Chapter Thirty-Six
Nick being who he was, we got super-secret access to the back lots of Universal Studios. It was there I got to meet Margo, his assistant, who I assumed was a lingerie model. I was wrong yet again. I mean, maybe she was at one time, but the elegant woman with silver hair that sparkled like a crown in the sun was at least in her late fifties, I would guess. And she was fully clothed in a conservative wraparound dress. She screamed proprietary, and you could tell by the way she walked she was no-nonsense, even if she wore a warm smile.
Margo, carrying a designer looking bag, must have been waiting for us since she was almost to the car by the time we parked.
“You’re running late, Nick.” She opened his door for him and immediately pulled out a gray tie that matched his outfit perfectly. It was like a song and dance watching them. She tied his tie for him while he introduced me.
“Margo, this is Kate.”
Margo peeked around Nick while still working on his tie. I was out of the car, but standing by the passenger side door. The girls had hopped out and were nearby me.
Margo gave me an appraising look and smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” She turned her focus back to Nick. “You’re right,” she said to him.
“I know,” he said cryptically.
What did all that mean?
I wasn’t sure if I should join Nick or stay by the girls, who were excitedly chatting about which rides to hit first. Harry Potter was on top of their list.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure about a lot. The way Nick kept giving me heated stares on the drive over had me feeling like I should be reciting The Science Behind Why Good Girls Love Bad Boys, but I couldn’t remember a single thing I’d learned from it. I hadn’t even brought my copy with me. Maybe I should have packed it.
While I contemplated my crisis at hand, Nick and Margo came around and met me. Margo started handing me VIP passes for the park and a credit card with Nick’s name on it.
“You’re authorized to use this.” She was so matter-of-fact.
I tried to hand the card back. “I don’t need this.”
Margo wasn’t taking it; she kept on task. “The passes will allow you entrance onto any ride with express access to them. You can also eat in the VIP dining room.”
I looked to Nick and tried to hand him his card.
“Margo, will you give us a minute?”
“You can have one minute; you and Simon need to prep.” She stepped away.
Nick took her spot but he drew much closer than her.
“I don’t want your credit card. I can pay my way.”
His brittle smile appeared. “You are taking care of my daughter and Hensley today, so use it.”
“I can pay their way too.”
“Kate, don’t be stubborn today.”
“Thirty seconds, Nick.” Margo meant business.
Nick wrapped my hand around his card. “Please don’t argue about it.” He kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”
All I could say was, “Good luck. Or do you think you don’t need it?”
“I do today. Thank you.” He gave me one more kiss on the cheek before saying goodbye to Skye and Hensley.
Margo was practically dragging him away, but she had time to call out, “Skye has my number if you need anything. I’ll check in on you all later.”
I wanted time to process what had just happened, or at least to touch my cheek where Nick’s lips had lingered, but I had two eager girls staring at me, ready to hit the park. Skye was doing more than staring, she was giving me a hopeful smile. I had a feeling I knew what she was hoping for. It was the same thing I feared and had wished for almost half my life. What an odd thought that was.
I decided it was best to focus on Skye and Hensley. I handed them each a pass to place around their necks. “Where to, ladies?”
“Harry Potter,” they answered in unison.
“Sounds good to me. Lead the way.”
I was excited to enter the world of Harry Potter. I remembered when the first book came out, sucking me into its magical world. I believe I was thirteen. My friends and I went to midnight release parties and dressed up as wizards.
Skye took my hand and pulled me along. “You’re going to love this place. We have to get butterbeer after we do the ride.”
“I love the frozen kind the best,” Hensley commented.
Frozen sounded good, as it was getting warmer by the second.
The park was already crowded as we wound our way through what looked like a town complete with dozens of stores and restaurants to shop and eat at. The girls were on a mission and we were double-timing it to our first destination. It didn’t take us too long to reach Hogsmeade and for the Hogwarts castle to come into view. My geeky heart leapt. I always knew my acceptance letter to Hogwarts had gone missing.
I listened to the girls chatter about who they would rather date, Harry or Ron. It was no surprise Skye chose Harry. She liked a boy with glasses. Hensley chose neither—she was all for Fred or George. I laughed because I had thought the same thing growing up. The trouble-making twins would have been fun. I liked the semi–bad boys from the start.
The line was long to get into the castle and ride. It made me feel bad that we got to bypass it.
