Page 14 of Resisting the Grump

“Seems like an odd thing to do,” he said, his eyes narrowing as they met mine. “Play favorites like that?”

“It’s for charity, Noah.”

“Perhaps.” He leaned back in his chair. “Or maybe the brownie bitch has a secret admirer.”

I hid my delight at his words. No way was I going to admit that I spent the last two days wondering what his motivation was. I mean, I knew he hadn’t extended the offer to the tables flanking mine, but that didn’t mean it was a clever excuse to give me his card. “Doubtful. I’m sure the man only has eyes for himself.”

“He does seem insufferable,” he said. “At least based on the articles Grace showed me.”

“Well, it was a nice thing to do even if he is a monster.”

“And it can’t hurt his reputation, which is probably the only reason he agreed to this gig.”

“Right,” I said, averting my eyes towards the stage and wondering what was taking so long.

We were quiet for a while, and I spent the slowly passing minutes indulging in a fantasy about Mr. Harrington tying me up and feeding me chocolate lava cake.

“I can practically hear the cavities forming,” Noah said. “I’m not sure if this event should be illegal or if my association should be sponsoring it.”

“Are you looking forward to your trip?” I asked, happy Grace had a man in her life who’d gladly wheel her luggage while she strolled along the Seine like she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Of course.”

“What are you most excited about?” When he didn’t answer, I turned towards him and scowled at the smug cat-who-got-the-cream look on his face. What hope was there for me if even good guys like Noah were disgusting? “What about second most?”

“I’m looking forward to taking Grace to some fancy bakeries,” he said, his heart-shaped eyes finding her on the stage. She was standing at attention with her shoulders back like an obedient kid who longs to be elected hall monitor. “It will be fun to see how overloaded her senses get.”

“Just don’t elope or anything,” I said. “I can’t run the bakery without her.”

He laughed. “She’d never go for that anyway.”

The words tumbled out so casually it surprised me, as if the idea of eloping with her had crossed his mind.

“What’s your dating deal lately?” he said. “Grace told me you uninstalled Tinder.”

“I’m no longer dating offensively,” I said, not exactly thrilled at the prospect of discussing my flatlining love life with my bestie’s loved-up boyfriend.

He leaned away from me, looking visibly confused. “Does that mean you’re on defense?”

I nodded.

“What does that even mean?”

“It means my default position for dating right now is no thank you.”

He scoffed. “Let me know how that goes for you.”

“It’s going great, actually,” I said. “Never been happier.”

“Shame.”

I lifted a brow in his direction.

“My roommate is fiending for a nice girl like you.”

“I’m not a nice girl.”

“I was just saying that to be polite,” Noah said. “You’re perfect for each other.”

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