Page 14 of The Text

After helping the woman, I notice Noah is gone. I don’t blame him. I was rather rude.

Time drags on from there because I feel bad about how things turned out. Blame it all on Stacey, I guess.

Quitting time rolls around, and Noah hasn’t come back. Now I’m regretting how things worked out. I go through the normal procedures a Macy’s employee goes through at closing and then drag myself from the building. Noah is waiting for me with a smile.

He walks toward me. “All done?”

Here come the second thoughts again. “Yes, but I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

He grabs my hand and tugs me toward a waiting car with a driver standing next to it. “We’re just going to have dinner, okay? You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

The minute he mentions food, my stomach growls. Been a while since I’ve eaten. “I’m starving.”

The driver opens the back door for me. “Thank you,” I tell him before getting in and sliding over, making room for Noah.

“You’re welcome, miss.”

Noah slides in next to me and leaves little room between us. “Hope you like Italian?”

“What girl doesn’t?”

It’s a short drive to the restaurant. We could have walked, but I’m glad we didn’t. Had a long day of work.

We say little during the brief trip. The car pulls up, and the sign on the front of the building says,Al Fornos. I’ve never noticed this place before, and I’ve walked by several times. The power of observation.

After the car stops, Noah helps me out. Guides me to the door and opens it. My first impression of the place is that it’s small. Ten tables, perhaps.

Noah’s hand has been touching my back since we left the car. He doesn’t move it away when an older woman greets us.

“Noah.” She hugs him.

“Hello, Mamma.” He tilts his head at me. “Mamma, I’d like you to meet Amber.”

“Ahh.” She hugs me and kisses both of my cheeks. “He finally brings a girl into my place. You must be special?”

My cheeks warm. They’re probably redder than a taillight.

She grabs my hand and leads me to an empty table. I glance back at Noah. He’s grinning.

“Sit, sit.” She pulls a chair out for me.

Noah and I both take a seat.

Mamma says, “I’ll bring you drink and food.”

“Thank you,” I say.

She pats my back and winks at Noah.

He smiles back at her, and she moves off, spouting Italian to the staff.

“She seems nice.”.

“A wonderful woman.”

Two tables away, a man in his mid-fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and wearing a gray suit and purple tie points at us and says something to the well-endowed twenty-year-old brunette who sits across from him. He rises from his chair and walks toward to us, hand extended.

“Noah, old boy.”

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