She didn’t tell him to wait. Noah didn’t turn around.
And in the end, she just stood there and watched as one of the best men she’d ever known walked away.
17
She was going to call. Noah was sure of it.
Evie just needed a moment after the awful scene back at the inn. Of course she was feeling confused and guilty after all those terrible things Starr had said—but once she’d had a chance to think about it, she’d realize there was nothing wrong with moving on and falling in love again.
She’d come back to him.
But the weekend passed in silence, and then the next few days did too. By the end of the week, Noah didn’t feel so confident anymore. She’d asked for time, and he’d taken it for granted that she meant it. But what if he was wrong?
Was that just her way of saying it was over?
“… Noah? Hey!”
He turned. Jake was standing beside the fire truck with a crate of equipment in his arms. “What?” Noah asked, still a million miles away.
“Man, you’ve been staring into space for the last five minutes,” Jake said, looking sympathetic. Which just made Noah feel worse. “Come on, help me get this gear stowed and then we can go have a drink at the pub.”
“Not tonight,” Noah said, hauling a couple more crates back to the storage room.
“Come on,” Jake urged. “What are you going to do instead: stay home, listening to sad country songs and staring at your phone?”
Noah scowled. Sure, that had been his routine all week, but it suited him just fine.
“One drink,” Jake insisted. “Then you can go wallow to your heart’s content.”
“I’m not wallowing.”
“Uh huh.” Jake gave him a slap on the back. “Keep telling yourself that, buddy. But if you want anyone to believe you, maybe you should shave. You look like you’ve just come in from a month in the woods.”
“Good idea,” Noah grumbled. “Maybe I should take a camping trip, get away from all this friendly concern.”
“You know we love you, buddy,” Jake said cheerfully. “And if you don’t show your face in public soon, Mackenzie or your mom will turn up on your doorstep and demand answers. Trust me, one drink is a small price to pay to stop your family getting involved.”
Noah paused. He had a good point. “One drink,” he reluctantly agreed. “But you can’t even mention her name. Deal?”
“Deal.”
But even though Jake had pledged to keep the topic of Evie off the table that night, nobody else had gotten the memo. Because when Noah walked through the doors of the pub, he could see the looks on their faces. He was used to attention, especially from the women around town, but he’d never had them look at him like this.
Sympathetic. Curious. Pitying.
The tables had well and truly turned.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he announced to his friends, collapsing heavily into a chair at a table with Mackenzie, Poppy, and Cooper.
“Talk about what?” Mackenzie asked with an innocent look.
“Aunt June’s footage of the car wash,” Poppy spoke up, giving Noah a wink. “It’s going viral online. Apparently, she’s had over fifty thousand hits. You’ll need to make it an annual event, at this rate,” she smirked. “Add it to the town schedule, bring in the tourists from miles around.”
“Funny.” Noah grabbed the beer that Cooper passed him and took a gulp.
“He thinks I’m kidding.” Poppy laughed. “He doesn’t know my aunt.”
“There’s a merchandise store online, too,” Mackenzie added. “You too can own your very own Sweetbriar Cove Firefighters T-shirt and ballcap. Local hunk not included.”
“I would hope not,” Jake said, grinning. “But wait, is she pocketing all the cash from this? Where’s my cut?”
“How do you think she takes so many fabulous foreign vacations?”
“I thought it was the money from her first divorce. Or her third.”
Noah sat back and let the jokes fly around him. He should be relieved they were following orders and not mentioning his failing relationship, but instead, it just felt like the elephant in the room.
He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be anywhere if it wasn’t with Evie. All week, he’d had to force himself not to pick up the phone or drive down to the inn just to say hi. He wanted to see her more than anything, but he was going to respect her wishes even if it killed him.
And it was.
“… what do you think?”
Noah felt a light elbow in his ribs. He looked back at the group. “About …?”
“Our big camping trip,” Jake replied. “It was your idea.”
“Sounds great,” Poppy said. “As long as we can bring a three-person tent. Little Emma doesn’t travel light.”
“Good idea,” Mackenzie brightened. “You think Chase would loan his RV? I’m not exactly a fan of roughing it.”
Jake snorted. “Understatement,” he said affectionately.
“Hey! Just because I like my great outdoors with a side of running water.” Mac grinned. “You’ll change your tune after a night on the ground, while I’m lounging on a real bed.”
Noah shook his head. A group camping trip? That was the last thing he needed. “I was kidding,” he said. “Besides, the whole point of getting out of getting out of town would be to get away from you people.”
“Ignore him,” Mackenzie said, cheerful. “He’s just grumpy and lovelorn. Which is all the more reason why you need your friends around to distract you,” she said, nudging Noah. “No solo woodsman act. We’ll all go. It’ll be fun. Next month?”
“Sounds good,” Cooper agreed. “And I bet Jackson and Alice will be up for it.”
“And Summer and Grayson,” Poppy added. “We’re going to need sustenance out in the woods. And by that, I mean her cinnamon buns.”
But Noah paused, feeling a chill as he processed what Mackenzie had just said. She still thought he’d need cheering up a whole month from now?
He turned to her. “What do you know?” he asked urgently.
“What do you mean?” Mackenzie looked confused.
“Have you talked to her?” he demanded. “What did she say?”
“I didn’t—” Mackenzie saw his expression and softened. “I don’t know anything, I promise. Nobody’s seen her around except Cassie, and even then it was just on official redecorating business. Believe me, I’ve been asking. You think I would leave you hanging?”
Noah exhaled, feeling like a desperate fool. “No, of course not,” he said. Evie was the one who’d done that, and now he was stuck in a terrible limbo, not knowing if he should be fighting to save the best thing that had ever happened to him—or keeping his distance so she could find her own way back to them on her own.
“I’m sorry,” he added, sitting back with a sigh. “I just don’t know what to do. She asked for time. But how long does it take?” he asked, feeling a hollow ache in his chest. “If she really cared about me, wouldn’t it be simple?”