Noah’s Journey(16)

A couple yeses and one hell yeah were offered, and I chuckled as I pulled out my phone to get dinner ordered.





Chapter Nine





Alena



Hayden had stuck around for opening day, which was turning out to be amazing. I had never expected such support from the townspeople; it was humbling. Women I had never met before were offering me congratulatory hugs before they gathered their purchases and walked toward the door.

Sassy Ladies was a hit.

Close to closing time, the bell above the door jingled, announcing a new customer. I turned around with a huge smile on my face only to feel my chest seize with hate.

Stacey entered the store with an older woman at her side. I assumed the woman was her mother, seeing that I had heard most ladies in town disliked Stacey.

“Well, isn’t this place cute,” the older woman said as her gaze roamed over the store.

Cute, really?

I looked back over my shoulder and found Hayden looking at me in confusion.

“Stacey,” I mouthed, and his face lit up with recognition.

Leave it to Hayden to add his own dramatic touch to Stacey’s. There was no way he would just sit back and allow her to take a stab at me. He wasn’t that type of friend. “Well, thank the heavens, because cute is exactly the feel we were shooting for.”

I snickered and instantly bit down on my lower lip to stop it.

“Welcome, ladies, feel free to look around, and if there’s anything we can help you with, don’t hesitate to ask,” I said trying to defuse the tension.

Stacey’s stare connected with mine, and I knew she was weighing her competition. In her eyes, I was sure that’s exactly how she viewed me.

My phone buzzed on the back counter, and I rounded the end to get it just as Hayden lifted it and looked down at the screen. “Well, isn’t that just adorable.”

I snatched the phone from him and looked at the display. It was a message from Noah with a picture attached.



Noah: Little man has found his new best friend.



In the picture, Austin was sitting atop Storm, one of Noah’s father’s prize horses, with a huge smile on his face while Jackson stood at his side. Since the night Noah showed up at my shop, things were different between us. Not a day passed that we didn’t talk, and the sweet, random text messages he sent throughout the day always put a smile on my face.

Things were still a little stressful when it came to Austin, though. Stacey has been throwing around hints about Livingston being boring and suffocating, which in turn made Noah panic and feel as if he had to spend every free moment with her in close range.

I looked up from my phone with a big grin and found that Hayden was watching Stacey and her mother. They were moving around from rack to rack, checking over the clothing. As Stacey continued to look down at her phone, I couldn’t help but wonder if Noah was texting her too.

When her phone rang, she quickly swiped the screen and lifted it toward her ear. I tried to remain discreet as I watched her face morph from neutral to what I assumed was her “pissed off at the world” expression.

“What do you mean papers? What papers?” she demanded in a tone that made me jump. “No, Daddy, we’ll be right there. Don’t you dare let him leave without me talking to him first.”

When she looked up and her glare connected with mine, she held it for a few moments before gripping her mother’s elbow and dragging her toward the door.

“What on earth has gotten into you?” her mom said as they passed the counter.

“Daddy said there’s a lawyer at the house. Apparently to serve me papers,” she whispered, but not very quietly.

My stomach clenched as I busied my hands to keep from staring at them. I knew exactly what papers she must be talking about. Noah’s attorney had informed him that she would be served this week.

I guess that day had come.

Before the door closed behind them, she took one more chance to shoot me a look. And If looks could kill, I would have dropped dead that very instant. Apparently I was now high on her enemy list.

“Damn, she is a bitchy one, isn’t she?” Hayden exclaimed as the bell on the door jangled from the impact of her abrupt exit. “I think even her mother wanted to smack her.”

“I have to call Noah,” I said as I quickly dialed my phone.

His deep chuckle filled the other end of the line as he hollered out, telling someone to give him a minute. I assume he was speaking to Jackson or Austin. I could hear muffled voices hollering back just before he spoke into the phone.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said in a husky tone.

“Hey, um…” I paused as I thought about how I would tell him to prepare for DEFCON five. I was sure shit was about to hit the fan. “I thought I should call and give you a little heads-up. Stacey got the papers.”