“Okay.”
I opened drawers, filling the bag I had on the bed. In my cupboard were two boxes of pictures and mementos that I hadn’t put in storage. Noah came in and saw me looking at them. “You want to bring those?”
I shook my head. “I just need some clothes.”
“We have lots of room.”
I glanced at them again. He ran his fingers over my cheek. “How about I put them in the truck? I can always bring them back for you.” He grinned. “But I’m hoping I never will.”
I nodded, and he lifted them both, carrying them down the hall. I filled one bag, then another, finally closing and zipping the cases. Noah came in, looking delighted. “Two?”
“I went overboard.”
He pulled the bags off the bed. “Less to move in a few weeks.”
I followed him down the hall. “You’re so sure of yourself.”
He looked at me over his shoulder. “No, sure of us.”
Those words made me smile.
An hour later, we left. I cleaned out the fridge, tossing out all the opened or expired food, filling a small bag with things from the freezer. Noah filled another box with the staples from the cupboard.
“How many boxes did you bring with you?”
“Enough.” He smirked.
Outside, we ran into my neighbor, Angie.
“Dani, I haven’t seen you lately! How are you?”
“Good. I’m, ah…”
Noah slid his arm around me. “She’s staying with me.”
Angie smiled. “How great.” She glanced over my shoulder at the boxes in the truck. “Are you selling?”
“I might be.”
“My sister is looking. I would love to have her close.”
“Oh.”
“Call me before you list, okay?”
“That would be great. Um, you have a key. Could you just check on it every so often? You could let your sister see it.”
“For sure. Give me your mailbox key, and I’ll get your mail and put it in the kitchen.”
I hadn’t thought about that. “Great.” I handed her the key. “If she is interested, let me know.”
Angie looked excited. “I will. She will. I know it!”
She hurried away. We climbed into the truck, and Noah started the engine.
“Well, well,” he crowed. “Isn’t that just awesome.” He grinned. “Just fucking awesome. You can sell your place, and I can have you. A win/win situation, I think.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Her sister might not be interested.”
He laughed as he pulled out into traffic. “Too late, Sprout. I am way ahead—way, way ahead.”
I looked out the window, fighting my smile. I was surprised how quickly I had jumped ahead as well.
“Where are we going?” I asked Noah.
He grinned, sliding on his sunglasses. “On an adventure.”
“An adventure that requires you to bring a suitcase and food?”
“Yep.”
“And drive my car?”
“Better on gas.”
“I see.”
“Sit back and relax, Sprout. You’re gonna like this.”
He turned in the opposite direction of Toronto, and I frowned. He’d been busy since we’d returned from my house on Sunday, working all day yesterday. Then last night, he’d informed me he had today off and we were taking a drive. Then he added a case and a couple of boxes of food to the back seat. I glanced at him again, his profile sharp against the sun. He wore a half smile and turned his head, meeting my quizzical gaze.
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“Nope. Put on some music and enjoy the ride.”
“Maybe I’ll put on Il Divo.”
He grimaced. He loved all music but opera. He said it put him to sleep. “I need to be able to drive.”
“Okay, maybe a playlist.”
He chuckled. “Your playlists are so random, I never know what to expect. Hit me.”
I slid in the CD and sat back. Noah reached over and wrapped his hand around mine.
“I love you, Sprout.”
I turned my head with a smile. “I love you right back.”
“That bodes well for the adventure, then.”
I had to smile.
An hour and a half later, we pulled up to a small building. Noah looked excited as he unbuckled his seat belt and waited for me to join him at the front of the car. Linking our hands, we walked around the corner, and I gasped.
We were at a cottage. The grass led directly to a small outcropping of rocks that dropped off to a beach. Everywhere in front of us was water. Tall pines and massive old trees surrounded the cabin.
“What is this place?”
“My grandparents’ cabin. My mom’s parents. I promised you some time away for your birthday. We’re here until Friday.” He smiled, bent down, and kissed me. “Happy birthday, Sprout.”
I blinked. With everything else that had happened, I had forgotten my birthday had come and gone. Noah hadn’t, though.
“But—”
He shook his head. “It’s all arranged. Everything is covered. I’ll be back for service on Friday, early enough to do some other work. We have three nights and three days just to ourselves. Well, except I invited Daniel and his girl Avery to come for an afternoon.”