Page 65 of Falling Back to You

“Only cute?”

Her cheeks flushed a delicate rose. “Need a hand with that?”

“I . . . yeah.” What was I doing flirting with her? It was so easy to fall back into the Cal-and-Noelle-best-friends-forever relationship. We had a history years couldn’t erase. But I hated her seeing me at a disadvantage. Our morning routine usually went smoothly, but it would be today that things fell apart. Sue me for wanting her to see me as super put-together and in control, something I hadn’t been back in the day. Grey, you were a responsibility hog in the womb. Give me some, will you?

My twin obviously couldn’t hear me, but he’d get the message next time I saw him.

Noelle flitted around the kitchen with ease, handing me my coffee mug and hip-checking me away from the sink. In less than a minute, she had a fresh pan of eggs started and toast in the toaster.

I poured Khia’s orange juice, but she skipped into the kitchen before I could bring it to her. She shrieked when she noticed Noelle.

“Are you my new mommy? Do I get a puppy now?”

The plastic cup slipped from my hands, sloshing juice all over the floor. Another disaster—just add it to my tab. “No, Lovebug, this is your new nanny.” Crouching, I mopped up the liquid with a paper towel.

Khia stared at Noelle. “Like Mary Poppins?”

Noelle slid the eggs onto two plates and grinned over her shoulder. “I’m not as cool as Mary Poppins.”

Khia giggled. “She’s the best!”

While I swabbed the mop around the hardwood to keep it from drying sticky, Khia climbed up to sit on the counter to chat with Noelle. Any doubts I had about them getting along evaporated.

Noelle’s patient nature listened to Khia’s prattle, and Khia came alive under another woman’s attention. Not just any woman’s. Noelle’s.

I absently rubbed my sternum. It was a snapshot of a future we could’ve had. A future I still longed for. “I should—”

Noelle thrust a plate at me. “Eat. You need to keep up your strength.”

“Always taking care of others,” I murmured, accepting the plate. Who takes care of you? “Thanks.” I shoveled the eggs, sourdough toast, and cold steak down in a few bites.

“Chew, Daddy!” Khia said.

No time for that, kiddo. I grabbed my protein shake. “I owe you big time, Elle.”

Noelle brushed off my thanks. “We’ll be fine. Have a good day. Oh, here.” She handed me a thermos of fresh coffee.

“Did you put salt in it?” I asked suspiciously.

She blinked at me. “Why would I do that?”

“Sorry. Ruby did once when I was being, according to her, particularly annoying. Now I have beverage trust issues.”

“I can see that. The part about Ruby, not you being annoying.”

“Eh, I told a scarecrow joke. It didn’t stand up by itself.”

Noelle shook her head at my joke, a smile tugging her lips. “I always liked your sense of humour.”

“Yeah?” Take that, Grey. My humour isn’t dumb.

We stared at each other for a minute. Then before I could blurt out something embarrassing, I cleared my throat to break the tension. “I should go.”

After grabbing my duffel bag, I headed for the front door. Khia was usually clingy, but she was enamoured with Noelle in the kitchen, perched on a chair helping dry the dishes.

“Bye, Lovebug.”

She hopped down and ran to me. “Eskimo kisses!”