The Dance Part 2

Chapter 229 Tomorrows

Just as he had promised, Noah met Blue promptly at the library the next day. Her face beamed when she saw him sitting outside the building. There was something to be said for a man that was on time. He offered to carry her ruck sack that was packed with books for her own reading pleasure.

"What do you have planned for us tonight, Mr. Brown?" She looped her arm through his as they walked.

"I was thinking that we could stop by the bakery and pick up our dinner. I had my sister-in-law make us something special."

"That sounds like a well thought out plan Mr. Brown. Will we be dining alone?"

"I thought we could take it back to my place and maybe you could help me with some decorating tips."

"Dinner and decorating. I think I could manage that."

The walk to the bakery was short and brisk. Noah held the door for Blue as she entered the shop. Red and Lucy were eager to meet Noah's new love interest and in true fashion, Gabe and Bear were there as well. Noah groaned to himself as he knew exactly why everyone was present tonight. While Noah introduced Blue to his sister-in-laws, Gabe and Bear playfully teased him by making kissy faces at their younger brother behind Blue's back.

Gabe and Bear approached Blue and immediately disarmed her with their family charm. Bear nudged Gabe, "Look, it's a real girl."

"And she's pretty too." Bear smiled at Blue as he introduced himself. "I'm Noah's awesome brother."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Awesome." Blue turned to Gabe who proceeded to use his best Sean Connery accent on her.

"Oh, a comedian in the family." Blue giggled. "He's delightful, Mr. Brown."

Noah shook his head. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. There's two more brothers and two sisters."

"Your mother must be a saint."

"Or crazy." Noah collected their dinner from Red who gave him instructions on reheating it. The couple said their goodbyes and headed to Noah's place.

"My family can be a bit overwhelming at times."

"I think your family is charming."

"You haven't been to a family dinner yet."

"Something to look forward to I suppose."

Noah thought Blue was especially gracious as his family could be slightly challenging for a newcomer. Noah opened the door to his sparse apartment. It was pretty basic almost like having a blank canvas. "It need a woman's touch." He placed the food on the counter.

"Let's eat first and then we'll come up with a plan for this space."

Noah unpackaged dinner as Blue roamed the apartment. Noah's collection of things in jars fascinated her. She had always been intrigued by all things rare and odd and maybe that was why she was attracted to him. He was probably one of the few men she had met that didn't wear flannel or at least didn't attempt to bed her on their first date.

Her finger trailed to the art on the walls. "These are lovely. Did you paint them?"

Noah looked up to see Blue admiring the paintings that he had pulled from
Jill's inventory. "No, I'm not that talented. My sister-in-law, Jill, painted those."

"She's good. I like the way she captured the moon at night on the beach."

"She painted those when she and my brother were having issues before they got married. She refers to those as her dark period."

Noah placed the two plates for he and Blue on the table. Red had prepared a quiche and a salad for Noah and his guest. "I wasn't sure what you ate so Red suggested a quiche."

"It's fine. It smells delicious." Noah was relieved and poured a sparkling cider into two mismatched glasses. He held his glass in the air and proposed a toast. Blue raised her glass. "And what are we toasting?"

"To tomorrow and all its prospects." Noah clinked his glass to Blue's.

She echoed his sentiment. "To tomorrow." It was silly she thought to herself that there might be a lot of tomorrows with the man that sat across from her.

Uncle Kracker-Follow Me