“Promise?” Noah asked, pulling her closer. He kissed her again, deeper this time, and Evie felt a rush of delicious heat.
Oh.
She almost changed her mind right then and there to make a run for it. After all, they could be back at the inn in a heartbeat, alone.
Back in her bed.
Then the door swung open, and Gayle was standing there. Evie blushed, quickly detangling herself from Noah. “Hi,” she blurted, embarrassed. “We’re here!”
But Gayle didn’t seem concerned by the make-out. She clapped her hands together in delight. “Look at you lovebirds,” she cooed. “Come in, come in. Dinner’s almost ready.”
Evie stepped inside, but Gayle blocked Noah’s path. “Go fetch your father, he’s been in that barn all day.”
Noah gave Evie a worried look.
“I’ll be fine,” Evie reassured him, smiling.
“Of course she will,” Gayle said, shooing him out. “Evie and I can get to know each other, isn’t that right?” Once Noah left, she turned to Evie with a sigh and led her inside. “I should really install an intercom or some kind of buzzer. Jeff loses all track of time with his work!”
“That’s right,” Evie said, taking in the brightly colored clutter of coats and books and wildly patterned paintings. “Noah told me about the dollhouse furniture.”
“Of all the things …” Gayle gave an exaggerated shrug. “But it keeps him busy, at least. And leaves me to my hobbies in peace.”
Evie caught sight of a huge painting above the mantle. Gayle turned. “You like it? It’s one of mine,” she said proudly.
“It’s … very colorful,” Evie said, trying to make out what the shapes were. Wait, was that …?
“The male form is so inspiring,” Gayle beamed.
“Oh.” Evie blinked. It was.
“Creativity runs in the family,” she continued. “You’ve seen Mackenzie’s work? She’s a real talent. And Noah was artistic too, when he was younger.”
“He was?”
“Oh yes, he played the guitar—a terrible racket,” Gayle confided as they headed through to the kitchen. “But I have some old videos around here somewhere. We can watch after dinner! Now, come, sit. I want to know everything about how you two met. Have you been dating long? What are your plans here in Sweetbriar Cove?”
Evie had to smile. Noah was right, his mom was something like a hurricane. And she was directly in the path of the storm.
“It’s so nice he’s brought you to meet us,” Gayle continued, bustling around the counter. “He hasn’t brought a girl home since … well, since Caitlin,” she said, pressing her lips together in disapproval. “And we all know how that one worked out.”
Caitlin? It took Evie a moment to put it together. That must be the name of Noah’s ex, she realized. The one he’d been dating every woman on the Cape in order to forget.
Evie felt an itch of curiosity, but before she could ask anything, the kitchen door flew open. “I’m back!” Noah burst in, looking like he’d just sprinted there. “What did I miss?” he asked, looking between them anxiously.
“Relax,” his mother laughed. “I haven’t even brought out the baby photos yet. I was just finding out how you two met.”
“You know that. Debra asked me to help out with all the Beachcomber stuff,” Noah put in smoothly. “Is it time to eat yet? I’m starving.”
“Me too,” said an older man who followed Noah through the door. “I’m Jeff,” he said, reaching to shake Evie’s hand. “And you must be the sacrificial lamb on the menu tonight,” he added with a wink.
Evie laughed. “I hope not.” He had a distracted energy about him, and he was wearing a rumpled shirt and dusty pants, but she could see the resemblance to Noah in the way his father’s eyes crinkled at the edges.
“Are these ready for the table?” Noah interrupted, whisking dishes through to the dining room.
Jeff looked amused. “Anyone would think he’s trying to get through dinner as fast as possible,” he said.
Gayle made a tsking sound. “I can’t imagine why. We’re just going to get to know Evie, isn’t that right?”
Evie opened her mouth to reply—then wrinkled her nose. “Is something burning?” she ventured, just as the oven let out an alarming bleating noise.
“The tagine!” Gayle sprung to life, yanking open the oven door. Smoke billowed out, and Noah quickly grabbed a dishtowel and started fanning while his father threw the windows wide open.
Clearly, they’d had practice at this kind of thing.
“Is it ruined?” Jeff asked, looking hopeful.
“What a shame,” Noah agreed quickly. “I’ll order delivery!”
“Not so fast.” Gayle lifted the lid of the clay pot, revealing a singed-looking mess. “You caught it just in time,” she said, sounding proud. “It’s always better a little well-done, don’t you think, boys?”
There was silence. Noah and Jeff exchanged a look, and Jeff cleared his throat.
“Let’s eat!”
They settled in at the table, passing around salad and side plates, and Evie realized that Noah’s joke about hiding the leftovers hadn’t been a joke before.
The lamb dish was the worst thing she’d ever tasted.
Evie took a gulp of water, trying desperately to wash it down. Across the table, Jeff was choking quietly as Noah made a big show of pushing food around his plate … without actually eating any of it.
“So, Evie—” Gayle began, fixing her with another eagle-eyed look, but before she could start the inquisition again, Noah jumped in.
“Did I tell you about the fundraiser I’m planning for the firehouse?” he asked, then talked non-stop about carwash options and local sponsors, fast enough that his mom couldn’t even get a word in.
Evie stifled a smile as he explained in great, great detail how he’d landed on the grill he was borrowing for the cookout. “Cooper offered to loan his for the event, but Declan’s the professional chef, so I figured I should trust his advice …”
Noah went on so long, Evie was impressed. She’d never imagined there was this much to say about grilling. At this rate, they’d make it through dinner before he even got started on which woods he was using in the smoker. But just when she was thinking they might be home free, Gayle interrupted him.
“That’s nice, dear, but you’re monopolizing the conversation,” Gayle chided. “Poor Evie has barely said a thing.”
“That’s fine,” Evie managed. “I’m just, um, enjoying the food.”
Gayle beamed. “Would you like another serving?”
“Oh, no, thanks.” Evie heard Noah trying not to laugh. “I want to savor this one!”
“So tell us more about yourself, Evie,” Gayle continued. “Are you from the area?”
“No. I moved to Boston for college,” she explained. “And then stayed for work after.”
“Like Noah in Tennessee,” Gayle said. “You know, there were plenty of colleges nearby he could have attended, but he had to go out of state.”