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

“Good mornin’,” Missy says as she cheerfully enters the break room. It’s Wednesday, which means I’ve successfully made it through half of the week.

“Morning.” I sip my coffee, needing it to bring life into my soul.

“Late night?” she asks, and I nod.

Since the weekend, Noah and I have stayed up texting or talking on the phone, so neither of us has gotten much sleep. I won’t see him again till Friday night when he comes over for movies and popcorn. He promised Owen they could watch Star Wars. I hope to explain that he’ll be seeing a lot more of Noah. While Owen doesn’t need to know the details of my dating life, he’ll have to keep this secret to himself—for a little while at least. Besides Gemma and Everleigh, only Belinda, Jerry, and my parents know. And I’ll keep it that way to protect my son. Of course my best friends were ecstatic and excited for us. I’m close with my mom, so I wouldn’t be able to lie to her even if I tried. Eventually, I told her the truth that Noah stayed at the new house and explained how we ended up together. She knew my marriage to Gabe was rocky and had mentioned me dating again, though at the time, I wasn’t interested. She’s always liked Noah and is happy for us. Ultimately my in-laws will find out, and though they won’t accept it, they’ll have to get over it. I would love it if they could welcome Noah into our lives permanently, but I’m not holding my breath.

Fortunately, there haven't been any more threats to Noah, so hopefully whoever had a vendetta against him has moved on. “Meeting. Ten minutes. Conference room,” Cheryl pops her head in and reminds me.

“Great,” I mumble, then take another long drink.

“My, my, my…either you’ve bought a super-charged vibrator, or you really are gettin’ regular dick. You could hardly walk Monday.”

I nearly cough and spew my coffee. “You watchin’ me or something?”

She shrugs unapologetically. “Not much else to do here.”

“Your job,” I emphasize.

She shrugs again. “So you gonna finally confess who’s giving you a good ole pussy beatin’?”

My eyes widen as I push off the table. “I’m going to my meeting.”

“If you need an ice pack for your fanny, just holler.”

I force back a smile as I leave. She’s seriously a handful.

After lunch, I suck down another cup of coffee before going to the waiting room to grab my next customer.

“Katie,” Brittany calls from the lobby.

Just great.

I wave. “Hey.”

Though I continue to walk, Brittany catches up to me and stops me.

“Hey, real quick. Can I ask you somethin’?'' There’s a fake sweetness in her tone.

“Sure.” I stand straighter.

“I’m not tryin’ to get into anyone’s business, but I just wanted to make sure you and Noah Reid weren’t dating.”

I furrow my brows. “Excuse me?”

She licks her lips. “Well, we made plans for him to play ball with Anthony, but some rumors are swirling that you two have history. Didn’t want to step on any toes if you’re a thing.”

Well shit. What rumors? I’m tempted to ask, but I keep my poker face.

“Noah and I are just friends,” I say as if I’ve rehearsed it a hundred times. “We’ve only ever been friends.”

She releases an exaggerated breath. “Okay, phew. Then I don’t have to feel guilty that we exchanged numbers last weekend.”

I force out a smile. “Nope, guess not.”

“To share a little gossip myself, I’m hoping he’ll ask me out on a date. Wouldn’t we be the cutest couple ever?”

My heart races, and my body feels like it’s on fire. By some higher power of strength, I manage to keep calm and amuse her with an agreeable smile. “Definitely.”

Before this painful conversation continues, Missy calls Brittany forward. She gives me a toothy grin and says goodbye.

I finish my shift with annoyance flowing through my blood. Though Brittany’s clueless about Noah and me, it irritates the hell out of me that we can’t make it public. Aside from what the Reids would say, I’m sure half the town would pass out from shock. People knew we were close growing up, but considering he’s the reason I was a widow at twenty-one, they’d never understand why I’m with him.

Keeping us a secret is hard when chicks like Brittany openly chase after him.

Noah: I miss you. Can’t wait to kiss those delicious lips again ;)

I check my phone after I tuck Owen into bed and take a breather on the couch.

Katie: Which pair?

Noah: BOTH.

I snort, imagining it.

Katie: I ran into your #1 fan today. She’s one restraining order away from forming her own group—an “I heart Noah Reid Club.”

Noah: Do I hear jealousy in your text tone?

Rolling my eyes, I hate how he knows me so damn well.

Katie: Nope. Just thought I’d give you a warning. She asked if we were dating because you two exchanged numbers, and she’s hoping you’ll ask her out.