Page 20 of Chasing Infinity

Jack looks at me with sweat dotting his forehead and tries to offer me what I can only assume is a sympathetic smile. “Just hang in there, Addie. It won’t be much longer. You’re doing great. We just gotta keep things rolling for a little while longer.”

“Jack, I have no idea what I would do without you.”

Jack pauses from his task of piling dishes into the bin to be washed and shrugs his shoulders cheekily. “Probably sink into a pit of despair. I do have a way of making things brighter.”

I laugh, feeling my shoulders release their tension a bit, and then run to the back to grab another tin of mashed potatoes. Once I have them, I hurry back out to the floor and nearly run Noah over. “Shit!”I swear as I start to wobble, the heavy container of potatoes setting me slightly off balance.

Noah’s hands reach out and grip my elbows, steadying me. My skin warms where his hands touch and I look up at him with a grateful smile. This is the first time I’ve seen him since the cemetery. I understand why he wanted to walk independently, but I’m glad he’s here now. As quickly as he reaches to touch me, his hands fall away from my arms.

“Well,” He rumbles in a deep voice. “That was a close one. Can’t let you spill the mashed potatoes everywhere. That would be a catastrophe.”

“It definitely would have been something,” I reply, slightly breathless. “Thank you. I have to go put these out.”

“Do you need any help?” he inquires, following after me as I head towards the buffet line.

As soon as the potatoes are where they need to be, I brush my hands on the apron tied around my waist. I shoot Noah a wary glance and then shake my head. “No, it’s fine. You’d just be in the way.”

Noah barks out an amused laugh. “Tell me how you really feel, then Parks.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I just mean that we have everything covered.” I squeeze my eyes shut and dampen a groan.

Noah leans forward slightly until his face is right in front of mine. By the mischievous twinkle in his eye, I know he’s about to say something particularly witty, and I brace myself to be amazed.

Only he doesn’t get the chance. His phone starts blaring from his back pocket, and his eyebrows furrow on his forehead as he registers that the noise is coming from him. Noah straightens up, frowning as he pulls the device from his pocket. He glances at the screen and then looking at me helplessly. “Sorry, I gotta take this.”

“No problem,” I wave him off. “By all means.”

I watch Noah briskly exit the diner by the front door, putting the phone to his ear. As he does, his face takes on a completely different expression, one I’ve not seen on him before. He looks like he’s suddenly aged five years, his features growing stern and severe. I watch him for a minute out the front window as he talks. A deep frown covers his face, and a tight ball of worry starts to form in my belly as if alerting me that something’s not right.

Before I can eavesdrop on his conversation, Grace rounds around the buffet table and gives me an exasperated look. “If you’re done ogling at Noah, the refreshment pitchers could be refilled.”

My cheeks heat up with embarrassment at being caught, and I nod, deciding that I’ll worry about checking in on Noah once things settle down here.

Of course, that moment doesn’t come for another few hours when the last few guests finally leave the diner. Grace and I wave at them as they go, and then we both collapse into the nearest booth, each letting out a collective groan.

“You are never, ever doing this to us again,” Grace grumbles.

“Agreed. I didn’t think there would be that many people here. I feel like we just fed the five thousand.”

“Try ten-thousand. I didn’t even know that many people lived in this stupid town,” she mutters and then reaches her hand under the table to pull her shoes off. “God, my feet are killing me. I don’t think I’ve sat down all day.”

“Me either,” I agree. “At least you didn’t have to wear heels to the funeral on top of all of this too.”

My friend shoots me an apologetic look. “Touché. How was it, by the way? I haven’t had a chance to talk to you at all since this morning.”

“It was nice,” I reply, turning my head over my shoulder to where Noah and his dad are still standing. They’re having a conversation, and it doesn’t look entirely hostile for once. Maybe Declan has run out of his bullshit for the day.

“And how’s Noah?”

“I’m not sure, honestly.” I look back at her for a moment and then down at my fingernails. I have mashed potato stuck under one, and I focus on dislodging it.

“Really?” Grace asks, surprise lacing her tone. “I thought you two had some weird witchy connection where you could always tell what the other was feeling.”

“What?” I retort incredulously. “Where on earth did you come up with that?”

“No idea, but am I wrong?” she presses.

I frown. “I don’t know. Yesterday I would’ve said you were wrong, but now I don’t know.”

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