by MJ Fields
I look out, the cool night air surrounding me, and realize who knows where my life will take me from here. Sure, I plan on finding a real job and going back to New York City. But right now, I’m here. Maybe I should go with the flow and stop trying to control every single detail of my life. He seems like a decent man. And Lord knows, he is handsome as hell. So why not let myself enjoy it? Finally, I turn back to him. “Okay. A real date.”
He lifts a victorious fist and lets out a loud, “Yes!”
I sink back against the seat, giggling. “Do you think the entire city heard you?”
He squeezes my hand. “I hope the whole world did.”
The rest of our real date goes off perfectly. We sit at a beautiful picnic table covered in white linen. Perched on the top of the mountain and surrounded by heat lamps, we are able to see the view of Holiday Springs without the cold hampering our enjoyment. The view is magnificent. Breathtaking, really.
Despite the distance, I can spot the twenty-foot pumpkin all lit up in orange lights that sits just on the outskirts of town on old man Smith’s farm. I remember as a kid getting excited to see our very own ‘Great Pumpkin’ and as a teen being slightly disappointed when Jenny, Shep, and I snuck onto the property to see it was made of nothing more than a thin almost papier mâché material, coated with something like shellac.
“You still with me?” Raff asks softly, nudging my knee with his own.
I nod and look over to see he’s already set our picnic out before me.
Raff packed delicious prosciutto sandwiches on crispy ciabatta bread with mozzarella, pesto, arugula, and tomato.
“Perks of having some of the best restaurants as tenants.”
We eat and talk a bit about his businesses where he prefers to remain a silent owner, and those with the talent, the chefs to run the show. He wants things simple for Nathaniel, and I admittedly admire that.
We wash the delicious meal down with crisp white wine and San Pellegrino. For dessert, he packed long-stem strawberries. We laugh so much. Tell each other so many stories about how we grew up, the friends we made. His friend Beckett seems like a real riot. I explain to him how Nellie is actually my cousin, and he is silent with shock before laughing out loud. Of course, we discuss New York City. He tells me he loves it, but the pace makes life harder than it has to be. Plus, it’s not the right place for Nathaniel to be raised. I understand his points, but still think New York City is the heartbeat of America. I should tell him about my plan to return, but something within me has me holding back. I guess I am just enjoying his company so much. I don’t want to ruin it.
Coming back down the mountain on the lifts, I find myself leaning against his chest. We don’t speak. Just relax in our comfortable silence, full and content. With Raff, I don’t feel stressed or worried. I’m not uncomfortable with who I am or where I come from. And honestly, it isn’t until this moment that I finally realize that the problem with Townes wasn’t that he was rich. It was that he made me feel less-than and insecure. And now that I’ve spent such an amazing evening with a man who makes me feel uplifted, I can’t ever imagine living with anything less. After just one date, he has shown me what I am looking for without even asking the question.
Our car ride back to my childhood home is quiet but filled with warmth. He pulls into the driveway and unbuckles his belt, turning to me. “We’ve been quiet.”
“We have. But I liked it.”
His eyes move from mine down to my lips and back again. “I loved it.”
He takes off his seat belt and slowly moves to kiss me. I shut my eyes, waiting, and expectant.
His hand is gentle against the side of my face, his lips are a breath away from mine, heat spreading through my body as anticipation grows.
When suddenly…. a loud bang on the window has me widening my eyes in shock “Nikki?”
We jump back, away from each other.
It’s Nellie.
Raff grunts, “Jesus Christ, she’s a twat.”
His use of the word twat has me smiling.
She hits the window again, banging with her fist.
Sighing, I whisper, “I should go,” just as Nellie yells, “It’s your night to do the dishes. You are living here for free, you know!”
Rule Number Eleven
When in doubt… throw her over your shoulder
Raff
Nellie runs back into the house, her pointed nose in the air. Even in the dark, I can tell Nikki’s face changed from glowing and relaxed to upset.
