Noble.”
“I know. You are spoiled rotten. Hard to be around,” he says, and jumps out of the car to open my door for me.
The hostess seats us at a table by the window and we watch the Friday rush hour leave the city. It’s dark early now, daylight savings time having robbed the afternoon of daylight and paid it to daybreak. Noble’s days are shorter, too. His work is almost finished for the year. The waitress comes and we order Brooklyn Lagers and three sushi rolls, but save a menu for more. Sushi is one more thing Noble and I have in common.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” I dig my phone out of my bag. “Will you keep an eye on this? Sean said Lily is going to call me tonight to wish me a happy birthday and I don’t want to talk to her in the bathroom,” I say, and wrinkle up my nose.
“No problem. I’ll gladly speak with Princess Lily.”
“Uncle Nick is her favorite.”
I return from the bathroom to Noble is staring out the window, my phone in his hand.
“Did she call?” I’m excited to talk to her. I take a sip of my beer as Noble turns to me with anger in his eyes. His hate-filled gaze makes me sit back in my chair. “What? What’s wrong?”
“You got a text,” Noble answers with a flat voice.
“From Lily?” What is going on?
“No.” Noble tosses my phone onto the table in front of me.
I’m still confused as I pick up my phone and press the HOME button. A text lights up the screen.
Happy Birthday, Annie O’Brien
I swallow hard as I read the text. Anger wells up inside of me. He wrote this for Noble as much as for me. Otherwise he would have left off the O’Brien. What an ass.
“I didn’t realize Jason was in your contacts,” Noble says, still coursing with ice.
“He’s not.” I stare down at the text on my phone, labeled with Jason Leer as the sender. I’m confused…“I don’t…I don’t understand,” I say as I try to put the pieces together. He is evil.
“Is it possible he doesn’t know we’re married?” Noble asks.
I’m not sure how he can give Jason the benefit of the doubt. I guess it’s because Noble doesn’t realize that it’s not possible for Jason to not know anything. Especially when it comes to me.
“No. He knows,” I say, and look Noble in the eye. I don’t want him to suspect for one second I’m hiding something from him. That’s not how marriage works.
“Have you spoken to him?”
“Not since the wedding,” I answer, maybe a little too quickly. “I wrote him a letter to tell him about the wedding.” The words lodge in my throat, but Noble’s not giving an inch. “And I saw him briefly before the ceremony.”
Noble rubs the scruff on his chin and stares at a pointless spot on the table. The waitress places our sushi rolls between us and looks at Noble and then me.
“Can I…uh…get you guys anything else right now?” She takes a step back and waits for our answer. Noble is even scary to strangers.
“We’ll take another round, when you have a chance,” I say, and down my beer.
“What did he want?” Noble asks, and finally faces me. “Never mind. I know what he wanted…wants.” The words sting as they reach my ears. I could fucking kill you, Jason Leer. I peer around, half expecting him to be in the restaurant.
“Noble.” I grab his hands from his beer glass. “Noble, look at me.” Noble turns his angry eyes on me. “He doesn’t matter. None of this matters. I don’t know why his contact is in my phone, but I don’t plan on using it. He’s hanging on to the past.” I squeeze his hands. “I’m Charlotte Sinclair now.”
Noble swallows hard. I rub his hands reassuringly. He has to believe me because there’s not much else I can say. I can’t keep telling Jason and Noble the same thing. At some point I’ll exhaust myself.
“Is that my birthday present?” I point to the box Noble placed on the windowsill after we sat down.
“Yes,” he says, his demeanor relaxing.
He hands me the box. It’s about
“I know. You are spoiled rotten. Hard to be around,” he says, and jumps out of the car to open my door for me.
The hostess seats us at a table by the window and we watch the Friday rush hour leave the city. It’s dark early now, daylight savings time having robbed the afternoon of daylight and paid it to daybreak. Noble’s days are shorter, too. His work is almost finished for the year. The waitress comes and we order Brooklyn Lagers and three sushi rolls, but save a menu for more. Sushi is one more thing Noble and I have in common.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” I dig my phone out of my bag. “Will you keep an eye on this? Sean said Lily is going to call me tonight to wish me a happy birthday and I don’t want to talk to her in the bathroom,” I say, and wrinkle up my nose.
“No problem. I’ll gladly speak with Princess Lily.”
“Uncle Nick is her favorite.”
I return from the bathroom to Noble is staring out the window, my phone in his hand.
“Did she call?” I’m excited to talk to her. I take a sip of my beer as Noble turns to me with anger in his eyes. His hate-filled gaze makes me sit back in my chair. “What? What’s wrong?”
“You got a text,” Noble answers with a flat voice.
“From Lily?” What is going on?
“No.” Noble tosses my phone onto the table in front of me.
I’m still confused as I pick up my phone and press the HOME button. A text lights up the screen.
Happy Birthday, Annie O’Brien
I swallow hard as I read the text. Anger wells up inside of me. He wrote this for Noble as much as for me. Otherwise he would have left off the O’Brien. What an ass.
“I didn’t realize Jason was in your contacts,” Noble says, still coursing with ice.
“He’s not.” I stare down at the text on my phone, labeled with Jason Leer as the sender. I’m confused…“I don’t…I don’t understand,” I say as I try to put the pieces together. He is evil.
“Is it possible he doesn’t know we’re married?” Noble asks.
I’m not sure how he can give Jason the benefit of the doubt. I guess it’s because Noble doesn’t realize that it’s not possible for Jason to not know anything. Especially when it comes to me.
“No. He knows,” I say, and look Noble in the eye. I don’t want him to suspect for one second I’m hiding something from him. That’s not how marriage works.
“Have you spoken to him?”
“Not since the wedding,” I answer, maybe a little too quickly. “I wrote him a letter to tell him about the wedding.” The words lodge in my throat, but Noble’s not giving an inch. “And I saw him briefly before the ceremony.”
Noble rubs the scruff on his chin and stares at a pointless spot on the table. The waitress places our sushi rolls between us and looks at Noble and then me.
“Can I…uh…get you guys anything else right now?” She takes a step back and waits for our answer. Noble is even scary to strangers.
“We’ll take another round, when you have a chance,” I say, and down my beer.
“What did he want?” Noble asks, and finally faces me. “Never mind. I know what he wanted…wants.” The words sting as they reach my ears. I could fucking kill you, Jason Leer. I peer around, half expecting him to be in the restaurant.
“Noble.” I grab his hands from his beer glass. “Noble, look at me.” Noble turns his angry eyes on me. “He doesn’t matter. None of this matters. I don’t know why his contact is in my phone, but I don’t plan on using it. He’s hanging on to the past.” I squeeze his hands. “I’m Charlotte Sinclair now.”
Noble swallows hard. I rub his hands reassuringly. He has to believe me because there’s not much else I can say. I can’t keep telling Jason and Noble the same thing. At some point I’ll exhaust myself.
“Is that my birthday present?” I point to the box Noble placed on the windowsill after we sat down.
“Yes,” he says, his demeanor relaxing.
He hands me the box. It’s about
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