Page 60 of The Love Bus

MRS. GRADY: SURPRISE!

A lthough we’d traveled hundreds of miles that day, and Noah had experienced a near death experience on the river, just a little over half a day had passed since he’d climbed out of my bed.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

Would we spend another night together? He’d gotten quieter once the shuttle arrived. Maybe he needed some time to himself.

Maybe I did.

But after checking into our hotel in Page that night, I felt a little panicked. We’d passed the halfway mark, and as much as I’d resisted coming on this trip, I wasn’t ready for it to end.

That would be the end of my time-out from real life. And, even more concerning, it would signal the end of my time with Noah. The end of this…

Whatever it was.

Calling it a fling seemed to trivialize my feelings—feelings I wasn’t sure I even recognized.

How was this even possible? I’d just been engaged to another man, for goodness sake.

By the time I left my hotel room to come down for dinner, the sun had dipped low over the red cliffs outside the windows, casting everything in a kind of cinematic glow.

I’d showered, braided my still-damp hair, and even put on a real dress—simple cotton, strappy, white.

Something about tonight had made me want to feel… pretty.

My eyes scanned the handful of large round tables in the dining room, but it didn’t take long to find Noah, sitting with a few other familiar faces from the bus.

When our eyes met, he smiled, soft and inviting, and the knot in my chest loosened, replaced by the bubbly lightness of affection.

He’d saved me a seat.

I smoothed my palms over my skirt as I crossed the room, and judging by the knowing looks from literally everyone, Noah and I weren’t fooling anyone.

Maybe…maybe that was okay.

When Noah stood and pulled the chair out for me, it wasn’t swooning I felt, it was something else entirely.

Like my skin was more awake, my mind sharper, my heart beating just a little too fast.

Everything in me felt...alive.

And maybe that meant something deeper was happening here.

Nope. Nope. Nope. I wasn’t ready to think that far ahead yet.

“Long time, no see, Luna,” Babs greeted me as I sat down. “Don’t you look nice tonight?”

She winked at me in her usual unsubtle way, and I blushed despite myself.

“How did you enjoy the raft trip, by the way? We hardly saw you two after we launched.”

“Oh, um, it was really nice.” Noah probably didn’t want to bring up what had happened with those boys, and certainly not with everyone here like this, so I decided to steer away from the subject altogether. “That canyon is gorgeous, isn’t it?”

Noah hummed. “It is,” he said softly, and then his hand slid onto my knee under the table. “Though I’ll admit...” His voice dropped slightly. “I was a little distracted for most of it.”

I turned to him, blinking. “Really? You didn’t?—”

But then his fingers skimmed just beneath the hem of my dress, and his thumb began tracing slow, deliberate circles against my bare skin.

My brain…stalled.

And that’s when I saw it—that slow, wicked smirk.

Our attempts at staying low-key? Yeah. Those were unraveling fast.

And I didn’t even mind.

His grin deepened, like he was daring me to react, pushing right up to the edge—until Babs swooped in, breaking the moment before I fully short-circuited.

“So, nothing exciting happened then? No daring rescues?” Crap. She already knew. Her eyes were practically sparkling. “Because I heard that our Noah here saved a young boy’s life today.”

Noah’s hand stiffened. I turned toward him, but his face had gone almost completely blank. Was I the only one who sensed his obvious tension?

Wanting to reassure him, I reached beneath the table, resting my hand on his.

I didn’t want to play it off as nothing, because it wasn’t nothing. That boy could’ve died or been seriously hurt if Noah hadn’t jumped in, or hadn’t been fast enough. But I could see why it was a touchy subject for him.

Babs finally seemed to sense something was off as well, the mischievous light in her eyes dimming. “Oh, I’m sorry, dear. You don’t have to?—”

But before she could finish, Mrs. Grady, seated on Noah’s other side, reached up and clasped his shoulder, beaming.

“Noah’s always been my little hero,” she said, staring at him proudly.

And even though I knew he didn’t like this kind of attention, I couldn’t help but think she had every right to feel that way.

What surprised me was how completely unaware she seemed of his discomfort. Or maybe she noticed and simply bulldozed right through it.

Not that I was an expert on all things Noah Grady...

“Can you believe we’re finally going to see the Grand Canyon?” Babs asked.

Marla lit up at that. “Right? It’s been at the top of my bucket list for…nearly sixty years.”

“So, since before you were in the womb?” Patty teased, laughing.

The table burst into easy chatter, everyone happily recapping their favorite parts of the trip so far. Ed, of course, was still holding out for the blackjack tables in Vegas.

Josie, who’d been scrolling on her phone, suddenly looked up. “People on Facebook are already demanding tons of videos,” she announced, clearly pleased with herself. “I’ve developed, I believe, what’s known as a…following.”

I offered her a vague smile, barely processing what she’d said. My mind was too preoccupied with the hum of tension still radiating from Mrs. Grady, who, despite the lively conversation, had yet to fully rejoin it.

