Page 45 of One Sweet Day I Found You

Twelve

Courtney’s phone buzzed at nine thirty on Sunday morning. She picked it up as her stomach turned a little flip.

“Are you up yet?” Nick asked agreeably.

“Depends on who’s asking,” she joked.

“Oh,doesit?” Nick said playfully. “Well, what ifIwere asking?”

“Well, then, yes, if it’s you, I’m definitely up.” She slid into a seat at her kitchen table. “Actually, I’m totally messing with you. I’ve been up since seven. Morning person.”

He laughed. “Oh yeah? Me, too. You busy this morning?”

Courtney had finished her story on The Farmstead yesterday and only planned on getting a little research done for her next assignment today. She thought she might go for a short run later, too. “Not really. What’s up?”

“I wanted to see if I could stop in and say hi? I’ve got a little time before I have to be at work. I start at noon. Taking out a group of high school kids on mountain bikes later.”

“Oh, fun. Yeah, come on over. I’m just hanging out.”

“Have you had any breakfast yet?”

“As a matter of fact, I haven’t.”

“Good, then don’t.”

Courtney’s smile was quizzical. “Okay.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Nick hung up.

Wow, Courtney thought. That was a pleasant surprise. She went to her room to get ready.

Nick sounded a little different, didn’t he? This wasn’t the same guy who’d first asked her out and then left her hanging for days, was it? This Nick was all action and in-charge. She liked it.

Half an hour later, Courtney opened her door to find him standing there holding a bag of bagels and two coffees from the West End Coffee Shop, the place where they’d first met.

“I promise not to splash it all over you, either.” He grinned.

Courtney’s mouth dropped open. “Aw, thank you so much! So sweet of you. Come on in.”

She was really impressed. She took one of the paper cups from him and leaned in to give him a quick hug with the other arm. “So does this mean I’m finally off the hook now for the whole butterfingers thing?”

“Yes, it does.”

His expression revealed a cute set of dimples.

“Good, because if this is some sort of creepy revenge thing…” Courtney joked.

Nick laughed.

After their late breakfast, they took the trail down to Mrs. Brady’s beach. A soft breeze blew, keeping the late-morning air fresh and cool. Courtney and Nick carried their shoes and waded in the gentle waves that lapped against the shore.

Nick grabbed Courtney’s hand as they walked. “So, how do you like it here, now that you’ve been in Heritage Bay a couple of weeks?”

Courtney didn’t hesitate. “I love it. Honestly, this place is so nice. The Wisconsin weather is so comfortable—I missed it. It was so hot in Australia!”

“You say that now, but just wait until late July. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Nick made a face and Courtney laughed.

“Forgot about the humidity. I guess June makes you forget. It’s so perfect.” She didn’t want to make it sound like she hadn’t enjoyed her trip, though. “Don’t get me wrong—Australia was great, but I really missed home after a while, and this is close enough to feel like home.”

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