here alone.I’m such an idiot.

It’s all I can do not to lose my feet, the surge of adrenaline from the moment taking over my body. Suddenly, these five-inch heels seem like an even worse idea than they did when I put them on.

My flight instincts are officially engaged.

Abort! Abort!

Slinking carefully backward, I discreetly round my way to the other side of the bar again, drop my nearly empty glass on the mahogany top, and head straight for the door. Being here…it’s just not right. I know it’s my first night alone in ages, but I’m not ready for this kind of thing. The hope. The fear. The unknown. I can’t do it.

As quickly as I can, I make my way out to the sidewalk and then pause briefly to look up at the sky and take a much-needed deep breath. It’s chilly out, so much so, it feels like I should be able to see my exhale, but I can’t.

Regardless, I cross my arms over my chest and walk.

The nip in the air starts to dissipate the farther I get into the three-block trek to the nearest subway station, but the piercing cold of reality’s knife in my chest doesn’t ease a bit.

Halfway into my journey, my phone buzzes in my hand, and desperate to distract myself from the warring feelings inside me, I lift it to look at the screen. I know the caller, and for some reason—some itchy feeling deep inside the darkest part of me—I put it to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Sammy,” Gavin’s voice trills, the friendliness in it soothing something I can’t explain. “How’s your sister doing?”

“Oh…she’s good. Already home from the hospital,” I answer and lean one hip against the cement block that separates the subway stairs from the sidewalk. “Thank you for asking, and thank you for texting yesterday, too. Sorry I didn’t respond. Things have been a bit crazy.”

“No apology necessary,” he says, and his voice sounds completely genuine.

“So…uh…is that why you called?” I ask. “To check on my sister?”

“Well…that was part of the reason,” he answers through a soft chuckle.

“Okay…”

“I know it’s a long shot…but I’m in the city and I thought of you, and I’m wondering if there’s any chance you’re free for dinner tonight? I’m finishing up a quick meeting right now, but I’ll be done in about an hour.”

“Dinner? Tonight?”

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