Page 30 of Big Nick Energy

“So, you had your assistant, who is in a different city and in a different time zone, get up and find this place so you could impress me?”

I couldn’t even get the question all the way out without grinning.

He held my gaze. “Yes.” He pushed off the railing and rose to his full height. Holding my gaze, he reached out and let the back of his hand caress my cheek. “And it was worth it to put that smile on your face.”

A chill ran down my spine.

I covered his hand with mine. “If you’re trying to seduce me, it’s working.”

He let out a deep chuckle. “You’re funny as hell.” He intertwined his fingers with mine and then brought my hand to his lips. “Let’s check out this art.”

“Okay, but I want to get a picture first.”

I pulled out my phone and captured a photo of us with the farmer’s market below. The cloudless light blue sky was a contrast to the city skyline and the vibrant colors below. The sun had our brown skin glowing, and our smiles were bright.

“That’s a good one,” he commented.

“You want me to send it to you?” I offered as we made our way to the closest painting. “You can make a homecoming photo album to bring to your new place in Virginia. Better yet, I’ll make it for you.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “You’d do that?”

“Yeah, I took a couple of photos of the panel and I’m sure the school had some professional ones. I’ll get something together. I’ll hook you up.”

“That means you’ll have to stick with me for the weekend. You up for that?”

“Yeah, I think that can be arranged.”

We walked around for an hour checking out the art and talking about our views on an array of topics. Every piece of art had a message which sparked a conversation about our viewpoints and our outlooks on life. We had even more in common than we’d originally thought and the more I learned, the more drawn I was to him.

I had a crush before the weekend started, and after Friday night, I genuinely liked him. But somewhere between him telling me about his rocky relationship with his father and me telling him about my falling out with my childhood friend cemented my feelings for him.

Nick Williams was living up to all the hype.

“Let’s chill for a minute.” Nick pointed to an available table. “Right there.”

We sat down and then he went to get us drinks. He came back with two bottles of water, a tasting flight of signature wines from The Cask, and a cheese, fruit and crackers plate.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve helped you carry all of this,” I said as soon as he placed it on the table.

He shook his head as he sat down. “Nah, you’re good,” he assured me. “As long as you’re with me, you’re good.”

“You’re going to spoil me.”

Holding my gaze, he leaned forward a bit. “That’s the plan.”

“I’m going to hold you to it.”

A woman working the event stopped by with a flyer. “You two lovebirds look nice! Is this a little mid-day date?”

“Yes, it is,” Nick responded without hesitation.

Date! He said date! This is a date!

I knew I had to keep it together, but internally, I was screaming.

I knew it was a date. It felt like a date. But hearing him confirm that it was a date did something to me.

“Well, we have something for lovers over there”—she pointed to the left— “so come check out our selection.”

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