Page 40 of Keep My Heart
‘Do you?’
I smile. ‘Maybe.’ I let out a dreamy sigh. ‘Last night was so great. I was so into Nick that I barely even thought about Chris and the divorce. And when Nick and I talked, the hours just flew by. That never happened with Chris. We couldn’t even talk for ten minutes. He had nothing to say and he got bored when I talked.’
She slowly smiles. ‘Okay.’
‘Okay what?’
‘Okay, I’m going to support whatever this is between you and Nick, but I want you to be careful.’
‘I don’t need to be. Nick’s a great guy. He’s not going to hurt me.’
‘He better not. If he does, I’ll send Tom over there to beat him up.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Tom wouldn’t hurt a fly.’
‘Yeah, you’re right.’
‘Mommy,I found them!’ Leah yells, running outside with her ballet shoes.
‘Did you have breakfast?’
She shakes her head, her long blonde hair flying everywhere. ‘Go inside and have breakfast with Daddy.’
‘Leah, can I have a hug?’ I say to her. ‘I didn’t get to see you yesterday.’
She runs over and hugs me, then holds up her shoes. ‘I have to go to ballet.’
‘Okay, go ahead.’
She runs back into the house.
‘I should get going.’ I stand up. ‘You mind if I change clothes while I’m here? I don’t want to run back home.’
‘Go ahead.’ Diane gets up. ‘You can use the guest room. Your suitcase is by the door.’
As we walk back to the house, Diane holds onto my arm, stopping me. ‘I didn’t mean to be a downer about Nick. I just saw how excited you were about him and got concerned. I don’t want you getting your hopes up with someone you’re not actually dating.’
‘I’m not. I know this isn’t real. It’s just nice to be with a guy who actually wants to hang out with me. Last night when I was with Nick, I felt better than I have in years. He made me feel hopeful about finding someone.’
She smiles. ‘Tell him I said hi.’
‘I will.’
We go in the house and I change into a sundress and sandals. If I were going to breakfast with my mom or Diane, I’d throw on shorts and a t-shirt, but this is a date so I want to look nice.
I’m not going to worry about what Diane said about Nick’s motives. Right now I need to feel good about myself so I have the confidence to date again, and Nick gives me that confidence. Theway he looked at me last night, and paid attention to me, held my hand, kissed me—it made me feel beautiful and desired, things I haven’t felt with Chris in years. Last night, I even started to get excited about dating again, which is a huge deal since just a couple days ago I was dreading it.
When I get to Maury’s Chicken Roost, I see Nick waiting outside. His head is down as he texts someone on his phone. He’s wearing jeans and a white polo that fits tight against his chest. My pulse quickens just seeing him there and goes even faster as I approach him.
‘Hey, Nick.’ I stop just in front of him, a big smile on my face.
He glances up from his phone, blinking a few times as he takes a step back. ‘Wow. You look gorgeous.’ He smiles and pulls me in for a hug. I melt into his arms, inhaling his cologne, and wishing that this was real. A real date that might lead to more.
Chapter 10
Nick
Lyndsay looks absolutely gorgeous. Her hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail and she has just a touch of makeup on her face. She’s wearing a sundress in a yellow floral print with thin straps at the top and white sandals. She’s got that small-town, girl-next-door look that I love. It’s not a look I see in New York. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until now.
