“Teach me?” I echoed in disbelief. There was a strange glint in Noah’s eyes—a competitive edge I hadn’t seen before. I bit my lower lip. “I won’t be any good.”

“Don’t say that without even trying.” Noah nudged me to give my hand again.

Swayed by his resolve, I put my hand in his.

Noah grinned and wrapped his fingers around mine. The warmth of his skin sent a jolt of electricity through me, and my breath hitched. He placed the bowling ball in our hands. “Hold it. The thumb goes here.”

“Okay.” The weight felt perfect this time.

“Bend your knees slightly, and straighten your back.” 

Noah shifted behind me. He tapped my upper back, and I straightened it further. I looked to my right. Lucy had slipped away to her lane, and she was busy talking to Jake.

“Look straight ahead at the target.” Noah reached out from behind me and pressed his hand over mine. “Don’t flex your wrist like this.”

I held my breath as he squeezed my wrist and adjusted the angle. His fingertips grazed my arm when he pulled away. My head spun from the fleeting touches. Standing so close to him, I felt intoxicated by his familiar woody scent.

Noah corrected my stance, and I stumbled a bit. My back pressed against his chest for a moment. Heat flooded through me at the contact, and Noah took in a sharp breath. An irrational part of my mind coaxed me to just stay in his embrace. Thankfully, my rational side won.

I mumbled a quick apology as he helped me straighten. It was probably my imagination when I felt his hand linger on my waist for a second too long.

“Ms. Rose?” Noah’s hot breath fanned the nape of my neck, and I tried not to shiver. It had always been me guiding him and correcting his posture. This role reversal made me feel vulnerable. He gave me more tips, sounding a bit strained this time, and then said, “Let’s make it a strike.”

We walked over to our lane. Noah gave me a serious nod. Even Jake and Lucy paused to watch me. Under the spotlight again, I followed Noah’s instructions. Knees bent, back straight, eyes on the target.

With a definitive swing of my arm, I threw the ball.

It landed in the middle of the lane. Already ecstatic that I made it to the correct lane this time, I watched in suspense as it rolled forward and hit the pins.

All of them went down.

“A strike!” I laughed. Was it this easy? Or was Noah that good of a teacher?

Lucy squealed and rushed to celebrate. “You did it, Isla!”

The two of us hugged and twirled like kids. I caught Noah’s gaze in one of the spins. He gave me a thumbs-up. I blushed and composed myself. Lucy left for her turn, and I returned to Noah’s side. He raised his hand for a high-five, and I hit it breathlessly. 

“Thank you,” I said.

“I knew you could do it.” Noah grinned.

My freak shot had accomplished what I couldn’t do the whole day. The atmosphere between us had finally lightened. I could now breathe in Noah’s presence and not combust into flames.

The game became more competitive. Noah continued to guide me, but my luck ran out, and I couldn’t keep up with their scores. He fought bravely and managed to keep the opposing team on their toes. 

Still, Jake and Lucy won.

The two of them left to buy drinks, and I crashed onto the couch. Noah settled next to me and said, “Good game.”

I gave him a sheepish look. “We lost.”

“We can win next time.”

I raised my eyebrows at that but still nodded. Will there ever be a next time? This whole day felt like a fever dream. There was a moment of silence, and then we both started. 

“Mr. Jung—”

“Ms. Rose—”

We laughed, and Noah indicated to me to go ahead. I took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry for what I asked you yesterday. I should’ve been careful.”

I watched Noah’s face. This was a sensitive topic. I expected his expression to turn dark. Or even to see a flicker of anger. But there was… nothing. He simply sighed and said, “It wasn’t your fault, Ms. Rose.”

“But—”

“No need to apologize.” Noah smiled. “It was a perfectly valid question for a swim instructor. Besides, I should’ve told you I didn’t want to talk about it in advance.”

There were a million ways I had thought this conversation would go, but not this. How was he so cool about it? I knew my questions had hurt him. So why was he so accepting? I frowned. 

Still, his forgiveness eased the load off my chest. Maybe he wasn’t as disagreeable as I thought he was. I smiled. “Thank you.”

Jake and Lucy returned with drinks. Noah and I shifted to make room for them. I took the beer cans and left them unopened on the table. 

“So, is this what you guys do on Fridays?” I asked.

“Pool, games, bowling.” Noah shrugged. “Whatever Jake wants.”

“He loses most of the time,” Jake added.

“Oh.” I shared an amused look with Lucy. 

“Why?” Noah quirked an eyebrow. “Did you think I was reading a business magazine on a Friday night? Or working?”

Lucy looked on the verge of choking from laughing too hard. 

I shook my head and lied, “Of course not, sir." 

Noah seemed to have guessed my thoughts. He narrowed his eyes. “Ms. Rose—” He paused when his phone started ringing.

I opened the can of beer and took a sip. Lucy nudged my side and winked. I shushed her and tried to act like I was not eavesdropping on Noah’s conversation.

“At which port?” Noah asked in a sharp voice. His smile disappeared, and the faintest of frowns appeared on his forehead. Uh-oh. There was trouble.

Noah ended the call, and I asked, “What happened, sir?”

“A yacht accident.” He rubbed his temples. 

“Which client?”

Noah picked up his blazer. “Mr. Carter.”

Our most important client right now. “It must be one of the new yachts. What about the deal?”

“It could fall through if this isn’t handled properly.” Noah finally looked at me. There was a hint of disappointment on his face as he said, “I’ll need to leave.”

Jake and Lucy watched our conversation like a tennis match. Noah stood up, and I followed after him. “I’ll come with you, sir.” 

“You don’t have to.”

“I know, but I still want to.”

He looked surprised, but I swear I saw the trace of a smile on his lips. “I need to get to the coast,” he explained, as if to discourage me.

“And you’ll need someone to manage the calls and get everyone else there,” I said, already removing my bowling shoes. “I’ll help you.” 

Noah was silent for a while. As his receptionist, I didn’t have to do any offsite work. But we both knew that he needed me right now. 

“Okay.” He finally smiled. “Come with me.”