“Dad missed you,” Skye mentioned as we waited in our very short line to gain access to the castle. Her smile said she knew what she was doing.
“Did he say that?” Did that sound juvenile?
She nodded and giggled with Hensley. I felt like I was in high school again. I was having the do-you-think-he-likes-me conversation. And I had this overwhelming desire to ask Skye everything he said so I could dissect it. I held back.
“Did you miss him?” Skye asked brazenly as we moved forward.
“How would you feel if I did?”
She stopped and tilted her beautiful head. “I would be happy.”
I put my arm around her, realizing how much her happiness meant to me and not because of her dad. It was all her. I gave her a squeeze. “I missed you both.”
She leaned into me before she and Hensley were off trying to get to the front of the ride. The indoor virtual-type rides were a new experience for me. As thrilling as it was to feel like I was living out my Harry Potter dreams, it was disconcerting not knowing where you were as you whizzed through the ride.
Butterbeer was next. It was a test of whether I would use Nick’s card or not. It seemed awfully intimate to use a man’s credit card. Did he give out his credit cards all the time? I would never unless I really trusted the person, and even then, I would have some serious reservations. Did Nick trust me? Did I trust him?
I paid for the butterbeer using my own card. I couldn’t bring myself to use Nick’s card. Nick had already paid for my ticket, which was astronomical. And he’d been paying for me all summer. It was the least I could do.
The girls had me going all over and almost wetting my pants in the Walking Dead haunted house. I found myself wishing Nick was with us. I would have had good reason to cling to him. Listen to these thoughts of mine. Was I willing to risk my heart and job for him?
I didn’t have time to think about it as we rode everything from Revenge of the Mummy to Transformers. Some of the rides we did more than once. I must have been getting old, as I found myself getting queasy easier, but I didn’t let it stop me from enjoying the day with Skye and Hensley, the two peas in a pod who loved to talk about each cute boy we passed and who had an insatiable appetite for screaming on the rides.
During the heat of the day, we headed to the Jurassic Park water ride. I didn’t realize how soaked I would get, but it did feel good to cool off, even if I did look like a drowned rat. It was then that Margo called Skye and asked us to meet her where they start the studio tours. I wondered if she had set a time for us to join one of the tours, which I was looking forward to. Or if Nick asked her to make sure I was keeping his child alive and well. Maybe both. We hadn’t seen him in five hours. I hoped his meetings were going as planned.
Margo stood waiting for us looking at her phone. I could see the wheels spinning in her brain. I bet she was always a woman on a mission.
She smiled up at us as we approached. “Oh good, you’re here. Skye and Hensley, you are coming with me on a regular tour and,” her smile turned mischievous, “Nick is waiting to take you on a private tour.”
I swallowed hard. “Um . . . he is?”
“Right this way,” she started to move.
I grabbed ahold of her arm. “Wait.”
She gave me a good look over. “You look beautiful wet, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
That didn’t even touch the tip of the iceberg of my worries. “When you said private, do you mean only me and Nick?”
“Joe will drive the trolley.”
“But what I really need to know is—”
“You’re going to be fine.” She patted my cheek.
I didn’t share her sentiment. Neither did my stomach that was snapping and popping more than ever. “Margo—”
“Darling,” she cut me off again, “let’s not keep him waiting any longer.”
I followed Margo numbly with Skye and Hensley trailing. I could hear their giggles and whispers behind me. I didn’t even pay attention to where I was being led, my head and heart were having a conference about what we should do. My mom’s voice was also joining the fray, telling me she hadn’t raised me to live by the rules. But rules were good and there was a reason for them. I couldn’t remember any of them now, but I knew they existed.
Before I knew it, there he was, leaning against a single car trolley. Normally there were several cars attached. His tie was gone, sleeves rolled up, and unbuttoned enough for me to get a peek of what my poster of long ago showed off. He was my dream, or was that nightmare? Heart and mind conferred, and they were going with dream.
“Enjoy yourself.” Margo turned to leave with the girls.
My first instinct was to go with them, but Nick sauntered toward me, waving goodbye to his daughter, who was giggling louder than ever with her friend. My sandals felt like they had melted into the asphalt. I stood transfixed by Nick.
“Are you ready?” His question resonated with a double meaning.
I shook my head no.
That didn’t deter him. He took my hand—our fingers intertwined naturally. Our magical connection crackled between us.
