Page 2 of Marrying a Spy

Noah raised an eyebrow as his ridiculous, smooth smile spread across his lips. Why had he only gotten more good looking? It wasn’t fair.

“Hey, Soph,” he said as he straightened. An unsure expression passed over his face as his gaze roamed over her.

Good. Let him be uncomfortable. He was the one who’d broken her heart. He was the one who deserved to feel awkward.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, folding her arms and staring at him. She hoped he’d sense her anger and leave. But he didn’t. He just traded in his uneasy expression for a confident smile.

“Wow. Is this how you treat all your patients?” he asked, settling back in his chair. “I was just hoping to get my teeth checked.” He tipped his head back and stared up at the ceiling.

Sophia narrowed her eyes. He clearly wasn’t leaving. She was going to have to stick her hands in his mouth. She was going to have to sit inches away from him.

Crap.

“Why, Noah? Out of all the dentists you could have seen, why me?” Heat raced to her cheeks when she realized she was being a bit presumptuous.

Maybe he was visiting someone and got a cracked tooth. Maybe he’d just called in and asked Jan, the front receptionist, to schedule him with whoever was available. Maybe he was just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

Taking a calming breath, Sophia walked over and grabbed a set of gloves from the box on the wall.

“I guess I wanted to see you,” he said.

Her stomach dropped to the floor. So, this visit had been intentional.

“What? Why? You said you never wanted to come back here. Don’t they have good dentists in New York, or wherever you’ve been staying these past ten years?”

Ten years? Had it really been that long? She studied the floor as she slipped her gloves on. Tears were beginning to prick at the back of her lids. Why was she getting so emotional? She’d resigned herself to the fact that everyone she’d ever cared about had left. And she was fine with it. Why, all of sudden, was she breaking down now?

Clearing her throat, she slipped on her glasses, secretly hoping they would mask her emotions.

She tried to ignore the fact that he still hadn’t answered her. Instead, she sat down on her stool and pressed her foot on the button to lower the back of Noah’s chair. Within seconds, he was lying flat and staring up at her.

She wasn’t sure she was going to be able to get through this.

“I was a kid, Soph,” he finally said.

Despite her better judgement, Sophia met his gaze. It was intense, like he really wanted her to know that he hadn’t meant to hurt her. That he hadn’t meant to insinuate that staying with her was his worst-case scenario, because that night, it had felt that way.

Sure, they had only been kids. But, at that time in her life, it was the last thing she needed. Her mother and brother lived here. They were her only family. There was no way she could ever leave. It hurt her more than anything to find out that staying in this town was the last thing Noah had wanted to do.

A storm of frustration and pain brewed in her stomach. She didn’t need to be dwelling on this. Noah was her patient now. That was it. He wasn’t her ex. He wasn’t the man she’d loved. He was here to get his teeth cleaned, and that was it.

“Open,” she said, grabbing the excavator and waving toward his mouth.

He hesitated as he studied her. She could tell he wasn’t satisfied with her response, but she didn’t care. This was a path she couldn’t go down again. Getting him checked out and back on his way was the best thing she could do. She needed to protect her sanity.

He sighed and laid his head back, parting his lips.

Sophia began scrapping his teeth, pressing into spots to make sure the enamel was strong. The silence between them was palpable. She could cut the tension with a knife.

But she feared what she would say if she spoke, so she kept quiet. That was smarter than trying to talk. She had been alone when her family fell apart. She could have really used a friend—but Noah had already left.

And showng up like this wasn’t fair. At least her father knew enough to stay away. Apparently, Noah didn’t get the message.

When she was finished with the exam, she set the tools down on the tray next to her and pressed her foot on the pedal to lift him up again. Once he was sitting up, his eyes no longer studying her, she felt as if she could breathe.

Now, she just needed to get him out of here, and her life could return to normal.

“Well, everything looks great. Not sure why you made this impromptu trip to the dentist. You clearly go regularly.” She pulled off her gloves and threw them into the trash. “I guess we’ll see you in six months, but I doubt you’ll stay around long enough.”

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