Chapter Fifteen
Meghan
A knock sounds at the door. He’s early. Thirty minutes early. Holy crap, I’m not ready! I slip on my pink and white dress and run to the front door. I have yet to do my makeup, but that won’t take me very long.
When I reach the door and glance through the peephole, I’m surprised to see the person on the other side of the door. “Hey,” I say as I open the door and let my sister AJ in.
“Hey, sorry to just drop by. I was going to text, but I was already in the car driving.” She seems to take in my dress. “Oh, are you going out?”
I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Umm, yeah. Actually, I am. I have…a date.”
“You do?” she asks, smiling widely and practically vibrating with excitement.
“Yeah. Is that weird?” I ask, glancing down at my dress. Is it too much? Do people even wear dresses anymore on dates?
“Weird? Hell no! It’s great, actually. I’m so excited for you. Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Promise you won’t get all weird on me?”
“I make no such promises,” she teases.
“Fine. It’s Nick.”
AJ blinks once. Twice. “Nick? Your sexy boss who showed you how to take down an assailant with a few thrusted hand moves?”
“Yes, but…wait. Did you say sexy?”
“Hell yes, I did. Nick is totally gorgeous, Meg. He’s also sweet and kind, and I’m not really surprised you’re going out with him.”
“You’re not?” I ask my older-by-one-year sister. We’ve always been the closest of all of my sisters, and I always associated that to our close age. We were only a year apart in school. We were in the same clubs and sports in school, and even had some of the same friends.
“No way,” she says gently. “You should have seen the way he was looking at you last night. He totally had googly eyes. I’m surprised Grandma didn’t pick up on it.”
“She was too busy staring at his ass,” I mumble, recalling the embarrassing conversation last night.
“True,” AJ laughs. “But back to my original point, I’m very excited for you. You deserve a bit of happiness in your life. Maybe Nick is that happiness and maybe not. I’m just glad you’re putting yourself out there again.”
“Thanks,” I say, quietly, the word hard to find over the golf ball that I swallowed and stuck in my throat.
“Before you start to overthink this, it’s important for you to know that we all support you one hundred percent. I think it’s great that you’re going on a date with Nick. You guys will have a good time.”
“We, uh, kinda went out last night after class.”
AJ whoops and pulls me into a hug. “I’m proud of you, really. Just go and enjoy. Smile again, but if there’s one thing all of us miss it’s a real Meghan smile.” The look she gives me is warm and gentle, and lets me know that she supports me.
“Thank you.” I choke on the words.
She waves her hand, blinking back tears. “So, this is what you’re wearing? It’s super cute. Why didn’t I know about this dress?”
I laugh and know full well that if AJ had seen this dress in my closet, she would have taken it at some point. Like always. “I just bought it a couple weeks ago. At the time, I didn’t really have a reason, but now I’m glad I did.”
“Super cute. But your makeup isn’t done. What time is he going to be here?”
Glancing at my watch, I’m surprised to find that I’ve been visiting with my sister longer than I thought. “Shit, in ten minutes.”
“Hurry! I’ll go so you can finish getting ready,” AJ says, pulling me into a big hug. “I really am happy for you.”
“Thanks,” I say when she pulls away and opens the front door. “Oh, and AJ? Could you keep this to yourself? I’m not quite ready to tell everyone else about the date.”
She gives me a knowing glance and nods. “Sure.”
“Love you,” I holler as she heads down my steps and toward her car.
“Love you too,” she calls back.
“Wait!” I holler, stopping her before she can slip inside her vehicle. “You didn’t say why you stopped by.”
My sister just gives me a smile. “Doesn’t matter. Enjoy your night,” she replies with a big smile before getting in and driving away.
When the door closes behind me, I take a deep breath. I have eight minutes before Nick gets here. I better hurry.
* * *
Nick arrives just a few minutes after I step into the bathroom. Fortunately, most of my makeup is on, but I don’t have a chance to slip on my sandals or spritz myself with perfume before the doorbell rings.
“Hey,” I say, an immediate smile on my face when I take in the man standing at my door. He’s wearing a pair of khaki shorts with a blue and gray polo. He’s wearing brown leather sandals and a big smile. He also smells amazing. Like I want to climb up his body, stuff my nose in his neck, and just inhale for the next three hours.
He’s also carrying flowers.
I smile, glancing down at the gorgeous yellow and pink bouquet in his hands. It’s been a long time since I’ve received flowers. More than two years, to be exact. Josh was a big one for surprise flower deliveries to the office, but now isn’t the time to think about that. Now is the time to focus on the man in front of me, who just so happens to be holding a pretty bouquet for our date.
“These are for you,” he says when I step aside and let him in. “Wow, you look amazing,” he adds, giving me an appreciative once-over that warms my entire body. The way he looks at me makes things tingle that haven’t tingled in quite a while.
