“Thank you.” She loops her arms around my neck and offers me a sweet kiss. “I love it.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Can we have cake now?” Zack asks, earning a glare from Nancy that makes us all laugh. “What? It’s cake!”
“I say we eat cake,” Fallon says, earning cheers of joy from everyone.
She cuts her cake, and I hang back, watching with a happy smile. She’s having the time of her life, and I love that something so simple brings her so much joy. I’m also a little sad for the young girl who didn’t have big parties to celebrate her birth.
Although I’m sure she would laugh and tell me to not think twice about it, I want to spend the rest of my life bringing this smile to her face. I want her to always feel special.
“This party was a hit,” Claire says as she sits next to me, holding a piece of cake for me, and one for herself.
“I’m glad,” I reply and take a bite of the white cake with strawberry filling. “How are you doing?”
“I’m having fun,” she says with a smile. “I like seeing her happy.”
“Me, too.”
Maybe I’ve judged Claire too harshly. She’s Fallon’s friend, and she’s looking out for her.
“What are you thinking?” She takes a bite of cake and watches me as she chews.
“About?”
“About Fallon.” She rolls her eyes. “Like, what are your intentions?”
“Interesting turn of conversation,” I mutter.
“Like I said yesterday, she doesn’t have anyone else to look out for her, not like they should. So, I’m asking.”
“I love her,” I reply. “And I plan to make her happy for the rest of her life.”
Claire looks over at Fallon, then sighs and pushes her half-eaten cake away.
“I was worried that this was the case.” She wipes her mouth with her napkin. “Noah, Fallon won’t be here forever. She doesn’t stay anywhere for the long-term. It’s just who she is.”
I narrow my eyes at her, but let her speak. She’s voicing every concern I’ve had when it comes to Fallon. I know she’s moved around, but I also know the conversations we’ve had since we’ve been together.
Claire doesn’t know shit.
“Fallon isn’t the type to get married and have two-point-four kids with the dog and the picket fence.” She shakes her head as if she’s sorry to be the one to deliver the bad news. “She’s never wanted kids, Noah. Not ever. She said she’d never let that happen. And settling down? Not likely.”
“You’ve spent one day with her in six years, and you think you can say all of this with certainty?” I ask.
“We may not see each other often, but we talk all the time. She’s my best friend. I know her, and I’m just telling you this so you don’t get your heart broken.”
I was right about Claire, after all. It sure sounds like she’s trying to single-handedly sabotage my relationship with the woman I love.
“What are you talking about?”
Both of us turn at Fallon’s voice. She scowls at Claire, her gaze bouncing back and forth between us.
“Claire’s just filling me in on the facts about you,” I inform her calmly. I want to scoop her up, but I’m curious to see how she’ll handle this. “That you’ll be moving on soon and wouldn’t ever be interested in settling down.”
Fallon narrows her eyes at her friend. “Is that so?”
“Hey, I’m just telling him what I know about you,” Claire says with a shrug. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“Interesting,” Fallon says, tapping her chin with her finger. “So you think you can just speak for me?”
“It’s nothing you haven’t said to me before.”
“Years ago, and before I met Noah,” Fallon says. “You don’t speak for me, Claire. Not ever. And you…”
She turns to me, and I raise a brow.
“You and I need to step outside.”
“My pleasure.” I stand, and Fallon leads me down the stairs and out the front door. When we reach the sidewalk, Fallon rounds on me, her green eyes bright with anger.
“Did you buy that bullshit? Because that’s what it is. Bullshit. I don’t know what’s up Claire’s ass, but she doesn’t have the right to say those things to you.”
“She’s not wrong,” I remind her, tucking my hands into my pockets so I don’t reach out for her. I need to hear what she has to say. “You do move on. And that’s not conducive to a long-term relationship. She’s your best friend. She should know you well enough to be able to—”
“Claire is not my best friend,” she interrupts, pointing her finger toward Claire up in the restaurant and then down to me. “You are. You’re my best friend, goddamn it. I told you, I don’t let people get that close to me. Not until you. You’re the one who knows me better than anyone else, and you’re the one who should have told Claire to fuck off when she tried to ruin our relationship.”
“I was about to,” I reply and smile when Fallon stops short, blinking rapidly as she absorbs my words.
“What?”
“I was about to, and then you arrived. I know it’s bullshit, Fal. Claire doesn’t know dick about our relationship or how we feel about each other. She’s been here for twenty-four hours.”
“Well, exactly.” She sniffs and smooths her hands down her dress. “Who does that? Who thinks it’s okay to tell the man their friend loves that what they feel is wrong?”
“What did you say?”
She looks up with a confused frown. “What?”
I move to her and pull her against me, my eyes glued to her face, longing to hear the words again.
I feel like I’ve been waiting a lifetime.
Suddenly, her face softens in understanding.
“I love you, Noah King. I think I’ve loved you since you stood in my living room, ankle-deep in water with me. I’m just not good with words, and I—”
I crush my mouth to hers, swallowing the words. She buries her fingers in my hair and holds on tightly, pressing herself more firmly against me and turning me the hell on.
