Page 59 of The Holiday Ex-Files

I’m not going to lie, even I was taken aback by Noah’s behavior. Where was all his “I’ll be a safe landing place for you” attitude this morning? The vibe I’d gotten was “Find a new landing strip to crash into, psycho.” He didn’t even know I was having major debates with myself. And it was safe to say I was annoyed about the flash drive. It didn’t matter how wonderful this mystery woman of his was, she wasn’t going to appreciate all the women he not only dated but did photo shoots with. Maybe he had a weird fetish I never knew about. See, Miss Sparkly, you’ve been saved from another major mistake.

It was crickets from her.

I guess that was one good side effect of Noah’s behavior.

If only my family weren’t going to be there. But I’d promised myself I was going to try and be a better sister, aunt, and daughter. Then there were Jaxon and Liam, who seemed disappointed that I wasn’t driving with them. It seemed to give Noah some pause, but he had quickly brushed off their complaints and whisked them off.

Regardless, I’d made a commitment and I was going to go. It might not be half-bad. I mean, there were bunnies and pumpkin-spice doughnuts. And this way, I would have my own car and could leave whenever I wanted to. Huh. This worked out even better than expected.

Liar.

I knew she wouldn’t stay quiet for long. Dang her. Unfortunately, she was right. I thought Noah wanted to be best friends. I’ll tell you this, Mara would have never treated me in such a way. Ever.

I opened the private entrance door and breathed in the fresh, cool mountain air that sent a little chill down me. I walked out into the bright sun toward my 4Runner. To my surprise, Noah’s truck was parked next to it and he was leaning against his door with his arms folded.

Miss Sparkly got a little excited, seeing him in his tight jeans and sexy plaid button-down with his sleeves rolled up. I made sure to tamp down her expectations real quick.

“Didn’t think I would show up?” I snarled. Not sure why he cared one way or the other.

Girl, this animosity toward him says I’m not the only one who has some feelings for him.

Shut up, Sparkles.

“Cams,” he sighed. “The boys really want you to drive with us.”

“The boys?” I veered toward the driver’s side of my car.

“Hey.” Noah hustled my way, while the boys waved and shouted my name from their booster seats in the back of Noah’s cab. I should mention he had his own set of booster seats for his nephews. That’s the kind of guy he was, but Miss Sparkly was right, I was feeling animosity toward him.

Noah gently grabbed my arm before I made it to the door of my car. “Cams, please wait.”

When I turned and faced him, he dropped my arm and stepped back like I had the plague. Obviously, I had done something to offend him.

He ran a hand through that hair of his that begged to be played with. Not by me of course, but it was tempting to Miss Sparkly.

“I want you to come with us too,” he said as if he were exasperated.

My nose crinkled. “I’m not buying it. And it’s fine. I’m a big girl and can drive myself.”

He inched closer, albeit cautiously.

Did I smell? I was panicked, trying to remember if I’d put on deodorant. Miss Sparkly finally became useful. Remember when I begged you to use the pillow-talk scented one today and you refused and went with plain old baby-soft scent? Big mistake by the way.

And, she was done with her usefulness. At least I knew I didn’t reek of BO.

“I’m sorry.” He blew out a huge breath. “I know I’m out of sorts today.”

“Did something happen?”

He ran his hand through his hair again. He must be really stressed.

“I know you hate relationships,” he growled as if I’d slapped him, “but I could really use your advice about this woman.”

“The woman you love?” I hesitated to ask, or more like Sparkles was putting a stranglehold on my vocal cords. She did not like this woman, whoever she was.

“Yes, her.” He was clearly irritated with her too. “She’s driving me mad. One minute I think she’s finally in a place where we can be together, and then the next minute, BAM! She’s pulling away again.”

His booming voice made me falter a bit. “What’s her reasoning?”

“That’s a good question. I thought I knew what it was, and she was working through it, but there’s more. There’s always more. And it’s so damn frustrating. I’ve waited years for her, and some days I don’t know whether it’s a lost cause or if I should grab her”—he placed his big man hands on my shoulders—“and look her squarely in the eye and say, ‘Are you blind? Can’t you see that I’m in love with you? That I would do anything for you?’” He sounded desperate.

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