Chapter Four #2
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, but I immediately realized it wouldn’t be doable.
There was no way I could add a trip to the gym to my schedule, no matter how close to my office or house it was.
I decided to share this with him so he didn’t think I was rude when I didn’t follow up.
“I don’t think I’ll have time, though. Right now I’m doing a workout three times a week at home. It’s very efficient.”
“I get it,” Nick said. “No worries.”
“So, how did you even find this barbecue? What does it involve?”
“You’ll see. It’s very laid-back. I’ve been a few times with my brothers, and we enjoyed it.”
“Are any of them going to be there?”
“No, just us.”
I clapped my hands together. “I can’t wait!”
We spoke a bit about the location as we drove along, and a short while later, Nick announced, “We’re here.”
I spent a lot of time by the water, since I lived nearby, but I hadn’t been around this side of the harbor. It wasn’t exactly a harbor, though. The nearest marina was pretty far away.
“I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place.” It looked like a beach. There was sand, lounge chairs, and umbrellas. “Nick, I think you’ve found my new favorite spot in the city.”
“Glad to be of service.”
The unmistakable scent of grilled meat was wafting through the air. I looked around, trying to trace its source. There was a bar on the left side, and right in front of it was a grill station.
“Yum,” I said, rubbing my belly. I wasn’t even hungry, but the smells were delicious.
Nick nodded in that direction. “Let’s take a look.”
There were several tables around the grill station, but most people were eating while standing at the huge counter. I could feel my limbs relax, as if they’d been holding tension for all these months and it was finally starting to melt away.
We glanced at the menu together. Nick put an arm around my shoulders, and I slowly warmed up. He was a touchy-feely person. How had I not realized it before? And why was I enjoying it so much? And his scent… wow. His aftershave was really something.
Goodness, Allison. You need to climb a man, stat, but that man will not be Nick Whitley. He’s basically the only other person in the twins’ life. No way in hell can you mess that up just because your hormones are working overtime.
“I want one of those mixed kebabs.”
As far as I could see, the cooks were the ones taking the orders as well. I wondered how they managed with so many people, but the system worked.
“Same for me,” Nick said.
“Coming right up,” the guy replied. “The drinks are on the other side.”
To my astonishment, we got our food only a few minutes later.
We each grabbed a skewer at the same time. I grinned, pressing mine to his. “Cheers!”
“Cheers, Allison. To a memorable evening.”
“Memorable? Why? Because of all these outrageous things you plan to do?” I waggled my eyebrows.
He chuckled. “I don’t plan to do them. I’ll just spontaneously come up with something if I have to.”
“So that’s the plan? You fly by the seat of your pants?”
“I’ve been doing that forever.”
I took a bite of the skewer. It was delicious.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you for that, being the CEO of such a huge company and all.”
He shook his head. “I plan things in business. There’s no way around that. But not as much as some of my brothers. And not at all in my private life.”
“What did you do today?” I asked him.
“Had brunch at my grandparents’ house.”
“Wow. Your grandparents are still alive? That’s amazing. How old are they?”
“Well into their nineties, but you wouldn’t know it.”
“And you’ve got a lot of brothers, right? I’m sorry, I’m not really up-to-date with your family. I know the Whitleys are prominent and known all over Boston, but I guess I’ve either not paid attention or have been living in my closet.” We both laughed at my joke.
When he set down his half-eaten skewer, I noticed the veins on his forearm move with the motion. I had no clue how I could find that sexy, but I did. Clearly I was losing my mind.
“There are eight of us. I have two brothers and five half brothers.”
“I think I read something about the Whitley family, but I really don’t remember the details.”
Nick frowned. “My father had a double life.”
I gasped. “Oh, I didn’t put two and two together. Wow. I assumed that maybe… You know what?” I cleared my throat. “Let’s not get into that. Sad topic and all that.”
Nick curved up a corner of his mouth. “That it is, but I don’t mind telling you.”
Now I was curious. “Okay. But only if you want to.”
“The story had an unfortunate beginning, but all of us brothers are on very good terms right now, and we’re especially close to our grandparents. We get together as often as we can. Most everyone’s married. The only ones who are still engaged are Maddox and Leo, so it’s always a full house.”
“That must be something.”
“Yes. By the way, my grandparents actually offered to look after the twins if you feel like you need help at any time.”
I jerked my head back. “But they don’t know me or the kids.”
