Page 59 of Meet Me in the Penalty Box

Harper

Sounds like the perfect plan.

Setting my phone back down on the counter, I stepped into the steam and felt the hot water hitting my back as I turned around underneath it. Closing my eyes, I moved my head back and let it run down my long locks.

My thoughts drifted to him as I washed my body and my hair. He had become my addiction. I was either with him or if I wasn’t with him, he was what I was thinking about. He occupied every inch and every corner of my mind. Nico was here to stay.

Nico was the most unexpected thing I’d ever had happen to me and I wouldn’t have traded any of it for anything else. Even if things weren’t going to turn out as I had hoped they would…

* * *

As I sat in the front seat of Nico’s car, he slid his hand into mine and I looked over at him as he pulled out of the parking lot. It was just the two of us and I was surprised when I got into the car and didn’t see his sister. He claimed that she said she didn’t want to go out tonight, but a part of me was questioning whether or not she really meant that.

“You didn’t talk Giana out of coming to dinner with us, did you?”

Nico chuckled softly as we sped down the street. “I promise you I didn’t. The thought definitely crossed my mind but she was the one who beat me to it.”

“She really just didn’t feel like going out, or what was her actual reason?” I quizzed him.

He shrugged. “She said she was tired and didn’t feel like going out tonight. I honestly think she just wanted to give the two of us some time alone, but I wasn’t going to argue with her on it. G is a big girl and can make her own decisions. If she didn’t feel like coming along, that’s on her.”

I studied the side of his face. “The two of you don’t really see each other that much, though, right?”

He shook his head as he glanced over at me. “Maybe every month or so. It just depends on what we both have going on in our schedules.” He paused for a moment. “Did you not want to get dinner with me tonight?”

“Nope. Why would I want to get dinner with you?” I rolled my eyes at him as I laughed quietly and shook my head. “Of course I want to. I just didn’t want your sister to feel like she was left out or not welcome or anything.”

“I think she would have felt more left out if she came with us,” he said with a wink as he turned his attention back to the road. “I’m sure she didn’t want to feel like a third wheel or anything like that.”

I contemplated his words. “I don’t want her to feel like that. We’re not that bad, are we?”

“It’s not like we’re ever around anyone else, so I can’t really say.”

“You have a valid point,” I agreed with a smile. We settled into a comfortable silence as we continued to the restaurant that Nico still hadn’t told me about yet. When we pulled into the quaint town that was about half an hour outside of the city, it gave me a weird sense of nostalgia.

Nico parked his car along the street and came over to my side to help me out. My hand was back in his and we were walking down the sidewalk as the brisk air made my cheeks tingle.

“This reminds me of the town my grandmother lived in,” I told him with a smile as I turned to look up at him. “It was a small town like this, where everything was within walking distance. Super safe, super quaint. Almost like out of a storybook. Everyone knew each other and it just felt like home.”

His eyes were on mine as he looked at me while we continued to walk. “I thought you said you lived in Denver?”

“I did,” I told him as he came to a stop outside of one of the smaller buildings. “My grandmother lived in a small town outside of the city. I used to spend a lot of time visiting with her and it was honestly my favorite. It didn’t feel nearly as congested and it was almost as if time didn’t exist.”

“What happened that you don’t go there anymore?”

I shrugged as sadness settled into my bones. “After she had passed away, my father ended up selling her house. My parents didn’t see a purpose in keeping it. I haven’t been able to bring myself to go back and visit there since.”

Nico was silent for a moment. “Would you ever consider going back or is that somewhere you’d never like to visit again?”

That was a thought that had lingered in my mind since she passed away five years ago. It was a thought I had kept to myself and never once muttered a single word to anyone about. It was more like a dream—and probably an unattainable one at this point.

“I always told myself that one day I would buy her old house and move there.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Yet, you moved here instead?”

My chest rose as I sucked in a deep breath. “The property wasn’t for sale and I didn’t have the money to buy a house right out of college.” I exhaled and cast my eyes to the ground, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “It was more of a dream, not something I really believed would ever happen.”

Nico’s hand slid under my chin and he lifted my chin to look up at him. “Don’t ever doubt yourself, love. You can make anything happen. Your dreams can come true.” He pressed his soft lips to mine in a quick kiss. “Come on, let’s get inside before they end up canceling our reservation because we didn’t show up.”

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