I want to carry her out of here and have my way with her, show her all the ways I love her.
But we have a birthday party to get back to.
“She was never going to ruin this,” I say against Fallon’s lips. “You can’t ruin something so right with some careless words, Fallon. Let her talk. You and I know the truth.”
“We do.” She drags her hand down my cheek, her face soft with a loving smile. “I’m sorry she did that to you.”
“I’m sorry she did that to us.” I kiss her once more and then take her hand, leading her inside. “Now, let’s go enjoy the rest of your party.”
* * * *
“You look sad.”
Fallon’s just returned from taking Claire to the airport. It’s early morning, the day after her birthday. The party wound down around ten, and when we got home, Claire went straight to her room and didn’t come out until this morning when it was time to leave for the airport.
“I don’t know what I am,” Fallon admits as she puts on a pot of water to boil and gathers a mug and a teabag.
“Are you sad she’s gone?”
“No,” she says immediately. “I think I’m relieved that she left. I’m sad that things have changed so much.”
She turns to me, leaning on the counter as she waits for her water.
“We met at the accounting firm I used to work for. She was actually on my staff, and we got along well. We became friends outside of work.
“After Grandma died and I moved on, we stayed in touch, stayed friends. That doesn’t happen often when people move away.”
“You’re right,” I reply, watching her.
“I guess this visit just hammered home how a friendship that’s solely based on phone calls and text messages is so different from one in person. She’s not the same girl I knew back then, and I guess neither am I.
“I hated that she ogled you that first day
. It sounds stupid—”
“Not stupid.”
“But I wanted to tear her eyes out. And it occurred to me, I wouldn’t do that to her. If I was meeting someone important to her, I wouldn’t check him out like that.”
“I might have a problem with it if you did.”
She smirks and turns to make her tea when the kettle starts to sing. She carries her mug to the table and sits across from me, cupping the ceramic between her hands.
“It was an odd visit. Sometimes, it would be like old times, easy and fun. Other moments were just uncomfortable. She enjoyed poking fun at Cunningham Falls, and she said she was worried about me, but that’s not true at all.”
“How do you know?”
“She apologized in the car,” she says and sips her hot tea. “She said she was sorry, and that she was jealous of me, of what I’ve found here with you. I know she’s been looking for a relationship. She’ll take anyone home with her and tell me about it the next day.”
“She’s not going to find a relationship like that.”
“That’s what I told her. I don’t think she heard me.”
“Does this mean your friendship is over?”
Fallon shrugs one shoulder, her expression miserable. “I don’t know. I told her I forgave her, but I’m still mad, and I don’t know if I can forget it. I mean, how do you move on from that? Your good friend trying to drive a wedge into something really beautiful.”
“I don’t know.”
“Me either.” She sighs. “I guess we’ll just see what happens. I know that it won’t ever be the same as before. I feel like I’ve seen how Claire truly is, and I don’t really like it. What did you think of her?”
I just grin and shrug, not wanting to say what I really think.
“You’re the bluntest person I know, and you’re not going to say anything?”
“I may be blunt, but I don’t want to be an asshole.”
“Did you think she was a bitch?”
“Oh, yeah.”
She laughs and takes another sip of tea. “Well, she kind of was to you. I’m sorry about that.”
“Not your fault.” I tip my head, watching her. I hate the strain I see on her face. She may not let many people get close to her, but I can see it hurts her when the ones she lets in disappoint her. “What can I do?”
She stands and walks to me. I push my chair away from the table, giving her space, and she sits on my lap, laying her head on my shoulder.
“I could just use a hug.”
“Always happy to oblige.” I tighten my arms around her, holding her close. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you.”
Her phone dings in her pocket, and she pulls it out. She laughs when she reads the message.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Lacey,” she says, shaking her head and chuckling. “She’s wishing me a happy birthday.”
“A day late.”
She sets the phone on the table and wraps her arms around my neck again. “I guess the message is an improvement, even if she got the wrong day. She’s trying.”
“That’s all you asked.”
“Exactly.” She sighs and kisses my cheek. “You always know how to make me feel better. Thank you for that.”
“My pleasure, baby.”
Chapter Sixteen
~Fallon~
“Hello?”
I clamp my phone between my ear and shoulder as I shove my things into my tote bag, ready to go meet Noah for lunch.
“Hey, Fallon, this is Rick Sheels.”
“Hi, Rick, how’s it going?” I prop my hand on my hip and stare at myself in the mirror, wondering why my landlord is calling. “I’m pretty sure I paid the rent this month.”
“Oh, yeah, we’re fine there,” he says. He must be in his car because I can hear background noise. “I just wanted to give you a heads-up that I’m selling the building that houses the studio.”
I frown. “The whole building? Even the ski shop below me?”
“That’s right,” he says. “I wanted to let you know in case it sells quickly, so you have a chance to find a different space if you want.”
