Chapter 24 #3
Judging by his aloof vibe, I’m going to have to go with the second.
Holding the nail in place with one hand, he grabs his hammer from a loop in his jeans with the other and starts banging it into place.
“Um, okay. Well, that’s good.” I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about their argument.
Or about us.
My heart starts racing. Already, sweat has begun to accumulate at the back of my neck. This does not feel like the right moment to share with him that I might be falling for him.
Instead, it’s as if something has invisibly turned a corner between us. And not one that I was anticipating. He’s being evasive, awkward even.
Each thwack of the hammer makes the silence between us feel louder.
Finally, he puts it down, and I seize my moment.
“Nate, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course, fine. Why?” He reaches for another nail. Forces a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. This chills me—I hate to see him fake-smiling. It’s like something I would do. When I want to be anywhere other than where I am.
I’m desperate to bring him back to the present. To our normal banter.
“So, is that the hammer Thor himself?”
“What?” I can’t tell if the annoyance in his voice is residual from his conversation with Cara, or just for me.
“Um, that day we met—I told you I called the Jeep Reba, and you said—”
“Oh, right.”
The silence stretches on.
“You looked thirsty.” I offer him the lemonade; he takes it with a smile. This one slightly more genuine.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” And then I stand there, feeling like a waitress waiting for a tip or something.
This moment is all wrong.
This is what happens when I try to do something real, something unscripted.
I’m so uncomfortable, I’m tempted to flee the scene.
But I hold my ground. “Nate, I feel like you’re shutting me down.
What’s going on? Is this about…” I drop my voice lower.
“Is this about what happened between us last night?” I feel flushed with heat just bringing it up.
His hands on my skin. Our bodies finding a rhythm that was so natural, that made me feel so powerfully alive…
He exhales hard through his nose and sets the glass down a little too firmly on the railing.
“No, not at all. Last night was… amazing. But—”
“But what?”
“I can’t… now’s not a good time.”
My stomach tightens. “Now’s not a good time to talk about last night? Or now’s not a good time… in general?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know. Both?”
My heart plummets down into my stomach. Oh god.
“Nate,” I say, trying to stave off the panic and hurt that are scraping my throat from the inside every breath I take. “What’s this really about? Did I do something wrong, or—”
“Nikki, it’s nothing. It’s a family thing. It’s not actually about you, for once.”
Ouch. “Wow,” I say, stung. Confused. Last night, everything between us was so perfect, so intimate, so… us. And now… it’s like I don’t even know this cold stranger.
“Wait, Nik. I didn’t mean—” He runs a hand through his hair. “Look, I appreciate the lemonade. That was really sweet. Sweet—get it?”
I fake a laugh, but I can hardly breathe. It feels like I’m getting the brush-off. And something in my chest shatters at the thought.
“But I have a lot to get done here if we want this thing ready in two days. Maybe we can talk later?”
“Later,” I repeat. “Got it.”
I start to leave then pause when Nate calls my name.
“What?” I turn back to him, and see something like sadness, or regret, pass across his face.
“Nothing—just… Happy Birthday.”
I can’t even say thank you. I just walk away before he can do any more damage, forcing back the rise of angry tears with so much self-control that I’m actually shaking. Thrown off. Humiliated.
I was an idiot to think Nate had actual feelings for me. All this flirtation, all this chemistry between us—that’s all it was. Physical. I just let myself get carried away by how funny and thoughtful he is. By how… Nate… he is.
At least he stopped the conversation before I got anywhere close to blurting out how I really feel. At least I saved myself that dignity.
At least—I tell myself as I storm back into the house and straight up to my dark little hideaway of a room—at least I know now what I’m going to do.
Nate just made my decision very, very easy.
“NIKKI?” SLOANE SOUNDS ALMOST surprised when she answers my call. “I wasn’t expecting to hear back from you so quickly, but it’s great to—”
“I’m in,” I tell her. “I accept the offer. I would be honored to return to the LovedBy franchise, if you’ll still have me?”
“Hell yes, girl! Now let’s talk timing of the announcement…”
My hands are shaky as I hang up the phone, feeling like I’ve just sealed my fate. And that’s when I look up and see a flash of yellow through the cracked door.
“Cara?” I call out.
She peeks her head in. “Sorry to, um, interrupt. Coop just sent me up to tell you…” She bites her lip, like she’s steeling herself for whatever comes next. Her eyes dart toward the hallway as if the threat might already be creeping closer. “… the Leg Tears are here.”