Page 32 of Fighting Happily Ever After

It didn’t take long, of course, for her to attract attention, but she didn’t mind, especially when Katie Banks, the owner of the Hub who’d she’d rented the kayak from the other day, approached her with a man she hadn’t met.

“Stephanie! It’s nice to see you.”

“And you.” She got up and gave her new friend a quick hug before turning to the man. “I don’t think we’ve met.” She extended her hand, which he took in a firm handshake with a warm smile.

“I’m Nick Newton. A friend of Katie’s husband, Damon.”

He was handsome, with dirty-blonde hair and green eyes and a wicked smile that meant he was trouble. But there was something else about him. Something a little nerdy, in a good way, and she took an instant liking to him. “Nice to meet you, Nick. Are you in town visiting, too?”

“I am.” He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it tousled and messy. “Just trying to figure out what to do with my life, ya know?”

“Nick was Damon’s business partner once upon a time and now that they’ve sold, poor Nick here is lost, with no purpose in life,” Katie supplied. “I’m trying to convince him to invest in a local business and stay here, but so far…”

“So far I haven’t figured anything out.” He shrugged. “But I do like it here.” He elbowed Katie good-naturedly. “And the company is pretty good, too.”

“Maybe too good.” She laughed. “But you know we like having you around.” Her smile was genuine. “But on that note, I need to get to the store. Sorry to run, but hopefully I’ll see you again soon, Stephanie.”

“Call me Steph. And I certainly hope so.”

Nick stayed behind as Katie ran off down the street. “Do you mind if I join you for a few minutes? Like Katie said, I really don’t have anywhere to be.”

Steph patted the seat next to her. She liked Nick and the idea of a little company was nice.

“So, how are you liking Glacier Falls?” Nick asked when he was seated. “Everyone treating you like a normal person here?”

She laughed. “They are. How about you?”

It was his turn to laugh, but he nodded seriously, too. “They are. But I can’t say many people know who I am here.”

Steph sat up in her chair and looked at him closely.Was he an actor? Or maybe a recording artist?

“It’s okay,” he said when she didn’t reply. “Most people outside of the tech world don’t know who I am either. And I’m nowhere near your status.”

It never failed to make her blush when people referred to how famous she was. She didn’t like to think of herself as anything other than a normal person, even though those days were long over.

“So who are you, then?” She was glad to have the attention off her.

He waved away the question. “Just an inventor, really. It’s not a big deal.”

Steph eyed him carefully and when he didn’t offer any more information, she said, “You know I’m just going to get it out of Katie later, so you might as well tell me and save me the trouble.”

His eyes flashed with mischief, but he nodded. “That’s a good point. And honestly, I’m not trying to be coy about it, but compared to your level of fame, mine is, well…nonexistent.” He held up his hands in a shrug. “But here it is. A few years ago, Damon and I were in school together. We dropped out when we designed a microchip and no,” he added quickly, “I’m not allowed to say what it was or what it did.” He shrugged again. “Confidentiality agreement. Anyway, we sold it for a zillion dollars and…”

“Now you’re a rock star in the tech world.”

“Pretty much.”

They both laughed and Steph took a sip of her latte. “So really, no one would recognize you?”

Nick shook his head dramatically. “Not true. Damon and I were featured inTech Timeabout a year ago and it was crazy.” He flashed a deadly smile. “I’m not going to lie—I kind of liked the attention that being a cover model will get you.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. He really was charming, in a dorky way. “I bet you did. Were you fighting off the ladies?” She was joking, but the look on his face told her she’d nailed the situation exactly. “Wow. I had no idea the tech world was so…”

“Sexy?”

She rolled her eyes but Nick changed the subject. “So what’s your story? I think I heard a rumor that you’re in town to—”

“Get married.” Saying it out loud made her both excited and nervous at the same time. She’d been so sure of her decision to have a quick and quiet ceremony, but still, she couldn’t help the little flicker of doubt that popped up every once in a while.

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