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  “So,” she said after a moment, forcing her voice to be as light as possible, “where are we headed now?”

  “To see my mate, Toby,” he replied, turning the car and heading into the more industrial part of town. Juliette stared out the window at the passing shops and lunch bars, the industrial units, warehouses and the junkyards. “See if he can give you a job or at least point you in some direction to someone who’s hiring.”

  Juliette clapped her hands. “Yippee!”

  “Don’t get your hopes up. Times are tough.”

  “I always get my hopes up,” she said honestly with an easy shrug of her shoulders. “What else do we have but hope? And besides, things always turn out for the best.”

  Chapter Five

  Noah

  Noah listened as Juliette explained her credentials to Toby, which he had to admit were pathetic, and then listened as she described what she knew about engines, which was quite impressive. She told him how she’d worked in yards before, how she helped fix up an old Buick with a boyfriend as well as the shitty Toyota parked outside his mom’s place. At the mention of a boyfriend Noah found himself examining her even more closely. She had a boyfriend? Or she’d had a boyfriend. It was hard to imagine any guy who’d managed to capture Juliette McKenna letting her go easily. Maybe the guy was stupid.

  When Noah was twelve he’d gotten into skateboarding. He’d pretty much grown up in or on the water, so the skateboarding thing was entirely new, but he soon found that he loved hanging out the skate park, practicing and learning skills and watching the other guys. Doug Houghton was into skateboarding, too, and the two soon became fast friends. They’d always been friendly, but it was skateboarding that really sealed the deal. For months, every day after school they’d head down to the skate park, grabbing a soda front the deli nearby and talking about nothing but skateboarding.

  Then one of the older guys down there, Ronnie Imlet, was going off to boarding school. His parents were moving overseas, his dad was in the military or something, and he was being shipped off to finish his senior year at a prestigious private college. He had a vintage Kilroy Lives deck from the eighties and, without a second thought, handed it over to Noah.

  “You sure?” twelve-year-old Noah had asked, his eyes betraying his excitement. It wasn’t an expensive board, but it was a rare one and a good one.

  Ronnie had shrugged. “Yeah why not? Enjoy, kid.”

  When he’d told Doug about the conversation with Ronnie and shown him the deck with the faded eighties pop graffiti on it, his face had turned a funny shade and his eyes had flickered.

  “Wow. That’s so cool.” Doug’s voice had been even and careful, but Noah could read the between the lines and it got him thinking.

  Doug’s family were rich and they could pretty much buy him whatever skateboard he wanted, except a vintage 1980s one. Sure, you could get them on eBay, but they were still pretty hard to come by even for someone with resources like Doug’s family. But there was something about the way Doug looked at the board, the longing, the wishful thinking, the reserved envy that had Noah handing the board over.

  “Here. You have it.”

  Doug had looked startled. “What? No way. He gave it to you.”

  “Yeah, but you want it. You have it. I’ve got the one my mom got me for my birthday.”

  The one his mom had bought him was good, but not that good.

  Doug had loved that skateboard, and Noah had never once regretted handing it over to him, even though their love of skating faded out over the next year. Sometimes, you let things go even if someone wanted it more.

  “When can you start?”

  When Toby asked Juliette this Noah rolled his eyes heavenwards wondering if there was anyone this girl couldn’t charm. Him, a small voice reminded him, she hadn’t charmed him. But she’d charmed Houghton. He could see it in the way Doug had looked at her, how his eyes had slowly perused Juliette from her toes to her eyes, lingering overlong on certain areas that made Noah want to punch him one. That sensation was weird enough, and he’d had to remind himself countless times that he didn’t care how Doug looked at Juliette. But now it wasn’t just Doug. Toby was looking at her the exact same way. Noah examined his mate’s flashing eyes, noting the way his gaze roamed eagerly over her soft curves, how he laughed at everything she said. The girl had definitely captured his attention, Noah mused, and most possibly his heart, too. Toby had always been a soft touch for girls, and too many had walked all over him. Although he couldn’t imagine anyone as sweet as Juliette taking Toby for granted.

