A Love Worth Waiting For and Heaven Knows (8 page)

“Do I look gullible?” She grabbed a remote and pressed a button. The fireplace in the corner roared to life. “You're a self-made man, according to all my friends who read that recent magazine article about you.”

“I inherited my first million, but made the rest myself.” He took the recliner. “That doesn't make me ruthless. Maybe I made my fortune by accident.”

“By accident? How do you do that, I'd like to know. I love teaching—don't get me wrong—but I wouldn't mind being accidentally wealthy.” She sat on the edge of the wide coffee table, chin up, all challenge.

She didn't believe him when he'd said his success was an accident. Fine. She would.

“This is something you won't read in any magazine. I never admit this to anyone else. Probably because then I'd look like an incompetent who shouldn't be in charge of a company.”

“Ooh, now I'm curious.” She leaned forward, and he felt as if he could tell her anything.

“I was fresh out of business school with my MBA in hand. The last thing I wanted to do was work with my father. He has a consulting firm and he was pressuring me to join him. But I'd come into my money that summer, so I rented office space in the basement of this old building in Queens. I set up shop and wrote code with a buddy of mine. By
Christmas, we had a financial software package on the market, for trading stocks electronically. By spring, I quadrupled my inheritance.”

“I thought you ran this huge electronics conglomerate.”

“It started out as a small software venture. I was just doing what I loved to do. It snowballed. No, it exploded like a ton of dynamite and buried my life.” He felt a sense of loss he couldn't explain and didn't know where it came from. “So I made billions and built a huge company, and I never intended to do it.”

He took a sip of hot chocolate, and the sweetness soothed that unsettled feeling in his stomach. “Julie, promise me something. Don't tell the stockholders I admitted that.”

“Cross my heart.” She said it like a promise she would keep for the rest of her days.

She was too good to be true, and he was thankful she was his friend.

She took a sip of hot chocolate. Marshmallow clung to her upper lip. The tip of her tongue swiped the sweetness away.

Before he knew what he was doing, he reached across the distance between them. Her lips felt like warmed satin against his fingertip. “You missed a spot.”

“I bet the women you spend time with don't spill marshmallow fluff all over themselves.”

“No, they don't.” His fingers stroked the corner of her mouth. His touch felt tender and amazing.

She sparkled all the way down to her toes. No man had ever made her feel like this.

He withdrew, but he didn't ease back into the chair. He placed his elbows on his knees, remaining close. So close she could see the black flecks in his dark eyes. It would take nothing at all for him to lean forward and kiss her. She almost wanted him to.

Romantic doom, remember? It was hard, but she managed to slide away from him without spilling her hot chocolate or letting her feelings show.

The microwave dinged, saving her. Instead of running away from being so close to him, it looked as if she were leaving for completely valid reasons.

Noah seemed unaware as he straightened, stood up and paced to the far window. The sunlight was waning, the world outside somber and brooding.

Friends, he had said wisely, and she wholeheartedly agreed. A man like Noah Ashton was wrong for her.

The chili was steaming, and she gave it a good stir.

“Smells good.” Noah wandered into the kitchen, stretching. “Homemade?”

“The only kind.” She slipped a plate piled with cornbread slices into the microwave and hit the start button. “What do you want to drink? I have vanilla soda or root beer.”

“You pick.” He sidled past her to the sink and turned on the faucet. The scent of berries filled the air as he pumped out a few dollops of soft soap.

There was a jingling sound, but it wasn't the microwave.

“My cell.” Noah's hands were in the water. “It's in my coat. Can you grab it?”

It could be the doctor. She could feel his urgency. She dashed to the table, where his jacket was hanging over the back of a chair, and found the phone by feel.

“If it's from area code 212, let the voice mail get it.” He turned off the faucet. “I can always get back—”

Kline Detective Agency, it said on the caller ID screen. Julie stared at it for a moment, and the ringing stopped.

“Is it the doctor?” Noah was dripping water on the floor. He grabbed the phone with his wet hands, worry harsh on his face as he read the screen.

Julie turned away. It was none of her business who was calling Noah. It could be a wrong number. It could be anything.

Then why was he so quiet?

“I'll return that call later.” He tucked the phone back into his coat pocket.

“Sure.” She carried the bowls to the table. She wasn't going to make any judgments or any conclusions. The pit of her stomach felt oddly empty.
Noah wouldn't have Granddad investigated, right? That was something people only did on television.

Noah punched open the microwave door and brought the cornbread to the table for her.

The silence in the kitchen felt enormous. He could hear every footstep. The scrape of wood against the tile floor seemed so loud. Or maybe it was his guilty conscience.

