Page 69 of Call My Bluff
They would both be in Chattanooga in the fall. What were the odds?
And who would have thought she’d be okay with it?
His smile only grew wider. “Actually, I was accepted in November, so technicallyyou’refollowingme,” he pointed out.
“I would never do that!”
“And yet you are.”
Olivia shook her head and moved past him toward the kitchen door before letting herself in without asking. For some reason,she couldn’t stop smiling. “Okay, but you can’t tell anybody that. They’ll definitely start to think I like you, and I’d hate for people to get the wrong idea,” she quipped.
Noah followed her into the house, which was marginally cleaner this week since Conner wasn’t home. The sink was empty, at least, and the table wasn’t piled high with old pizza boxes. In fact, it didn’t look like he’d even had breakfast yet.
“What were you doing before I got here?” she asked suddenly. She whirled around in time to see the sheepish look on his face.
“Umm . . .”
Olivia arched a brow and crossed her arms, waiting for what was sure to be a doozy of an answer.
“Well, I was, uhh . . .”
“You werewhat?”
“I was asleep,” Noah answered—too quickly—and his eyes darted toward the hall beyond her.
Olivia instantly knew he was lying. Without warning, she spun on the spot and bolted toward the door.
“Pixie!” he warned, his voice almost a growl as he lunged after her, but she scrambled beyond his reach, bouncing off one wall as she made the turn toward his room. “Pixie, don’t—”
Olivia skidded through the door of his bedroom and stopped dead, her face splitting into a huge grin when she recognized the movie playing on his television screen.
“Noah Campbell!” she cried, delighted. “Whyare you watchingThe Princess Brideall alone in your room?”
He raked his hand through his dark hair and glanced toward the ceiling. “It was just on, alright? We only have so many channels.”
“And you stopped on this one?” she asked, watching as the Dread Pirate Roberts struggled to climb a sheer cliff face.
“A decision I now deeply regret,” Noah muttered, but Olivia ignored him. Instead, she yanked his comforter up to cover the bare sheets and settled herself on top. Then she patted the space next to her and reached for the remote.
“Well? Aren’t you going to finish it?” she asked. “I warn you though, I can basically quote this whole thing.”
The mattress sagged slightly as he sat down beside her. “I take it you’re staying?” he asked.
Olivia turned to him, a dubious expression on her face. “Did you want me to leave?”
“No! I just have to go to work in a little while.”
“Again? Did you have any days off this week?”
Noah shrugged and bent one leg at the knee. “Extra hours are extra hours,” he replied. “It’s a short shift today, though; I’m only covering for Jamison from noon to four.”
“Alright, well, just kick me out when you need me to go,” she compromised, and she turned up the volume until Inigo Montoya’s most iconic lines filled the room.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you as aPrincess Bridefan,” Noah remarked.
Olivia huffed out a laugh. “This is my mom’s favorite movie, so I’ve seen it a thousand times. It’s one of those things you learn to love for nostalgia’s sake—plus, what woman doesn’t like a good ‘as you wish’ from time to time?”
He chuckled. “‘As you wish?’ That’s all it takes?”
