Page 27 of Keep My Heart
‘I’m really not. I slept on the plane. I just meant I didn’t have any plans other than dinner.’ I pause, wanting to suggest we go out, but feeling like I shouldn’t. But if he’s just a friend, then why not? ‘If you wanted to do something later, I’d be open to that.’
‘Yeah. Let’s do it.’
‘Great! I could start practicing my dating skills tonight!’ I sound way too excited. I blame the wine. I’ve had two glasses and no food. I need to slow down before I say something I shouldn’t.
‘I just need to drop my stuff off at Sawyer’s. Matt said I could borrow his car until the party tomorrow. After that, I’ll use my dad’s truck to get around. My dad didn’t want me showing up there tonight and risking my mom seeing me. It’d ruin the surprise.’
‘It’s so sweet of him to throw her a party.’
‘I can’t believe he was able to pull it off. It’s hard to hide stuff from my mom.’ Nick nods at my empty wine glass. ‘Can I get you another?’
‘Notnow, but thanks.’ I set my glass down and turn more toward Nick.
His gaze drops down to my legs, then up my body. It turns me on seeing him look at me like that and having him not care that I noticed. He’s much bolder and more confident than he was in high school.
I left home this morning feeling jaded about love and thinking I’d never have feelings for a man again. But here I am, having feelings for Nick that I haven’t felt for a really long time. It gives me hope that maybe I could get married again, or at least be in a relationship. It’s been so long since I felt this good around a man that I forgot what it’s like. If only the man that makes me feel this way wasn’t leaving on Monday.
Chapter 6
Nick
‘Sawyer did a great job with the place,’ Lyndsay says as she looks around the brewery.
‘Yeah, it looks a lot better than it did,’ I say, walking up to her. ‘You should’ve seen it a few months ago. The fire nearly destroyed the place. I’m surprised the city didn’t try to condemn it.’
‘Why isn’t anyone here?’
‘It’s closed tonight. It was open last night but only until ten. Sawyer’s doing limited hours this week. He wants time to work out any issues before the official opening.’
Lyndsay walks over to the bar, running her hand over the reclaimed wood taken from an old shed that was original to the orchard. My dad tore the shed down last year, but some of the wood made it into Sawyer’s brewery.
‘Even though it’s changed, I’ll always think of this place as Meyer’s Hardware,’ Lyndsay says, sitting on one of the barstools. The seats were made using more of the reclaimed wood from the shed and then Sawyer added metal legs. It was my idea to make the barstools instead of buying them and Sawyer agreed. Theyturned out better than either of us imagined. ‘I was really sad to hear it burned down.’
‘I was too. I think everyone in town had a hard time accepting it was gone.’ I take a seat beside her. ‘Meyer’s Hardware had been here forever. My dad loved the place. He likes Hal’s Hardware too, but Meyer’s was his favorite because it had been here longer. Dad’s one of those guys who just can’t bring himself to go into one of those big box hardware stores. He likes the small town store where he knows the owner.’ I pause as I think back to all the times I came here with my dad when it was a hardware store. I miss those times. I like my life in New York, but I miss my family, and if I’m being honest, I miss this town. There just isn’t anything here for me. The town’s not big enough to need another lawyer, and after growing up here, I felt it was time to move on.
‘How’s he doing?’ Lyndsay asks, turning to me. ‘My mom said Mr. Meyer had a fall and might end up in a nursing home.’
I nod. ‘He’s already there. He’s been there a few weeks. My dad went to see him yesterday. He said he’s doing okay, but he misses being at home.’
‘Did he sell his house?’
‘Not yet. Matt’s got the listing, but he said the place needs a lot of work before he puts it on the market. My cousin, Nash, is thinking of coming up here for a few weeks to fix the place up. He does construction, lots of old home renovations.’
‘Doesn’t he live in Chicago?’
I smile. ‘You remembered that?’
‘I remember a lot of stuff you told me,’ she says, picking up a beer menu.
During her tutoring sessions, Lyndsay and I talked about more than just math. She was easy to talk to and asked a lot of questions, so what should’ve been an hour session would often end up being two, or sometimes three. We’d talk about most anything; movies,music, our families. The only topic we avoided was Chris and her relationship with him. It’s like she sensed I didn’t want to hear about him, or maybe she just didn’t want to talk about him with me, knowing I didn’t like him.
‘Why would your cousin come all the way here to work?’ she asks, looking over the menu.
‘He likes being away from the city. He met Callie, his fiancé, in a small town south of Chicago, and kind of misses it. Sounds like they both do. Coming here for a few weeks would get him out of Chicago and he’d get paid for fixing up the house. It’s a win-win.’
‘Won’t he miss his fiancé?’
‘She might come with him. Nothing’s definite yet. Mr. Meyer doesn’t want to start the work until he’s sure he’s not going home.’
