Page 30 of One Sweet Day I Found You

So Victoria was right—he hadn’t mentioned anyone in a long time because there hadn’t been anyone worth mentioning.

Nick and Victoria turned and gazed at the vast, deep-blue expanse of the lake over the horizon, both lost in thought.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Victoria. I’ve got lots of friends. Lady friends, too.” He grinned, hoping to convince her.

Victoria crooked a finger at him. “Don’t lie to me, sweetheart.”

Nick laughed.

He and Tom had done a fifty-mile bike ride this weekend, crisscrossing the peninsula. Nick thought it would take his mind off of Courtney, but it had done the opposite. He’d had way too much time to think.

Tom had accused Nick of being weird yesterday—too quiet, too brooding, even more than usual, as Tom put it. When they’d stopped for a cold one in town after the ride, Tom had pried it out of him. Nick finally explained his dilemma, in as few details as possible.

“I knew this had something to do with a girl.” Tom looked victorious even before Nick had finished his beer. “From the minute you didn’t say a word.”

Nick was generally not extremely talkative around most people, but Tom always knew something was up when Nick was quiet even around him.

“Is that right?” Nick had asked.

“Thatisright,” Tom had said, throwing a dart at the target. “So, ask her out. You never know—you might get to know her and change your mind. She might not be your speed, or she might just be a headache. It’s worth finding out before you beat yourself up over it, if you ask me.”

Nick had laughed. “But I didn’t ask you.”

Tom slapped him on the back. “Sure, you didn’t, buddy.”

Another swig and they’d finished their game of darts and retreated to the baseball game on the bar’s flat screen.

Nick sat up in his seat and scanned Victoria’s property, then turned the conversation to the state of her beloved pink hydrangeas in front of the porch.

“Yes, my gardener is doing a wonderful job with them this year. Thank you for noticing.”

Nick allowed his thoughts to turn back to Courtney. Tom was usually pretty smart about these things. But he was way off on this one. Because the only problem with Courtney—she was exactly Nick’s type.

She was the whole package—smart, funny, easy to talk to, a girl next door. But she was also smoking hot.

It would only be a matter of time until he saw the same look on her face.

He knew it.

Victoria broke the silence, one eyebrow raised. “Fine, Nickie. You don’t have to stop in and visit her for your sake. But do it for hers. That no-nonsense photographer she mentioned sounds delightful, but she and I can’t be her only friends all summer. Young girl like that—she needs a nice young man to show her around town, like you.”

Nick chuckled, his focus on the lawn. At least that meant Kira was behaving. But Victoria kept a steady eye on him. She wasn’t going to let it go, was she?

He sat up and Ash stretched then jumped off of his lap. “Okay. Fine. You’ve got me. I’ll go see if she’s home.”

Victoria grinned triumphantly. “Now, that’s my boy.” She took hold of the arm of the chair and started to pull herself out. Nick jumped up to lend a hand.

“Thank you for stopping by. You take care now, dear. Come again, soon. And tell your big brother and that flashy father of yours that I said hello. And your mother!”

Although they hadn’t been to see her in quite some time, the rest of the Binghams regularly kept in touch with Victoria, since she’d been such a good friend to Nick’s grandparents.

“You’ve got it, Victoria. I will. You too. Bye, now.” Nick gave Victoria a peck on the cheek and helped her back inside the house. He heard her lock the door and he started down the stairs.

A few moments later, Nick shook his head and laughed when she reappeared at the living room window, where she waved but stayed put. Apparently, she was going to make sure he didn’t leave without knocking on Courtney’s door.

Nick returned a wave and frowned, wrinkling up his face.

Victoria was from a generation that found it perfectly acceptable to show up at someone’s door out of the blue. But he was not. Courtney would probably think she had a stalker. He didn’t even have her number so he could text her.

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