Page 8 of His Greatest Muse
“I’ll see if I can find someone who’s looking for a roommate. It would be nice if you took him under your wing or something. Maybe he needs a friend.”
“He’s a mess. That’s not my problem.”
“Maybe not. But it would be the nice thing to do.”
“I’m not nice,” he states.
“No? You’re nice to me.”
He chuffs a dark laugh. “Am I?”
My brows pinch. “Yes. Do you no—”
A staccato rhythm of vibrations draws our attention to the coffee table, where he must have set his phone before tearing Josh off the couch. It bounces on the glass, and a lump grows in my throat when I see who’s calling.
My eyes are drawn to Noah again, as if my body knows this will have upset him. The mix of anger and frustration in his expression as he glares daggers at the phone confirms that I was right.
“Are you going to answer that?” I ask softly.
“No.”
“Do you want me to? Maybe it’s important.” His father doesn’t usually call him unless it is, but I don’t say that out loud.
He steels his expression, locking his emotions down again as he says, “Answer it or don’t. But I’m not speaking to him.” And then he’s gone, storming out of view. I hear his bedroom door shut a few beats later, and then I’m rushing for the phone.
I manage to answer the call before it goes to voicemail. “Noah’s phone.”
“Oh! Hi, Tinsley,” Ava, Noah’s mother, replies, sounding disappointed.
I try to hide my surprise at hearing her voice and not Oakley’s, clearing my throat before saying, “Hi, Ava. Noah’s busy right now, but I can have him call you back. I just didn’t want to miss a call that could be important.”
“You don’t have to lie to me, sweetheart. I knew calling from my husband’s phone was a bad idea, but I left mine back at the hotel, and I was missing my boy. I’m sorry to bug you. I know you must be busy with all of your training.”
Ava Hutton is one of the sweetest women I’ve ever known, and this is just one reason as to why I believe that. Despite how hard Noah fights to keep his distance from his father and, in turn, his family, Ava never stops trying to push through those barriers. Her son might not see her efforts, but I do, and I’ve been trying so damn hard to make him pay attention. I know how much it must hurt her not to have a close relationship with him.
“Hotel? What are you guys up to?” I ask, focusing on something other than why her son avoided her call.
“Oh, you know how Oakley is. He planned a surprise getaway for us. We arrived in Palm Springs yesterday.”
My heart warms. “That’s great. I’m sure you’ll have a blast. Palm Springs is one of my favourite places. The beaches are to die for.”
“That’s exactly why we love it here. Maybe we’ll buy a vacation home someday. After we get our condo in Toronto, of course.”
“You’re buying a condo here?” I stammer, surprised. This is news to me. Does Noah know?
“We’ve been debating it. It’s hard being so far away from Noah. It would make me so happy to get the chance to see him so often. To see thebothof you.”
My foot begins tapping on the floor as I start imagining how potentially bad their being here more often could be for Noah. But also, maybe . . . how good.
“You’ll have to let us know when you start shopping around. I’d love to join you on the hunt. My mom too, I’m sure.”
“That’s an amazing idea! We can make a day of it,” she gushes.
“Of course.”
“Well, I guess I should go, then. Please let Noah know that I love him and want to talk to him soon. I miss him.”
“He misses and loves you too, Ava.”