"Call Noah Griffin," I said.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Iz sighed and shook her head.
But there were no cameras to be found, and maybe it would be a good way for him to just … relax. The phone rang and rang, and with each one that went unanswered, I felt even more resolute that he needed someone to step up and be in this role for him.
Noah needed a friend.
He needed someone who could see past whatever trappings were entailed in being The Machine.
After a prolonged beep, the disembodied voice of his phone told me to leave a message after the tone. I debated hanging up but didn't end the call when it came through the speakers.
"Noah, it's Molly. Umm, I know it's last minute, but if you … if you're hungry, or bored, or whatever, we always do family dinner at my brother's house on Tuesdays. I mean, we do dinner. Sometimes non-family members show up too. Not often, but they do. Lia always brings her friend. I know it's not your family, but you're welcome all the same." I pinched my eyes shut. "You know where it is if you want to join us."
When the call ended, I blew out a disgusted breath.
"I can't imagine why he wouldn't want to come," Isabel mused.
"Screw you. Drive yourself next time."
"We live together, Molly. That's a gratuitous misuse of fuel." She wedged her sneakered feet up onto the dashboard before I knocked them down. "Hey, they're clean."
"So's my car. I'd like to keep it that way."
"Don't you think Logan would have an issue with one of his players showing up unannounced?"
That made me sigh. "Probably."
"Yet here we are. For all you know, Noah's going to show up like a grumpy lost puppy on the front porch in twenty minutes."
As I glanced in the rearview mirror, I caught my gaze, feverish and bright with excitement.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
"No, I don't think he will," I admitted. "Yesterday was better, though. Sort of. One minor snag, but it's understandable that it would take him time to adjust. I know I'd feel off-balance in his position."
"And how do you feel in your position?" she asked pointedly.
"I don't know, Isabel. I think this is a really weird job, and it's putting me in a strange position because no matter what I do, Noah could still wake up tomorrow and decide to quit."
She pointed a finger at me. "That is highly unlikely, and you know it as well as I do. These guys are so freaking competitive. They can't play Scrabble without it hitting Super Bowl level of intensity."
I laughed. "Remember when Logan flipped the board because he thought we were cheating?"
"I sure do."
"Okay fine," I conceded. "He won't quit. But Amazon could decide he's not worth the film they're wasting on him. I don't know whether Beatrice would be upset at me about that or not. I don't know her well enough."
She sighed. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could read our bosses’ mind?"
The way she said it had me looking at her twice. "What's wrong with Amy?"
Even though I'd just pulled the car into the driveway, neither of us made a move to leave. Isabel unhooked her seat belt and shrugged as she thought about the longtime owner of the gym she managed. "Nothing that I can pinpoint, per se. But she seems … scattered. Like she's not as present when she is there. In some ways, it's fine because she's definitely not micromanaging me, but our membership is dipping more than usual, and I don't feel like I can put that onto her plate."
I hummed. "Well, maybe it's just a phase. Everyone goes through them."
"True. And maybe Noah is in a grumpy loner phase, which is not your responsibility to fix." Her eyes, just as blue as mine, stared unblinkingly in my direction.
"I know," I said on a groan. "I know it's not mine to fix."
"Just remember that when that alpha asshole thing turns out to be some emotional wound that you desperately want to take care of." At my eye roll, she clucked her tongue. "Don't even deny it. Women go stupid over that bullshit, when, in reality"—she punched a finger in the air—"they should take their asses to therapy."
"Didn't you think therapy was a waste of time?"
"Yes, but I'm not the one taking on the responsibility of someone else's happiness." She laid a hand on her chest. "I happen to think if Noah is bored and lonely on his too-small couch, then he should take his millions of dollars and buy a dog and a new couch. He doesn't need you to kiss his boo-boos."