10. Nico
CHAPTER 10
NICO
H onesty is the best policy.
Nico repeated the sentence to himself as he watched Lauren sit at the table, her head slightly tilted, not answering. He’d decided when he’d invited Lauren over that he would be honest with her from now on. Not telling her about his son was what had started the two weeks they hadn’t spoken, and Nico was more and more certain that those two weeks had been a waste. He didn’t want Lauren to walk away.
Yet it probably wasn’t a good idea to tell her about Louis’s mother right now, either. Especially based on the blank expression on Lauren’s face. He’d already surprised her with a seven-year-old son, which she’d handled surprisingly well. The image of Lauren reading to and laughing with Louis during his bedtime routine wasn’t one he’d soon forget.
“Louis’s mother?” Lauren asked. Nico left the salad and came to sit with her at the table.
“Yes. Léa. She passed away almost five years ago, and I’ve been raising Louis as a single father ever since.”
“I’m so sorry.” Lauren put her hand on Nico’s and squeezed. Her eyes were now full of compassion.
“The book is about how, even when the people we love aren’t with us, they’re still looking down on us from the stars.” Nico smiled, though even he could feel that it was a little tight.
“That’s why you were so empathetic about my grandfather,” Lauren mused. “I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to lose your wife, especially when Louis was so young.”
“Oh, we weren’t married. I should have clarified. We dated for a short time in college before deciding we’d be better off as friends. When Léa found out that she was pregnant, we both wanted to be involved in Louis’s life, but we agreed that we were better as co-parents than trying to force a romantic connection we didn’t feel. We were very close friends, but nothing more.”
“Still.” Lauren shook her head. “I feel so bad for Louis. And for you.”
“It’s been hard sometimes.” Nico released a breath. “But I didn’t ask you here so that I could tell you a sad story about my past. I asked you here to give you dinner and to apologize.”
“Apology accepted,” Lauren said. She gave Nico a small smile. “I was upset with you, but now that I know you had a good reason for leaving, I’m not upset anymore. Just don’t do it again.”
Nico felt hope stir in him at the mention of the word again. Hopefully, it meant that Lauren might be willing to spend more time with him. Yet it didn’t seem right to ask about her feelings so soon after telling her about Léa. He would wait.
“I won’t,” he said instead. Then he squeezed her hand once before getting to his feet. “I’ll just grab dinner and we can enjoy a more relaxed meal. I promise, no sad stories from this point on.”
“There’s no need to make that promise,” Lauren said as Nico reentered the kitchen. “I’m the one who brought up the sad story of my grandfather at our first dinner, after all.”
“What a pair of tragic people we are,” Nico joked.
“We are.” Lauren made an exaggerated sad face. “And if I don’t get dinner, I might get even sadder.”
“Well, there’s no need.” Nico slid the first platter onto the table. “Dinner is served.” He brought over the last two trays. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Maybe just a soda, if you have one. I have work tomorrow.”
“Right.” Nico offered her cola, which she accepted. “How are you finding teaching?”
“Well, I’ve only been doing it for one day.” Lauren grinned. “But I like it so far. The students are really interesting, and my boss, Céline, is wonderful.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I always liked Céline, although I haven’t spoken to her much.”
“How long have you been a professor?”
“About four years. When Louis was younger, I worked at a consulting firm. But when I became his sole parent, I knew I needed a more flexible job with more reasonable hours, so I started looking around. Now I’d never want to stop being a professor.”
“I’ve heard that from both you and Céline today.” Lauren leaned forward. “What do you like so much about teaching?”
“There’s something really wonderful about opening a student’s eyes to a whole new world. That can be teaching a French learner their first few sentences or helping a native speaker enjoy a classic text for the very first time. I also love watching my students grow. I’ve taught some students from their first year to graduation and seen how they developed a love of writing and reading that they didn’t have before. It’s really magical.” Nico reached for the dish of green beans. “Would you like some?”
“Yes, please. I definitely see how that could be magical. My favorite part of my last job was always talking to people and getting to know them. But it was in such short interactions.”
“And what was your last job?”
“I worked at a bank.” Lauren wrinkled her nose. “It wasn’t very exciting, if I’m being honest. Could I have a roll?”
“Of course.” Nico handed her the bread basket. “How long did you work there?”
“About… five years?” Lauren wrinkled her nose again. “Gosh, I can’t believe it was that long. But it was worth it, because it meant being with my grandfather. I’m still glad I have a new job now, though. I get the feeling teaching will be a better fit for me.”
“I would think it will be. Just remember, it can take a while getting used to working with students. Don’t worry if not everything clicks right away.”
