“Oh yeah?” I asked, just like he had about Levi.
“Turns out she’s gonna be in town for a while. She gets here day after tomorrow. Her folks are here. Some business deal her mom’s working on. I told her she could crash here for a couple of days. Is that cool?”
“Sure, Noah. I guess we’ve got the space, with Lee’s and my old room.”
“You sure?”
I shrugged into the sand and offered him a reassuring smile. As jealous as I got of Amanda, I did at least feel confident that she wasn’t a threat to Noah’s and my relationship. “Why wouldn’t I be? Did you know she was coming or was this her idea of a surprise?”
He smirked. “Her idea of a surprise.”
“Hey, if she’s around, you should invite her to the water park with us! Levi’s gonna come, too. Lee and I figured we could make it a whole group thing; it’ll be so much cooler that way. Lee was gonna ask Rachel, and Jon wanted to get involved, too, since his brother helped us organize the whole thing, so…”
“Oh, right. Cool. Uh, sure. I’ll…give her a heads-up.”
I realized then that we’d never actually formally asked Noah to get involved with it and laughed, swatting a hand lightly across his arm. “Obviously we want you to be part of it, too, you big doofus. Lee’s got your costume planned and everything.”
His eyebrows knitted together and one side of his mouth quirked. “No thanks, Elle. I’m sure you guys will have a blast, but…nah. Not my thing.”
“Oh, come on! Please? The only reason we’re even allowed to do it is because we’re filming it and raising money for charity as some, like, PR promo for the water park. Please? It’s for a good cause.”
He laughed. “Why does this feel like that time you asked me to be a kisser at your kissing booth?”
“So?”
“I don’t think so, Shelly.”
I pouted, spinning onto my side and wriggling closer, so my face was nearer his. “What did you say last time?” I racked my brain, trying to remember the house party when I’d asked him to do the kissing booth for us, at the request of all the girls. “I think you said something like, would I go down on my knees and beg?”
Noah groaned, pulling his hands over his face and laughing. “Don’t give me that look, Elle. You know I never meant it like that.”
“Please?” I wheedled, my fingertip tracing patterns over his bare chest.
“I just don’t think it’s my thing.” He sighed. “I’ll come along to…support you or whatever, but there is no way I’m putting some stupid costume on.”
I could see there’d be no convincing him tonight, so I gave up. Maybe Lee could give it a shot—heck, even Amanda might be able to convince him. Sometimes I forgot that where Lee and I could get carried away with the crazy, Noah was a lot more down-to-earth. Sighing, I settled for just resting my head on his shoulder, tucking into his side as he moved his arm around me and kissed me between the eyebrows.
“So what’re your plans tomorrow?”
“Hmm…” I pulled up my mental calendar. “Breakfast shift, then I’m taking Brad to the dentist, running a couple of errands for my dad and back here all evening.”
“No bucket-list stuff?”
“Nope.” Then I added, “Lee’s going to a movie with Ashton.”
“Huh. And you’re…” He trailed off, but I heard the words he didn’t say: You’re okay with that?
I shrugged, burrowing my face into his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m okay with it. Why wouldn’t I be? I…I have to be,” I mumbled. “Lee’s allowed to have other friends. Same as me. He didn’t get mad when I started hanging out with Levi.”
“You don’t sound so okay.”
“Shut up. I’m fine.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“And if Lee ever asks, I’m fine with it.”
“I think it’s cute you’re jealous.”
Before I could stop myself, I said, “Did you think it was cute when I got jealous of Amanda?”
Noah stiffened. Then his arm tightened around me, his hand stroking up and down my spine and sending a shiver through me. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “No. But I will admit I think you’re kind of sexy when you’re shouting at me.”
“Only kind of?”
“Very,” he corrected himself in a murmur.
“Is that why you disagree with me so much?”
“Absolutely.”
I softened, smiling, and pressed a kiss into his shoulder before shifting so I could kiss him properly.
The way Noah kissed me, the way he held me, it was with such total adoration, holding me so tenderly, with a grip like he couldn’t ever bear to let me go. I could feel how much he loved me, and I knew that whatever had happened last year, I had nothing to be jealous of now.
I only hoped he could tell how much I loved him.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hello, hello, strangers! Anyone home?” a voice sang, ringing through the house. “Do you guys really leave your front door unlocked?”
There was no mistaking that peppy voice with the English accent. I heard someone moving around in the kitchen. Lee and Rachel’s bedroom door opened. I launched myself out of Noah’s and my bathroom, toothbrush still in my mouth.
Amanda was standing in the doorway. Her blond hair was cut short, hanging in chin-length waves that framed her face. She didn’t seem to be wearing makeup, but her smooth skin had a dewy glow. She wore a cropped white T-shirt that hung off one shoulder and pink denim shorts. I could see a pink bikini top through her shirt and the ties of it around her neck.
Laughing, Noah dashed forward to draw her into a bear hug that lifted Amanda clean off her feet. She giggled, mussing his hair when he set her back down. “All right, muscles, no need to show off. Rachel! Elle! Hey!”
I drooled toothpaste all over the floor and down my pajama top, which made Noah snort when he noticed. I shoved my toothbrush back into my mouth and gestured one sec with an incoherent mumble, dashing back to the bathroom to sort myself out. I patted the patch of toothpaste drool off my shirt before heading back out.
Amanda gave me a huge smile, pulling me into a hug. She smelled like vanilla. Like cookies.
For Pete’s sake, was there nothing about this girl that wasn’t perfect?