Page 74 of Hale Yes
“You really didn’t have to walk me all the way to my car. Yours is on the first level.”
I huff out a scoffing sound. “If you think I’m going to let you walk through a dark parking garage by yourself, you don’t know me very well.”
We stop beside her car, and Nicolette looks up at me. “Thanks for listening to me. Sorry it wasn’t a very pretty story.”
“Not everything is going to be all sunshine and roses. Thank you for sharing with me.”
I don’t usually feel awkward with her, but tonight I do. It’s not because of anything she told me at the coffee shop; it’s because I’m dying to kiss her again. So I shove my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching for her.
“Are we still having dinner on Friday night or are you sick of me by now?”
My shoulders relax at her teasing. “You think I’d miss out on the great restaurant quest across Houston? The Cattle Company Steakhouse, right?”
“If that’s cool with you.”
“I’ve never eaten there, so I look forward to it.”
“Guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” she says, lifting her chin to look into my eyes.
“Yeah. Tomorrow.”
Nicolette turns and presses her thumb against the button on her car handle to unlock it, and I suddenly don’t want to let her go. So I say, “Nicolette?”
She swivels back to me. “Yes?”
“How often do you do the baby cuddling thing?”
“Usually once a week on Wednesdays, though they’ll occasionally call me in if another volunteer can’t show up.” She looks down at her shoes for a second. “I know Noah is gone, but there are so many other babies out there in need. That’s why I still do it.”
Her heart overwhelms me.
“Would it be okay if I went with you?” I ask. “I’d like to volunteer too.”
Nicolette’s lips turn up into a smile of pure sunshine. “I would love that.” Then her smile fades. “Just warning youthough, sometimes they scream the entire time. It’s not an easy thing to do.”
I pull my lip through my bottom teeth. “Sometimes the most important things are the hardest.”
She surprises me when she steps forward and binds her arms around my waist. I return the embrace and rest my cheek against the top of her head. When the side of her face presses to my chest, I wonder if she can hear the acceleration of my heart.
She’s wearing the flat loafers she always wears to work, so she has to look up at me when she finally raises her head. “Thank you, Helix. I needed that.”
As I stand with my hands in my pockets and watch her drive away, I quietly say, “So did I.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Late nights
Helix
“It’s so quiet after everyone leaves,” Nicolette muses six days after our discussion at the coffee shop. She’s across the lab table from me, holding a sample jar to her nose and inhaling. “This one is better.”
“I like when the lab is quiet,” I say, taking the jar and giving it a sniff. “Yep, definitely less pungent than the last one. We’re on the right track.”
After finishing Jordie McNamara’s campaign, which has been received quite well by the public, our team has been working on the men’s skin care line and have started on hair products for kids. That puts Nicolette and me staying late at the lab to develop her formulation for the fragrance enhancement. We decided to keep the idea for it between the two of us until we have it nailed down.
There are no windows in the lab for security reasons. It’s not unheard of for other companies to spy and steal ideas, sothe security at Hale Cosmetics is top-notch, especially in the laboratory building. Despite the lack of a view to the outside world, I can feel the darkness settling outside.
“It’s getting late,” I note, and Nicolette lifts her head, seeming surprised when she looks at the clock and sees it’s after nine.
