The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach, #1)(16)

“Damn, girl,” Brian said, laughing. “Relax.”

God. Universe. Whoever. Please do something before I haul off and punch this man.

And then God, or the universe, or whoever, heard Noelle’s plea.

A sleek, silver car suddenly turned onto the street and pulled up right in front of the bookstore. The windows were tinted dark. The car was so shiny, sunlight sparkled off the hood. It looked like a magnificent car from the future. Even Brian fell quiet and openly stared. The driver cut the engine and opened the door.

Noelle watched as a pair of black leather loafers hit the pavement. Then as she raised her gaze, she observed a set of long legs, covered in dark gray slacks. Her eyes traveled higher and skimmed over a well-built torso, until they reached the driver’s face. The man, who looked to be around her age, had brown skin and a square jaw covered by a thick but well-trimmed beard. His hair was cut into a fade and his waves looked smooth.

Noelle spared a quick glance across the street. Tati and her client were gaping out the window at the newcomer. Tati made eye contact with Noelle and mouthed, Who is that?!

Noelle shrugged. She looked at the man again. She could hardly take her eyes off him. He glanced to his right and left, then down at his phone, before squinting up at the Hidden Gems Books sign above her head. Then he looked directly at Noelle and smiled.

Her stomach muscles clenched. Not just because his smile damn near dazzled the wits out of her. But because he looked familiar. Had they met before?

“Do you work here?” the man asked. He had a deep, smooth voice.

Noelle blinked. Her tongue was a frozen block of ice in her mouth. The question seemed so out of place. Surely, she’d misheard him. “I’m sorry?”

He pointed at her shirt, then at the sign above her head. “Sorry, I mean at the bookstore. Do you work here? Is the store still open right now?”

“Oh.” She cleared her throat. “Um. Yes. We’re open.”

“Thanks.” He smiled again, and this time Noelle smiled back, transfixed. She felt the warmth of his smile deep in her belly. His eyes were a soft shade of brown, almost sepia. He continued to smile at her as he walked past her to the door. She got a whiff of his cologne. It smelled spicy.

The man cast a brief glance at Brian and nodded in acknowledgment. Brian frowned, most likely out of jealousy, which Noelle found hilarious. Then the man disappeared inside the bookstore, and Noelle stood there feeling like she’d just witnessed an expensive-cologne ad come to life.

“So, about this weekend…” Brian said. “What time should I pick you up?”

He was a walking record scratch.

“Brian, please listen to me,” Noelle said. “I do not want to go out with you.”

Brian screwed his face up into a frown. “Why the hell not? It’s not like you’ve got anything better going on.” He gestured to the bookstore behind her.

Noelle narrowed her eyes. Maybe she was going to have to punch him after all.

She balled her hands into fists and took a step closer. “Brian—”

Suddenly, the bookstore door swung open, and the handsome stranger stepped outside again. He was looking at Noelle, but this time his smile was even brighter, if that was possible.

“I thought that was you,” he said to Noelle. He reached her in quick, long strides. “It’s been a minute since we last saw each other. You remember me, right? I’m Jeremiah. We met last year at that thing.”

Noelle’s eyes widened in confusion. Met at that thing? What thing?

The man (Jeremiah?) took a deliberate step directly in front of Brian, and Brian shuffled backward and glared at the back of the man’s (Jeremiah’s?) head. Noelle was instantly relieved to have a buffer between her and Brian, but she was still confused, trying to recall whatever event from last year that this man was referring to. Maybe that was why he looked familiar. He glanced over and eyed Brian, who was hovering off to the side, still frowning. He turned to Noelle again.

“It’s really good to see you,” he said. “Is it cool if we hug?”

She blinked. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Brian beginning to back farther away. She pounced at the chance to hopefully get rid of him for good.

She looked at the handsome stranger before her and nodded eagerly. “It’s so good to see you too,” she said.

She opened her arms, and the man (Jeremiah, he definitely said his name was Jeremiah) reached for Noelle and pulled her into his chest. His body was warm, and up close, his spicy cologne was almost intoxicating.

Noelle was able to confirm that she had not met this man before. Because she would definitely have remembered a hug like this.





Chapter Four




The hug seemed to last for an eternity. Noelle’s lips brushed against his shirt. The fabric felt crisp and smooth. Expensive. What kind of cotton was this shirt made out of? She had no idea what had come over her, but she almost didn’t want to let go of this man. Instead of pulling away, she leaned in closer.

His chest rose and fell as he breathed and she could hear the steady pounding of his heart. She peeked her head around the man’s arm and saw that Brian had finally walked away. Thank goodness. Brian glanced over his shoulder one last time and puckered his lips in a sour frown. Across the street, Tati was staring out the salon window at Noelle, mouth agape. Noelle could practically see the question marks floating above Tati’s head. But she didn’t have any answers because she wasn’t entirely sure what was happening either.