Patsy, the owner of Thompson’s Parlor—and Noah’s old boss, greeted them with an enthusiastic hug. She stepped back and kept staring at Noah while stating that in all her life, she’d never expected to see him again.

Noah just smiled and pushed his hands through his hair, hoping to work off his nervous energy. It was hard to keep up his resolve to leave when all of his memories were pushing their way to the surface and begging him to stay. It was an all-too-familiar feeling. It had clung to his heart the day he drove out of this small town. He hoped he had enough strength to do it again.

He kept his conversation light and let Patsy lead them to an empty booth, where Noah sat across from Sophia.

A young girl with a high, blonde ponytail greeted them. She laid a menu in front of them and asked if they needed a minute to order.

Noah parted his lips to tell her he was ready, but Sophia picked up her menu, halting his words. He rolled his eyes as he tried to fight the smile spreading across his lips.

This was a ritual that they’d done so many times. He knew after agonizing minutes Sophia would always end up ordering a chocolate and peanut butter parfait. But, just to annoy him, she would study the menu until the waitress would tell them she’d come back.

He was hungry today, so reached over and grabbed the menu from her hands. “You do this every time,” he said, not stifling the flirty tone to his voice.

She quirked an eyebrow as she tried to grab it back. “Excuse me. That’s rude.”

He chuckled. “You do this every time, Soph. You order the chocolate and peanut butter parfait after you’ve perused the menu for ten minutes.”

“Maybe I should come back,” the waitress offered as she turned from the table.

Sophia dropped her jaw in an exaggerated movement. “Listen here, sparky. I don’t always get the peanut butter parfait. In fact, it’s been years since I’ve ordered that.” She glanced down at her menu and mumbled, “If you’d been here, you would have known that.”

Ouch.

He studied her for a moment before he cleared his throat. When she didn’t look up, he did it again.

“What?” she finally asked, meeting his gaze.

He narrowed his eyes. “Ask me.”

She raised her eyebrows. “What?”

He was done with this. There was no way he was going to be able to go the whole week like this. If she wanted to know something, he’d tell her. Well, as much as he was legally allowed to.

Sophia lowered her menu and clasped her hands on top of it. “You’re going to tell me the truth? About anything I ask?”

A spark of worry entered his mind, but he pushed it out. If answers were something she wanted, then he’d give them to her. “On one condition.”

She chewed her lip. “What condition?”

“I get to ask you as many questions as you ask me.”

She seemed to mull that over for a moment before she nodded and held out her hand. “Deal.”

They shook, and Noah tried to ignore the sparks that raced across his skin from her touch. It was frustrating him how his body seemed to overreact to her. He’d dealt with freezing temperatures and burning heat and been just fine. But one touch from Sophia, and suddenly he was out of control.

Thankfully, the waitress showed up and set two glasses of water on the table. Noah thanked her and ordered the Oreo surprise, which he’d helped create. And, just as he thought, Sophia ordered the chocolate peanut butter parfait.

Once they were alone, he turned his attention to Sophia. “Question one.”

She hesitated before she leaned forward. “Where did you get the scars?”

He winced at the directness of her question. But he’d promised to be truthful. “In a car crash in the Middle East.”

She parted her lips as if she wanted to ask more, but he held up his finger. “My turn.”

She pinched her lips together and glared at him. He brushed it off. He wasn’t going to give up his secrets that easy.

“What happened with your father at the funeral?” He hoped she would be okay with him asking questions about her father. But that was what he was here to do. Find James.

She swallowed and dropped her gaze to the tabletop. “He came. I glared at him. Before he spoke to me, I ordered him from the premises. He didn’t leave right away, so Jazzy threatened to call the cops and he left. Not much to tell there.”

She was acting strong, but he could hear the pain in her voice. For a moment, she closed her eyes and then blinked a few times. As if she were fighting to keep her tears at bay.

His chest squeezed at her pain. She was hurting, and in just a few days’ time, he was going to make her face that pain. “I’m sorry.” The apology tumbled from his lips.

She wiped at her cheeks and shrugged. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago. I’ve gotten pretty used to people not sticking around.”

There that was again. He wished he could go back in time. Back before he’d hurt everyone he’d ever cared about. But that wasn’t something he was allowed. The past was an untouchable place that he so desperately wanted to get back to so he could fix all his horrible mistakes.

Her expression softened. “I’m sorry. I promise to stop doing that.” She blew out her breath. “It’s just been hard, you know?”

He nodded. He did know.

She forced a smile. “My turn.” She rested her chin on her hand and drummed her fingers against her skin. “Did you date?” Her cheeks flushed. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if that’s prying.”

He grabbed his water and took a drink. He was going to need hydration to answer this question. “A few times. Nothing that stuck.”

Sophia’s eyebrows rose as she met his gaze. “Really? I find that surprising.” Then she leaned forward. “You did promise to tell me the truth.”

It was nice to see Sophia so relaxed. She had been tense since the moment he got here, and it broke his heart to see that she’d become so closed off. Growing up, she’d been carefree. But now? The moat around her heart was deeper than the ocean, and he was treading water just to stay afloat.

He shook his head. “Even though I’m completely flattered by that, no. I’m not in any relationship. It’s kind of hard in my line of work.”

A knowing look passed over her face. “I understand.”

He sighed. “My turn?”

She nodded.

Noah knew the question he wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer. But he couldn’t stop himself. “What about you? Any significant guys in your past?”

She scoffed, but from the way her cheeks turned red, he knew the answer.

