Not wanting to wait another second, I approach Nicole while she is at the bar.
Asking her if I could sit with her was a gamble. I mean, she could’ve said no, but the vibe that I was getting from her made me feel a little confident that she wouldn’t.
“It’s a nice party, isn’t it?” I ask her, but she can barely look at me.
“Yes, it is, and they deserve it after everything they have been through. It was nice of you to invite me.”
Sure, it was nice of me. Should I tell her that I invited her hoping that she would come and without a plus one?
“Of course, I know you and Emily have become good friends over the last few months.”
“Emily is great. She wants me to meet all of her friends. I think she is hoping they will become mine too,” Nicole says with a soft smile. “I think she feels bad that I really don’t know a lot of people since I moved here only months ago.”
Nicole is even more beautiful when she smiles. Her blue eyes seem to light right up when she does.
“I’m sure that you make friends pretty easily all on your own, Nicole.” She blushes at my suggestion.
“Actually, I’m quite shy around new people. Well, except for kids.”
“Emily tells me that you are a teacher.”
“Yep. Last school year I was a long-term substitute, but this coming fall I’ll have my own class. The details are still being worked out as students get registered.”
Even though she likes kids, I hold off on telling her about my daughter, Lucy Ann. I love my daughter with everything that I am, but I also know that some women run screaming when they find out a guy has an ex and a kid.
Nicole brings me out of my thoughts. “What do you do for a living, Daniel?”
OK, this is the easy part.
“I help my dad run his charter business. I bought my own boat to add to the fleet. If we have a lot of groups on a certain day, I take some people out on mine, otherwise I go out with my dad and help him.”
“That’s cool, having your own boat. So, you are a captain?”
I chuckle a little. “When I’m on my boat, yes, I am the captain. When I’m on my dad’s boat, I’m the first mate.”
Nicole smiles. “That must be interesting sometimes.”
I laugh to myself because my father and I butt heads a lot when it comes to the business. I think we are more alike than either of us cares to admit. “It was at first, but I’ve learned a great deal from my father’s experiences, so I tend to keep my head down and listen to what he says.”
Nicole takes a long sip of her whiskey. She seems nervous. Maybe she is feeling the connection between us too. I watch her as she fidgets with the napkin under her glass. Clearing my throat, I attempt to put her at ease. “Would you like to go out on the boat sometime?”
Nicole’s eyes snap up to me. Maybe I jumped the gun a little.
“Are you asking me out on a date, Daniel?”
Now it’s my turn to feel on the spot. I try to recover. “We can call it a date if you want. Or it can be just two friends spending some time fishing.”
I’m so unsure of myself when it comes to Nicole. After my disaster of a marriage to Serena, I never thought I would be interested in someone again. One look at Nicole a few months ago, and I wanted to try.
Nicole seems as if she is trying to work through my question. Her beautiful blue eyes are overshadowed by the crease in her brow. Damn. I think I overstepped here.
“It’s OK, Nicole, that was a no pressure invitation,” I say, trying to ease whatever has her deep in thought.
When she finally looks over at me, she appears more confident. “I would love to go out on the boat with you, but only if it’s a date.”