Strong Suit Read online

  That’s one more reason I’m glad my company chooses her as our next rising star chocolatier.

  But the weird thing is, when I sit down for lunch at the cafeteria a few weeks later and see she’s chatting with Noah at the salad bar, a small nugget of jealousy digs into me. I’m almost embarrassed that I’m the least bit envious.

  I like Lulu. I consider her a fast friend, and I don’t want to feel so green, especially since nothing has happened with Noah.

  I remind myself that Noah’s friendly, he talks to everybody. So when Lulu sits down with me to dine, I shove thoughts of him away once again.

  That’s truly becoming my top sport—denying my desire for the hot young guy who’s become so much more than that. He’s become the man I’m interested in. Very, very interested in. Because this hot young guy is so good, and honorable. It’s not him, it’s me—my past makes me want to be very, very cautious.

  “I’m so glad it’s you who’s the rising star,” I say.

  “Well, I’m glad it’s me too,” she says.

  “We need more chicks here at the office.”

  “Girl power. I’m all for that.”

  As we chat about her plans for the new line of chocolate, something whooshes over my head. A paper airplane lands in front of my tray, and a rush of heat spreads across my chest. “Noah,” I say, rolling my eyes to deflect but unable to hold in a smile.

  “Noah sends you paper airplanes?”

  I pick up the winged object. “He likes to send these to me at lunch. He’s such a goofball.”

  “Regularly? He sends them regularly?”

  “Once or twice a week.”

  “Pretty sure that means he’s into you.”

  I try to dismiss the idea, even though I know he is. But if I give in to it, I’ll give into him. And it’s too soon. “Oh, no. He’s just . . . festive.”

  Lulu glances behind her, and Noah waves to me. “No. I think he has a thing for you. A big thing. The look on his face seems to say it all. What about you? Is it mutual?”

  I’ve been storing all my worries inside me, and at last I have the chance to talk them through. I blurt out, “I’m thirty-five. I’m ten years older than he is. Is that terrible?”

  “Only if you let it be terrible. But your face says you like him too.”

  My stomach swoops. What am I going to do about all these butterflies? What am I going to do about Noah?

  I look over at him, taking in his handsome face, his golden skin, his dark hair, and his smile. I don’t even want to admit it to myself, much less to her, but I think I need to.

  “Maybe I do,” I say, since the truth feels better.

  “Maybe someday, then, for the two of you.”

  “Maybe someday,” I echo.

  After Lulu leaves, Noah walks over, clears his throat, and hands me a paper airplane.

  This one seems different than all the others, but the trouble is I don’t know if I’m ready yet to set aside my rules.

  Even though I find myself wanting to more every day I spend around him.

  7

  Noah

  Do it now.

  A voice in the back of my head repeats: Do it now. Just go for it. Ask Ginny out this weekend. Ask her out for lunch. Ask her out for coffee. Ask her out for a glass of wine. Ask her to go bath-bomb shopping. Ask her out to go taste-test kale salad anywhere. Take your chance.

  This time I listen to the voice, writing on the paper airplane, then personally delivering it as we leave the cafeteria together.

  She opens it as we walk, reading the words I wrote.

  “Someday I’d like to take you out.”

  Her eyes meet mine, and hers seem to sparkle with a little bit of hope, maybe even possibility. “You would?”

  I keep going for it. “I would. What would you say if I asked you?”

  She nibbles on her lip, sighing. “I don’t know.”

  That’s when I remind myself that love is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. I press my hand over hers. “Don’t give me an answer now, then.”

  “Why do you say that?” she asks curiously.

  “Because ‘I don’t know’ isn’t the answer I want.”

  A smile seems to sneak across her face. “What is the answer you want?”

  “The only answer I want is yes.”

  Her smile stretches further. “And you think I’m going to give you a yes?”

  “I’m an optimist. Optimism is my strong suit. Maybe even my strongest.”

  “That’s a good strong suit to have.”

