Chapter 17
Chapter 17
“Let’s go to that fancy place, Chez Paul,” he says.
I gesture at the chairs. “Shall we sit back down again?”
He arches an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like you’re about to tell me off?”
I let out a light laugh as I sit. “I’m not going to tell you off. I just want to know if you’re okay.”
He plunks down in his own seat and replies, “I’m fine.” It’s totally unconvincing.
“Really? You don’t seem like your usual self today.”
He lets out a heavy sigh. “I guess I’m worn out. The training camp was intense. They always are. You know our first game of the season is this weekend. If I want to keep my spot in the opening lineup, I’ve got to bring my A-game.”
“I know, but please don’t go killing yourself, okay?”
He shakes his head. “Okay, Mum .”
“I’m not being your mum.”
“Just a concerned girlfriend?” he asks with a smile.
“Just a concerned girlfriend,” I echo.
He shifts himself closer to me, so our knees are touching. “I like the sound of that.”
I find his hand with mine. “Me, too.”
“I know we’re at your work and all, but do you think we could do this?” He reaches out and cups my face in his hands, leans toward me, and kisses me on the lips. It’s tender and soft, and I close my eyes as my lips tingle, his Nick scent filling my nose.
“I missed you.”
“Ditto.”
“Thanks for saying that before, you know, about my design business. I appreciate what you did for me. Miranda was not letting that one go.”
He chortles. “She wasn’t. But don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”
It feels good to hear him say it. “I learned something new about you today.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“You know Jedi mind tricks.”
He scrunches up his face in confusion. “Jedi mind tricks? Ernie, I don’t have a light saber, and I sure don’t go around dressed in long robes.”
“I bet you’d totally rock it, though, if you did,” I reply with a grin, imagining him as a brave Jedi knight. It’s a good image. “The way you told Miranda that seeing my website didn’t mean anything and she simply accepted it. That was a Jedi mind trick.”
“What can I say? It’s all part of my arsenal of charm,” he replies with a sardonic smirk.
“You should pull that one out when you’re playing rugby. ‘This is not the ball you’re looking for.’” I laugh at my own joke.
“Good plan, although I think there’s one issue with that. I’m not sure the guys I play against feel quite the same way about me as Miranda does.”
“Oh, Nick. The light really catches your strong and manly jaw in this photo,” I say, fanning my face as I imitate her.
He lets out a light laugh. “Anyway, I’m happy to help you out. You’re doing a whole lot more for me right now.”
“Well, it’s working. Your Wild Boy of Rugby days are well and truly behind you.”
“Not that I was much of a wild boy exactly.”
“Oh, I think you were, if the photos are to be believed.”
He studies me for a moment, his features tense before he replies, “Well, as you and I both know, photos can be deceiving.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Just…promise me you won’t go jumping to any conclusions about things you might see.”
“Sure, I promise,” I reply lightly.
“Be serious.”
The mood in the room shifts from flirty fun to, well, I’m not sure what this is now. “What are you getting at? Are there some new photos of you out there I should know about?” Worry grips me as his lips form a thin line.
He shakes his head. “No new photos. Just remember, I’ve got your back.”
I smile at him in relief. He’s just being protective, that’s all. “Sure. I can remember that.”
“Hey, I’ve got to go. Can we meet up later?” He stands up and offers me his hand. I take it in mine, and it feels almost as good as our kiss did a moment ago.
“How about this Friday? Are you busy?”
“Hey! I wanted to be the one to ask you out, not the other way around.”
I’m grinning even harder now, that warmth seeping all the way down to my toes. “Well, I guess I beat you to it.”
“I guess you did. And I would love to go out with you on Friday.”
“It’s a date. There’s just one thing, though. I need you to meet me with my friends, Sophie and Darcy.”
“I’ve already met them, remember? I was washing Bruno at your apartment, and Darcy lent me that super masculine shirt? Which I’ve still got, by the way. The guys say it brings out the color of my eyes.”
I give a snort. “This is different. The three of us formed a dating pact a while back and vowed that we’d let each other meet the guys we want to date to ask them some questions.”
“A dating pact. Seriously?” he says with a laugh.
“Yes! It’s to help each other make sure the guys we’re dating are decent, and now that things have…changed between us—”
“Because you need me to find your rubber duckie?” he asks.
“Can you be serious for five seconds, please?”
“My bad. Tell me more about this super serious and mature dating pact of yours.”
“It might sound silly, but we formed the pact to help each other after we’d made really horrible dating choices. Sophie dated a guy who dumped her during the vows at a wedding, and I dated a guy who stole my shoes.”
“What did he do with them?”
“I do not want to know.” I shudder at the memory. “Do you think you could do it, even if it is just to indulge me?”
“What does it involve?”
“You’d meet with Darcy, Sophie, and me, and we’d vet you.”
“ Vet me? As in shine a bright light in my face and ask me what my intentions are toward you?”
“A little less dramatic and definitely no bright lights. It would just be the three of us asking you some questions. Nothing too stressful.”
“Wow, that sounds so fun. Sign me up right away.”
“I know you’re being sarcastic, Nick, but it would mean a lot to me if you did it.”
“Okay.”
“Okay you’ll allow my friends to ask you a few questions in a totally nonthreatening way?”
“Yeah, why not? It could be fun.”
“Well,” I reply, thinking of Sophie’s concerns that he’s still a party boy at heart, and Darcy’s track record of asking the tough questions, “it’ll be over before you know it, and then we can go out somewhere fun together.”
“You know something? I’m so glad we’re in this thing together. You are so darn good for me, Erin Andrews.”
I beam up at him, barely believing he feels the same way about me. “Oh, yeah? In what way?”
He leans down and kisses me softly on the lips once more. “In pretty much every way I can imagine.”
Back at my desk, I let out a contented sigh as I settle into my chair. Margie gives me the thumbs up and I beam back at her. When Nick passes his vetting, which I know he will, he and I will be an official couple. Finally, finally , it’s my turn. And I know Nick is the man for me.