  Noah scowled at an unwelcome image of Juliette in Toby’s arms appearing in his mind.

  “I can start tomorrow,” Juliette said, bouncing on the spot and not bothering to hide her delight.

  “Tomorrow it is,” Toby told her, “but be warned, the work is dirty and hard. How about we do a trial for a few weeks before we make it permanent? You might decide it’s too much testosterone around here.”

  Juliette nodded, her braid moving up and down with her head. “Okay. Agreed. Although I have no problems with testosterone.” At her last comment she flushed, her eyes going wide as Toby laughed. Noah’s mouth twitched, but he hid his amusement at her faux pas.

  “Oh God,” she was saying. “I didn’t mean…”

  “It’s okay.” Toby winked at her. “I’m glad to hear you have no problems with testosterone, Juliette.”

  They talked a few minutes more, discussing pay rates and hours before Juliette bid Toby goodbye, bouncing back to Noah’s truck with delight.

  “See?” she said, as they climbed into the pickup, sounding a little smug. “Things always work out for the best.”

  Noah started the engine. “For you maybe.” He pulled out onto the road. “Are you always this happy?”

  Tilting her head, Juliette regarded him, choosing her words carefully before she replied. “I am happy. We choose to be happy. Or not.”

  Noah snorted. “You’ve obviously lived a charmed life.”

  He glanced over at her in time to see a shadow pass across her face and her smile falter slightly. What the… His gut clenched at the glimpse, the tiniest glimpse, he’d just seen of a girl that wasn’t happy. That hadn’t let a charmed life. It was the tiniest inflection, the smallest drop in her guard, a sadness which flashed over her eyes, but it was enough to chill his blood. And it was irrational. He wasn’t usually the kind of guy who cared about some slight done to a girl he’d known less than twenty-four hours. These days, he barely cared about anything.

  Juliette, though, plastered that smile back on her face, oblivious to the brief insight she’d just given him. “You know you’re so right.” She grinned. “I’ve led a very charmed life. A life that’s led me here, to you and your mom and to a job with the awesome Toby! And I’ve made three more friends today.”

  He frowned, throwing her a questioning look.

  “Mrs. Houghton, Doug, and Toby,” she pointed out, holding her fingers up and counting. “Now I have five new friends.”

  “You met them today,” he argued. “You hardly became friends with them.”

  “A friend is just a stranger you haven’t met yet,” she quoted. “And now I’ve met three more people so that makes us friends. Besides, Doug suggested I come down to the Oak tonight. Only a friend would do that.”

  Noah tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “He did what?”

  “The Oak?’ she repeated. “He said it’s quite a popular place in town.”

  “It is,” Noah stuttered, “but I can’t believe he asked you out already.”

  “Oh, he didn’t ask me out,” Juliette rushed to assure him. “He just suggested I come alongI’ll make my own way there.”

  Noah pulled the car up outside his mom’s house and turned to face her, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he had a chance to censor them. “ I’ll take you.”

  Her eyes, those amazingly green, overlarge eyes went round again. God, this girl, he swore, wishing she hid her
excitement a little better. It made him wonder, what her eyes would be like if she was excited in a different way. If he excited her. His stomach dipped at the images that one errant thought aroused.

  “Would you?” she cried. “Do you mind?”

  He shrugged. There was no backing out now. “No problem, I was going anyhow. I’m working late today, but I’ll go home and change before I come back. It’s on the way.”

  Climbing out of the car they made their way to the guest house. Noah had already explained, under her careful questioning, that he worked in the studio out back of his mom’s house running his own carpentry business that he’d inherited from his dad.

  “Well, I’ll let you get to work,” she said as she reached the porch, “and see you tonight.”

  Noah watched as she made her way into the house, her braid swinging behind her, taking note of the curve of her hips and the subtle way she seemed to bounce as she walked.

