Noble Love (The Nobles of Sweet Rapids #1) by Té Russ Read Free Book Online Page B

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..."

Chapter 9
     
    " 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