Noble Love (The Nobles of Sweet Rapids #1) (5 page)

"
I
saiah..."

The sound of his name on her lips affected him more than he would have imagined. It was obvious she'd been in the kitchen baking with her apron tied around her waist, which was covered in flour. That wasn't the only thing covered in flour.

He held a finger up to his nose.

"You've uh...got a little something..."

Her eyes widened as her hand went to her nose. "Oh!" She wiped her nose and his amusement grew as she smeared more flour on her face.

Tessa looked down at her hands, then back at Isaiah and caught the amusement on his face. "I made it worse, didn't I?" she asked, exasperated.

"Just a little," he said, pinching his fingers together.

"Shit," she mumbled under her breath. "Will you excuse me? I'll be right back."

"Take your time."

She nodded and then disappeared to the back.

He stood in the middle of the bakery, looking around. When they'd briefly hung out at the juice bar after the yoga class, he'd mentioned that he wanted to see her again and she'd given him that teasing response of 'you know where to find me' before turning and walking off. He decided that he was done stalling, for no good reason. He wanted to get to know more about Tessa Everett and he could feel that the chemistry between them wasn't one-sided.

It was time to explore it.

Several minutes later, Tessa returned, looking refreshed. She'd left behind her apron, cleaned the flour off of her face and gotten rid of the hair net. Her long, tightly coiled curls now framed her gorgeous face, whose lips were covered in some kind of gloss that made them look incredibly kissable.

"Sorry about that," she said, this time moving closer to him. She smelled heavenly, her own scent of jasmine and citrus mixed with the bakery scents of cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg; or was the vanilla part of her perfume?

He couldn't tell, and he didn't care. All he knew was that the combination made his mouth water.

"So..." Tessa said, interrupting his thoughts. "What brings you to my bakery?"

He smiled, remembering the bag he was holding in his hand. He took a step closer to her and he watched as her nostrils flared.

"I knew you were closing soon, so I took a presumptuous chance and figured you hadn't had dinner yet."

"It smells wonderful," Tessa said.

"Does that mean you'll join me for a meal?"

Those sweet looking lips of hers turned up into a smile as she said, "I'd love to. Why don't we eat at one of the tables outside? It's a gorgeous evening."

"That's a great idea."

Isaiah turned and opened the door for Tessa. After she stepped out, she turned and locked the door.

"So," she said eagerly as they sat down. "What great things did you bring me?"

He chuckled as he placed the bag on the table. "I hope you like Mediterranean food."

"I love it!"

"That's a relief," he joked. "There's a great restaurant in South Lake Tahoe. Their food is amazing. You're going to love it."

As he began pulling out take-out cartons from the bag, Tessa asked, "Tahoe?"

He stopped for a moment and looked up at her. "Yeah, that's where my place is. Well, when I'm not out in L.A., anyway."

"You have a place in South Lake Tahoe?"

"Zephyr Cove to be precise," he said. "But it's right on the lake. I couldn't pass the place up, and I got it at a steal. That's why I picked that location rather than something here in Sweet Rapids."

"I think it's beautiful out there."

"I'll have to take you out there one weekend."

Tessa smirked at him, propping her elbows on the table. "We haven't even started eating yet, and you're already planning weekend getaways? Now
that's
presumptuous."

He began popping the lids off of the food cartons, the exotic spices filling their nostrils.

"I assure you, once you taste this food, you'll be hooked and want to make the trip over there for more. And you'll probably be too full to drive back home. I'm just being hospitable," he said with a wink.

"Oh okay!" she giggled. "What's on the menu tonight?"

"Hummus, Patatas Bravas with pimentos sauce, lemon basil shrimp with pasta and Chicken Shawarma," he informed her, pointing to each one.

"It all looks wonderful," Tessa said.

"Take your pick," Isaiah offered.

He watched as she tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to decide which entrée she wanted.

"The shrimp and pasta," she decided, reaching for the bowl.

"Good choice," he replied, taking the Chicken Shawarma.

They shared the appetizers before starting on their own dishes.

"This is amazing," Tessa said.

"Told you so. You wanna try the Shawarma too?"

"Yes!" she said quickly.

He lifted the pita stuffed with meat and held it up to her. She hesitated briefly as he pushed it closer to her mouth, encouraging her to take a bite. "Go on," he insisted. He watched as she attempted to take a delicate, yet large bite of the wrap and her eyes rolled back as she moaned.

"Okay," she said, covering her mouth. "This is great too."

"I can tell by the way you ate nearly half of my food."

Her eyes grew wide with embarrassment.

"Oh my. Isaiah, I'm so sor–"

His head fell back with laughter, cutting off her apology. "I'm just messing with you, Tess."

She threw a napkin at him, but was smiling as she did so.

They went back to eating in silence for a while before Tessa asked, "What are you doing home in Sweet Rapids?"

"It was
supposed
to be business," he said. "My dad called me, all in a fit over Chic and Sleek’s new natural hair care line."

