Page 71 of Can't Fight the Moonlight

"I don't think any of us did, not even Noah," she said. "I still can't believe it."

"It's a good thing," Patty said, trying to sound positive. "Noah has been waiting a long time. I've never met anyone so devoted to someone who they weren't married to, who they'd only spent a week with. But Noah just kept telling me that love isn't defined by time. It just is. It's there when it's there. You can't force it. You can't fight it. You just have to decide whether you want to accept it or not."

Patty's words made her think about Justin, about the decision she'd made to sleep with him. If not for Alice's sudden appearance, they'd be in bed together now. She would have taken a step she couldn’t take back. And she probably would have loved every second of it. But now that they weren't kissing, she could see how fast she'd been running toward the edge of a cliff. Maybe it was good she'd had a chance to rethink. Or maybe it wouldn't matter, because she could still feel a tingle run down her spine every time she thought of Justin. Whether she slept with him or not, she didn't believe she was ever going to forget him.

"What do you think, Lizzie?"

She suddenly realized that she'd lost track of the conversation. "I'm sorry, Patty. What did you say?"

"Should I leave now or in the morning?"

"Definitely not now. It's late, and you don't want to drive through the mountains in the dark."

"That's true. It's just difficult to sit in this room and think about what's going on two doors down." She paused. "Noah kissed me earlier. It was really nice. I was feeling very close to him. But he's not mine. He belongs to Alice, and I need to go back to my life and stop pretending otherwise."

"I wish I could help" Her heart went out to Patty, who had clearly fallen for Noah.

"You are helping. You're sitting here listening to me when I'm sure you have lots of other things to do. Or maybe you'd just like to go to bed."

"I'll get there. I don't mind hanging out with you."

"Really? You wouldn't rather be spending time with Justin? You two seem to be together whenever I see you."

"We've become friends."

"Perhaps more than friends?"

"Haven't gotten there yet."

"But you like him."

"I wish I didn't."

Patty gave her a weak smile. "We can't choose who we love, and Justin is very handsome."

"I don't love him, but he is handsome. I get that nervous feeling every time I see him."

Patty gave her a knowing smile. "I feel the same way when I see Noah. But I think his heart only flutters for Alice. What about Justin? Is he available?"

"He's single. I don't know that he's really available, though. He's very guarded when it comes to his feelings. I think maybe he's been hurt by someone, but I don't know. He hasn't opened up. I hit a wall every time I get close. Clearly, he doesn't trust me enough to share his truth. How can I like someone who can't really talk to me?"

"Because you see the shadows in his eyes. You know there's pain somewhere."

"I believe that's true. He said he loves to run, and I can't help think he's running away from something. Maybe that's also why he buries himself in work."

"He doesn't want time to think."

"No, he likes to move fast."

"Do you bury yourself in work because you're running from something?" Patty asked.

She frowned at the question. "I'm just busy. I'm building a business."

"Is that all it is?"

She thought for a moment. "Maybe I am trying to outrun my insecurities." She shrugged. "Justin and I are two workaholics, for whatever reason. That's also probably a recipe for disaster."

"You're both passionate. Nothing wrong with that," Patty said. "My husband and I were both passionate about what we did, too. Rick was a musician, and I was a baker. We met when he came into my bakery to buy chocolate eclairs for someone in the band who was having a birthday." Patty's voice softened. "He said he saw me with flour on my nose and the heat of the oven on my cheeks, and he fell hard."

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