“What do you see in him, Ny?”
Noah’s voice startles me from my assessment of Ace, and I rip my eyes from my dark knight to meet Noah’s intensity. “What?”
Noah jerks his head toward Ace. “Him. Is it that he runs this place? Seems dangerous to you? The whole bad-boy thing makes you want him more? Is it the Harley?”
My mouth falls open as I stare at Noah. I contemplate his words carefully before I give him my answer. “Not exactly. I mean, there was an attraction at first that might have had something to do with that. But we just have…a connection, I guess. It’s hard to explain.”
Noah’s eyes harden, glinting icy blue in the florescent overhead lighting. “I just don’t get it. If it’s a phase, just let me know. Because before you met him, you and I had a connection, too.”
My stomach plummets, guilt burrowing a tiny hole and staying there. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Noah. I’m sorry I did.”
“Will you give me half an hour tonight, Ny? Just thirty minutes, I swear. I want to show you something.”
His tone is placating, pleading, and I study his features as I think it over. I glance at Ace, whose stare hasn’t left us. He takes a step in our direction. Then I glance back to Noah.
“Where?” I ask.
He takes my hand and pulls me up from the table. Pulling me to the door, we’re out in the night air and walking to his SUV.
“Just let me show you,” he pleads.
Maybe I owe Noah this much. I’m not sure, but I don’t want to say no to him. I’ve hurt him enough.
At the same time, leaving Ace feels wrong. As soon as I had eyes on him and I knew he had eyes on me, I immediately felt better.
Safer.
Brushing the feeling aside so I can focus on Noah, I nod.
“Yeah. Okay. Thirty minutes Noah.”
We climb into his SUV and leave the warehouse parking lot. Noah is quiet as he drives, and I keep checking his profile. What’s he thinking? Is he pissed at me?
When he speaks, I jump in my seat, turning to watch him.
“When you asked me what I really wanted to do as a career, I wasn’t ready to admit that law school is my dad’ dream. Trying not to disappoint him is the same as breathing for me.”
My chest aches for him. Understanding blooms in my heart. “I know, Noah. And I would be lying if I said I never felt that kind of pressure from my parents. But at some point you have to start living for you.”
He glances at me, then back to the road. “I know, Ny. And you’re the one who helped me see that. When we were dating, you inspired me to think independently of my dad’s hopes. He’s doing exactly what he wants to with his life, and now it’s time for me to do the same.”
I send him an encouraging smile. “I’m so proud of you for admitting that. Have you talked to him about it?”
Noah pulls the SUV out of the uptown traffic and into a parking garage. After he slides the huge vehicle into a slot, he throws it into park and turns to look at me. “No, I haven’t. That’ll be a big blowup, and I’m not ready for it yet. I haven’t told anyone…except you.”
Absorbing that bit of information, I give him a slow nod. I tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear and send him a small smile. “I’m glad you shared it with me. What are your plans?”
Noah climbs out of the car. I watch him as he walks around to my side and pulls open my door. He helps me climb down from the SUV and takes my hand. “My plans are to buy into my uncle’s construction company. He’s been building high-rises and other commercial buildings in Charlotte for years. He actually does stuff for your dad sometimes. I work with him in the summers. I love doing it, but I want a piece of the company and he says I can have it if I can buy in.”
My eyes go wide. “But that’s gotta be a lot of money, Noah. Will your dad sign your trust fund over to you if he knows that’s what you’re going to use it for?”
Noah’s family comes from old money, and his dad is the manger of his rust fund. That much I know from our years of friendship. It’s one reason he’s always done what his dad wanted, for the freedom of finally being in control of his own inheritance.
He takes my hand and leads me toward the side of the garage where a sign hangs above a metal door labeled STAIRWELL 2C.
“I’m going to show you how I’m getting around that. And I want you to remember that this is the only way I could think of to make that much money in a short amount of time. I need to have my shit together when I talk to my dad, because he’s going to pull all his support out from under me. I need to be set up. You know?”
I glance at the door and pull Noah to a stop. My stomach is plummeting, my heartbeat rushing like rapids in my ears, but I’m still swamped in confusion. I don’t know why my body is reacting this way.
“Where are we, Noah?”
He squeezes my hand. “Do you trust me, Ny?”
I stare into his eyes. His blue ones are intense, as usual, but there’s something else there, too. There’s a hint of desperation, like so much depends on my answer. I’ve known Noah for years. And just
