Page 23 of Cluelessly Yours

Gorgeous blue eyes, strong shoulders, dark hair, striking smile…it can only be one guy. And yet, I find myself asking to make sure anyway. “Noah?”

“Hey, guys!” he responds excitedly, reaching down to fist-bump Grant while somehow extricating me from his border collie Dolly’s leash at the same time. She’s as well-behaved as her boyfriend Benji and has the most adorable pink bow attached to her collar. “It’s so nice to run into you. What brings you out in the park today?”

“Walkin’,” Grant answers matter-of-factly before I can. “Mom said she couldn’t be inside our apartment another flipping second.”

My eyes bulge, and Noah chuckles. “I hear you on that one, Sammy. Why do you think Dolly and I are out here sucking in the crowded park air?”

Dolly sits like a good girl beside Noah’s feet, and all I can do is smile in an awkward way that reminds me of when my mom used to make Brooke and me take family photos at JCPenney when we were kids and the photographer would say something weird like,Macaroni and WHAT?!just so we would say cheese.

The thing is, for as comfortable as I normally am around Noah because of his friendship with my sister and Chase and the many encounters that’s caused, I’m feeling a little different today.

Maybe it’s because of the pretty woman I saw him with Saturday night or the fact that I followed that up by going on a date with Gavin or that I never texted him back after he asked about Seth, but I just don’t quite know what to do with myself.

I’m Ricky Bobby in front of the camera, and my hands—and my face and my body—are not my own.

Luckily, Grant can fill any silence like it’s his job.

“Noah, did you know I puked five times on Friday?”

Oh, good grief.

“I did not know that,” Noah answers with an amused smile. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yep.” Grant nods. “I didn’t puke on Saturday or Sunday or today. And I hope I never puke again.”

“Well, that’s good news.” Noah meets my eyes. His mouth is still turned up at the corners, visibly entertained by my son’s lack of filter. “How is Seth doing?” he asks, and I instantly think about his unanswered text message.

“He’s good. Back in school today. No major punishment besides spending a little time with the school counselor,” I update before a small grimace finds a home on my lips. “And I’m…uh…I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to text you back over the weekend, but I appreciated you checking in on him.”

“Well, he wasn’t the only one I wanted to check in on,” Noah says, his eyes still locked with mine. “I—”

“You like alligators, Noah?” Grant cuts him off in that way only a five-year-old can. “I love ’em.”

Noah doesn’t balk or even hesitate to reply. To be honest, his enthusiastic response is somewhat surprising. “Oh yeah! Gators are cool. They’re fast too. They move like twenty miles per hour in the water and weigh over a thousand pounds.”

Do all men just, like, know things about alligators?I’m so lost.

“Yeah!” Grant agrees eagerly. “They don’t live here in New York, though.”

“Bummer,” Noah replies, shaking his head.

“Itsucks,” Grant corrects, making my eyes grow in size again.

“Grant,” I chastise softly.

He rolls his eyes. “Well, it doooes.”

Noah’s attention shifts to me again, and I’m grossly unprepared for the smile that crests his perfect, kissable lips. “He’s got a point, Sammy. The lack of alligators does suck. It’s the only real way to put it.”

I snort. “I always found the lack of alligators kind of appealing.”

Grant scoffs. “You’re such agirl, Mom.”

Noah’s smile turns almost mischievous as he mutters in a low whisper, “Now that is somethingIfind appealing.” And he follows that up with a wink. At me.

Gah. Those winks of his are potent.

“Noah!” a woman says from our side, pulling me up just short from saying something stupid like,“I think your being a man is pretty cool too.”

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