Page 95 of Keep My Heart
Brody glances at Jason, giving him a look like they know something I don’t, or maybe I’m just reading something into it.
‘Does he have a girlfriend?’ Ainsley asks, in a way that makes me think she’s interested in him. She better not be. She’s on a date with Brody, or at least I think she is given that they’re here together. Then again, I’m here with Nick and we’re not dating.
‘No, he’s single,’ I tell her.
‘Why do you care?’ Brody asks Ainsley, sounding annoyed.
‘I’m not asking for me,’ she says, putting her hand over his. ‘I’m asking for my sister. She’s around his age and she’s moving to New York next month. She got a job there.’
‘Nick’s not looking to date anyone,’ I say, not wanting this girl’s sister going out with Nick. I know he’s not mine, but I don’t like thinking about him with someone else.
He returns to the table with his beer. ‘Sawyer’s getting slammed. He needs another bartender.’
‘He’s gonna make a shitload of money tonight,’ Jason says, looking around. ‘The whole damn town is here.’
‘I’m proud of him,’ Nick says with pride in his voice. ‘I gotta say, when he was talking about doing this, I didn’t think he’d actually follow through, but he did. He actually followed through and did it.’
‘Hey, Nick,’ Ainsley says, leaning past me to Nick. ‘My sister Maddie is moving to New York in a few weeks. Would you mind if I gave her your number? She doesn’t know anyone there and I was thinking maybe you could show her around.’
‘She’s 31 and a pediatrician,’ Beth says, like she’s trying to sell Nick on this woman.
‘This is her,’ Ainsley says, pulling up a photo on her phone. She reaches across me to show it to Nick. The woman is gorgeous, with long blonde hair, a beautiful smile, and a great body. The photo was taken on a beach and she’s wearing a bikini. She’s perfect for Nick. Smart, beautiful, close to his age, and lives in New York.
‘I’d love to, but I don’t have time,’ he says. ‘I’ve got more work than I can handle. I barely have time to sleep.’
‘Maybe you could meet her for dinner sometime,’ Ainsley says, taking her phone back. ‘You have to eat, right?’
She’s really pushing this. She’s determined to set her sister up with Nick.
‘Congrats on making partner,’ Jason says to Nick. ‘I know I said it on the phone, but now that you’re here, we should celebrate.’
‘Yeah, beers are on us tonight,’ Brody jokes, knowing they’re free since Sawyer owns the bar.
‘Thanks,’ Nick says, smiling. ‘I’ll make sure to order a few more.’
‘No, really,’ Jason says. ‘We’ll take you out somewhere else. How about tomorrow night?’
‘I’ll be at the reunion,’ Nick says.
‘You won’t be there all night. We’ll go when it’s over.’
Nick glances at me, then back at Jason. ‘You don’t have to take me out. We can celebrate tonight.’
‘You got plans tomorrow?’ Brody asks, his gaze bouncing from me to Nick.
‘I don’t know yet. I just don’t want to commit to anything right now.’
That seems to be Nick’s story for everything. He doesn’t want to commit to anything, except maybe his job. That’s all he seems sure of, the only thing he seems to want right now. Maybe later he’ll want more, like a wife and a family, but I can’t wait for him to get there. I want to get married again and have children. I can’t put my life on hold for Nick. My head knows that, but my heart doesn’t agree with it. It wants Nick.
Chapter 21
Lyndsay
We stay at the brewery until closing time, much later than I thought we’d be there, but the time flew by. I really like Nick’s brothers, and I like watching Nick interact with them. As the oldest, he’s always looking out for them, like when Brody mentioned hiring some kid to help him mow lawns. Nick jumped in and warned him of all the liability issues and convinced him to hire someone older. He also offered to look over his insurance policy to make sure he was properly covered for accidents.
I’m amazed at how much he knows, and I love that he cares about his brothers so much, and his parents. He’d do anything to help them out. He’s so different from Chris, who only cared about himself. When his parents needed help moving to Florida, Chris made up some excuse for why he couldn’t do it. He lied to his own parents and spent the week they moved on the couch with his laptop.
‘Thanks for inviting me out,’ I say as Nick walks me to my door. ‘I had a good time.’