He shouldn't have asked Julie to catch the phone. He didn't think the detective would get back to him so fast. The doctor was supposed to be the one calling, and no way had Noah wanted to hear bad news on his voice mail.

Now, he regretted his impatience. Julie was very quiet as she set spoons and knives on the table. She pushed aside a neat pile of construction paper. Looked as if she'd been cutting out big block letters for a classroom bulletin board.

She waited until she was seated to say grace. He muttered “Amen,” and reached for the paper napkin.

She looked upset, and he was a smart enough man to steer clear of the phone call topic. So he said what was on his mind. “What do you think of marriage?”

Her spoon hit the bowl with a clatter. “Do you mean the upcoming wedding or are you talking about marriage in general?”

Uh-oh.
She sounded really angry. He started
backpedaling. “Marriage in general. It sounds like your parents divorced, too.”

“I didn't know that was any of your business.” She said it nicely, but there was no mistaking the way she glared at him.

Yep, she was mad. He wasn't going to get out of this unscathed. He may as well face up to it. “I didn't mean for you to know about the detective.”

“Why should I? You aren't investigating my grandfather, right?” She folded her hands neatly on the table in front of her. “That detective was calling about something else, right?”

“No.” He felt really bad, so he took a bite of chili. He was amazingly hungry. “After being with you today, I decided I didn't need a P.I.”

“So, you thought you had the right to investigate him?”

It was perfectly legal, he wanted to point out, but he decided to take the diplomatic course. Because he really did feel guilty. “I made a mistake. I'll pay the detective what I owe him, but I won't ask for the information.”

“I see. That makes it all right?”

“No.” He didn't want to hurt her. “I'm sorry. My grandmother is a very wealthy woman, and I have the right to protect her.”

“You've come to stop the wedding, haven't you? You're just not going to admit it.”

“I admit it. I don't think marriage is a good idea in
general, but Harold seems to make Nanna happier than I've ever seen her. Ever. That's worth something.”

She pushed away from the table. How could she have been so wrong about Noah? “You took one look at my grandfather and thought, ‘Now there's someone to suspect.' Look at the way he helps his grandchildren and attends church on Sunday and donates his time at Young Life. It's all a front. He's really a romancer of rich women.”

“Julie.” Noah stood, and looked pained, his hands held out as if he wasn't sure he should touch her or defend himself from her. “It wasn't like that. Really. Could you let me apologize?”

“Apologize? That won't change anything.” She couldn't believe she'd been so gullible. She'd been taken in by Noah, too. She'd
trusted
him, and he'd been using her! “You spent the day with me to gather information on my grandfather.”

“No! That's not true.”

“How can I believe you after this?” It felt as if her heart were being torn in two. “I want you out of my house. Now.”

He bowed his head. All the fight seemed to go out of him. “Fine. I'll go. But you're wrong, Julie. I didn't use you.”

“Sure.” She refused to believe him. He was no different than any other man she'd liked. She was a
magnet for deceitful men, and Noah was no exception.

He did look so alone standing there. He didn't argue or lose his temper. She saw the regret on his handsome face before he turned, grabbed his coat and walked out her door.

Good riddance. The last thing she needed was a spying, suspicious man out to use her.

And she'd mistaken him for a friend.

 

“Noah, is that you, dear boy?” Nanna called out from the living room.

“Yes, but I could be anyone since you don't keep your door locked.” Noah shut the door behind him. The cold had leaked into his bones, and he felt as if he'd never get warm. Plunging his hands in his coat pockets, he wandered into the hallway. “Want anything from the kitchen?”

“I have all I need.”

Did she have to sound so happy? As if she had the answers to everything? She probably did, but that didn't help his situation. He'd messed up the first friendship he'd made in a long time. He felt guilty.

“Did Julie get ahold of you? She called here looking for you this morning.”

Noah yanked open the refrigerator. “I met up with her in town.”

“Good. She's such a nice girl, don't you think?”

Sure. And he'd made her nice and mad. He felt horrible. He'd hurt her.

“See that Crock-Pot simmering on the counter? I made a nice beef stew. We'll eat in a bit.” Nanna was unstoppable. “Don't you go spoiling your supper.”

He grabbed a carton of milk. “I'll be good.”

“You will be, because I'm watching you, young man.” Heels tapped on hardwood as she approached, all smile and charm. “You look much healthier after one day in my care. See what good, clean Montana air can do?”

“I know where you're going with this.” He stole a glass from the cupboard. “You think I'm looking for business property.”