“I mean, yes. Tons of guys. Lots and lots of guys.” She turned her attention to the side and squinted. “Actually, that’s a lie. I just didn’t want you think that I was a loser.”

Before he censored himself, he reached across the table and engulfed her hand in his. What had started out as an innocent affirmation, sent waves of heat across his body. Crap. He shouldn’t have touched her.

And from the way her gaze dropped to their hands, he knew she felt the same way too.

But he’d done this for a reason, so he might as well continue. “You’re not a loser. Any guy would be lucky to date you.”

She met his gaze, and there was a hint of hesitation there. She pulled her hand away as a forced chuckle escaped her lips. “You have to say that because you’re my ex. How would it look if you once dated a crazy person?”

The waitress appeared, dropping their ice cream dishes in front of them. When they were alone again, Sophia looked as if she were ready to move on. He wanted to address what she’d said, but Sophia beat him to the punch.

“My turn. What don’t I know about my dad?” She grabbed a spoonful of ice cream.

He took a bite and let the dessert melt on his tongue. When he swallowed, he glanced over at her. “How much do you know?”

“Just what you told me.”

He sighed as he squinted at her. “Soph, that’s a much more detailed answer. I guess…” His voice trailed off. “The company he works for moves money for some very entrenched groups around the world. They enable people to participate in all sorts of terrorism.” He glanced up at her, worried what the truth might do to her.

She trailed her spoon through her ice cream. “What are you going to do with him?” She winced. “Sorry, that’s a second question.”

Noah didn’t care. He wanted her to open up to him. To let herself be vulnerable. So he just moved wiped his lips with his napkin and set it down on the table. “Well, I’m hoping he’ll decide to cooperate. If I just arrest your dad, it will tip off the bigger players. Hopefully, our marriage will create a good enough disguise that they won’t even bat an eye if your dad brings me on.”

She was studying him when he glanced back up. He could see the uncertainty in her gaze. She was debating if what he said was true or not.

Desperate to keep the line of communication open, Noah scrambled to explain himself. “I can’t get more detailed than that. It’s on a need to know basis. Your safety could be at risk.” His voice trailed off as he took another bite. His chest surged as the desire to keep her safe rushed through him. Nothing would happen to her. Nothing.

She fell silent, and Noah didn’t like that. It had felt good to finally be honest with each other. He wanted to gain her trust back. But how?

“There was a girl. Once.” He winced as he let himself open up. Maybe he couldn’t tell her more about her father, but he could tell her something personal. Something so painful that it haunted his dreams at night.

When he glanced back up, he saw that her lips were closed and she was watching him. He took a deep breath as he continued.

“She was my trainee, back at the agency.” He reached out and fiddled with his bowl of ice cream. It had begun to melt, leaving an Oreo-filled soup in his bowl. “She…well, she felt more for me than I did for her.”

“What was her name?” Sophia asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He swallowed. “Judy.” The image of Judy’s big brown eyes and wide smile flooded his mind. “We were close. I cared about her—in a big brother sort of way. When we were out on a recon mission, we ran over an IED. I—um…” Noah cleared his throat as he shifted in his chair. The memory of that day was burned into his brain.

The warmth of her hand engulfing his sent shivers up his skin. When he glanced over at Sophia, he saw understanding in her gaze.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to keep going.” She smiled at him. Her soft, pink lips tipped up into a smile.

“Thanks,” he said, pulling his hand away, hoping that the temptation to pull her closer would dissipate. It didn’t.

The silence that surrounded their table was palpable. He was grateful for a melting bowl of ice cream to distract himself with. After the waitress came to fill up their waters, she told them she would be back with the check. Noah nodded. He was ready to move on.

He needed to get out of here. He needed some space from Sophia and the feelings that were racing through him.

They didn’t say anything more as Noah drove back to her house. Every time he tried to break the silence, he couldn’t think of anything to say. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by telling her about his past, but he also didn’t want her to think that he was holding anything back.

It had felt good to get his past out into the open. To be honest with her. Deep down, he wanted her to know—needed her to know. But that was selfish. It would only help him feel better. He’d told his stories before. Everyone always got incredibly uncomfortable afterwards. As if they weren’t sure what to do with what he’d told them.

And that wasn’t a burden he wanted to put on Sophia. She had enough heartbreak in her life; the last thing he should do was dump his problems on her.

So when they entered her house, he reached out and grabbed her elbow.

“Sophia, wait.”

She turned. She had a pained expression on her face. One he couldn’t read. What was she thinking? Why was she such a mystery to him?

He used to know so much about her, and now? She was a stranger.

“What, Noah?” She met his gaze.

There was a hint of hesitation there. As if she knew what he did—they couldn’t keep telling each other their deepest secrets. It would only ignite feelings that they’d long since buried.

So, even though he was desperate for her to know everything about him, he just smiled. “Thanks for listening to me. I can ramble on sometimes.”

Sophia shrugged. “Of course. What are fake fiancées for?”

He scoffed as she pulled her arm away. Embarrassed, Noah shoved his hands into his front pockets.

Sophia sighed and turned away. “I’m going to my room to lie down.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

He wanted to ask if she was still planning on meeting Kari, but decided against it. Sophia looked so emotionally and physically drained, that sleep was probably the best thing for her.

Once she was gone, he glanced around. What was he supposed to do? There was no way his nightmares were better than being awake. So, he sat down on the couch and grabbed a book. Hopefully it would lull him to sleep.