  “It is,” I agree, since it’s what’s going to fuel me as I run this marathon with Ginny. “Now isn’t the time. But someday it’s going to be a yes.”

  “Someday you say?” She’s smiling wider now.

  “What do you think, Ginny?” I ask as we reach the stairwell. “Will it be someday?”

  “Maybe,” she says, and that’s already better than “I don’t know.”

  “Excellent. You think I can get you from a maybe to a yes soon?”

  She shrugs, a little playfully. “I think maybe if you try hard enough, you just might do that.”

  “I can do that. I can definitely do that.”

  She dusts invisible lint off my shoulder. “Go for it, Noah Rivera. Wear me down.”

  The die has been cast, the gauntlet has been thrown, and I make it my mission to wear her down, but in, you know, a positive way, the way we both want.

  The next week, as we embark on a crazy corporate scavenger hunt across New York, I work my magic.

  She smiles.

  She laughs.

  We talk and talk and talk.

  So much so that I’m confident I’m closer.

  And one day, when I ask her out again, I’m pretty sure she’ll say that someday is now.

  For more on Noah and Ginny’s burgeoning romance, read their story as it unfolds alongside Lulu and Leo’s in Birthday Suit, available now on all retailers!

  Also by Lauren Blakely

  FULL PACKAGE, the #1 New York Times Bestselling romantic comedy!

  BIG ROCK, the hit New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  MISTER O, also a New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  WELL HUNG, a New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  JOY RIDE, a USA Today Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  HARD WOOD, a USA Today Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  THE SEXY ONE, a New York Times Bestselling bestselling standalone romance!

  THE HOT ONE, a USA Today Bestselling bestselling standalone romance!

  THE KNOCKED UP PLAN, a multi-week USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling bestselling standalone romance!

  MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY, a sexy multi-week USA Today Bestselling sports romance! And its companion sports romance, MOST LIKELY TO SCORE!

  THE V CARD, a USA Today Bestselling sinfully sexy romantic comedy!

  WANDERLUST, a USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!

  COME AS YOU ARE, a Wall Street Journal and multi-week USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!

  PART-TIME LOVER, a multi-week USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!

  UNBREAK MY HEART, an emotional second chance contemporary romance!

  The Heartbreakers! The USA Today and WSJ Bestselling rock star series of standalone!

  The New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Seductive Nights series including Night After Night, After This Night, and One More Night

  And the two standalone romance novels in the Joy Delivered Duet, Nights With Him and Forbidden Nights, both New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers!

  Sweet Sinful Nights, Sinful Desire, Sinful Longing and Sinful Love, the complete New York Times Bestselling high-heat romantic suspense series that spins off from Seductive Nights!

  Playing With Her Heart, a USA Today bestseller, and a sexy Seductive Nights spin-off standalone! (Davis and Jill’s romance)

  21 Stolen Kisses, the USA Today Bestselling
forbidden new adult romance!

  Caught Up In Us, a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller! (Kat and Bryan’s romance!)

  Pretending He’s Mine, a Barnes & Noble and iBooks Bestseller! (Reeve & Sutton’s romance)

  The Break Up Album, the USA Today Bestselling standalone romance! (Matthew and Jane’s romance)

  My USA Today bestselling No Regrets series that includes

  The Thrill of It (Meet Harley and Trey)

  and its sequel

  Every Second With You

  My New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Fighting Fire series that includes

  Burn For Me (Smith and Jamie’s romance!)

  Melt for Him (Megan and Becker’s romance!)

  and Consumed by You (Travis and Cara’s romance!)

  The Sapphire Affair series...

  The Sapphire Affair

  The Sapphire Heist

  Out of Bounds

  A New York Times Bestselling sexy sports romance

  The Only One

  A second chance love story!

  Stud Finder

  A sexy, flirty romance!

  Contact

  I love hearing from readers! You can find me on Twitter at LaurenBlakely3, Instagram at LaurenBlakelyBooks, Facebook at LaurenBlakelyBooks, or online at LaurenBlakely.com. You can also email me at [email protected]