Chapter Thirty-Five
I laid my head on my propped-up hand, which rested on the table in front of me, holding back a yawn and my drifting thoughts. The doctor espousing new wave treatments for children and adolescents kept getting off topic, making me do the same. It was the same topic I’d been thinking about for days. Nick. I absentmindedly wrote his name on my notebook. Oh my gosh, what was wrong with me? I scribbled it out and sat up straight. I was an adult now. And we hadn’t talked in six days. I knew we wouldn’t. He was going into full writer mode, no distractions.
At least I’d had contact with Skye. We had talked every night after I got back to my hotel room. Which was usually right after dinner. I hadn’t met anyone. Though I’d had dinner with a psychiatrist from London last night in the hotel restaurant. Loved the accent. Him, not so much. He drank like a fish and talked about his patients as if they were there for his entertainment. And, admittedly, I kept comparing him to Nick. Nick chewed with his mouth closed. And Nick didn’t laugh like a hyena. Nick rarely laughed, but when he did, it was deep and masculine. Nick would have paid the tab. Not that I expected Rupert to, but he had asked me to dinner. Nick asked questions about me; Rupert talked about his brilliance. Okay, Nick did that too. But all Rupert wanted to know was my hotel room number. Not happening.
Skye was enjoying being home with her pool and friends, but she too was missing someone. Liam and she were texting, but he was getting ready to start at the university there, so he was busy. Skye wasn’t sure what that meant for them. Liam had yet to even hold her hand. I didn’t know what to tell her. I was as confused as anyone when it came to relationships. It was much easier for us to discuss the fictional one of Elondra and Kieran. They were currently locked in a dungeon together. Skye and I were both rooting for a reunion kiss. I would find out tonight when I picked it back up.
Today was the last day of the conference. And it had been good. I picked up some new research to study in both of my jobs. Some interesting research about attraction and the key to successful relationships was discussed in one of the sessions yesterday. I picked up the presenter’s book they were selling after. I also was intrigued with some of the new cognitive therapy research and approaches that I could use in therapy sessions. I was even proud of myself for not only having dinner with Rupert, even though that was a bust, but I also ventured into LA with a group to have dinner and walk around two nights ago. I was trying to be less closed off.
That said, I was looking forward to curling up in bed tonight with my dragon shapeshifter book. And maybe hearing from Nick. He said he would call tonight or tomorrow depending on how much he had written and on his meeting schedule. I knew I was crazy for anticipating that so much. Part of me thought I should text him and tell him I was renting a car to do the tourist thing, so we couldn’t see each other. That was the rational and probably right thing to do, but I didn’t want to.
Inside, I was shaking my head at myself. I tried to focus back on the speaker. It was useless.
After closing remarks, I decided room service and reading sounded divine. The introvert in me needed the downtime. And you never knew when someone might call, like my mom. She had called every day to see if Nick and I had seen each other. She was highly disappointed.
I sat on my bed picking through the pecan chicken salad I’d ordered for dinner, wrapped in my silk robe, reading and doing my best not to check the time. If he was going to call, he was going to call.
At nine my phone buzzed. I took a breath before I picked it up to see who was calling. My heart leapt when I saw the name on my screen. I stared at it while it buzzed a couple more times. I didn’t want to seem eager to answer it. I had to remind myself that despite how blurred my personal feelings were at the moment, we also had a professional relationship that needed to be maintained, though I knew his call had nothing to do with Binary Search or my role as his relationship manager.
This seemed different somehow, away from Atlanta and on his home turf. Away from those professional boundaries. But he was the name and face of Binary Search. I answered anyway.
“Hello.” I did my best to keep any breathiness out of it.
“Kate.” His voice wore my name too well.
“No hello?” I could picture his pressed lips and arched brow.
“See what six days without you has done to me?”
“I see you are back to your ill-mannered self.”
He didn’t disagree. No, it was much worse.
“Hello, Kate.”
It was like my name had been dipped in the deepest, richest dark chocolate. I wanted to dive into the chocolate fountain where it swirled.
He was an actor, I told myself. He was trained to sound like he was the world’s best word chocolatier. I will not be tempted. I will not be tempted.
“How’s Skye?” Not like I didn’t already know, but I was nervous and Skye was safe. Sweet, not sinful like her father.
“She misses you.”
“I miss her too.”
“I can remedy that.”
Why did part of me feel like he could fix so much more? “What do you have in mind?”
“Would you like to join us at Universal Studios tomorrow?”
“No,” I blurted without even thinking.
He paused. “I thought your conference was over.” He sounded disappointed.
