"Sounds about right for Eagle's Ridge." He cast a sideways glance. "Everyone knows something."
They walked slowly toward the stone entryway as their easy conversation fell into an awkward silence. Was he suggesting she'd been gossiping? About him? It was time to change the subject. "I heard you're going to open Nuts and Bolts again."
Noah sighed and ran his hand through the back of his close-cut hair. "Yeah, yeah." He held the front door open for her, stepping back so Teagan could walk into the familiar house. "I think it's going to be a good thing."
The door clicked shut behind them, and he passed her, leading the way to the living room. She stepped over a couple of bags, wondering if he planned on sticking around for a while, then bit her tongue, wanting to trust Lainey's decision. "It will be. The town's already buzzing that it will open soon."
"Really?" he asked.
"It'd be great for everyone if you opened in time for Halloween."
His brow furrowed. "Why?"
"Oh, you don't remember," she said, sitting down on the love seat.
"Refresh my memory."
Teagan toyed with her hair, recalling year after year of holidays. "Let's see. There was a lot to choose from."
"You're stalling. Must not be that memorable." He winked.
"Picking the best of the best." She pulled her hair into a ponytail. "December was big for the holidays. But because the Halloween parade goes right by there, they went big. And they handed out candy in front of the parking lot."
"Oh, right!" He made a throwing motion. "I forgot about the Halloween parade."
The parade where the sidewalk watchers and storefront merchants threw candy and the kids in costumes walked down the street. An Eagle's Ridge tradition. "Well, I'm glad you remembered now."
Noah's eyebrows jumped as he readied to throw another imaginary handful of candy. "Yeah? Why's that?"
"Because the kindergarten crew take it very seriously, and you have some serious costume planning and decorating of Nuts and Bolts to figure out."
His face pinched as though he'd just realized that Bella would be walking in the parade too. "Awesome."
Well, darn it. Maybe her warning and amusement were off on their timing. "I can help with the costume. Easy, no problem."
"Nah, I've got it." He waved away her offer.
"You're going to need help sometimes," Teagan pointed out.
"On a Halloween costume?" He rolled his eyes. "I'll take Help for One Hundred on bigger issues, Alex."
Teagan winked. "Bella doesn't do typical costumes."
"That's cool. I've got it. But the garage … " He ran a hand over his face. "I can't remember."
"Sure you do. Fog machines coming out of abandoned cars, everything painted orange. Scarecrows crawling out of trunks and hoods. And Bella can walk with us."
He tipped his head back. "That's awesome. Thanks."
"Now you have a plan."
"Nothing I love more than a plan." Noah nodded to himself, maybe reminiscing about what used to be an Eagle's Ridge tradition. "Cool. I'll dress Bella, she'll walk with you and Will, and I can come up with a couple ideas for the garage. Perfect."
Teagan let him have a quiet moment until he looked over, more content than he had been ten minutes ago.
"I'm glad you're reopening it." She fidgeted with her purse against the arm of the love seat. "Are you going to change much?"
Noah chuckled. "You mean all the cutesy auto stuff?"
She prayed he wouldn't change the decor. "Yup, all that."
"Wouldn't dare touch a thing. My mother would never let me hear the end of it."
"Just another reason why Marlene Coleman is a good woman."
"Do you know my mom well?" he asked.
"I mostly chatted with Virginia but sometimes Marlene. They have very high opinions of the warrior in their family. Thank you for your service."
He gave a curt nod as the kids tore out the front door with Will leading the charge. "We're hungry! Can we have a snack?"
Noah hooked an arm around Bella's hip. "I'm starving!"
Knock, knock.
"Someone's at the door." Bella spun free as Will followed her to the front door.
"That'd be a delivery from my buddy's girlfriend." Noah stood up.
Teagan stood as well. "On that note, we should probably head out."
A chorus of nos came from the kids, and Teagan cut them off with a look. Bella gave Will a quick hug, then they raced out the front door.
"Hang on a second," Noah said, following them. He returned less than a minute later. "I thought Bailey was going to drop this off." He headed into the kitchen and returned. "That wasn't her. Just a delivery guy. But-" He stood next to her in the hall and shook his head. "I want to learn that trick of yours."
Teagan paused on the way to the door. "What trick?"
"The look." Noah crossed his arms and made a funny face.
She tapped his forearms. "I do not look like that."
He chuckled, uncrossing his arms and shrugging. "I don't know. I almost had it down."
"Nowhere in the neighborhood of the look."
He opened the front door, and their arms brushed as he guided her out, letting his hand slide from her shoulder blade a few inches. Nothing wrong with a touch. Maybe other than the fact that it made her realize how warm his hands were-and wonder how strong they were too.
Teagan drew in a quick breath as they stood on the small front porch, watching Will and Bella spin and hop as if they might never run out of energy.
"Go hop in the car, baby," she called to Will, then she and Noah both laughed at the spectacle of them leapfrogging to her Subaru, clamoring to open the back door, and the animated discussion that ensued as Will hooked into his booster.
Noah propped an arm against a cedar pillar, leaning to her side. He wasn't in her space, but the area was small. Teagan's cheeks heated when she noticed how his muscles bunched with his arm overhead. They were close enough that his warm, woodsy cologne caught on the ever-present slight breeze, so subtle that she didn't know what made her take a quick breath until her mind registered how mouthwateringly handsome he was.
"I'll figure it out."
She snapped out of it. "What? I'm sorry … "
He deepened his smile, and sun lines at the corner of his eyes gave him a smolder. "The look."
She tossed her head back. "Ha!"
"What? Too much?" Noah laughed too.
Thankful he'd turned his good looks into a smoking hot but funny moment, she had nothing but a headshake. "Bella's a doll. You'll rarely need the look."
"I still want all the weapons in my arsenal." He made grabby hands. "That's the only way this learning curve flattens."
Balling her fists loosely, she batted away his hands, like a boxer and coach practicing. "You've got this, slugger."
"Wrong sport. Rocky."
Bella trotted over and jumped up on the porch. Noah tucked her to his side. They were cute and the family resemblance strong. She rocked from heel to toe, back and forth. "Drive safely, Teagan."
"I will, Bella. Thanks for the reminder."
Noah blinked, dropping to stare at Bella.
"It's fine that she calls me Ms. Shaw at school and Teagan outside. We've known each other for too long."
"Yeah." Noah's confusion hadn't waned. "Thanks for the explanation."
"Are we leaving soon?" Will yelled from the Subaru.
"Gosh, yes." She was chatting with Noah as if they didn't have to run to the store and knock out errands. "In a second."
"Got any other pieces of advice to share, ladybug?" Noah asked Bella.
Then it clicked. Noah hadn't seen Bella's gifted idiosyncrasies in action. It was one thing to know she was bright. It was quite another to hear her drop very adult-like statements into a conversation. Teagan winked at Noah. "I'll text you a couple tricks. Who knows if you'll ever need to throw a Hail Mary. What's your number?"
"Third sport, same conversation."
"Boxing, baseball, football." She fished it out of her purse. "I'm raising a son. I'm not clueless-though I'm positive I'd still know that if I was raising a daughter."
He rattled off his number while she had her cell in hand, then she hit Send. "Now you have me. Anything comes up, I'm always around."
Noah lifted his chin. "Appreciate that."
"And I'm off." She waved as she headed for her car.
"Now racing too?" Noah laughed.
Teagan turned but kept walking backward. "What?"
Bella giggled. "Off to the races!" Then she galloped into the front yard.
"That's a stretch." Teagan pointed at him and shook her hand, then she turned and shut Will in before opening her door to slide in the driver's seat. Teagan buckled in with a smile on her face.