Page 51 of The Luck of Finding You
“Probably smart,” Holly says. “And you really shouldn’t kiss Noah again unless your heart tells you to do that.”
“Yeah. Planning on that not happening.” Except now all I can think about is how good it feels to have Noah’s arms around me and how comfortable I feel with him.
“Okay,” Holly lets out a deep breath. “Dad’s getting married,” she says. “It’ll take me a bit to get used to that.”
“Same.”
“Text me updates this weekend?” she asks.
“Of course.” How else am I going to do this if I don’t have Holly walking me through this? She’s the one who still watches rom-coms. I haven’t seen one since Mom died. I may read a lot of romance, but right now I’m not sure how to apply anything I’ve ever read in real life.
“Good. Now go get your guy.”
“Ha,” I say. “Talk to you later.”
“Talk to you later.” She hangs up and I’m left wondering just which guy I’m going to get. My phone vibrates.
MoReads:Can’t wait to see you on Saturday.
TheNoraReview:Me too.
19
NOAH
I use my nervous energy about Tally finding out who I am to go on a run before I head to work on Friday. I never run, but today it feels refreshing.
I’m surprisingly calm about the idea of being in a car with her for several hours. I still haven’t figured out how I should set up a meeting between the two of us. We confirmed yesterday that we’ll both be there and that we’ll figure out where exactly to meet tomorrow.
Tally leaves the bookstore almost as soon as I start my shift—to go and finish packing is what she tells me, but personally, I think she doesn’t want to spend any more time with me than she has to. The longest I’ve talked to her all week was when I suggested we drive to St. George together and confessed that I fell in love with her five years ago, which she seemed kind of horrified by, not that I can totally blame her. She is planning to go meet a guy that she really likes or at least thinks she likes.
I just hope she’s not disappointed when she learns that I am Mo.
I head over to Gran’s house just after eight to drop off my dog and pick up Tally. I’ve called him Mo in front of Tally before, but I did it the other day, just to see if she’d pick up on the name and make the connection. But the only connection she’s made is that he’s named after the main character in Simone’s books, which is also the reason behind my Twitter name.
“Oh, look at you!!” Gran squats down to pet Mo. She’s talking to my dog, not me. I’m in sweats and a hoodie. “Well, come on in, dear. I think Tally is peeing for the twelfth time.”
“Gran!” Tally grumbles from the bottom of the stairs, a carry-on-sized suitcase next to her. “I did not pee that many times.”
“Sure seemed like it.” Gran winks at me and then picks up Mo. He looks at me with horrified eyes, and yes, a dog can make that expression. “You two have fun! We’re going to go snuggle and watch a Halloween movie.”
I reach over and scratch Mo behind the ears, just where he likes it. “You be a good boy,” I tell him. He licks my face, seeming calmer now that I’ve spoken to him. “I’ll be back, you be good for Gran.”
I turn to Tally, whose expression is unreadable. “You ready?”
She nods. “Guess so.”
The first ten minutes of the drive are painfully quiet. It’s only eight, but I’m worried she’s going to fall asleep on me.
“Want to turn on some music?” I say, and at the same time she says, “I’ve been listening to the fourth audiobook, want to listen?”
I smile and glance at her as she tucks her chin to her chest as if she’s embarrassed. “Definitely the audiobook.” I’d love to have music so we could have a chance to talk, but I don’t want to push her too much right now.
We’re friends. Friends that listen to audiobooks together. Friends who made out a week ago. I am totally good with friends because after this weekend, maybe we can finally be more.
Tally connects her phone to the Bluetooth, and soon we’re swept away into a world with faeries and giants and a little bit of romance. I’m itching to talk to her, to hear her laugh and make her smile, but I’m also trying to remind myself to be patient. I can be patient. I think.
We’re about to Beaver, Utah when Tally says, “Could we have a little pit stop?” It’s almost ten, and I need a good stretch and some caffeine. We still have two hours to go.
