Libby shot a glance at Noah, who was thankfully still looking out the window. She suddenly wished she’d asked for privacy. “Yeah.” She saw no reason to deny it.
“I know you believe in it, but it doesn’t mean anything, Libs. You can still meet an amazing guy and fall in love. You were never in love with Mitch.” She hesitated. “I was too caught up in Garrett and setting up the new practice to see what was right in front of my face. I let you down. I’m sorry.”
Libby gasped at Blair’s confession. Her friend really had softened. “You don’t need to be sorry. It’s done. Now I’m spending the week with Noah.”
He flashed her a grin, then motioned toward the restroom with his thumb.
Libby nodded.
“Be careful with him.”
Libby shuddered, suddenly grateful Noah had just left the table. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We both know what he’s like, and you’re vulnerable right now. You were seeing Mitch when you met him, but now you’re available. And sometimes you don’t make good choices after a breakup.”
Libby would have gotten angry if Blair had said it in a haughty tone, but her friend sounded genuinely scared. And Libby had to admit it was true. She was notorious for making stupid decisions after a breakup.
“I know you like Noah, but I don’t trust him for one minute.”
Libby laughed, but it sounded harsh. “You think he plans to take advantage or convince me to sleep with him?”
Blair’s voice hardened. “The thought had occurred to me.”
“News flash: he could have totally taken advantage of me last night. We slept in the same bed and I only had on his shirt and my panties. But no worries. He was a perfect gentleman.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s an oxymoron when used in conjunction with Noah McMillan.”
Libby sighed, not wanting to have to defend Noah to her friend. “Look, I appreciate your concern, but there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.” At least Blair didn’t seem to be picking up on her disappointment. Still, Blair’s worries corroborated Libby’s original misgivings about her attraction to Noah. She shook her head. She could mull that one over later. “I need a favor.”
“What is it?” There was a hint of the old Blair, guarded and wary.
“Do you know where my purse is?”
“I have it. We didn’t know when you’d be back, so I seemed like the logical person to hold on to it.”
“Then that’s perfect. Can you dig out my driver’s license and express ship it to Caesar’s Palace? And put my credit cards in it too.”
“What?”
“Look, I know it’s an inconvenience for you—”
“It’s not an inconvenience. I have it in my possession. I can ask my assistant Melissa to ship it. The question is why you need it.”
“Do you really think it’s a good idea for me to be traveling around the country with no ID?”
“When you put it that way . . . But why are you traveling around the country at all?”
“Why not? This is like my last big adventure. I turn thirty in two days and then I’ll be old and boring. Let me have one last fling before I leave my youth behind.”
“I’m not even going to comment on the fact that I’m already over thirty. But old and boring? You?”
Libby chuckled. “Well, I’ll give it a go.”
“Be careful, Libby. Just don’t let your heart get hurt, okay?”
“I walked out on a wedding, Blair. I think my jaded heart is safe.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Just send my stuff to Caesar’s Palace in care of Noah. He made the reservation.”
“When are you planning to come home?” Blair asked again.
Libby hesitated. “I don’t know.” She wouldn’t admit that part of her was tempted to take Noah up on his offer to move to Seattle and stay with him, albeit only temporarily. She could room with him until she found her own place. There was nothing for her in Kansas City anymore, and besides, Noah was right. The art scene was much better in the Pacific Northwest.
Maybe she needed a change. Maybe it was time to reinvent herself.
Chapter Eleven
It was still early after they finished eating, so Noah suggested a change of plan. They pushed on to Amarillo, three hours away. This time the room had two queen beds. After Libby got dressed for bed, Noah tried to ignore the tantalizing fact that her pajama shorts and camisole left more parts of her exposed than covered.
When he came out of the bathroom, she was already in one of the beds, propped up on pillows, her hair spilled out around her.
She was gorgeous. He knew this, yet sometimes when he saw her, she took his breath away. But her earlier words—“Noah’s not husband material”—still rang in his head. He really needed to get Abrahams to sign the deal so he could get his job back and prove himself to Libby.
He climbed into bed. “You ready to go to sleep?”
“Yeah,” was her soft reply.
He flipped off the light and let his eyes adjust to the dark as he put his hands behind his head.
“Thank you.” Her words were so quiet, he almost missed them.
He laughed. “For taking you to see a hairball? Most women would have taken off running.”
“Just goes to show how much you really know me.”
And he did know her. He knew that she liked her coffee with several tablespoons of hazelnut creamer. And that she hated to wear socks, even in the winter. That she sucked at parallel parking and had accrued a whopping seven unpaid parking tickets. He knew she often got so absorbed in a photography project, she’d go all day without eating. But when she did eat, she didn’t pick around her food—she had a healthy appetite. He knew she had a kind and loving heart and that she’d do anything for her friends.