Chapter 176: Chapter 187

Chapter 0187 Chapter 0187 Hannah I settled down on the cushion next to Noah with a soft sigh, tucking my legs underneath myself and casting my eyes over the chaos of papers spread out in front of us. Noah hummed to himself beside me and picked up one of the papers, muttering something before crumpling it up and tossing it into a nearby pile of other papers that had also been discarded.

“Okay, where do you want to start?” I asked, picking up the nearest sheet to me and scanning it quickly.

Noah ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. “Honestly?” he asked with a surprising amount of candor in his tone. “I’m not even sure anymore. It feels like everything’s falling apart at the last minute.”

I pressed my lips into a thin line, but nodded sympathetically. “Okay, um... Let’s just take it one thing at a time, then. What’s the biggest issue right now?”

“The entertainment,” Noah groaned. “Our main act canceled last week, and I haven’t been able to find a decent replacement on such short notice.”

I frowned, thinking for a moment. Sifting through the papers, I found nothing that would help-so, grabbing my phone, I opened I*******m and began to scroll.

Noah shot me a withering glare. “You’re already giving up?” he growled. “It’s been, like, two seconds, Hannah.”

“Have a little faith in me,” I replied, waving my hand dismissively. “I’m looking at some of the local entertainment accounts I follow. Oh... What about the local circus troupe? They could do dances in costume, maybe some acrobatics. It would fit the mood, don’t you think?”

”

Despite himself, Noah’s green eyes instantly lit up with a mixture of relief and surprise. “That’s... actually a great idea,” he muttered, furrowing his brow as he jotted the information down on a nearby blank sheet.’ Why didn’t I think of that?”

I shrugged, feeling a small spark of pride and folding my arms across my chest. “You’re very welcome.”

We spent the next few hours going through the plans, with me offering advice and help wherever I could. Noah seemed surprisingly grateful for the assistance, and I found myself enjoying the collaborative process more than I had initially expected.

As the afternoon wore on, I got hungry, so I brought out some snacks and tea. We munched on cookies as we worked, the atmosphere surprisingly comfortable given our recent... tensions. It was as if, for just a little while, things were ‘normal’-whatever that meant anymore.

“Oh, here’s that damn vendor list,” I said, fishing out the folded paper we had been looking for from beneath a stack. “Have you confirmed all of these?”

Noah nodded, leaning over me to look at the paper. The smell of his cologne momentarily overwhelmed me, but I quashed the instinct to lean closer to him by taking a sip of my tea. “Most of them,” he replied. There are a few I still need to follow up with.”

1 made a note on the paper, then reached for another cookie. My hand brushed against Noah’s as he reached for the same one-the last one on the plate.

Chapter 0187 +25 BONUS “Oh. Sorry,” I said, pulling back. “You can have it.”

There was a pause, but then Noah was shaking his head and leaning back. “No, you take it. I’m... glad to see you eating more lately.”

Something in his tone made me stop. Glancing up, I saw that he had already directed his attention back to the paper in his other hand, but I could see the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

I couldn’t help myself. Maybe the scent of his cologne had gotten to me after all, or maybe I was feeling a little bit evil, or maybe I was feeling... just plain hopeful.

I knew I shouldn’t feel that way, truly. There was nothing to hope for anymore-there was only a tense wait before the inevitable crash.

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