“In case you decide to relocate.” She handed him a clean glass. “It never hurts to keep your options open. Who knows? You might decide you love it here and never want to leave.”

“Yeah, sure, right after I find a bride. Neither one is going to happen. Trust me.”

“You think you know everything, young man. You just wait. The love bug is going to bite you hard. You'll be helpless against it.”

“The love bug? I graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and never once did I learn about the love bug concept.” He filled the glass. “It must not be an academically recognized term.”

“I should never have spared the rod with you.”
She pinched his earlobe and held on tight, but it was an affectionate hold. “You are accompanying me to church tomorrow, aren't you? I have to show off my handsome grandson to all my friends at the Ladies' Aid.”

“I'd be honored. It's not every day I get to escort such a beautiful lady to church.”

“Oh, you take after your grandfather, boy. A charmer to the core, he was. And ambitious, too.” She released him, only to fish a handful of cookies from the ceramic jar. “About tomorrow. Will I need to give you a talking-to?”

He kissed her cheek and stole the cookies. “I already know what you're going to say. I'll be nice to Harold. I'll turn off my cell phone in church. I'll go to bed early.”

“That wasn't what I was going to say, smarty.” She patted the back of his hand, not willing to let him go upstairs, where his computer and e-mail were waiting. “It's so good to see you here. I love you so very much.”

“I love you, too, Nanna.” He hugged her tight and didn't want to let go.

But the Crock-Pot bubbled and the oven timer buzzed. She spun away to grab her oven mitt. Outside, dusk began stealing the daylight from the sky, but inside the kitchen, and in his heart, it was warm and bright.

I
t was just her luck. The first person she saw the exact second she stepped foot inside the church was Noah. He was standing in the aisle next to his grandmother and three of her friends. He shook each woman's hand, giving Nanna a kiss on the cheek. Winning their hearts, no doubt.

Yesterday, he'd been busy winning hers. Determined not to let it bother her, she tucked her purse strap higher up on her shoulder and lifted her chin. If she sat far enough in the back, she probably wouldn't be able to see him through the entire service.

Especially if she slumped down in the pew.

“Julie!” Susan scrambled up the aisle from the door. “Come help me figure out where he's going to sit.”

Hopefully in the front row. “I was planning to hide out in the back.”

“What for? You'll never be able to see him that way.”

Julie opened her mouth to argue, but it was too late. Susan had spotted Misty, in the middle of the church, who was waving to catch their attention.

“I saved the best spot for us,” Misty whispered breathlessly as they crowded onto the bench, a stone's throw from where Noah stood, still busily charming those kind, unsuspecting ladies.

“A perfect view,” Susan agreed.

Too perfect. Julie deliberately kept her back to him. Noah wasn't her friend. He'd used her, and that hurt. She still didn't understand it. He'd seemed so nice. Kind, funny and wonderful. Unbelievably wonderful. She'd been up half the night, tossing and turning, troubled by his betrayal.

“Ooh, he's looking this way.” Misty was nearly bursting with excitement. “Quick, smile and wave.”

Julie couldn't resist a quick look at him, but she most certainly was not going to smile and wave. She felt his gaze like a bitter wind in her direction. Her heart ached, remembering his touch, his steady kindness, the way she'd sparkled on the inside when he said her name.

The aisle between them felt as wide as the Grand Canyon. Yesterday had changed everything for him, too. There was no easy grin on his face when his
gaze met hers. He looked uncomfortable and sad. So was she.

“Wow, to think we danced with him.” Misty leaned close, whispering to keep from being overheard. “He keeps looking our way.”

“Mesmerized by the two of us.
Not
Julie.” Susan winked.

“That's right. It's a shame how he ignores her.
Not.
” Misty winked. “I don't think he sees anyone else in the entire church.”

Oh, no. Julie covered her face with her hands. “Is he really watching me?”

“Oh, yeah.” Noah's voice at her ear, and his touch on her sleeve. “My grandmother wanted me to invite you and your friends to come sit with us.”

He did look contrite, and that made it easier to be civil. “Thank you, but my friends and I are fine right where we are.”

“Julie!” Susan admonished.

“Julie, please,” Misty whispered.

Noah's eyes glinted with amusement. “Yeah, Julie. Please. I promise I'll behave.”

“I don't care if you behave. I'm not budging.”

“You're mad at me, I know. You have the right. But maybe you could put our differences aside for an hour, for my grandmother's sake. Would it help if I let you kick me in the shin? Flog me with the hymnal?”

“I'd like that. Do you want to stand up? Or should I kick you from here?”