“Please tell me you’re embarrassed for her, her actions, and her insane jealousy, and not because of what she said.”
“Of course, it’s embarrassing.” Her voice damn near breaks, and with it, the last shred of decency I have left for her cousin.
I start to open my door and she grabs my hand. “Please don’t—”
“Disrespecting you at all, but especially in my presence is a fucking no-no.”
“A no-no?” she says, almost cracking a smile.
“Fuck,” I snap, “I morph into dad mode rather quickly, but still—”
“It’s kind of sexy.”
“You’re trying to stroke my ego in order to keep peace with your family?”
“My aunt and uncle are the sweetest people on the planet, and I appreciate that they’ve not only raised me, but took me back when I failed.”
“Jesus Christ, Nikki, you did not fail. Nellie’s behavior is appalling! And your ex is a wanker who clearly hasn’t the balls to come off his mum’s tit. The failing is his, not yours.”
A small smile forms on her lips. My accent always comes out stronger when I’m feeling hot.
Her green eyes are no longer cloudy but lit in amusement. “I swear I can handle it. I’ve been dealing with her mood swings since getting back, and as soon as I have secured a new job, I’ll be moving out and doing so without pushing away the only family besides my nan and pops that I have left in the world.”
“What do you mean a real job?”
“I mean, getting a job that utilizes my degree.” She shakes her head. “I’ve wasted —”
“No, you’ve learned valuable lessons. Lessons that teach you who you truly are and what you will and will not accept in your life.”
Her face softens, and she nods.
I want this woman on so many levels it’s fucking insane. “Come home with me tonight.”
She looks down at our hands, not realizing she hasn’t even released mine since she grabbed it when I was going to get out and rip Nellie into shreds with my words.
She lets go. “Too soon, and Nate is—”
“With his aunt for the entire weekend. And this is the last weekend for quite a few that I have the bar covered completely. My lead bartender, who also works as my evening manager, and her boyfriend will be heading south for the season. So, come home with me.”
“I’ve always had a three-date rule...”
“I won’t even try to fuck you. I won’t even give you an inch, even if you beg.”
“I have dishes to do. You know, gotta earn my keep.”
“How much are they paying you at the shop?”
“What?” She forces a laugh.
“Until you get your feet under you, come work for me. You can use your fancy Ivy League degree to help with my books. It’ll pad your CV,” I correct myself and use the American term, “resume.”
What the fuck is wrong with me? I know damn well what it is, or rather, who it is that’s causing me to act like this. It’s her. It’s Nikki. It’s fucking insane is what it is, and that’s no bullshit. The way she’s looking at me confirms she thinks so as well.
“So, you want me to come home with you, and you want me to work for you?” Confusion mixes with a look resembling loss.
“Yeah, well, as screwed up as it sounds, yes, absolutely. It’s going to sound even worse when I tell you, part of your pay will come with a cozy little flat with a loft. You’d have privacy and—”
She holds her hand over
her stomach and looks like she may get sick. “So, you want me to come home with you, work with you, and move in with you?”
I scrub my hand over my face. “Sounds a bit insane but also exactly right. Well, not the moving in with me part, you’d have your own space of course, and you’d obviously be free to come and—”
She unbuckles her seat belt. “It sounds a bit familiar—”
“Wait, just hear me out.” For fuck’s sake, now I’m being a total fucking wanker.
She sits forward, her hands on her knees. “Can we rewind to the very nice goodnight we were about to share before Nellie—”
“Look, Nikki.” I hold up my hands because… who the fuck knows, it just seems like the right thing to do. “I get that may seem a bit much, but I’m literally looking for help, have the space available, and—”
She quickly opens the door and slides out. “Thank you for the amazing date, Raff. It was truly a pleasure.”
When she shuts the door, I mentally kick myself in the balls. What the fuck is wrong with me?