  He shook his head as he made his way around the back to the studio to start work.

  That girl was completely and utterly crazy.

  And he was completely and utterly intrigued by her.

  ****

  Juliette

  Juliette was sitting on the porch with Renee watching the sun go down when Noah came back to collect her later that evening. As the only house guest she was receiving five-star treatment, or at least, it felt like it. Renee had made some sweet iced tea, and the two of them sat out, watching the families playing on the shore, the couples taking romantic strolls and a few people going for either a run or walk along the path that stretched between the houses and the beach.

  “We bought this house when the kids were little,” Renee explained to Juliette as they sipped their drinks. “Rob wanted them to grow up on the beach like he did.”

  “Great for kids,” Juliette said. “I bet they all know how to swim.”

  “Like fish,” Renee laughed. “Noah used to spend nearly every waking hour on the water or in it. He and his dad would take the boat out early in the morning to go fishing or you’d find Noah in the water surfing. And if he wasn’t surfing or fishing he was swimming or scuba diving. He was a fully qualified life saver by the time he was thirteen.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  By the time Juliette was thirteen she’d lost count of the number of places she’d lived in, the number of homes she’d had, the schools she’d attended. And she’d never really had any hobbies. Once, when she’d been living with the Atkins family she’d gone to ballet lessons with their daughter who was only a year younger than she was, but Juliette had been so far behind the rest of the class that the teacher suggested she not return.

  Renee shook her head. “It’s a shame really.”

  Juliette cocked her head to one side, watching Renee carefully. Mrs. Houghton had said the exact same thing earlier when referring to Noah, and she wondered what it meant. Choosing her words carefully, Juliette asked, not wanting to pry but curious nonetheless.

  “What happened? What’s a shame?”

  Renee made a face and wiped at her eyes. “I shouldn’t have said anything,” she replied trying to make light of the darkening mood. “There was an accident. Noah was there and—someone—drowned. He couldn’t save them, and he blames himself for it every day.”

  Juliette pursed her lips and looked out over the ocean, which was bathed in the pale navy of the darkening sky. So that was what had happened to Noah, that was what made him so withdrawn and slightly hostile. He’d been involved in a horrible accident, an accident that had cost someone their life. Juliette tried to imagine how Noah felt, suddenly having more understanding for the man with the troubled eyes and the mouth that didn’t smile.

  “He never goes in the water at all now,” Renee continued and then glanced over at Juliette. “Well except to save you that is. That would be the first time I’ve heard of him even getting his toes wet in more than three years.”

  Juliette blinked at her. Three years? That was an awful long time to live in a beautiful place like this and not go in the water. He must be carrying a tremendous amount of guilt to let it affect him like that. Juliette tried to imagine the weight bearing down on his soul, keeping him from living life, from experiencing life and doing the things he loved.

  “Poor Noah,” she murmured.

  “Poor Noah indeed,” his mother agreed before straightening, setting a welcoming grin on her face just as Noah rounded the house and came up the porch steps to greet them.

  Juliette straightened, too, her eyes traveling the length of him and taking in the tall, striking man he was. Tonight he was dressed in a button down white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to show muscular forearms. Dark denim jeans hung low on his hips, and black boots completed his look. The dark stubble that Juliette had predicted would mar his jawline was there although it didn’t detract at all from the sharpness of his features. If anything, it made him even more desirable, even more attractive.

  Her heart did another little flip in her chest, and her stomach fluttered a little before she told it to settle down. From what she’d seen of Noah and from what Renee had told her she and Noah couldn’t be more different than if they were from other planets. He carried his demons firmly with him everywhere he went and she left hers behind her, settled firmly in the past..

  “Hey, Mom.” He bent down and pressed a kiss to his mother’s forehead, making Juliette’s stomach flutter again. There was something endearing about seeing a guy so affectionate and loving towards his mother. She sensed that even though he was gruff and rude and sad most of the time, underneath he was nothing but a big softy. “Juliette, you ready?”