“Ouch. I guess you're serious. Okay, I'll take the flogging. I deserve it. I was bad. Can you forgive me?”

“Not if you paid me.” She wanted to, but he'd used her to get information on her grandfather. He'd found a private detective to dig into Granddad's life. “You can't charm me. I'm immune to it.”

“I'm not,” Susan spoke up.

“Thank you.” Noah flashed the grin that could dazzle a shopping mall full of women in half a second. “You don't have to forgive me, Julie. You can jab me with your elbow through the entire service until my ribs are bruised. You can drop the hymnal on my toe until it swells and I can't take off my shoe. You can fire death-ray glares of disapproval at me for the rest of my life, but please, reconsider. My grandmother really wants you to join her.”

“Maybe you should explain to her why I don't want to sit anywhere near you.”

“Let's not. She'd get mad at me.”

Julie was weakening. Noah could sense it. Victory was close at hand. “You don't want to disappoint your granddad. He's over there, sitting next to Nanna. See him? And what about your friends?”

Bingo. He'd used the right leverage. Her knuckles turned white, she was gripping her purse so hard. Good, because he wanted the chance to make things right with her. She was a good person.
One of the nicest he'd ever known. He wanted to apologize. And he'd keep apologizing until she forgave him.

“All right,” she relented. “But I want this perfectly clear. I'm not happy with you.”

“I can accept those terms of our peace accord.” He winked at her, hoping it would make her smile.

Utter failure, but he'd keep working at it. He wanted to clear up this misunderstanding. He refused to lose Julie as a friend.

He led the way across the aisle and made sure he scooted next to her on the hard wooden bench. Her friends crowded on his other side, but they were nice enough and he didn't mind chatting with them for a few minutes. As long as he could feel the solid heat of Julie's arm pressed against his.

“Stop trying to change my opinion of you,” she informed him. “Making nice to my friends isn't going to make me dislike you less.”

“Then I'll have to try another tact. Did you hear? Today's sermon is on forgiveness.”

Her jaw snapped closed and she glared straight ahead. She looked mad at him, but her mouth was crinkled in the corners, as if she were fighting to keep ahold of her anger.

Yep, she was weakening. He was thankful.

 

Julie set the brim-full gravy boat on the corner of Nora's dining room table. It was impossible to
keep from noticing the man on the other side of the table, setting knives and forks and spoons in place around the pretty china plates. Harder still to ignore the charming grin that he was sending her way.

He was trying to soften her up, and it wasn't going to work. Nothing on this green earth could make her forget what he'd done. He could wink, he could smile, he could dance on the ceiling for all she cared, and better than Fred Astaire, but it wouldn't change what he'd done.

Or how foolish she'd been.

“Did you enjoy today's sermon?” he asked. “I enjoyed it immensely. Made me really decide to reevaluate the grudges I've been holding against people.”

“Really? I don't see anything wrong with holding resentment and hostility toward a person, if they truly deserve it,” she quipped.

“That's not what I got out of the sermon.”

“You must not have been paying attention.” She turned on her heel.

She'd taken Pastor Bill's sermon to heart, and it was troubling her. Noah had hurt her, and yet, she didn't want to hold a grudge, didn't want to let the sun set on her anger. What should she do? Maybe the Lord would guide her.

“Just in time.” Nora laid a thick slice of old-fashioned ham on the heaping platter. “If you take
this for me, I'll grab the bowl of potatoes and we should be ready to eat, dear.”

“Thank you for inviting us over.” Julie took the platter, eager to help. “I'm glad you're marrying my granddad. He loves you so much.”

“As I love him.” Nora looked like the happiest woman in Montana as she fished a hot pad out of a drawer.

Granddad lumbered into the room, his boots knelling on the hardwood, his hands jammed into his pockets. He looked uncomfortable. “Smells awful good in here. Need any help?”

Julie took one look at him, then at Nora's loving expression. She could take a hint. “I'll leave you two lovebirds alone.”

She grabbed the bowl of potatoes, too. Granddad looked smitten as he stood there in the center of the room. Yep, they definitely needed to be alone.

She found Noah was halfway around the dining room table, doling out forks, spoons and knives like cards in a Go Fish game. “Hey. Have you forgiven me yet?”

“I need to hold on to my grudge until dinner's over, at the very earliest.”

“Will that be before or after dessert? I just want to know how much time I have to perfect my apology to you.”

“I hope it's a well-thought-out apology. A glib one is likely to make me toss a potato at you.” She
set the heavy platter and bowl in the center of the table. “I'm a pretty good aim.”

