The tables were filled but they found two adjacent bar stools.
“What can I get for you?” Ashley asked. They both went for a draft beer. It was the go-to for the majority of the bar’s clientele.
“I haven’t had a drink in forever,” Julie said. “If I’m not studying or at a birth or busy with clinicals, I’m helping with the kids. Once in a blue moon I sleep, and once in a couple of blue moons I have a drink. So I’m just warning you, if you don’t cut me off at two or three, I’ll be trying to dance on the top of the bar.”
“What happens if you get called to a birth when you’ve been drinking?”
“Well, that’s the other reason I don’t get drunk. But I only have one pregnant client right now, and she’s not due for another month. I’ve been cutting down on the number of clients I accept, since I’m not trying to make rent. In another year, I’ll have a nursing job, assuming all goes to plan. I won’t be able to keep doing my doula work after that. I’ll still do it with old clients and friends, but with the understanding that if they go into labor when I’m supposed to be at work, I might not be able to make it. I’m really hoping to get a job in labor and delivery in either Fairview or Springfield.
“You have to work for a year as a nurse before applying to midwifery school, I think you said?”
“Yeah, but that’s not so bad. It’ll give me a little break. I’ve been a college student for seven years, and I haven’t even taken the summers off since starting nursing school. It’s getting kind of old. And even a starting nurse makes a reasonable income. I’m ready to make some money.”
“Will you want to live with Jolene until you’ve finished your schooling?”
Julie took another sip of her beer and made eye contact with Ashley, then cocked her head toward the popcorn machine while raising her eyebrows. Ashley understood and brought out a basket, which Julie and Nick both began working on as if they hadn’t just had ice cream.
“That was my original plan. I’d save a ton of money. But I’m starting to re-think that. I might move out at some point after she’s had the baby and her life is more stabilized. Maybe get a roommate. It would be do-able, and I cannot tell you how bad I want to start sleeping regularly. It’s my big dream in life, honestly.”
“Not fame and fortune?”
“Just sweet, sweet sleep. Every night, not one big catch-up on the weekend.”
“The only time I don’t get enough sleep is when I’m up late playing video games,” Nick said. “Totally self-inflicted.”
“I hate you,” Julie said, and threw a piece of popcorn at his face. Improbably, he caught it with his mouth and grinned.
“We could take this act on the road,” she said, and threw another piece at him. That one went astray and hit the person behind Nick on the back of the head. The guy turned around, looking to see who had tapped him on the head, then gave up and went back to his beer. Julie giggled.
“Or maybe not.” She paused. “So is your whole social life wrapped up in your sister’s family?”
“Well, it sounds bad when you put it that way,” he said. “But pretty much.”
“I get it,” Julie said. “The thing is, all my good high school friends either moved away for great jobs halfway across the country or stayed here and are living very different lives now. I’m friendly with a couple of girls who just stayed here and had kids, but we don’t have much to talk about anymore, once we’ve finished discussing their births.”
“Same here. All my friends from high school are gone except a guy named Kip who lives in his mom’s basement and plays video games constantly.”
“Um,” Julie said. “Don’t you live in your sister’s basement and play video games constantly?”
“But I also finished college and have a pretty good job and could move out anytime I want to, whereas Kip has never held down any job for more than a few months. We chat during the games, but that’s about it. He’s a nice guy and he isn’t stupid, but he just never found any direction in life.”
“We only get one life. To me, the issue is deciding which direction to take out of so many good possibilities. I could have gone ahead and made some kind of a career out of art, but it just seemed too risky for a single woman. I don’t regret getting that education. It enriches my life to understand art. I just know I’ll be safer as a nurse. But yeah, I loved to dream about running a gallery or getting a job with a big museum. It would be one good life. Helping to take care of birthing mothers will be another good life. I could even imagine making beautiful, high-end pastries could be yet another good life. Or opening an ice cream shop like Remy’s. There are so many good possibilities. Why limit yourself to doing nothing?”
“I really like that you’re so interested in everything,” Nick said. “It’s one of the big things I like about you.”
“Oh, there are lots of ways to have a good life,” Julie said. “Jolene is absolutely fulfilled with raising her children. She never wanted anything else. And then there are women like Lori, the nurse who had the baby born at her party? I think I told you about her? Anyway, she has had a great career and is back in school to be a nurse practitioner. But I had lunch with her today and she told me she and Jake want to start a family when she’s finished with the new degree. She’s getting married in a few weeks, actually, if you want to be my plus one.”
“Assuming they’ll have cake, I’m in,” Nick said. He excused himself to use the restroom and Julie idly finished off the popcorn. She had her mouth full and was chewing the last handful when the last person in the world she wanted to see walked up to her. Derek.
The bastard looked fantastic, which annoyed her. By rights, he ought to have gone to hell, but he looked as incredibly handsome as ever. He had always been a sharp dresser and that hadn’t changed. His hair was expertly barbered and he looked like he’d started working out. He was every inch the good-looking and wealthy man she’d fallen for. Maybe more so. He now looked more mature and sophisticated than ever. For just a second, she compared his worldly look to Nick, whose look was so young and casual. Then she pushed that thought out of her head.
