Pushing You Away - Noah & Katie (Ex-Con Duet 3)

Heading into the grocery store, I grab two sirloin steaks and a couple of baked potatoes. After looking at the dessert options, I pick a Tiramisu since she used to be crazy about it. Hopefully, she still is.

The wine section is a lot larger than it used to be, so it takes me a minute to find something that’ll pair with our meal. After grabbing a Cabernet, I stick it in the cart and think about what else I need.

“Noah,” someone calls out, and when I turn around, I see Brittany with her son, Anthony, behind her.

“Hey.” I smile. “How’re y’all doin’?”

“Great, just picking up some snacks for the park this afternoon. Anthony’s been askin’ when you’ll be free to play baseball with him.” She pins me with a stare, putting me in an awkward position.

“Oh, right. Well, I’m busy today but maybe next weekend?” I suggest to appease her.

Brittany beams. “That’d be great. We should exchange numbers, so we can plan a time.” Before I can say a word, she pulls out her phone. Gemma claims Brittany wants me to ask her out, but that’s not happening. Even if I wasn’t head over heels in love with Katie, I wouldn’t be romantically interested in Brittany.

“Sure,” I say hesitantly, then we add each other to our contacts.

“You can call me anytime. I haven’t seen you at the deli in a while.”

“Yeah, got super busy with work.”

“I noticed your truck was parked behind it for a while. Belinda said someone vandalized it,” she says with a gasp.

Nodding, I respond, “Yeah, probably some punk kids, no biggie. My dad was able to clean it.”

Brittany smiles, then peeks into my cart. “Steaks and wine? What’s the special occasion?”

“It’s Katie’s birthday, so I’m making her dinner,” I respond, watching her reaction.

“Oh wow, didn’t realize you were such a chef. Katie’s a lucky woman.”

I chuckle. “Nah, I’m not. Just trying to repay her for helping me with something. We’re just friends,” I emphasize, so news doesn’t get around that Katie and I are spending time together. Though it’s no one’s business anyway.

“Really, just friends? Interesting.” She bats her eyes and looks at me like she wants to devour me.

“Well, I gotta go so I can get home. It was nice seeing you. Bye, Anthony.” I smile sheepishly at the two of them, then take off.

I feel her eyes on me until I walk out of the aisle and wish I hadn’t given her my number. Hopefully, I can create some boundaries, so she doesn’t assume I’m interested.

Once I’m home, I spend the afternoon marinating the steaks and tidying up. I offered to pick Katie up, but she’s dropping Owen off at her mother’s, and it’s on the way.

Just as I’m grabbing two wineglasses from the cabinet, I hear a knock on the front door. I quickly set them down and rush toward it.

“Wow.” My eyes light up when I see Katie. “You look stunning.” She’s wearing a sparkly dark blue mid-thigh dress with a shawl around her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she says as her cheeks tint. “You look quite handsome yourself.”

I take her hand and escort her inside, then shut the door behind us. Bringing her knuckles to my lips, I place a soft kiss on them. “Happy Birthday, Katie.”

Her eyes zero in on my mouth. “You really didn’t have to go through all this trouble,” she mutters as we walk hand in hand through the living room, and I love that she squeezes mine in return. “But dinner smells amazing.”

Pulling out her chair, she takes a seat. “Are your dad and Belinda here?”

Her noticing we have the house to ourselves makes me smirk. “They went on a romantic weekend away in Mobile.”

“Oh,” she says, and I think I see a twinkle in her eye.

“I was just about to pour the wine. Want some?” I ask as she settles in.

“Yes, please.”

Once I fill our glasses, I raise mine. “To my best friend who captured my heart over fifteen years ago.”

I clink my glass with hers as Katie sucks in her lower lip, then she takes a sip. Right now, I wish I knew what she was thinking.

Once I’ve set the food out, we dig in.

“Do you remember all the birthdays we’ve spent together?”

She nods with a smile. “I remember the year Everleigh thought it was a brilliant idea to sneak into the old firehouse. Then as we ran from the sheriff, I tripped, and you literally picked me up and carried me.”

Chuckling, I nod. “Oh yeah, and you twisted your ankle and had to ice it for a week.”

“Of course then I had to tell my mom the truth because she wasn’t buying that I slipped down the stairs.”

“And your mom told my dad, which got Gemma and me grounded for a month,” I add.

“Yeah, but it was still the best day ever hanging out with my best friends,” she confirms, then takes another bite of her food. “My God, this is so good.” Katie moans.