  She bounded to her feet, smiling at him and stilled as his eyes ran over her. She’d dressed in jeans and a pink blouse that was embroidered with dark red roses, and had let her hair hang in loose waves down her back, pulled back from her face with a floral headband. The only makeup she wore was lip-gloss, which made her lips taste like strawberries. Noah’s eyes lingered on her lips before he frowned and then looked away.

  “Let’s go,” he growled and turned around, all but stalking back towards where he’d parked his pickup.

  “Thanks for taking me,” Juliette’s voice came as she jogged to catch up with him. “I really appreciate it.”

  He grunted but said no more, opening the door and waiting as she hoisted herself up into the truck. She wondered what she’d done to upset him. It seemed to be something about the way she looked, about the way she was dressed maybe? She tugged self-consciously on her shirt. Maybe she hadn’t dressed appropriately. Maybe she’d be embarrassing to someone like Noah. Juliette had never let herself feel inferior, even if there were people who’d gone out of their way to let her know she was.

  She remembered a particular girl in one of the high schools she attended, Macy, who, for reasons unknown to Juliette, had taken a very strong disliking to her. She spread rumors about Juliette, about her mom being a junkie, about her dad being in prison and that Juliette herself had been in rehab. Macy had used social media to spread her slurs, calling Juliette all manner of things. It had hurt. Juliette may be resilient, but she was still a teenage girl and words could cut deep. But at the same time she knew they were just words and that the people who listened to them were just scared of Macy. And besides, Juliette would tell herself whenever the hurt got too bad, she’d be leaving soon and wouldn’t have to put up with anymore. If it was anyone else there would be no escape. And she was right. Two months later and she was gone, and she hadn’t seen Macy, or anyone from that school, since.

  Juliette knew her life circumstances meant she hadn’t had the same opportunities as most people. She didn’t have a family, she’d never finished high school or gone to college, and she’d barely any money to her name. But they were just circumstances, just the luck of birth, and it didn’t make her any better or worse than anyone else. Or so she told herself when the doubts began to surface. Like now.

  “Everything okay?” Noah asked now, jerking her from
her daydreams.

  She flashed him a smile and nodded, pushing the niggling feelings of inadequacy aside. “Absolutely.”

  Noah turned the radio on, which saved Juliette from thinking of ways to make small talk as he drove the short distance to The Oak, a popular, local bar. Renee had told her that on weekends they had bands and that both locals and tourists liked to hang out there.

  Parking outside Noah quickly climbed out and hurried around to open Juliette’s door, helping her down, his hands going to her waist as he did. Again, she was reminded that, besides his grumpy persona, he was really quite the gentleman.

  “How old are you again?” he asked suddenly.

  “Twenty-three,” she replied, lifting her nose a notch. “And you?”

  “Twenty-eight.”

  She shrugged. “You’re just five years old than me.”

  “But I’ve a got a world of experience on you, kiddo.”

  Juliette smiled as she turned to walk up to the bar. “Really? You think so?”

  As soon as Juliette stepped inside she was assailed by one of her favorite songs, Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love”. She started singing along as she followed Noah through the crowd to a table near the bar. Pulling out a seat for her, he gestured for her to sit as he took the one next to it and swung it around, straddling it between his legs as he lowered himself.

  Juliette, still singing along to the tune, slowly became aware that there was a table of people watching her curiously.

  “Juliette,” Noah interrupted, “this is Gavin, Kelly, Mike, Ava, and you know Toby.”

  Juliette followed as he introduced everyone to her, carefully noting their names and making some connection to them as she did to remember their names later. Gavin had glasses, dark glasses that framed warm brown eyes; Kelly had the curliest hair Juliette had ever seen, it was strawberry blonde and circled her head like a crazy halo; Mike and Ava were very obviously a couple, she mused, noting the way their hands were locked together and their knees resting against one another. Toby she’d already met, so she didn’t have to work at remembering his name.