“Julie!” Derek said.
But she couldn’t answer with her mouth full. She felt like a cow chewing her cud as she tried to quickly chew and swallow her mouthful of popcorn, and she choked slightly. Derek patted her on the back and she cringed. Then she took a drink of her beer to wash everything down so she could speak.
“Derek.” She didn’t feign any kind of pleasure in seeing him.
“Hey, how have you been? You look great,” he said.
“Where’s your wife? Shouldn’t you be home with your family?”
“Oh, she and I split up months ago. It just wasn’t meant to be. Bad decision on my part. So I moved back to Fairview, which is where I should have been all along.”
“What about the baby?”
“Oh, I pay child support.” He looked uncomfortable, but only for a second. “How about I buy you a drink? Or better yet, let’s get out of here and go talk.”
“I’m here with a date, and he’ll be back any second,” Julie said, her eyes casting around for Nick. “And besides, let me remind you that you got another girl pregnant while we were engaged. I’d have to be crazy to go anywhere with you.”
“Come on, Julie. I didn’t mean to get her pregnant. She was just meant to be a diversion, nothing more. You know all men need a little harmless fun sometimes. But you were always the one I was meant to be with. And now that I’m a free man, there’s no reason we shouldn’t start again. I hear you’re killing yourself in nursing school and living with your sister. You could drop out and have a life of ease with me. I just bought one of the new houses in the Williams development, and it has plenty of empty bedrooms for that big family we always wanted.”
Julie was stunned into speechlessness. Fortunately, she saw Nick approaching, a questioning look on his face. She slid off her barstool and, without saying a word, met Nick halfway across the room and whispered into his ear. “G
et me out of here, please!” Without a word, he led her outside and back to his car, where she let out a huge sigh of relief.
“Who was that?” Nick asked.
“That bastard was Derek. My ex-fiance. Not somebody I want to talk to.”
“He seemed very interested in talking to you,” Nick ventured. And then he did the hair thing.
“He explained that he hadn’t meant to get that girl pregnant. She was just meant to be some fun on the side, which, according to Derek, all men need. How could I not have understood that! Oh, and he suggested I drop out of nursing school and fill his new house with babies. The fucking nerve!” Her hands were shaking, and a little voice in the back of her head reminded her this was not a particularly good date conversation. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I seem to be determined to be a bad date.”
Nick ran his fingers through his hair again, and Julie felt horrible.
“I can’t picture you with that guy at all,” Nick continued. “He looks like a slick, fat-cat banker. Was that the first time you’d seen him since the breakup?”
“I didn’t even see him for the breakup, actually. The last time I saw him we went on a normal date, and were looking at invitation samples. Then he disappeared for a few days and then he called me to tell me he’d eloped.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.” She paused. “You haven’t told me anything about your past girlfriends. As usual, it’s all me going on and on about my life story.”
“There were only a few. I was with one girl all through senior year of high school. But it died a natural death when we went off to college. I dated a few girls in college, but only one for any length of time. It wasn’t that serious. I mostly never understood why anybody would want to get serious and commit.”
“You agree with Derek that all men need the occasional variety?”
“No! I didn’t say that at all. Just that I couldn’t imagine settling down for good with anybody I dated. I never really clicked with anybody before.”
Julie noted his use of the word “before.” But she didn’t want to assume anything, so she let it go.
“I don’t care where we go, but anywhere but here, OK?” She concentrated on calming herself down as Nick started the engine without a word and started driving. She didn’t ask him where he was going. She truly didn’t care.
She noticed they were driving out of town and she soon she had a good idea of the destination. Yes, he was heading for the lake. There was a section of it with a campground, and then there was an area that was a notorious teenage party ground. He was driving toward the teenage party area. She’d been here before, but not for years. It was not a place where adults generally went, unless they were searching for a kid out past curfew.
There was nobody there right now. It was a weeknight, and still early, not dark yet. He pulled the car off to the side, near the blackened fire pit. The campfires here had launched a thousand teenage love affairs and even more lusty interludes. Nick turned the engine off.
“So. We live with our sisters and I don’t think this is the time to get a room, so this is the only private spot I could think of.”
“Did you ever party here?” Julie asked.
“Not really. A few times. I had a fairly innocent upbringing.”
“Me too. I was never really much of a partier. Maybe a little more when I first started college.”
Nick ran his fingers through his hair again. “So, I’ve got to ask, you aren’t tempted to go back to the guy? Derek? You’d have peace and quiet and an easy life with him. And he looks like he just stepped off the cover of some business magazine.”
Julie just stared at him.
“I see nothing tempting about a man who betrayed me. I’d sooner date your friend Kip, sight unseen.”
Nick laughed. “I don’t think you’d be into Kip, but hey, I can introduce you if you want.” He stopped smiling then and ran his fingers through his hair again. “I hate to admit it, but I look at that guy and I wonder what you’d see in me. I still look like a kid, and I know it. He looks like a man who has his life together.”
