Page 15 of Wine & Whiskey
Carrie raises an eyebrow as she assesses her work. “Right. Six days in a row, but it’s nothing.” She shakes her head. “You’re not fooling me. He wants more, and so do you.”
An involuntary smile crosses her lips, powerless to argue against what she knows is true.
“That’s a smile I haven’t seen in a long time. You really like him, don’t you?”
Unable to speak with Carrie’s brush on her lips, she shrugs.
“You have to do what you think is right. But, you Googled him and he’s never been convicted of anything, he sits on the board of that domestic violence foundation, and he donates tons of money to them and a few other charities. Seems like a good guy to me.”
“He was so upset when he thought I was being abused. It freaked me out at first. But a man who’s that caring and protective has to be a good person, right?”
Carrie puts down her tools and stares at her. “You’re my best friend, and I know you better than you know yourself. You like this guy and want to go out with him. If you’re worried, ask him about it.”
She laughs, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. “Yeah, right. What am I going to say? ‘Thanks for dinner, Nick. By the way, are you in the mob?’”
“Okay, so I guess that’s a stupid suggestion. But it’s either that, or go out with him and see what happens. If the police or whoever investigates that kind of stuff can’t prove anything, then how are you going to?”
At a knock on the door, Shae jumps up and hugs her. “Thank you. You’re always here when I need you.”
Carrie smiles, but pushes her back. “Stop it or you’ll mess up your hair.” The expression fades as she turns serious. “It’s the first time since Evan you’ve even thought about giving someone a chance. I just want to see you happy.”
Shae nods before following the waiting PA out of the room.
* * *
Her heart dancesin her chest at Nick waiting for her outside the locker room. Their first chance to talk without Jason playing big brother and hovering over them. In two quick steps, he’s in front of her, brushing her cheek with his lips. “I missed you yesterday.”
Tingles radiate through her body from his touch and his words. “I had something for work.”
“Let me take you out for breakfast.”
She nods and accepts his hand. Outside, the man she met at his house stands by the Jeep.
“You remember Max?”
She returns the man’s smile. “Of course. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You too.”
Max climbs in the back while Nick steps behind her to lift her up. She shakes her head. “I’m much better now, thank you.”
She fights the urge to lean back against his chest while his fingers linger on her waist and his breath tickles her ear. “Good.”
Nick parks in front of a white stucco building covered with a red and yellow vinyl banner announcing the grand opening of Soteria. Small vases of wildflowers decorate the teak tables surrounding the exterior. Cars snake around the empty parking lot, filling the drive-through line beyond capacity.
They mull over the menu, hand-written on a huge chalkboard hanging behind the counter. Two teenage girls hustle back and forth between the espresso machine and the drive-through window. A dour-faced boy slowly removes trays of oversize muffins from a free-standing oven and places them on a metal serving tray covering half the counter.
As Shae places her order, the girl’s eyes widen in recognition. Dread coils in her stomach. Nick seems indifferent to her celebrity, yet fan interactions can become overwhelming. He may hate it as much as Evan did.
The girl rushes to her co-worker and whispers while they work. The other girl’s head flies up, and she looks at Shae. Making eye contact, she quickly drops her gaze and nods to her friend.
Nick leans down to her, a mischievous grin tugging on his lips. “I think those girls are hot for me.”
An unexpected yet sweet response to the craziness surrounding her life, giving her freedom from the spotlight for a little bit. She elbows him in the ribs, stifling her laugh. “Don’t be conceited. Maybe it’s Max.”
Pretending to wince, he joins in her laugher. “Touché.”
Warmth fills her body from his fingers trailing up and down her back as they wait for their drinks. She concentrates on the skilled hands of the barista expertly whipping milk into foam, trying to distract herself from his touch.
