Page 51 of Told You So
“A friend told me.”
My gaze meets his as I wipe my hands off on a towel.
He lifts three bags. “I come bearing gifts,” he says, sounding uncertain, even if his voice is light and his expression easy. “A peace offering for the other night,” he adds. “You brought coffee the other day, so I figured I could bring some food since I’m crashing your movie night.”
I smile at the gesture. “Thank you.” I’ve been thinking about our kiss and the argument we had, nonstop, but no matter how I looked at it, things would remain awkward and complicated. Yet, here Nick is, somehow able to make all that uncertainty go away, for now.
His true Nick smile falls back into place. “I hope you like BLTs and cheeseburgers. I got both from Harley’s Diner on my way over. I wasn’t sure what you guys might want. I even got a salad, in case grease or meat aren’t really your thing.” He sets the bags on the island.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I tell him, and pull a handful of napkins from the cupboard.
“It’s not a problem. We need to eat, right? And since you had to babysit and couldn’t meet, I figured I’d come to you—talk about the project and stuff.” We stare at one another for a few breaths, what feels like an unspoken truce passing between us, then Jesse steps up beside Nick.
We both look down at him. With wide, excited eyes, Jesse glances from me to the bags that emanate the comforting scent of deliciously warm, fried foods.
Nick grins and pulls a couple of wrapped sandwiches out and sets them on the counter. “So, kid, what’ll it be?”
Jesse takes the cheeseburger without a second thought and greedily unwraps it.
“Then you’re definitely going to need some curly fries.” Nick scoots them closer as Jesse climbs onto a stool at the counter. “And if you’re at all like me, you like extra pickles on your cheeseburger”—Nick winks at me—“and lots of dipping sauce.” He pulls out a few BBQ, ranch, and honey mustard containers and sets them by the fries. “Super fancy, I know.”
“Ranch, please,” Jesse says and takes a bite of his burger, way too big to fit his mouth around.
Jesse loses himself to a mess of special sauce and cheese strings as Nick steps around the counter, closer to me. “I’m sorry if I’m intruding. I took a chance, hoping you were hungry, and we might still be able to get some work done, or at least...talk.”
“Talk?” I ask, fishing for a glimpse into the inner workings of Nick Turner’s brain.
“Yeah, or watch a movie or whatever.”
“Oh, you’re staying for a movie now, huh?”
Nick winks at me, then looks at Jesse and pulls two DVDs from a plastic bag. “Now, Jesse, you have a very important decision to make. Are we watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, a movie you’ve likely seen a hundred times,orare we branching out and watching The Goonies?” He holds both cases up for my brother to see.
Jesse’s eyes dart between them before he finally nods to The Goonies, sauce coloring the corners of his mouth.
With a hoot, Nick celebrates with a ridiculous dance in place, and I find it impossible not to be happy that he’s here.
“Here, J, wipe your mouth, would you?” I hand him a napkin. “Believe it or not, you still have to act polite in front of Nick; he’s still considered a guest, even if he did invite himself over.” I smile to soften the jab, while careful not to encourage Nick, but I know I’ve failed when he’s grinning from ear to ear.
“Admit it,” he says, leaning in closer. “You’re glad to see me.”
“Ha! And why would I be glad?”
“Because, you’d be stuck cooking and wouldn’t get to watch The Goonies, aclassic,remember?”
“If I admit it, are you going to do another jig in the middle of my kitchen?”
He shrugs. “Most likely.” He winks and peers into the food bags. “So, you fed the kid, now it’s your turn. What will it be, a salad, a cheeseburger, or a BLT?” He looks at me expectantly.
“Which one do you want?” I ask him, not wanting to take his favorite. I pull a few Squirts from the refrigerator and set them on the marble countertop, along with a few glasses, then slide one of each to Jesse.
Nick shakes his head. “Nope. I asked you first.”
“Well, it’s a hard choice. You see, I’m both a grease and a meat sort of girl. So...I think I’ll take the BLT.”
“Ooh, good choice. But their burgers are by far the best.” He points to Jesse’s messy face as proof, then slides the sandwich over to me. “Don’t worry,” he says. “I’ll share with you if you change your mind.” Popping a fry into his mouth, Nick glances at Jesse and settles onto one of the barstools. “So, what’s new with you, kid? Staying out of trouble at school?”
Jesse nods, fiddling with the corner of his cheeseburger wrapper.