“I know that. That’s just how they are. Obviously, you’d get to meet them and everything, but it’s just something to keep in mind.”
I was touched in ways I couldn’t even express. These perfect strangers just offered to spend time with the twins when not even Nora’s best friend ever had. I swallowed hard, thinking how kind Nick’s family was.
“Thanks. I like your grandparents already.”
He winked at me. “Something tells me they like you too.”
“How come?”
“That’s a story for another time.”
It didn’t seem like a sad story, just one he was keen to avoid for now.
We finished our skewers, then left the counter. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement between everyone that once you finished the meat, you moved away to make space for the next customers.
“Let’s get a drink,” Nick said.
“Yes, please. Something with alcohol. Not too much, though.”
He smiled. “Don’t worry, Allison. I’ll take great care of you tonight.”
“Just don’t get me drunk.”
“Would never dream of it.”
After checking what they had on offer, he said, “White wine?”
“You’ve read my mind. I’ve never really been a cocktail girl.”
Nick ordered my wine and a beer for himself.
“Let’s go a bit closer to the water,” he suggested after we received our drinks.
“Great idea.” I liked the vibe of the place, but it was a bit too crowded around the bar. They’d set up swings near the water, and I pointed at them. “That’s so cool. I want to sit on a swing.”
“Your wish is my command.”
“Just for tonight or always?” I teased. I was in a very teasing mood today, but why shouldn’t I be?
The weather was amazing. I was here with the hottest man on the planet, which was absolutely irrelevant but still worth mentioning.
I’d had an excellent barbecue, and now I was relaxing with a glass of wine.
“You can always count on me, Allison.” He leaned in closer. “And if you need some entertainment, you can call me,” he said as I sat on the swing.
Only after he sat did I realize that it was meant for couples. Our thighs were touching, and my stomach somersaulted. Being this close to him, it was impossible not to notice the effect he had on me. My pulse quickened. My mouth was dry, and my skin seemed on fire everywhere.
I tried to pretend this wasn’t affecting me at all because what else could I do? So I took a sip of my wine and then another one, closing my eyes.
“Relaxation looks good on you.”
My eyes flew open, and I felt my cheeks go completely hot. He was watching me.
“It’s nice. I forgot what it felt like.”
He turned slightly toward me, then resumed his position, probably realizing there was no way to turn without completely climbing over me.
Which you wouldn’t mind, would you? a naughty voice said at the back of my mind.
“I’m going to take time for myself more often,” I promised him. “Although it’ll be in another shape, such as me taking a hot bath with rose petals and rubbing all sorts of scrubs over my skin.”
He started to cough.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Sure, sure.” And then he immediately rose from the swing.
I moved to the center of it because it was weird to be on one side by myself, plus it tilted with the loss of his weight.
He cleared his throat, looking at his beer, then gave me a cheeky smile. “There’s not much I can do to help with that, but it sounds like you’ve got the hang of it.”
It took me a second to realize what he meant. Oh. Oh. I might have gone a bit overboard describing my bath to him.
“I promise I’ll call you for anything that I can’t do by myself.”
His eyes bulged.
Wait, that didn’t sound right. Ugh.
I looked at my glass. I definitely hadn’t drunk enough to warrant a loose tongue. Clearly the combined effect of Nick and the wine was going to my head. I decided to pretend I hadn’t said anything.
“So, what would you like to do in your free time?” he asked.
I tilted my head. “I’m not even sure.” Going with friends for drinks until late in the evening didn’t sound appealing at all. Neither was shopping with my best friends—especially since I hadn’t heard from any of them in months. “I’m not sure. I guess I’ll have to think about it.”
“Do that and let me know. I’d love to join you if you need company.”
“Nick, are you serious?”
He stepped closer but didn’t attempt to sit back down. Instead, he put his hand on the metal bar above me, his muscles flexing with the motion. Yum. This man was truly something else. “Yes.”
“But why? I’m sure you’ve got a million things to do.”
“I’m good at setting priorities, and I’m making you a priority. I should have done more from the very beginning.”
My heart warmed—along with other places on my body. “You’re doing more than everyone else, frankly.”
“Still not enough. I want to be more involved.”
“You know the kids’ godparents are pretending they’re not even the godparents?” I asked, apropos of nothing.
He scoffed. “I always wondered why they chose Phil and Lola as godparents.”