I sit on the floor, an idea forming in my head. “Rick, have you put the building on the market?”
“No, not yet.”
“Would you mind giving me the first shot at buying it?” I swallow hard, butterflies setting up residence in my belly. “I don’t know if I can get approved for the mortgage, but I’d like to try.”
“Sure, Fallon. That would be great. Go ahead and think it over, talk to your mortgage broker, and let me know. I’ll send you the appraisal so you can get things in motion. Good luck.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep you posted.”
I hang up and tug on my lower lip, thinking it all over. I want this, more than I even realized. Glancing around the studio, so many ideas come to mind.
New mirrors, pillows, and mats. Cubbies for boots and shoes, a coat area. An infused water station.
There’s so much I could do with the place if it was mine. So many upgrades that I’d love to see.
I check the time and realize I’m going to be late for my lunch date with Noah, so I grab my things, lock the door behind me, and hurry across the street to Little Deli. Noah’s already sitting at the counter, talking to Mrs. Blakely, the longtime owner of the shop.
“There she is,” Mrs. Blakely says with a kind smile. “Would you like your usual, dear?”
“Yes, please.” I quickly kiss Noah, then climb onto my stool, letting my tote bag fall to the floor. “Noah, I need help.”
“What’s going on?”
I love the way he immediately snaps to attention, ready to slay any dragons in my way.
This time, though, I’m the dragon.
“I need a recommendation for a mortgage broker.”
He frowns. “We talked about this two weeks ago when Claire was here. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Not to move,” I say with a laugh. “Rick’s selling the studio building, and I want to buy it.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “Do you?”
“More than anything. There’s so much I can do in there. I’ve been thinking about expanding my business for a while, but I didn’t know how. This would open up so many doors for me.”
“Would you let the ski shop stay?” he asks before taking a bite of his pickle. Mrs. Blakely sets my vegetarian wrap in front of me with a wink.
“Thank you.” I turn to Noah. “I don’t know, I haven’t thought that far ahead. I probably would for now. My first priority is to update the studio itself. I have a ton of ideas for it.”
“What’s your end goal?” he asks, surprising me. “How big do you want to take this?”
“Honestly? I’d like to host retreats here. Incorporate good, healthy foods, yoga, meditation, and gratitude journaling. But I know that doesn’t have much to do with the studio building and is something for later.”
“We could add a few cabins to the property,” he says, really digging in and thinking it over. It’s like he’s getting swept away with me, daydreaming. And I absolutely love it.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say, shaking my head. “Like I said, it’s a dream for later. For today, I want to focus on this building.”
“Would you still hold classes at the Lodge on the lake?” he asks. “I’m just trying to get a sense for your plan.”
“Yes, I would. And I may work with Nina Wolfe in the future, as well. I guess I’d have to think about adding a couple of employees so I don’t spread myself too thin.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” he says with a nod.
“You do?”
“Of course. You’re excellent at what you do, and expanding your business means you really are staying. For the long haul.”
“For the long haul,” I agree. “So, do you know someone?”
“I do. Evan Waters, Sam’s brother. He’s a mortgage broker. His office is just around the corner. We can walk over and s
ee him.”
“I love this small town,” I say with excitement. “Everyone knowing each other pays off. Although, I shouldn’t get too excited. I might not qualify.”
“But you might, and you should at least find out.”
“You’re right.” I finish my wrap. “You don’t know if you don’t try. I want to try.”
“You’re going to be great,” Mrs. Blakely says. “It always makes me so happy to see new, exciting businesses come to town.”
“You should come to a class,” I reply. “I think you’d like it.”
Mrs. Blakely smiles softly. “Oh, I’m an old woman.”
“You’re wonderful, and you might be surprised.”
She wipes the counter down with her wet towel and then nods. “That sounds like fun. I’ll come to a class.”
“Wonderful.” I reach down into my bag for one of my fliers that has the class times on it and pass it to her. “Choose any of the times on there. On me.”
“Oh, no, I’ll pay you.”
“Not for your first class,” I insist. “If you enjoy it and you want to keep coming, we’ll take it from there.”
“You have yourself a deal, young lady.”
“See? You’re a natural businesswoman. Let’s go get you that loan.” Noah pays for our lunch, takes my hand, and escorts me out of the deli and down the block. We turn right at the end of the street and, sure enough, Evan Waters’ office is right there.
“Hi, Noah,” the receptionist says with a smile. “How can I help you?”
“Is Evan in? We don’t have an appointment.”
“I sure am,” Evan calls from his office. “Come on back.”
“Hey, man,” Noah says, offering his hand for Evan to shake. “We’re here for my girlfriend, Fallon McCarthy.”
“That would be me,” I say with a smile and shake Evan’s hand. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re Sam’s twin.”
“He’s a year younger than me,” Evan says, laughing. “And I’m the better-looking one. So, tell me what’s up.”
“Rick Sheels owns the building that houses my yoga business. I just received a call from him today that he’s going to sell it, and I’d like to buy it.”
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