I closed my eyes, embarrassed at my lack of finesse. “It is. It’s just . . . I can’t go to an amusement park with you.”
“Let me guess—this is on your list of rules.”
“It’s not a rule, per se, more like a guideline.”
“Care to fill me in?”
I threw myself back against the bed in my hotel room. How did I put this?
“When you engage in thrill-seeking activities like riding roller coasters with, let’s say a friend, sometimes the rush of adrenaline you get when doing such activities may cause you to feel more for the other person than you might normally.”
And I didn’t need any more help feeling things for him I shouldn’t.
He did something he had rarely done in my presence. A low rumble of real laughter came through the phone. “Do you believe yourself in danger of such feelings for me?”
“Of course not,” I stuttered while my heart pounded out what a liar I was.
“Your concern lies with my well-being, then.”
“No,” I eked out.
“Then tell me, Kate, what are you afraid of?”
Him. Most definitely him. “I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize Binary Search’s reputation.”
“Right.” His disappointment came through loud and clear. “Lucky for you, I have meetings there all day tomorrow. It would just be you and Skye, as well as her friend Hensley, thrill seeking, as you put it.”
“Oh.” Why didn’t he just say that in the first place?
“Is it a date then? We can pick you up at nine. Where are you staying?”
“I’m at the Marriott near the airport in Burbank. I think they have a shuttle that goes to Universal if it’s out of your way.”
“It’s not.”
“Okay. How’s your writing going?”
“Well.”
“No distractions?”
“Just one.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should be.”
My cheeks burned. “How do you figure?”
“I think you know.”
I held my stomach.
“Kate.”
“Nick.”
“I don’t need a roller coaster to produce a rush of adrenaline when I’m with you. Good night.”
The adrenaline was rushing. I buried my head in my pillow. What had I gotten myself into?
I didn’t sleep well and was up well before I needed to get ready thanks to the phone conversation with Nick and debating all night with myself about what I was doing. I knew we’d crossed a line last night. But we both knew we couldn’t act on it, right? He was my client, for goodness sake. And he was him and I was me. Safe in my rules. Lonely, but safe.
I stared at myself in my hotel mirror. I wore a pale pink tank top with scalloped edges and casual shorts that showed off a lot of leg. It was supposed to be a warm day in the mid-80s and I knew we would be in the sun most of the day, so I wanted to dress accordingly. I had to say I was loving the California weather. Hot but not humid, and at night it cooled off. It wasn’t sweltering like Georgia in late August. I had thrown my hair up in a messy bun. I’d almost curled it but didn’t want to seem like I was trying too hard.
By ten minutes to nine, I couldn’t take it anymore; I headed for the lobby to wait for Nick and Skye to arrive. The lobby’s furniture and décor were done in serene tones, but it wasn’t helping my nerves. I kept staring out the large double glass entrance doors to see if Nick had arrived. At five till the hour, Skye texted.
Dad wanted me to tell you that we are going to be ten minutes late. Traffic is bad.
I smiled at his thoughtfulness that not long ago didn’t seem to exist. See you soon.
Can’t wait.
Me either.
I meant it too. I missed Skye and Nick. I tried to relax on one of the lobby couches, but it was no use. Nick Wells was picking me up. My twenty-year-old self was having her moment, and she wanted to lay down on the couch and kick her legs in the air. I stopped her before she could.
At ten after the hour I walked outside, and within a minute, a 1966 Mustang convertible in springtime yellow pulled up with its top down carrying two people I was coming to really care for, along with a girl with striking blue hair and a nose ring, who I guessed was Hensley. I dug her style.
The car suited Nick, and I was in love. With the car. Not him. Before I could ogle him too much, Skye jumped out of the passenger seat and ran around the car to hug me.
I held her tight and kissed her blonde head. “Hey, pretty girl, I missed you.”
“Me too.” She squeezed tighter. “I kept telling Dad we should have come sooner.”
This girl owned my heart.
Her dad pierced it. He stood waiting for Skye and me to end our embrace. As soon as she was in the backseat with her friend, Nick made his move.
He didn’t hesitate to kiss my cheek. “You look good.”
I missed those kisses and the way his facial hair rubbed against my face.
“Thank you.” I sounded shy. “You do too.” And did he ever. He was dressed to impress in dark slacks and a blue dress shirt that played well with his eyes.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
I threw my small purse around my shoulder and nodded.
Nick did something he had never done before. He followed me to the passenger side and opened the door for me.
I stood astonished. “What’s this?”
His eyes took ahold of me. “The way it’s going to be between us from now on.”
Oh.