“Thank you,” I reply, reaching for the bouquet. “For the flowers and the compliment. Come in. I’ll put these in water real quick and then finish up. I’ll only be another minute,” I tell him, glancing over my shoulder. When I do, I find his eyes firmly locked on my backside.
Again, things are tingly and I start to get concerned about the state of my panties by the end of the evening.
“No rush. Take your time,” he says as his eyes meet mine. If he notices that I busted him watching my ass, he doesn’t show it. Instead, he offers me a smile that makes my heart skip a beat and dance around in my chest.
When the flowers are sitting in a crystal vase that was my mom’s, I slip out of the room to finish getting ready. It only takes me a couple of minutes to finish up my makeup, slip on a pair of nude wedge sandals, and spritz my neck with my favorite perfume. After I set the bottle down, a thought crosses my mind. Josh bought me this perfume because it was his favorite. He said it drove him wild.
As I look at my reflection in the mirror, I can’t help but wonder if the same will hold true for Nick. Will he like the scent or will I need to switch it up? Maybe try something new. It’s definitely not something that has to be decided now, but it makes me pause, even for just a moment.
God, I miss him.
The woman staring back at me is so much different than the one she used to be. Little lines are appearing around her eyes that weren’t there before. She looks tired, and maybe even a little scared, but that’s to be expected, right? She’s pretty, but not a supermodel. She’s confident, but nervous.
Actually, she’s petrified.
But, she’s also determined.
A woman who is ready to live her life, not merely to exist.
I nod my head and dig deep for that determination I know is there, and then turn to meet my date. Nick. If it were anyone else, I’m not so sure I’d feel as resolute, but there’s something about him that helps return the confidence I once had. Maybe it’s the fact that I consider him my friend, too. Friendship and lovers seemed to work well for Abby and Levi, correct? Not that I’m thinking about the lovers aspect with Nick, but…
You never know.
I’m not ruling it out just yet, but it’s also not in the plan for tonight.
Or is it?
It’s been a long time since I’ve dated, even casually. Maybe it’s expected? My heart starts to pound and I start to feel a little sweaty in the pits. Nick wouldn’t expect sex tonight, would he? Not that it would be a bad thing, but I’m just not sure I’m there yet.
As I round the corner and see him standing there by the door, I answer my own question. No. Nick wouldn’t expect any more than I’m ready to give. He’s a true gentleman like that.
“Hi,” I say lamely as I approach my date.
“Hi.” He offers me another great smile, with perfectly straight, white teeth. He truly has an amazing mouth. Completely kissable.
Warmth creeps up my neck and settles in my cheeks as thoughts of kissing Nick pepper my mind repeatedly. He reaches down and takes my hand. “Come on,” he says huskily, giving me a wink as he leads me out the door. I’m pretty sure he knows I was just thinking about his mouth and all of the things I wouldn’t mind doing to it.
Or him doing to me. With that mouth.
“So where are we going?” I ask after making sure the door was secured and pushing all thoughts of Nick’s lips and the possibility of kisses out of my mind.
“We’re headed to Cooper, but I’m not telling you where we’re going when we get there,” he says as he holds open the passenger door for me. Cooper is a small coastal town, thirty minutes south of Jupiter Bay. It boasts small, quaint shops and cute bed and breakfasts, and is just as popular of a summer tourist trap as our town.
Small talk is easy when Nick is sitting beside me, and even though we start off talking about work, it turns to more personal conversations. Before I know it, we’re reaching the city limits of Cooper, those thirty minutes eaten up quickly. He drives us to the center of town and turns off at the grocery store. As soon as we make the turn, I know where we’re going.
“Roller skating?” I ask, suddenly really excited.
“I hope that’s okay,” he says warily.
“Okay? I haven’t been since I was like eleven. I used to love coming here with my sisters.” Memories of family outings with my mom, dad, and sisters flash through my mind. Some of them are painful, but mostly they bring happy recollections of a time where the eight of us would take a Sunday drive and skate the day away. “I can’t believe it’s still open.”
Nick parks in the first available spot, which is closer to the back. I’m pleasantly surprised by the amount of cars in the lot. “Well, it closed down for a few years, but not long ago, a young couple bought it and brought it back to life. They’re only open on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons now, but it’s still a popular hangout.”
With way too much enthusiasm, I give my seat belt a little toss and climb out of the car. My eyes light up when I see the neon marquee that reads “The Rink.” A sign in the window promises the best pizza in Virginia, and to be honest, I really hope we get to test that proclamation.
“Is this okay? I wasn’t even thinking about you wearing a dress,” Nick admits, glancing down at my knee-length dress.
“It’s perfect. Actually, I was the best skater in the family, so me being in a dress shouldn’t matter at all.”
His laughter fills the evening and makes me smile. “Well, that’s good. Maybe your expertise will rub off on me. I’m only a so-so skater, and haven’t been in a few years.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Come on,” I say, grabbing his hand and practically pulling him toward the entrance.
Best. Date. Ever.