Chapter 4

The afternoon sun streamed through the café windows, casting golden rectangles across the wooden tables. The lunch rush had dwindled to a few lingering customers, leaving a peaceful lull that had become my favorite part of the day. Noah was wiping down the espresso machine, his movements methodical and practiced.

I looked up from the ledger I'd been balancing, catching his eye. He smiled—that same gentle smile that had greeted me every morning for the past two weeks without demanding anything in return.

"You're good with numbers," he observed, nodding toward the neat columns I'd organized. "Better than I ever…