Page 73 of Mr. Picture Perfect
“You’re about to be one of the eligible bachelors of Spruce. Eligible bachelors are, by definition, not tied down to anyone.”
I adopt a smirk. “What’re you saying? You wanna …” I come close to him, bringing our faces together. “… tie me down?”
“Cole…” he mutters, his voice low. “I’m being serious.”
“So am I.”
“Nadine and the others are going to expect you to be …free. To take someone on a date who wins you at the auction. To be the perfect guy everyone can dream about themselves being with. You need to fulfill that … thatrole.” Noah swallows and steps back. “We need to keep this a secret.”
“Or I can just drop out of the whole thing.”
Noah rolls his eyes. “You’re not going to drop out.”
“But I don’t consider myself an eligible bachelor. Certainly not anymore.” I smile at Noah. “I’ve got you.”
Noah’s eyes snap to mine when he realizes I’m being serious. “Cole, you can’t drop out.”
“Why not?”
“Think about what that’d do to Nadine,” he exclaims, shocked that I would suggest such a notion. “She’s already gone through so much trouble planning everything. We had that huge photo shoot yesterday. Anthony’s probably already dropped and she’ll have to replace him as it is. You … You can’t drop out.”
I hear Noah’s mom call from the kitchen. “Boys? You comin’? I got some toasty toast ready!”
Noah takes hold of my hands and brings his voice down. “I … I enjoyed last night. A lot. It was a really eye-opening experience.”
I smile. “Aww, Noah …”
“But …” He sighs. “We have to be realistic. Whatever is going on between us, it’s only been going on for … for two days.”
“Been a heck of a lot longer for me,” I point out.
He frowns. “What’s going on right now is … is hormones. And chemistry. We have to be smarter than our impulses. And careful. You cannot quit the pageant for me.” He meets my eyes. “It’d be a reckless decision with many unplanned consequences.”
I gently tug his hands, bringing our bodies closer. “And … you believe … that keeping this all a secret … is less reckless … and will have less ‘unplanned consequences’ …?”
He squints quizzically at me. “Well, statistically, yes.”
As much as I would love to have him spell out what exactly these “statistics” are and how he calculated them, I realize I am, in fact, pressed for time. “Alright. I’ll do as you say. I’ll stay on with the circus and keep us a secret.”
“Thank you.”
I give Noah a playful smirk. “And whenever I’m asked if I’ve got my heart set on anyone, I’ll lie through my teeth.‘Nope,’ I’ll say to the dozens of reporters surrounding me with their big mics and cameras in my face. ‘No one owns my heart at all,’ I’ll tell them … and catch your eyes across the crowd to give you a wink.”
“Cole…” he mumbles warningly.
“Your mom’s got breakfast for me that’s getting cold.” I swat him on the butt, causing him to jump, then head out of the room.
On my way out of the house, Mrs. Reed is quick to put a cutely packaged to-go container of scrambled eggs and toast inside in my hands. “Had you stayed,” she explains, “I’d’ve put a doodle on your eggs with hot sauce, like a little smiley or somethin’. It’s my thing. You’d’ve loved it!”
“I’ll just have to imagine my eggs smiling back at me when I eat them. Thank you for your gracious hospitality, Mrs. Reed. And Mr. Reed,” I add, calling out to the table where he sits, “I will be thinking a lot about your trains today and hoping all goes well for Mayor Reed in Windville!”
“Every day is a good day in Windville!” sings Mr. Reed.
Just before leaving, I find myself brought to a stop at the door as I watch Mr. and Mrs. Reed sitting at the table enjoying breakfast and chatting happily with each other. Mr. Reed makes a joke, and Mrs. Reed lets out a mirthful giggle that I can’t help but smile at. The two of them are so in love, it shows all over their faces.
Then I glance at the hallway and find Noah standing there. He looks worried. But the moment our eyes meet, he pastes on a smile and clutches his own hands, as if to wring them, yet doesn’t.
I give him a knowing smile, then wink.