She was waiting for something.

And just when I started to relax—when I thought maybe I’d imagined the tension—Mrs. Grady’s bright voice cut smoothly back in, her smile just a little too practiced.

“As much as I love having my son as a traveling companion,” she said sweetly, glancing around the table, “I’m sending him off this evening.”

Noah blinked, and he twisted to face her, away from me. “What do you mean?”

My stomach dropped.

“You’ve been so patient, coming along on all our tame excursions,” she went on, her tone so casual, but also…ominous? “Which is why I’ve signed you up for something special—a multi-day kayaking trip through the Grand Canyon.”

It was as though someone had flipped a mute switch on the entire table.

“My treat, of course,” she added breezily, as if this was all perfectly normal. “They were fully booked, but I managed to pull a few strings. For you, sweetheart.”

Noah opened his mouth, then closed it, looked at me, and back at her again.

“Oh,” he said. “Wow. That’s…that’s thoughtful.”

Her stare fell on me for just a second, and the slightly victorious light in her eyes, along with the—guilt?—made me wonder what was really behind her little surprise.

Which wasn’t so little at all.

“I just thought, why not, you know? We’ve had a rough year, and I saw the brochure and figured, Noah needs this . Some real excitement.”

“Mom.” He leaned closer to her, and this time, his voice came out low and tight. “You should have talked with me first.”

“But then it wouldn’t have been a surprise! Now, they’ll be here to pick you up in half an hour.” She took a calm sip of her iced tea, And then she reached over and patted his hand. “So you’d better run up and pack.”

I didn’t say anything. What could I say?

What could Noah say?

“Oh, doesn’t that sound lovely! What a wonderful mom you have, Noah!” Eddie had clapped her hands together, obviously unaware of the tension on our side of the table. “Although we’ll certainly miss having you along! At least we still have our Luna!”

All eyes seemed to be on Noah.

And…on me.

And feeling like my smile was carved out of sandstone, I kind of shrugged. “That sounds…amazing.”

Because what else was I supposed to do?

Noah turned, his eyes meeting mine. “Luna…”

But his mom was checking her phone. “Noah, honey. You really should go pack up your belongings. Take my room card and leave anything you don’t need with me. But you need to hurry. They’re sending a shuttle to drive you down to… Peach something or other? I’ve a room reserved for you there tonight.”

All the ideas I’d had about tonight—not to mention the rest of the trip—went up in smoke in front of my eyes. But what could I do?

“Have fun?” I met his eyes for as long as I could, putting all my effort into trying not to look pathetic. Because I did not want him feeling guilty about leaving me.

This had been a fling. Nothing more.

At this point, calling it a fling felt like a stretch.

He stood slowly, hesitating. His hand brushed the back of my chair.

“Right.”

He moved around the table. Hugs and goodbyes were exchanged, a chorus of “Be safe!” and “Can’t wait to see your pictures!”

The entire time, a low thundering built in my ears. Distant and dull.

Then it was my turn.

I stood. Stepped into his arms. Let myself breathe him in. Held on longer than I should have. Let go before I wanted to.

And then… he was gone.

The second he walked away from the table, I felt it.

People watching me. Feeling sorry for me.

But I stayed frozen. Staring at the empty space where Noah had just been.

Smiling like I couldn’t feel the floor cracking under my feet.

It was fine.

Really.

I sat there for a few more minutes, trying to pretend I was still part of the conversation. That I was listening to Ed ramble about blackjack odds and Marla talk about canyon sunsets. But the voices around me were tinny and far away.

My chest felt tight, like something was squeezing it.

“Excuse me,” I said, standing. “I think I’m going to turn in early.”

I didn’t wait for anyone to object. And even though I felt Babs watching me, I couldn’t meet her eyes. I just…couldn’t.

I placed my napkin on the table, murmured something that might have sounded like goodnight, and walked—carefully, deliberately—out of the dining room.

I had to be careful. It was like I’d had too much to drink and was going to trip and fall any second.

Once inside the elevator, I pressed the button to my floor and let my head fall back against the wall.

It was a fling.

It wasn’t supposed to be anything.

He didn’t choose to leave. Not really.

I made it to my room. Locked the door behind me. And then I just stood there. In the dark.

For all the healing I thought I’d done—letting go of Leo, reclaiming myself, rediscovering what fun felt like on this ridiculous bus tour—I was surprised by how much this hurt. How deep it went.

I had thought I was getting better.

But now, alone in this hotel room in the middle of the desert, wearing the dress I’d put on when I’d felt like I was going out on a first date, I suddenly felt incredibly… stupid.

Because, despite everything I swore I wouldn’t do when this time came, I felt the tears start to rise.

“Tomorrow,” I whispered.

Tomorrow I’ll be fine. Tomorrow I’ll fight the good fight again. On my way to being...whole.

But tonight?

I let myself mourn something that had never even had the chance to begin.