Page 40 of Falling for Nicole
Chapter Nine
Nicole
I wasn’t expecting it, but it seems my message to Dec worked. I’ve hardly seen him and I hate to admit it but it’s driving me insane. He’s all I can think about. It’s only been a few days but I actually miss his arrogant attitude and snarky comments.
After opening up the shack this morning, I head out late afternoon with the intention of grabbing Bailey and going for a long walk along the beach to enjoy the warmth of the evening sun.
When I get in, I find Lilly slathering the twins in sun lotion in the hallway.
“We were just coming to meet you from work. We would have been on time if someone hadn’t filled their nappy,” she says, giving Nathan an amused glare.
“I was going to take Bailey out. Let me get changed quick and we’ll go.”
My walk on the beach is soon overturned when Lilly announces the sand will be too dry for the pushchair. I try telling her I’ve just been there and the tide was going out, but she’s having none of it. Instead, we pound the streets.
It’s not long before both Natalie and Nathan are asleep, but we keep walking with the sun warming our backs. I’ve no idea if Lilly has a route in mind but I’m happy to just walk alongside her as we chat about nothing much. It doesn’t escape my notice that she never brings up her brother. I’m grateful, but as much as I don’t want to talk about the dick, I’m also desperate to offload everything I’m feeling. My notebook only goes so far to clear my head.
I’ve just about plucked up the courage to say something about him when she suddenly comes to a stop. It’s a street I’ve been up many times before. It’s where the cottage I fell in love with online sits. It’s a picturesque Devonshire street full of cute different coloured homes, all with just a hint of a sea view in the distance. I was hoping that by coming to see it in real life it would be less perfect. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, and I fell even more for its charm. If only I wasn’t so bloody stubborn and tight fisted when it came to money, then I may have looked again at my finances and figured out a way to pay the extortionate amount each month to live in it.
“Fancy having a look inside?” Lilly asks as she nods towards the pastel blue front door.”
“No, it’ll only be more perfect.”
“Come on. Just a quick look.”
“We can’t just walk in, Lills.”
“Come on.” She starts walking towards the cottage and I have little choice but to follow. She shocks the hell out of me when she walks up to the front door, pulls a key out of her pocket and unlocks it.
“Where did you get that?”
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“Wouldn’t you if I just pulled the keys to a random house out of my pocket?”
She shrugs me off before tucking the twins into a shaded corner out the front of the house and gesturing for me to go in ahead of her.
I tell myself as I step into the tiny hallway that I’m going to hate it. It’s going to be small and smell of damp. Sadly, that’s not the case. As I walk into the living/dining area with the view of the ocean out the front and a tiny but perfectly formed courtyard garden behind the French doors at the back, I totally fall in love with the place.
“Damn it, Lilly. Now I just want it more.”
“Well that’s good, because it’s yours.”
I spin around and stare at her. “What did you just say?”
“It’s yours, and for the price you wanted.”
“What?” I continue staring at her like I’d just imagined the last few seconds.
“Welcome to your new home, Nic Nac.”
“You did this?”
“Yeah, but I had a little help.” The second she says it I know he’s here, and it’s not because she glances over my shoulder. It’s because my body senses that he’s standing behind me, staring at me.
Letting out a long, slow breath, I cautiously turn around and, exactly as expected, Dec’s standing there, holding out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. I can’t decide where to look first as I take in his familiar features, his piercing blue eyes, messy hair and stubbled jaw line.
“I…What…You…Shit.” I’ve no idea what I’m trying to say. I’m too shocked by all of this for my brain to fire properly.
