The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach, #1)(62)

“That’s great,” Aaron said, leaning back in his chair. He was dressed in golf gear. He’d been part of a golf club at NYU. In the early-morning hours when Jeremiah had been dragging himself back to their dorm after a night out, he’d run into Aaron leaving with his caddie bag slung over his shoulder. “I knew that I could count on you to show them a good time.”

Jeremiah huffed out a laugh and nodded, even though he didn’t like feeling as though his talents were reduced to entertaining clients. He’d helped expand Good Boy’s business in a short period and he was moving across the country to be with the rest of the team, but Aaron still saw Jeremiah as the unserious, privileged kid from college who knew how to charm. Jeremiah couldn’t blame Aaron for his perspective, given Jeremiah’s past. He just wanted to be given a bit more credit now.

His attention was diverted as his phone vibrated on his desk beside his laptop. He’d received a text from Noelle.


I’m all packed and ready

Being with the Shop Mart team last night meant that Jeremiah and Noelle hadn’t driven down to Heart Beach like usual. It also meant he’d spent a lot of last night’s dinner thinking about Noelle. About how she’d opened up to him and revealed the tender, hidden parts of herself. About how he wanted to know more. How he wanted to tell her more about himself. Once the weekend ended, they returned to their separate worlds, because that was part of their deal. But he wanted to stay in her orbit. What was she doing when they weren’t together? What was she thinking about? Was she thinking about him the way he increasingly thought about her?

He could have shoved his feelings down deep and avoided assessing them. But that all went out the window when they’d started texting.

It started on Monday night. He’d texted Noelle to let her know they’d have to leave Saturday morning instead of Friday evening because of his meeting. She’d responded a few minutes later to say that was fine. He’d stared at his phone and wondered if he should try and continue the conversation, wondered if doing so would be a breach of their spoken and unspoken rules. He’d watched as her text bubbles appeared then disappeared. Maybe she’d been wondering the same thing. Encouraged, he’d texted, Wyd? Simple. Not too invasive. Not even flirty. She’d responded, Guess. He’d smiled and texted, Hopefully not riding a jet ski. She’d sent a handful of laughing emojis. Then, Haha very funny, followed by a selfie of her lying in bed with a book on her chest, a murder mystery. An opened box of salted caramel chocolate chip cookies was on the bed beside her. Probably the box he’d given her on Sunday before they’d left Heart Beach. Her braids were wrapped in a bun, and she looked fresh-faced and beautiful. His heart tugged as he looked at the picture. He’d wanted to text back You look beautiful. But they weren’t at Daniela’s dress shop, and this wasn’t a situation where Noelle was waiting for his opinion on her appearance. He’d already felt like he’d overdone it last weekend when he’d called her pretty, then stunning as they’d stood in the kitchen. He didn’t want to overstep or make her uncomfortable. So, instead, he’d texted, I have something to tell you. It’s a family secret.


What is it??

If you eat too many of our cookies, you actually turn into one. You probably have about five more days left as a human. I’m sorry.

She’d sent the laughing emoji again. Going out as a cookie isn’t the worst way.

He’d responded, Lol true. And she hadn’t texted back after that.

He’d figured maybe that was the end of it. He hadn’t wanted to seem thirsty or annoying by texting a second time. But then on Tuesday afternoon, she’d sent him a picture of a sphynx cat on the cover of Modern Pets Magazine.


Is this what Caesar looks like?

He’d laughed, remembering how she’d told him about her late-night run-in with Caesar.

Kinda, but he’s older. Then, Where are you? And how did you find that magazine?


I’m at the hair salon with Tati, waiting for her to take her lunch break. They have all kinds of magazines here. What are you doing?

He told her that he’d just finished his lunch break. She’d wanted to know what he’d had to eat, and then he’d given her the backstory on how he ate the same grilled chicken wrap every day from the café across the street during the week because the elderly woman who ran the shop always greeted him with a warm, How you doing today, honey? And he was a ham who loved the attention. But mostly it was because he wanted to be intentional about supporting a Black-owned business. Noelle had told him that she loved that, before jokingly encouraging him to try other items on the menu.

They’d continued texting on and off for the rest of the day, and later that night after his run. Their conversation bled into Wednesday, and by the end of the week, it seemed normal, routine even, that a good chunk of his day would be spent texting with Noelle. Every time his phone vibrated, he felt a boost of serotonin in his brain. There were so many times that he’d wanted to text, I want to see you. Can I come pick you up? But he hadn’t wanted to press his luck or cross a boundary. He was anxious to finally see her in person today.

He texted her back now: See you soon.

He heard his apartment door open and close. It was Amara returning with smoothies.

“Hey, my sister just got back,” he said to Aaron now. “I have to head out, but we’ll talk Monday?”