Page 39 of The Forever Formula
“Listen,” he said as I smiled to myself. “I have some work to do still, but we should get together soon. Hang out.”
“Yeah, sure.” I held back any snarky remarks about his friend CJ, even though the immature part of my brain wanted to say something petty. “Anytime.”
“Great. I have to head out of town for a few days, but after that?”
“After that,” I said with a nod.
He stepped closer, hesitantly but expectantly.
In a panic, I stuck out my hand. He smirked and took it in his, pulled it to his lips, and kissed it.
All at once, I melted into a puddle as the six-foot-something hunk strode from my house. Keeping my cool around Noah was going to be a Herculean effort.
15
TAKING A CHANCE
Noah
Icarried a fresh batch of bottled lager from the shed and handed it up to Austen as he stood in the bed of the truck. It was a small order we needed to fill today at a brewery a few towns over.
“You apologized yet to Rachel?” I asked.
He scowled. “I can’t believe she tattled on me.”
I held back a laugh. Mom had given him hell the next day.
After heading back down to the shed, I returned with another cartload of boxes.
“So, that’s a no,” I said, taking the straps off the cart and handing Austen the first box.
“That’s how she and I are. I tell it like it is, and she comes around eventually.”
He neatly stacked the umpteenth box and reached for another. We were a well-oiled machine by now.
“If you’re sure,” I said warily, highly doubtful that Rachel approved of his words.
Who would want anyone to suggest they couldn’t run their own household? Just thinking about it, even the version he told me, pissed me off.
“Speaking of Rachel,” he said, and I shot him a warning glance that he promptly ignored as he stacked the next box. “You think we still have any chance of convincing her to sell?”
“Listen. There’s something you need to know.” My tone was definitely harsh. I was offended on her behalf and starting to seriously question my brother’s sanity. “I don’t want to put words in her mouth, but trust me, she’s not going back to Houston.”
“Did she say she’s staying for good?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he took the last box from me and spun around to place it.
I hopped into the truck bed with him to secure the straps around the cargo.
“She lost her job there, okay? So, no, I doubt she’ll be leaving anytime soon. She has no reason to rush off.”
I didn’t mean to snap at him, but Austen had me loaded like a gun over here when it came to Rachel.
“She doesn’t belong up here. You know that as well as I do.” He shook his head as he cranked on the strap.
We hopped from the truck and hit the gravel with a thud.
“Why do you keep saying that?” I asked.
He looked thoughtful for the first time since he’d gotten on this Rachel-selling-us-land kick. Then he shrugged. “I just never pictured it.”