As I watch her walk toward the house and see her having to dig for her key to unlock the fucking door to her own home, I’m pissed off all over again.
But when she looks at me and basically shoos me away, I back out of the driveway feeling something I’ve never fucking felt, ever in my life for any woman. I don’t even know what words to attach to said feeling. Possessive? Desperation?
“In-fucking-sane,” I scold myself. “Fucking wanker.”
Minutes later, I pull into the parking lot behind the bar. I see a black car parked in one of my spots. Not just any black car, but a Bugatti Veyron, and the only person in these parts who would drive a vehicle like that was supposed to head back to Vail—Beckett.
As soon as I step out of my car, it starts to rain. Fitting that a perfect night would end with tears from heaven.
I punch in the code to unlock the door and head inside. I know damn well he’s in the bar, ‘convincing’ the blonde from the football field tonight she should be his. Little did she know she was already his. I’d never seen him look as settled in a decision outside of the negotiation table, definitely not with a woman.
Just like Nikki is.
I’m not unconvinced that we won’t get exactly what we want, but I do know patience isn’t a virtue I seem to be able to grasp hold of when it comes to her. It was the same way with Hope, but she was as eager as I was. Neither of us had had our hearts broken by a lover. Nikki is a totally different story.
Walking through the small kitchen into the bar, I look around and see that Beckett isn't anywhere to be found.
“He’s upstairs,” Sally calls over her shoulder to me as she shakes up a drink for a customer.
“He alone?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “We are talking about your friend Beckett, correct?”
I nod my confirmation as I sit at the end of the bar.
She sets my favorite teacup in front of me with the tea bag still floating at the top of the steaming water. I steep the bag a few times and add a little milk. “Doesn’t that man know all he needs to do is wear that damn kilt and they drop like flies at his feet?”
I groan. “Don’t encourage that behavior from him, please. And give me a shot of Jameson on the side, will you?”
“Was gonna ask you how the date went, guessing you didn’t bring Nikki home, huh?”
I don’t want to act like I don't care, nor do I want to admit I acted a fool. I squeeze and remove the tea bag, and take a sip as I consider my words.
“Obviously not.” I also don’t want to act like a hurt little girl, because honestly, until the Nellie incident, I had no intention of bringing her back here tonight. The intention was to do so tomorrow night.
“You think you can bring old Chappy home before he tips over and falls off his feet?”
I look over my shoulder to find him slumped against the jukebox, fast asleep.
“He’s been here since —”
“I’m aware. Millie’s angry at him for something again.”
I push back on my stool and stand up. “Am I going to need a vomit bag?”
“Nope, he’s been passed out there for a good hour and a half. Might need to have some help to get him out to your vehicle though. Old buzzard has always been hard to wake up.”
On my way back from dumping Hank off at his place, wipers going a mile a minute, I swear to God above I must be seeing things.
I slow down just to make sure I’m not.
Walking down the sidewalk, coat draped over her head in the pouring rain, I spot her. It’s not easy to miss those city girl high-heeled boots and the wool coat. After taking a nice long look at that sweet peach of an arse, I pull up beside Nikki.
Rolling down the window, she pauses, and I yell to her. “You need a ride?”
She looks over at me, mascara smeared under her eyes and sniffs. Lip quivering, she answers, “I’m fine.”
“Get in the vehicle, Nikki.” I throw the car into park and step out into the rain, ready to lift her over my shoulder and toss her in the back if necessary.
She shakes her head. “I can’t deal with all that.” She waves her hand up and down toward me. “I’m already on the second biggest head trip of my life so just—”
“Could you at the very least tell me why you’re walking down Main Street at midnight in a tsunami?” The rain is soaking through my shirt, but frankly, I barely notice. All I can process is Nikki, sopping wet from rain and tears.
Adamantly, she shakes her head. “No.”
“Then can you get in the vehicle so I can take you back to your place?”
“She locked me out.”