"I heard about that. Saw the new products in a few stores."

"My dad wanted me to come and help strategize against the competition. He said he wanted me to direct some new commercials for the company."

"That's exciting!" Tessa said, looking at him.

"Yeah," he said, picking up a piece of chicken that had fallen out of the wrap. "It
would
have been, if there was an actual commercial to shoot."

"What do you mean?"

Isaiah blew out a frustrated breath. "They have nothing. No ideas, no concepts, nothing. My dad basically said what he needed to say to get me here. I changed my plans of going to Europe to visit my sisters in order to come here, thinking I'd be able to sit down, hear what needed to be done and get to work. Instead..."

"You're sitting here with me, eating Mediterranean food."

He looked up at Tessa, who had an empathetic smile on her face.

"I can't complain about the trade off," he murmured. He sat his food down. "I have to apologize. I didn't mean to complain like that."

"No, I get it," she said, reaching over to place her hand over his. The touch of her soft skin against his was stimulating. After another moment, she pulled her hand back and looked away. "Why didn't you go back to L.A. then?"

"Several reasons, I suppose," he said. "For one, my dad made sure to throw a guilt trip in about how I've been saying that I was going to come home and then make up an excuse to back out. Also, after speaking to my mother, I realized the business
does
need some help and I'd like to do what I can. I've been focused on my career in music and movies, but Noble Naturals is never too far off in my mind. I'm aware that one day, I will have to run the entire company, which is probably why I'm always stalling. I haven't been ready for that quite yet. But I have to admit, it's felt really great to be home."

"I understand wanting to help the family business," Tessa said. "At least your parents
want
your help."

"Is everything going okay with the bakery?"

"Everything's fine," she said. "It's always just fine."

"You wanna vent now?" he asked, with a grin.

"No," Tessa sighed. "Another time, maybe."

"My ears are available anytime. As are my shoulders."

Tessa gave him an appreciative smile. "Thanks for the offer."

They went back to their food and lighter topics, like how Sweet Rapids' revitalization plan had been a success and how much their city had changed over the years.

They were packing up their trash when a car drove by honking its horn. Tessa's sister drove by waving and Tessa waved as well. Once Dana drove off, Tessa turned back to Isaiah.

"The food was amazing," she said. "Thanks. It's a lot better than what I would have ended up having for dinner."

"It was my pleasure," he said, throwing their trash in a nearby receptacle. "There's just one thing that was missing."

He looked up at the Everetts’ Bakery sign over their heads, and then back at Tessa.

"Let me guess," Tessa laughed. "Dessert..."

"
S
o this is the inner sanctum of Everetts’ Bakery..."

Tessa looked over her shoulder to see Isaiah perusing the kitchen. Grinning, she nodded and said, "This is it. It's not much, but–"

"You guys have been here forever. You're a staple here in Sweet Rapids."

"So is Noble Naturals," Tessa said. "My mama used them on both me and my sister when we were little girls and we still use them to this day."

"Really?" Isaiah asked.

"Oh yeah! Besides the fact that it would feel almost sacrilegious to live in the same city as Noble Naturals' headquarters and not use their products, no other products make my curls look
this
amazing," she said, pointing at her hair as she shook her head from side to side.

Isaiah smiled, and Tessa's breath stalled when he reached out and took a lock of her hair. She watched as he twirled the strand around his finger, before he gave it a gentle tug and released it, watching it bounce back in to place.

"I'm glad to know you're a happy customer," he murmured.

"Y–yes..." she said, then cleared her throat and laughed as she took a step back. "I must sound like one of your future commercials."

Isaiah sat on the stool Tessa had vacated earlier right before he arrived. "It's always good to hear from consumers," he said. "Especially..."

Tessa turned and looked at him and noticed a peculiar light in his eyes. "Especially what?" she asked.

"Especially from people in the town where it all began," he murmured. "I think I just came up with an idea for Noble Naturals."

"That's great, Isaiah. Is it an idea for the commercials your dad wants you to do?"

"Not exactly," he replied.

Tessa opened a cabinet and pulled out a bottle and two glasses. She brought it back to the island as Isaiah asked, "Have you ever wondered how Noble Naturals became so successful? I mean, everyone living in Sweet Rapids
kinda
knows the history of the company, but it's more like an abbreviated version."

Tessa had walked off to grab the glass dome-covered dessert stand holding a pile of brownies, when she stopped.

"You want to do a documentary!" she gasped.

"I don't know if they'd go for it," Isaiah began. "But I think if we tie it in with what the future of Noble Naturals is looking like, whenever we figure that out, I think it will be great for current customers, as well as potential new ones."

"You could do a lot of interviews with people around the city," Tessa offered. "Showing the people of Sweet Rapids who know your parents, and know their struggles."

She sat the dessert stand on the island and removed the top. "Look at me, putting in my unsolicited two cents
–"

"No!" he said excitedly, as he reached over and grabbed Tessa's hand. "Tess, that's...brilliant. We could show Sweet Rapids and the people, have my folks explain why they chose to stay here rather than move their headquarters to some larger city. And I know they've gotten plenty of offers from larger companies to sell Noble Naturals, I'm sure they still get..."