“That’s what Céline said. Apparently, she used to get really nervous before teaching a class.”
“I did, too. Or I would plan a perfect lesson that would get totally derailed by a student’s comment. It was really frustrating — until I realized that even a derailed lesson can be very educational.”
Lauren sighed, but she was smiling. “I think I have a lot to learn.”
“So do I. Lauren…” Nico paused. It still wasn’t the right moment to speak with Lauren about his feelings, since they were right in the middle of dinner, but she looked so gorgeous in the soft evening light and it felt so nice to see her again. “You accepted my apology, which I appreciate.”
“I did.” She lifted a hand to the ring on her necklace.
“So, I wanted to know if you would be interested in trying again. I understand that you might just want to walk out of here tonight and not see me again — or only see me as your professor. I would completely understand. I know that you came to Paris for some freedom and independence, and getting involved with a single dad isn’t exactly the way to do that.”
Lauren waited patiently for him to finish talking. Then she smiled at him.
“I have no interest in walking out of here and not seeing you again. I felt a connection between us on that first day, and I still feel it now. I’m more than willing to take things slow.”
Warmth flooded Nico’s heart.
“I’m glad to hear that. I felt a connection too.”
“Let’s just agree to be honest with each other from here on out, all right? No more secret children.”
“I think I can agree to that.” Nico grinned as he extended his hand to Lauren across the table. “No more secret children.”
“Now, let’s eat. Everything looks delicious.”
They dug in to the meal, which Lauren complimented even though Nico knew it was a fairly average meal. He wasn’t a particularly talented chef, but becoming a father had forced him to learn a few basic dishes. This dinner, which included roast chicken and dinner rolls, was a simple classic that he could make easily.
After dinner, Lauren helped Nico wash up before they retreated to the living room.
“Sorry I can’t offer you a night on the town,” Nico said as they sat down together on the couch. Lauren waved him off.
“I was never one for nights on the town really. A cozy evening at home sounds much better. Although I do have to ask, where was Louis the first night we met?”
“At his grandmother’s. My mother, Rose, is very involved with him.”
“Oh, that’s nice. To grandparents.” Lauren raised her hand as though making a toast, and Nico raised his hand to meet hers.
“To grandparents.” They smiled at each other. Then Lauren gave a little shiver and Nico grabbed a blanket to put over their legs.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“So, tell me more about Nebraska. Are there really cornfields as far as the eye can see?”
Lauren snorted, then looked a little self-conscious. “Actually, sometimes, yes.”
They fell into an easy rhythm of conversation, teasing each other and sharing details of their lives. The more they talked, the more Nico was glad that he’d taken a chance and invited Lauren over. It had been worth the difficult moments when he’d worried about how she would react to Louis. She was clearly great with kids and very accepting — now that he had been honest with her. Just as clearly, the two of them had a real connection. Nico would never have been able to forgive himself if he’d let his own fears stand in the way of a potential future for the two of them.
Not that he should be thinking about the future. It was only their second date, and he was going to enjoy every second of it.
Around eleven, Lauren finally couldn’t hide a yawn. Nico chuckled.
“I think it might be time to wrap up.”
“I suppose so.” Lauren got to her feet and stretched. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”
“Possibly. Although we don’t have class together, so it depends on the campus traffic flow. If I don’t see you, I’ll text. I have your number now.”
Nico walked Lauren to the door, where she put on her shoes then straightened up and smiled at him.
“Good night, then.”
“Good night.” Nico smiled down at her and they both paused, just looking at each other. Lauren’s blue eyes were very wide and her cheeks had that slight pink flush that Nico remembered from their first day together. He wanted badly to kiss her. Those pink lips looked so soft and Nico could remember only too well how intoxicating it had felt to kiss her, like the whole world stood still for them.
But they’d only just reconciled and Nico didn’t want to push Lauren into anything she wasn’t interested in. So he just smiled at her, then reached for the door to let her out. As he turned, she lifted onto her tiptoes and pressed a quick, soft kiss to Nico’s cheek. Then she slipped out the door and disappeared into the warm spring night.
Nico stood in the doorway for a moment as she walked away, her long legs on display under her skirt, her hair looking like a waterfall down her back, then closed the door slowly and leaned against it. He and Lauren had agreed to take things slow, but all Nico wanted to do was take her into his arms and kiss her until they were both breathless.
Instead, he went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea. Then he went back to the living room and sat on the couch, lost in thoughts of Lauren and hopes for their future.
For the first time in a long time, Nico felt optimistic about his dating life. Maybe, just maybe, things were really going to work out this time. Maybe he could balance being a father and having a romantic life at the same time.