Page 91 of Half Baked

He walked me over to my car, the only other vehicle in the lot besides his. Once I was inside, he got in his truck and followed me out of the lot.

I wasn’t sure if I was imagining things, but I could have sworn there was a motorcycle in the lot across the street from the coffee shop, parked in the shadows. Only when I turned back to look again, it was gone.

Probably my imagination playing tricks on me.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Maddie

Neil followed me all the way home, and when I pulled into the driveaway, Noah was standing in the open front door. He waved to Neil as he stopped in front of the house.

I got out and walked to the porch. When I started to climb the steps, Neil pulled away. I glanced over my shoulder to watch his departing car and then turned back to Noah. “While I appreciated the escort, having him follow me home seemed like overkill.”

He reached for me and took my hand. “We don’t know why that guy was there or if he was involved with your mother’s murder, so I’m being careful with something that’s precious to me.”

“My car?” I teased, but my heart still fluttered. I knew Noah cared about me. A lot. But he had never called me precious before. Then other parts of me tingled as I remembered he was spending the night.

He laughed. “Exactly. Come in.” He tugged me through the doorway, shutting it behind us before helping me take off my coat. “I have dinner ready for you in the kitchen.”

“You cooked?” I asked. “Or did Linda stay and make something?”

“Deidre and I cooked together. And it’s edible. Come see for yourself.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen. A plate with spaghetti and a salad sat on the table, along with a bottle of wine and a couple of lit candles.

The thought he’d put into this filled me with an overwhelming sense of love. Noah might not be there yet, but I knew he’d get there if I gave him enough time.

“This is lovely, Noah. Thank you.”

He grinned as he led me to the table and pulled out my chair. “Don’t gettooexcited. You haven’t tasted it yet, but your aunt loved it, so…”

I sat down and laughed. “My aunt has been into weird food combinations lately,so…” I mimicked.

Chuckling, he sat across from me and unscrewed the cap of the wine. “It’s been a long, stressful day. I thought you might need a drink.”

“Yes, that sounds great.”

He poured some into a glass and handed it to me.

I took a long sip. “Thank you.”

After he poured himself a glass, he sat back in his seat, watching me with an anxious look as I started eating. “You won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t like it.”

“It’s really good,” I said through a mouthful of pasta. I was hungrier than I’d realized.

His eyes sparkled. “No need to sound so surprised.”

“You yourself have admitted you don’t cook much.”

“True, but like I said, your aunt helped.”

Oh yeah. He was here because he’d spent the last four and half hours with my aunt, and things had been hit or miss with her lately. “How did it go tonight?”

“It went great, actually. She helped me cook dinner and we made brownies—from scratch even. Then we cleaned up the kitchen and we worked on a puzzle. After that, she showed me photos of you when you were a little girl.”

“What?” I asked before I shoveled another forkful of noodles into my mouth. Spaghetti wasn’t exactly “date” food, but this was Noah. I was less concerned about impressing him than convincing him to risk his heart.

His brow rose. “Which part has you so surprised?”

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