“I remember. But I'm not afraid, because I've got a killer apology prepared.” Noah sidled close to slide the last set of silverware into place. “I'm enjoying this, you know.”

“I've noticed. Maybe I should pelt you with potatoes right now because it's not nice to hurt people's feelings.”

“I know, and I deserve it. You might want to lash me with a few ham slices while you're at it,” Noah joked, because he knew he could wear her down. Soon he'd have her laughing.

She was so close, he could smell the strawberry shampoo in her hair. It was nothing at all to reach out and brush his knuckles down the side of her face, his fingers tangling in her hair. Petal-soft skin, and satin-soft curls.

Her eyes widened like a doe caught in a semi's headlights. “I'd better go check on Granddad. He—”

“They need their privacy, just as we do.” He didn't want her to go. “I hate that I hurt you. Absolutely hate it.”

“Me, too.”

Pain was there, revealed in the dark shadows of her eyes, and he had to fix it. Had to repair every bit of harm he'd caused her. He had to tell her what lay in his heart. “I've had a lot of people betray me,
Julie. People I trusted, and who were close to me. When I heard my grandmother was getting married, I feared the worst. Because I've had the worst happen to me once too often.”

“And that's why you hired the private detective?” Julie's jaw looked tighter. “You couldn't come here with an open mind and decide for yourself, after meeting Granddad?”

“I can see you're getting angry again.” He sighed. “Look, I don't want you mad at me. I like you. I want you to like me. I just need you to understand.”

“I don't understand.” She yanked open the drawer on the big glass cabinet thingy on the wall. The glass windows rattled. Silverware chimed. She grabbed a spoon and dug it into the potato bowl. She plunged a ladle into the gravy.

Good going, Noah. Looks like you messed that up.

“Good, you're both here.” Nanna clipped into the room, carrying a basket of bread, sounding unusually strained.

That worried him. Maybe she was tired. He took the basket from her. “Let me get your chair for you. I love coming to a beautiful woman's assistance.”

“You can stop laying it on so thick, young man, and ask Julie what she'll have to drink. I forgot the lemonade pitcher—” She snapped her fingers. “I just don't know what's come over me today. I'm forgetting everything.”

“That's because a woman in love has a lot on her mind. It's perfectly natural.” He kissed his grandmother's cheek, courteous and adoring, before he helped her scoot in her chair.

Julie's heart melted. Right when she'd been ready to stay mad at him, he had to go and do something like this. So sweet and affectionate, he made it impossible to stay mad at him.

Noah returned to the room with a pitcher of lemonade. Granddad followed him in and took a seat, cleared his throat. Nora said grace. After a round of “amens,” Granddad lifted the bowl of peas and passed them to Julie.

It was so quiet. Nora was busy ladling gravy on her potatoes. Granddad spent a lot of time breaking a roll apart and buttering it. Not a word was spoken.

There was definitely something wrong. Nora and Granddad refused to meet gazes as Noah offered them each a first shot at the ham platter.

“Julie?” He nudged the meat-laden platter across the table. He lifted one brow as if asking a question, then looked at their grandparents seated at opposite ends of the table. About as far apart as they could be.

“Thanks.” She forked a slice onto her plate, and gave him a shrug. She didn't know what was going on.

“Noah, I got a chance to speak with your sister after the service.” His grandmother didn't look up as she broke the silence. Her voice sounded
strained. “She couldn't come over—one of the little boys has an earache, poor dear—but she does want to drive you to the airport tomorrow.”

“Goin' back so soon?” Granddad asked.

What about the doctor? Julie bit her tongue before she could ask the question out loud. She knew Noah wouldn't want his grandmother to know.

A chair scraped against the wood floor as Nora straightened in her seat. “We can just ask him, Harold. Noah, we have a meeting with the builder tomorrow. Now, it's a lot for us to take in. Why, I've lived in this house for most of my life. Harold is sure of himself, but, well, I would feel better if you sat in on the meeting with us.”

Julie watched Noah's face fall. She knew there was still the matter of the doctor's call.

“You really need me, huh?” He glanced at Harold, then back at his grandmother.

Granddad looked surprised. “Why, I won't say we need you, but it would make your grandmother happy.”

“I may as well leave a little later. Sure. I'd be happy to.”

“Oh, I feel better already.” Nora looked relieved as she cut into a slice of homemade bread. “It's such a big project. Our own home, together. It's a new start for us, isn't it, Harold?”

“Yes it is, sweetheart—” Harold blushed, apparently embarrassed by his feelings.

Noah was starting to like the man. As if Julie realized it, she lifted one brow in a question. So, she was still blaming him, was she? Still angry?