Page 55 of The Keeper
That was weird. Evie was pretty expressive, but it wasn’t every day a new set of grandparents showed up at your doorstep and asked to meet you. “Maybe she’s processing. It’s a lot to throw at someone out of the blue.”
“Maybe.” He blew out a sigh and eyed the mess of beads, charms, and tools next to my laptop. “What are you doing?”
I blushed, embarrassed to be caught red-handed on the job. On two jobs. But I was on top of my work at RAB, and I needed something to keep me busy whenever Evie was practicing piano or on the phone with her friends. “It’s a jewelry making kit. I bought it a few days ago.”
“I didn’t realize you were into that.”
“I’m not. Well, I could be, but I don’t know.”
His brows pulled together. “I don’t follow.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, debating whether to tell him about my challenge plan. He’d confided in me on Saturday, so this seemed like a fair exchange. “About a month or so ago, I realized I was being too passive in life. Things were always happening to me instead of for me, so I created a personal challenge plan to be more proactive. One of the challenge items is to try different hobbies until I find my passion. This week’s hobby is jewelry making.”
“Ah.” Noah eyed the tangled wires and beads again. “How’s that going?”
“It’s, uh, going.”
“Is that supposed to be an animal?”
“It’s a rose pendant.” I held it up. “See?”
He didn’t say a word.
Okay, so maybe my pendant resembled a misshapen bat more than a rose, but at least it resembled something.
I sighed and tossed the necklace onto the coffee table. It landed next to a wrinkled sheet of paper. Carina’s “Get Your Shit Together” Challenge was written across the top in bold black letters.
“Is that the list?” Noah asked.
“Ye—no—oh!” I squeaked out a muddled reply when I remembered midway that he was on the list. But it was too late. He’d already picked it up and was reading through it.
Update: Faced rejection/life-ruining humiliation (and risked my job) by asking Noah for a kiss.
It could’ve been worse, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t bad. How embarrassing was it to put my employer’s name on a personal development plan? Not to mention, neither of us needed the reminder that we’d kissed—or that I was the one who’d initiated it.
My face and neck flamed. After the world’s longest silence, he placed the list back down.
“You’re halfway there,” he said, his tone studiously neutral. “Only three more items to check off.”
“Yeah.” I released a small sigh of relief. Thank God he hadn’t called me out, though I imagined it was as awkward for him as it was for me. “I think the ‘find your passion’ thing will be the hardest. So far, I’ve tried yoga, baking, and jewelry making. Nothing speaks to me.”
“You’ll figure it out. There are a lot of options out there, but you only need to find one that’s right.”
He sank onto the couch, taking the seat as far away from me as possible without hanging over the edge. Still, my skin prickled at his proximity. We’d agreed to put our kiss behind us, but that didn’t mean I was immune to his presence.
I inhaled a steadying breath and was hit with that clean soap and laundry scent again. Which was entirely unhelpful and detrimental to my composure.
I crossed, then uncrossed, my legs. “How are you feeling about this weekend?” I asked, switching subjects. Evie was scheduled to meet her grandparents on Sunday, and talking about them would be a welcome distraction.
“I’m not sure whether I want them to get along or not,” Noah admitted. “Is that horrible to say?”
“No. I get it.” If they got along, it would be an easier evening all around, but it also meant Noah wouldn’t have an excuse to cut the Andersons off. If they didn’t get along, it would just be painful. “Regardless of what happens, I’m happy to call you and fake an emergency in case you need to get out of there ASAP.”
“Does that actually work? I thought that type of stuff only happened in movies.”
“Oh, it absolutely works. Very handy during bad dates. Ask me how I know.”
He turned his head slightly to look at me. “Have you been on that many bad dates?”