“What are you doing?”
He pulled me to him and we came face-to-face. With his other hand, he caressed my cheek. “I’m doing what I’ve been doing for the last several weeks.”
“And what’s that?” I stammered.
“Courting you, Kate.”
I must have lost my hearing, because all I could hear was a ringing in my ears and something about us dating. How had I missed that? “No . . . We can’t . . . I’m your—”
“Shhh.” He placed his finger on my lips. “Forget about your job, your rules. We’re good together, Kate.”
All our time together ran through my mind like a film on fast forward. All my favorite places he had taken me to. The help he had given my parents. Our late-night phone conversations and soul bearing moments. All our research trips, not to mention all the time I’d spent with his daughter and dad. So many sweet memories that made me smile.
I gazed up at him with that same smile on my face.
He mirrored my smile. “Are you ready now?”
I thought I was. I nodded.
He wasted not a second and pulled me toward the waiting trolley. With us as the only passengers I thought we would sit up toward the front, but we sat on the very last row. Nick left not an inch of space between us, holding my hand and placing his arm around me. All felt right in the world by his side.
“We’re ready, Joe,” Nick called to the man wearing a large grin and a red beret at the helm.
“You got it, boss,” Joe responded. “Hold on tight.” The trolley lurched forward.
Don’t mind if I do. I squeezed Nick’s hand.
This was real, right? Nick’s finger running down my arm leaving goosebumps as he went felt real.
“How did your meetings go?” I asked.
Nick kissed the side of my head. “Better than expected.”
“How so?”
“They loved the entire pitch package, including what I have written of the rough draft. Their lawyers are drafting an initial contract as we speak.”
“That’s amazing—congratulations.”
“It’s the first step of many, but it feels good.”
“I’m proud of you, Nick. Is that weird to say?”
“Not at all.” He raised my hand and kissed it.
Joe interrupted us, or should I say, I paid attention to what he was saying as we began to drive by actual movie sets. Joe pointed out the Psycho house and Bates Motel. For added effect, he screeched out Norman!
I was dazzled with all the sets, from To Kill a Mockingbird to Jaws. Joe was good to give trivia tidbits about each movie, like the shark they made for Jaws weighed more than 1.2 tons. And that Gregory Peck won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. I knew that, but I didn’t know the book was originally going to be called Atticus.
What I enjoyed most was being with Nick. That was, until we pulled into what looked like an abandoned studio and the doors automatically closed behind us when the trolley stopped on some tracks. It was spine-tingling dark.
“Ready to feel some adrenaline?” Nick whispered in my ear.
“What do you mean?”
He didn’t have to say a word. The ground felt like it was shaking, and then water began to rush in. Joe was saying something about this being the set for a television show. But then fire flared up around us and a semitruck dropped from the ceiling.
I jumped while a tiny scream escaped me. I clung to Nick, who pulled me onto his lap and held me tight. The fire around us reflected in his eyes and added to the heat that was palpable between us. Adrenaline was coursing through me as never before.
He leaned in and his lips began to tease mine, first with a light brush. So light, I wasn’t sure it happened, but my lips were tingling.
He ran his hand through my damp hair, causing it to fall out of the messy bun. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered before his lips crushed mine.
Oh, I felt that amongst the jolting and crashing going on all around us.
His lips were warm and pressing. His hand tangled in my hair, pulling my head closer as his tongue urged my lips to part.
My lips complied and tasted what he had to offer. It came wrapped in a package of what could only be described as ambrosia. I indulged in the sweetness of him while he groaned and pulled our bodies flush. Though I was literally in the middle of a catastrophic accident, all my senses were wrapped up in him. My hands explored his rough face and ran through his soft-textured hair. With my every touch, his tongue prodded deeper until I felt as if I was only breathing him in.
When the fire around us began to dissipate, his kiss slowed to a warm simmer. He gently swept my lips with his own. “Kate,” he whispered my name. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”
I had waited for that kiss for almost half my life, and I couldn’t have imagined it being as magical as it was. I ran my hand across his cheek.
Joe interrupted our moment. “Looks like it worked, boss. You ready to go?”
Nick grinned at me and waved Joe forward.
I leaned my forehead against Nick’s. “You planned this?” My tone was light and playful.
“From the first time we met, Kate.” His lips consumed me once again.