The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach, #1)(23)

“There’s a mom-and-pop Thai place up the street from here,” she said, pointing in the restaurant’s general direction. “We can walk if you’re cool with that.”

“Yeah, for sure. Let me just put this bag in my car.”

He unlocked his car and jogged to the passenger side, quickly dropping Amara’s gift in the seat. When he turned around, he saw a woman standing in the window of the hair salon across the street. She eagerly waved at Noelle and held up her hands and moved her thumbs like she was texting. Text me! she mouthed. Noelle nodded and gave a thumbs-up. When the woman caught eyes with Jeremiah as he reapproached Noelle, she quickly dropped her hands and smiled innocently. Noelle herself looked like she was fighting a smile as she turned to him.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Yeah.” They started to walk, and he nodded his head toward the woman who was still watching them from the hair salon window. “Is she your friend? You can tell her I’m just taking you to dinner and I don’t plan to abduct you.”

“She’s my best friend and roommate,” Noelle said. Her mouth curved into a wry, if not slightly exasperated, smile, like she was thinking of an inside joke. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure abduction isn’t what she has in mind.”

Curious, Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. “What does she—”

“So what made you feel guilty enough to change your mind and tell your mom that you’d come to Heart Beach after all?” Noelle asked.

Jeremiah glanced at her, surprised that this was her first question. Farther ahead, a group of people ascended the steps of the PATH train station, and on either side of the street, people were gathering outside of restaurants for early dinners and happy hours.

“She…brought up my grandfather and how we all miss him,” he said. “He passed away the summer before last. She wants me to spend time with everyone in Heart Beach before I move.”

“I’m really sorry about your grandfather,” Noelle said. She lightly touched his elbow, and his skin hummed beneath her fingertips. Before he could analyze his response to the contact, she pulled her hand away.

He cleared his throat and smiled. “Thank you.”

They arrived at the Thai restaurant and the host ushered them to an open table by the window. Twinkle lights lined the window frame, and when Jeremiah looked across the table at Noelle, she almost appeared as though she were glowing. She stared back at him intently, and he was so struck by her beauty, he almost forgot what they were doing there together. Then he realized that she was staring at him because their server had arrived and asked for their drink orders.

“Their Thai iced tea is good,” Noelle offered. “You should try it.”

“Okay.” To their server, he said, “I’ll have the iced tea, thank you.”

When the server walked away, Noelle folded her hands on the table. “You don’t have friends you can ask to pretend to be your girlfriend?”

He shook his head and laughed quietly, more so to himself. “Nah. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of friends these days.”

It may have sounded a little pathetic, but it was the truth.

“Other than my best friend, I don’t have a lot of friends anymore either,” she said. “It’s hard to make friends as an adult, especially if you don’t have time because of work.” She quirked an eyebrow. “Is that the same reason for you?”

“Kind of. I used to live a, um, very different life, and it wasn’t all that healthy. To really move forward and change, I had to let go of a lot, including the people I used to hang around.” Belatedly, he added, “I do have a best friend, though. His name’s Danny. He lives in Philly, and he works even more than me, so we catch up maybe once a month at best. He grew up in Heart Beach.”

Noelle nodded, absorbing this information. “Okay, next question. Why not just tell your mom the truth about not having a girlfriend?”

He thought of Celeste and the specific look she got on her face whenever she wanted to know something that you were reluctant to tell her. How she’d stare with her piercing eyes straight into your soul. And then he thought of how she’d look at him once he revealed the true reason that he’d been avoiding Heart Beach, and how she’d look at him with such deep disappointment when he told her about his last conversation with Pop.

“Because I know my mom,” he said. “Once she finds out that I lied, she’ll dig deeper and want to know why I lied, and she’ll be unwilling to accept whatever answer I give. She’ll think there’s a different reason other than the fact that I’ve got too much work to do. As crazy as it sounds, going along with the lie is actually easier.”

“Is there another reason that you don’t want to be there?” Noelle asked.

Jeremiah pictured Pop sitting in the living room, waiting for him that night. He’d been wearing one of his favorite T-shirts. It was white with Heart Beach written across the front in faded green letters. Jeremiah blinked and forced the image from his mind.

“Nah, it’s just work,” he said.

Noelle squinted and tilted her head. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted as their server arrived with their iced teas. For their entrées, Noelle ordered crab fried rice, and Jeremiah ordered beef pad see ew. Noelle took a sip of her tea and Jeremiah did the same. It was sweeter than he’d expected, but good, like she’d said.