CHAPTER 10 #3
Jannie nodded, her heart still pounding. She took a seat and braced her feet to halt the motion.
Nick swiped up Jannie’s beer and dragged the table closer before setting the bottle back down and sitting beside her.
The moment he was seated, she had to swallow back a gasp. The glider was small, but she had misjudged just how small; her leg touched his, and there was nothing she could do about it. God, but his thigh was hard.
“What can I give you?”
“Hmm?” She realized she was staring at his crotch and yanked her gaze away.
He picked up a skewer and pointed to the food. “Anything you don’t like?”
Being this close to you.
“I’m good with anything.”
A little smile. “OK.”
Rolf returned from inspecting the yard’s perimeter, his wet black nose twitching as he got a whiff of food.
He licked his lips. Frowning, Jannie snapped her fingers and pointed. “Go rest.”
Ears flattening a bit, he cast her a woeful glance before slowly slinking away, finding a sheltered spot under the awning and settling down on the grass.
“Mean.” Nick chuckled, loading a skewer with cheddar, tomatoes, and ham. “Poor dog can smell it.”
“And that’s all he’ll get to do. Trust me, you don’t want to see what happens if you give in and let him eat this kind of food.”
“Not even cheese?”
“Especially cheese. A German Shepherd in the house with loose bowels is not pretty.”
“Good to know,” Nick said. “Is that why his suitcase is the heaviest one? I thought you packed bricks in there.”
“That’s his raw food. It needs to go in the freezer.”
She expected the usual shocked reaction and lecture about how canines should eat dry dog food and how raw meat was dangerous and full of bacteria, but Nick only nodded.
He handed her a skewer. “I wondered why his coat looked so good. I’ve heard about raw-feeding dogs. Makes sense to me; look at those teeth.”
Rolf rested with his head on his paws, occasionally giving Jannie a sorrowful look, his tan eyebrows shifting in a way that always looked funny to her.
“I feel bad for the poor guy,” Nick said, pulling some ham off the skewer with a flash of perfect teeth.
“Don’t.” Jannie watched the pink sliver slide into his mouth. “He already ate today, and what he’s doing is all drama. Believe me, he’s fine. Don’t even look at him.”
“Hard not to,” Nick muttered.
Jannie shrugged and ate a cheese cube, then finished her Dr Pepper.
“Ready for some beer?” Nick asked.
She did need some alcohol to calm her nerves. “Yes, please.”
He took the empty bottle and passed her the Corona. “I usually drink these with a wedge of lime.”
“Me, too. Where did you find the Dr Pepper in bottles with real sugar?”
“I asked the catering guys at the Kissimmee FBO to do me a favor.”
Her eyes widened. “You brought these back from Florida?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve never seen them anywhere.”
“They tell me you can get them at Kroger.”
“Thank you.” Jannie set down the beer. “You are too good to me.”
“No, Jannie,” he said softly. “I’m not.”
For the longest time, she studied his handsome face, and he stared back at her, his gaze glued to her mouth before he inhaled audibly and looked into her eyes again.
Nothing friendly about this.
She shouldn’t be doing it. She had just come out of a marriage, and jumping into something else right now was such a bad idea.
She didn’t want a rebound relationship that only offered fleeting pleasure.
When she was ready to be with someone again, she wanted a real connection, not something shallow fueled by need.
She wanted genuine and lasting happiness, not …
whatever the hell her marriage to Blake had been.
But something drove her to touch Nick, and her hand moved to his face, smoothing over his beard, her thumb moving back and forth.
He bent his head. Unable to stop herself, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek, her heart beating so fast that she felt the pulse at her throat.
For a few beats, he didn’t move a muscle. It was she who drew back and lowered her gaze but not before she glimpsed disappointment in his eyes.
Nick picked up his beer, took a good, long swallow, and pushed off with one foot, sending the glider gently swaying. It pressed her leg harder to his with each downswing, and it was useless to try to move away.
“How are you feeling?” Before she could reply, he added, “I need to go to my place to pack some clothes and other things I’ll need here. You can come with me or stay, settle in, and get some rest. Your choice.”
Her fatigue outweighed her curiosity about where he lived. “I’m tired. I think I’ll stay here and try to catch a nap.”
“OK,” he said. “We have dinner reservations.”
She tipped her head. “What if I don’t want to go to dinner?”
He shrugged. “Then we don’t go.”
Nick said it so matter-of-factly. It had never been like that with Blake; he always insisted, and to keep the peace, she went where he wanted, even when she didn’t feel like going.
Jannie frowned. It was ridiculous to keep comparing him to Blake. She was here to take a break, recharge, and …
And what?
Spend some time with an old friend from high school.
That was it. That was all.