He'd drifted off again going into his own head.

"Shit, why didn't I think of that before?" he whispered. He shook his head and looked up at Tessa. "I'm going to run this by my parents in the morning. If they're down, I want to start as soon as possible."

"In the meantime," Tessa said, sitting down on the stool next to him and removing the dome from the serving dish. "I think we should celebrate your genius plan."

"Are those
the
famous Everetts’ brownies?" Isaiah asked.

"The one and only," she said, opening the bottle she'd brought over earlier.

"And what do you have there?" he asked, grabbing one of the decadent brownies topped with powdered sugar, as Tessa filled both glasses.

"This is a dessert wine," she said. "Dana and I have a little secret stash we hide from my parents."

"Such naughty girls," he said, before taking a bite. "Mmmm, they're still as good as I remember them being when I was a kid."

"Try it with the wine," she said, pushing a glass in front of him.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Miss Everett?"

"No!" Tessa laughed.

He grinned as he finished chewing another piece of the brownie and picked up the glass of wine.

She was taking a bite of her own brownie as she watched him taste the wine.

"You were right," he said. "The flavors complement each other in a fascinating way."

"Mmmhmm," she said, taking a sip of her own glass of wine. "Better than milk, huh?"

"Indeed."

They indulged, having seconds on both the dessert and the wine, before Tessa cleaned up the tiny mess they'd made.

"That was the perfect way to end this meal," Isaiah said.

"Thank you again," she said. "The food was great."

He pointed to his lip. "You've got a little..."

"Again," she cried. She turned to grab a napkin when she felt his hand wrap around her wrist.

"I've got it," he said, pulling her gently against him. He lifted his hand to her face, brushing his thumb against the corner of her mouth. "There, I got–"

She snatched the last of his words out of his mouth when she suddenly lifted her head and pressed her lips to his. His hands cupped her cheeks and she tried not to moan when his tongue slid inside of her mouth. He tasted like chocolate, wine and something uniquely Isaiah Noble that had her reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her.

Needing to breathe, he finally pulled away.

"You know..." he said, pushing her hair out of her face as he ran a knuckle down her cheek, "I
was
planning on kissing you."

She grinned at him, resting her palms against his chest.

"I know...You were just taking too long."



"A documentary?" Isaac said, grabbing for the salt from the center of the table. Irene reached out and smacked his hand. After rubbing the sting away, he looked at Isaiah, who'd joined them for dinner a few nights after his impromptu date with Tessa. "We've done a documentary already."

"Pop," Isaiah said, shaking his head as he dug into his salad. "That documentary was about Ian, Izzy, Ivy and me and our brief time as musicians. It was about the Noble Quads. The
only
thing mentioned about Noble Naturals was that it was the business our parents ran. This documentary would be
all
about you, mom and the company. How you got your start, the highs, the lows, and everything in between."

Isaiah watched his father take in his words, as he continued. "We'd interview you guys extensively, as well as your children," he added with a grin. "And the people around the town of Sweet Rapids. We'd probably also give viewers a look behind the walls of the company. Show them how we run the business. Also, Noble Naturals has always been instrumental in supporting the community. The company played a big part in the historic downtown revitalization project. We should show that too, the philanthropic side of things. And once we figure out our new angle, we can present it near the end of the film and show the world how we're still on top in the world of natural hair care products and no one is taking that away from us."

When Isaac didn't respond right away, still seeming contemplative, Isaiah said, "I mean that
is
what this is all about really, isn't it? Chic and Sleek tried to buy us out, didn't they? That explains why you were so up in arms when they came out with their own natural line."

"Tell him, Isaac," Irene insisted, clenching her knife and fork in her hands. "Isaiah deserves to know.
All
of the kids do."

Isaac stared at Isaiah for another moment before sighing. "Yes," he confirmed. "Chic and Sleek came to us with an offer. And of course, we turned them down. The slimy bastard who came and made the offer had the nerve to threaten me by saying if we didn't take this deal, Noble Naturals wouldn't be around to see another year of success. I told him we've been around for nearly forty years, we ain't going nowhere."

Isaac punctuated the last word by pounding his fist on the dinner table, causing the entire thing to shake.

Isaiah nodded his head, feeling fueled by his father's anger. "Then let's let this documentary be a start, show the world how you started with nothing but a few pots and pans and some of your mother's ideas in her basement, and now you're at the top of your game. This film will be a huge fu–" He stopped when he caught his mother's censuring glare. "
For
get you to Chic and Sleek. We're not afraid of them. They're a one trick pony, but we've got so much more up our sleeves."

"And what is that 'more'?" Isaac asked.

"I'm still figuring it out," Isaiah admitted. "But we're not backing down from Chic and Sleek or any other company for that matter."

"Damn right," Isaac said, pounding the table again. "All right, son. Let's do this documentary."