Chapter 7 #3
“Eww.” She sputtered a laugh, and the light danced in her eyes. “Not even close. My fave is plain old pepperoni. Sometimes with green peppers or olives.”
“Those sound good to me.” They ordered then Kat pushed back her chair.
“Just a sec.”
She took a small bucket off a shelf near the bar then headed back toward their table.
And Nick couldn’t help but notice a couple of guys at the bar turned to watch her, obvious interest in their eyes.
He couldn’t blame them, but it prompted questions in his mind.
How was this beautiful, talented woman unattached?
Had she recently broken up with someone? Did she have any heartache in her past?
They hadn’t talked about previous relationships. Not that it mattered. Just another layer to peel back. And a reminder how long it takes to get to know someone.
Kat set the bucket on their table. “Another reason I love this place. The white paper doubles as tablecloth and doodle board.”
Nick blew out his breath and withdrew a couple crayons from the bucket. “Cool.” Something they could do rather than shout at each other over the noise.
He watched Kat for a moment as she drew a floral pattern that could easily have been fiber art. By the time their pizza arrived, half of the paper was covered in doodles.
“Let’s fill the whole thing,” Kat said.
With a slice of pizza in one hand and a crayon in the other, Nick grinned. “I’m game.”
But he placed a napkin over a spot in the center of the table, and when she declared it finished, he made one last drawing—an outline of a city skyline and a yellow sun. You make NYC shine , he wrote. He knew it was cheesy, but that’s how he was feeling.
Her soft smile was his reward.
An hour later, he walked Kat up the stairs to her apartment.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he told her.
When she lingered and turned toward him, he didn’t decline the invitation. He drew her against him and pressed his lips to hers.
“Goodnight,” she whispered.
Reluctantly, he let go then turned and hurried down the steps—before he could change his mind.
* * *
On Saturday morning Kat dressed in a bright goldenrod sweater, hoping the cheery color would brighten her mood and help shake off the negative vibes over Nick’s impending departure.
The plan was to meet at a neighborhood diner close to his hotel so that he could easily catch a shuttle from there to LaGuardia airport.
One minute she wanted to hurry to get to the cafe, the next she wanted to slow down to make the morning last longer.
She’d come so close to inviting him to stay at her place last night, but long-held norms stopped her.
It was too soon. It almost scared her how fast she and Nick had connected.
She’d never been this gaga over a guy before.
And that in itself told her to take a step back.
But he’d been on her mind when she finally drifted to sleep.
And was still there when she woke this morning.
She nearly skipped the last few steps to the cafe, and when she saw Nick waiting just inside the door, her heart skipped with her.
“Morning,” he greeted her with a quick kiss on the lips.
“Morning.”
“Cute place. I’ve seen a couple of amazing plates go by.” He gestured toward the windows. “How ’bout a booth?”
“Perfect.” Kat slid in and pulled off her gloves, ready for some hot tea and a pastry.
After the server took their order, Nick leaned forward. “You come here a lot?”
“Pretty regularly. Mia and I have a few favorites. We usually meet up before we head to the studio on Sundays.”
“That the plan for tomorrow?”
“Yep.”
“And when will you be back to check on Nana? You’ll want to see for yourself that they’re treating her well, right?”
Kat heard the hopefulness in his voice and hated to sound negative, but she couldn’t give him false hope, either. She sent him a soft smile. “She’s getting a new computer so we can have video chats.”
“How dare she.”
The server brought their drinks, and Kat spent an inordinate amount of time dipping her teabag into the hot water. Then she added a squirt of lemon and a drop of honey. When she looked across the table, Nick’s intense gaze met hers.
“You know, we have a pretty fine ice-skating arena in the Springs. Olympic skaters train there.”
“Yes, I know.”
“You ever been there?”
“Once.”
“It’s probably changed a lot. You should come see it.”
Kat couldn’t help laughing. “That would be fun.”
He caught her hand. “Does next weekend work for you?”
She pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. She knew he was teasing, but there was not a chance she’d be in Colorado next weekend or the weekend after or the weekend after that. She took a sip of tea, then sat back as the waitress returned.
When she placed plates on the table, Nick released Kat’s hand.
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Kat cut her apricot danish into small pieces and stole glances across the table at Nick. He was—or pretended to be—quite interested in the makings of his breakfast burrito.
Finally, she couldn’t stand the awkward silence. “You know, Nick. I don’t go home often.” She spoke softly, but the tightening of his jaw told her he heard every word. He’d known that from the beginning.
His gaze met hers. “I was wondering if you might change your mind.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “The thing is, I…I couldn’t afford the time or the cost.”
He cocked his head and offered a slow, lopsided smile. “Couldn’t you at least try to be sad about that?”
Kat let out a sharp laugh, and relief washed over her. His ability to stay upbeat and crack a joke about their situation was endearing. If he whined or argued or tried to twist her arm, he’d only make it easier for her to say goodbye.
And it was getting harder with every minute that ticked by. She reached for his hand. “I am sad. I– I don’t know where that leaves us, but I hope we can stay in touch.”
He ran his thumb over her hand, and she felt as if his eyes looked straight into her soul.
“Me, too. I had a great time. Don’t know when I’ll be in the city again, but I do know how to video chat.”
Her throat clogged. Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded and blinked rapidly to ward off the unshed tears suddenly burning her eyes.
They lingered at the cafe more than an hour then slowly headed back to Nick’s hotel. When he grabbed her hand, it seemed the most natural thing in the world.
Kat sipped tea from her to-go cup while they waited in the hotel lobby for the shuttle that would whisk Nick away from the city. When it appeared in the circle drive, he stood and pulled Kat up with him.
“Guess this is it,” he said.
They moved at the same moment, and she was crushed against him, his strong arms holding her close.
“I’m going to miss you,” he whispered against her hair.
“I’ll miss you, too. Call me when you get home, okay?”
“Will do.” His lips met hers, and she closed her eyes, basking in the warmth.
Moments later, he stepped onto the shuttle.
As suddenly as he’d popped into her life, he was gone again.
With a chilly wind stinging her cheeks, she waved.
The cold seeped into her veins. Already, winter felt more bleak and gray without Nick’s warm hands and electric smile.
She watched the van drive away and wondered, had they just ended something or started something?