“She what?” I gasp.
“I told you, I can’t deal with all that, so just go, okay? I’ll figure it out.”
“You look like you could use a friend right now.”
“You’re not my friend, Raff. Friends don’t almost kiss. So—”
Before she can get another word out, I blurt, “I’ll take you to Jenny’s.” The rain pours down even harder, soaking us both to the bone.
“She’s sick, and I can’t get sick. I have an interview Monday, which may lead to a chance to get the hell out of this place. I should have never come back. I don’t belong here any—”
“The fuck you don’t.” I scoop her up, walking to the other side of my vehicle. With my free hand, I open the car door and place her inside the seat. “Seat belt.”
When I climb in the driver’s seat, she’s silently sobbing, soaking wet coat still hanging over her head.
“Jesus Christ,” I snarl as I shut the door.
As soon as I’m in and buckled, I notice her hands tremble as she puts on her seat belt. I pull onto the road and head toward the bar, but not before blasting the heat.
Once parked, I kill the engine and sit back. “It wasn’t often that Hope got emotional, but when she was pregnant, she had major mood swings. That first trimester was killer. So, I know enough to know right now, you either want a hug or to be left alone. Being so soon in this,” I pause before stating what’s obvious to me, a relationship, and what she’s avoiding at all costs, and rethink my words, “I don’t know you well enough to gauge what it is you need, so you’re going to have to tell me.”
She sniffs loudly. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Understood. But you’ve mentioned not wanting to get sick a couple of times now because of some job interview, so I think you need to get inside and throw on some dry clothes. You can hang yours in front of the fire and wait until they dry, or I can wash and dry—”
“I’m not getting naked with you,” she sniffs. “I’m—”
“There happens to be three bathrooms and a couple of bedrooms, all have doors, with working locks, Nikki.”
In the silence, I hear her teeth chattering.
“At this rate, you’re going to chip a tooth and catch pneumonia, both hindering your ability to attend your interview. Are you going to walk, or am I go
ing to carry you inside?”
She doesn’t answer but simply gets out of the vehicle. I follow suit like the lovesick fool I think I’m already becoming.
Standing behind her, I reach around and tap in the security code and then open the door.
“Up the stairs and to the lef—”
“I know,” she says quietly.
I shake my head at her. “You’re going to have to take my bed. Unfortunately, your place is occupied at the moment.” I lift the drenched coat off her head, and she looks over her shoulder and up at me. “I’m being a friend right now. I can offer you warm clothes, a cup of tea, a shoulder, and a listening ear. If you don’t want any of them, I have a bed that happens to be the most comfortable on the planet, and if that’s too much, Nathaniel has a kick-ass set-up in his room.”
“Uh huh.”
I wave my hand in front of us. “After you.”
Once up the stairs, I punch in the code to our door and swing it open. When she walks in, she does a quick sweep of the main floor, and then her head tips up.
The bottom floor is completely open, the brick walls exposed, and the floors are the original wood that was here when I bought the place, simply refinished.
The second level is completely open in the center, except from the bridge that leads from one side to the other. A balcony wraps around the entire perimeter.
“If you’d like, you can use the bathroom down here, and I’ll grab you some dry clothes and set them outside the door. There are toiletries in the cabinet and fresh towels if you’d like to shower. Or if you’d rather a soak, take the stairs straight ahead. Nathaniel’s room is to the left. Mine is to the right, and they both have bathrooms. Feel free to pick whichever you’ll be most comfortable in.”
I toe off my boots, and while I’m bent over and placing them on the shoe rack, I unzip hers.
“Feel free to look around. I’ll go grab you some clothes and set them outside whichever bathroom you chose.”
I pull my wet jacket off and toss it on the floor next to the fireplace, grab the remote off the twenty-foot concrete island that separates the galley style kitchen, the living room, and the open concept living and dining area. I hit the power button to the fireplace, and it roars to life.