“First of all, he was born into money. He didn’t do anything special to earn it. If he’d been born to someone like Kip’s parents, he’d probably be broke right now. Second, don’t sell yourself short. Yeah, you look a lot younger than him. You are younger than him. I assume you’re a couple years younger than me. And yeah, you have that charming boyish look going right now. But don’t worry. You’ll look old eventually, too.” She smiled. “You’re the first man I’ve cared to date since my engagement blew up, so you should take that as a compliment.”
Nick leaned toward Julie and placed his hands on her shoulders. She thought he was going to draw her more closely to him so he could kiss her. But instead, he kept his hands on her shoulders and gazed intently into her eyes.
“I meant it when I said you’re the first girl I’ve ever really clicked with,” he said. “I like you a lot, Julie.” His eyes searched hers and she answered by moving her lips to his and kissing him. He answered the kiss briefly, and then, to her intense disappointment, he pulled away.
“I get it that we work physically,” he said. “I could just sit here and make out with you like we were in high school, and we’d get so horny we might end up in the back seat or maybe we’d manage to hold it until we got to a hotel, and I already know it would be great. I can tell that part would always be good. That’s not what I’m talking about.”
Julie nodded. “We’ve barely done anything, but yeah, I knew we clicked the first time you kissed me.” She smiled. “Which is surprising, because the first time we met, I thought you were a total asshole.” She kissed him again, lightly, to take the sting out of her words, before continuing. “I can’t decide why you’re attracted to me. Maybe because I both cried and fell asleep on our first date, or maybe it’s that you got to witness my ex asking me to move in with him. Maybe it was a combination of all those things.”
“Or maybe it was that moment I walked into the living room and saw the most beautiful girl in the world singing and dancing with my little nephew to make him happy.” He leaned forward again to kiss her, and this time neither of them ended the kiss. He was right, part of Julie’s brain managed to notice. They were really good together, physically. Something about the way he touched and kissed her and something about the way she touched and kissed him spurred each other on. There was nobody around and they’d hear a car long before it reached them, so they grew bolder.
Julie unhooked her bra and pulled the top of the stretchy sundress down. The look on Nick’s face was the best compliment she’d ever had. He lightly skimmed his hands over her breasts and whispered that her breasts were perfect.
“Move your seat back,” he whispered. With the extra room, he was able to lean over and begin lightly teasing her nipples. She sucked in her breath — he really knew what he was doing there, and she just let herself enjoy it. Then she reached toward his body and felt for the button on his jeans, her eyes asking the question and waiting for him to nod. Then she unfastened his jeans and inserted her hand. With him leaning over toward her, she couldn’t do much besides run her hand over his erection, but his reaction showed her he appreciated the effort.
“Let me touch you,” he said, his hand on her thigh. She nodded. Nobody but Derek had touched her there, and her body hadn’t seemed to even care until she met Nick. But now she felt she couldn’t live one more minute without being touched.
His hands slipped into her underwear and they both gasped at how slick she was. She raised her hips and helped him pull off her panties and then he hiked up her skirt. He paused to get a good look. Her sundress was now covering only her belly; her breasts and everything around the tops of her thighs were fully exposed to his gaze.
“Beautiful,” he said. Then his fingers gently and slowly explored her. He was testing her, seeing what kind of touch she responded to, and she gave him all the clues he needed with lots of little moans and gasps. He figured out s
oon enough just what speed and pressure worked for her, and she felt her pleasure build and build until it burst. She couldn’t believe it had happened so quickly; it never had before.
Nick kissed her deeply and passionately and then she smiled.
“Your turn.”
He didn’t argue with her, just helped her get his pants open.
“I’m ready for the big reveal,” she joked, and then she gasped. “Holy shit, Nick!”
She moved her hand up and down, slowly, doubting her ability to do what she’d planned. Maybe she’d just have to use her hands. But she wanted to at least try, so she slowly bent her head and carefully took him into her mouth. There was no way she could manage to get everything in, she knew, and hopefully he’d be content with her attempt. She concentrated on using her mouth and hands together. She wanted to make it good for him, but was nervous she wasn’t up for the challenge. It felt like she was doing it for the first time.
Nick groaned with pleasure and she knew he liked it. But then he groaned in a different way.
“We’ve got company,” he said, and gently pushed her head away. Julie sat up. She could hear the sound of an approaching car and by the time it was visible, she was sitting up with her dress in place and Nick had managed to fasten his pants.
They watched as a car with a teenage couple approached, and then, seeing Nick and Julie, the teen boy turned around and left.
“We just ruined some couple’s plans,” Julie said.
“No, actually, they just ruined ours,” Nick said.
“Well, they’re gone now,” Julie said.
“I don’t think this is where I want this to happen,” Nick said. “Somebody is going to come by. And we’re adults. I don’t want to compete with kids for the make-out spot.”
Perfect Fit (Small-Town Secrets-Fairview Series Book 4) Page 11