He stopped short.
Don’t go there. You told her the kiss was a mistake. Leave it be.
He should. Nick knew he should. He closed his eyes and pictured Vicki in the hospital. Pictured those last awful days in Atlanta. Pictured Connor waking up crying for his mother in those first terrible nights after his mother had died. Anything to keep him from imagining what it might be like to try again with Belle.
The whole idea was insane. She was only here for a few more days. Short-term affairs had never been his style. It’s why he’d remained alone for two years. Well, that and respect for Vicki. Nick retreated back into the hall and leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath, his final conversation with his deceased wife running through his mind again, as it had so many times the last two years.
I want you to move on, Nick. I don’t want you to be alone. Find love again. Be happy. Promise me...
If he concentrated hard enough, he could still smell the sharp astringent odor of disinfectant, could still feel Vicki’s frail hand in his as her life had slipped away. He’d promised her he’d be happy, but in his heart he’d vowed to put Connor before all else. Two years later he wondered if Vicki was looking down on him and shaking her head over his lies.
Find love again. Be happy.
It seemed nearly impossible now. It wasn’t like love fell from the sky. Not the true kind anyway. Relationships took time and work. Then Belle’s off-key humming drifted past his ears and he smiled. They’d loved each other once, but it wouldn’t happen this time. She was only here temporarily. Still, the chemistry between them was burning brightly, if the kiss they’d shared was any indication.
Maybe they could enjoy each other while they had a chance. A fling. A brief holiday affair. Maybe he could split his focus between Belle and Connor, if only until after Christmas.
Belle had tried to hide it, but he’d not missed the flash of hurt in her eyes when he’d called last night a mistake.
Perhaps he wasn’t the only one who was lonely...
Deep in thought, Nick walked back into the exam room and picked up his roller to start the final wall. Physically, the work helped ease the tension in his muscles. Mentally, he was a ball of uncertainty, wondering exactly how to bring up pursuing this wildfire attraction between them. It had been so long since he’d dated anyone he wasn’t even sure how to start. He turned it over and over in his head so many times, but nothing was certain anymore.
Analyzing every detail made for a great doctor, but not necessarily a great life partner. Vicki had taken a more laid-back approach to things, but Nick and Belle were much more similar personality-wise. Sometimes that was good. Others, not so much. Like now, for instance.
He sighed and ran his roller through the paint again. It was nearly three and they’d worked hard all day. The place looked much better already. Once they finished here and took the tarps down, he’d call the flooring professionals in to do what they could.
Belle’s phone buzzed on the counter and she walked over to answer it, wiping her hands on a paint-stained rag. There were splashes of beige on her jeans and in her hair and one streak on her left cheek. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a more beautiful sight in his life.
“It’s a text from Jeanette. Our supplies will be ready for pick up tomorrow afternoon.” She walked over to show him. “I’m done painting my section. Looks pretty good.”
“Looks great,” he said, straightening to survey the room, then feeling self-conscious as she peered up at him. “I, uh, just need to clean up in here, then you want to grab some dinner? Con’s going to spend the night at Eric’s after their practice so...”
Smooth, dude. Real smooth.
“Oh.” She fiddled with the rag in her hands, twining the cloth between her long, graceful fingers. He couldn’t help remembering the feel of those hands on his body, stroking his hair, his neck, his chest, lower still... “Are you sure? I mean, I’ve got plenty to do at my aunt’s house and I wouldn’t want you to make another mistake and...”
He took her hand. “I’m sorry, Belle. I shouldn’t have said anything. Kissing you wasn’t a mistake. In fact, it was pretty great.”
“It was?” She blinked up at him and his pulse stumbled. His gaze dropped to her pink lips, reminding him of how she’d felt against him, how she’d tasted. He met her eyes again and saw the same want there that lurked inside him. She recovered quicker than he did, though, her smile brighter than the sun as she bent to help him clean up the supplies. “Sure. Okay. Sounds great. Give me an hour, please. I need to call my office in California and check in on things. Will that work for you?”
Even the reminder of her other life, her other responsibilities didn’t dim the joy welling inside him. Find love again. Be happy. Just because this was temporary it didn’t mean it couldn’t be real. He was still mindful of his promise to keep his son a top priority, but surely it wouldn’t hurt to take a bit of time for himself this once. “An hour works perfectly. I’ll wash my hands and grab our coats and we can head out.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
BY THE TIME Nick rang her doorbell at around five thirty Belle had showered and changed and was finishing up her phone call with Dr. Reyes. Not exactly a great way to prepare for a date, but then this wasn’t a typical date either. In fact, she really shouldn’t think of tonight as a date at all. It was dinner and a movie between friends, colleagues. Nothing more. The fact she and Nick had kissed the night before wasn’t relevant.
Now, if only she could get her fluttering insides to calm down, things would be fantastic.
She answered the front door and waved Nick inside while still talking to Dr. Reyes on the phone.
“Listen, Belle,” her boss said in his usual crisp tone. “I’d like you to give a short speech during the partnership ceremony, perhaps discuss your plans for our new charity work.”
“Yes, sir. I can come up with something. Time’s a bit tight, though, at the moment. I’ll do my best.” She motioned for Nick to have a seat on the sofa, trying not to stare at how handsome he looked. He was dressed in a clean pair of jeans, the faded ones that cupped his tight butt and taut thighs to perfection. He’d changed out of his gray sweatshirt from earlier too and now wore a soft-looking black turtleneck sweater topped by his long wool coat and black boots. His hair was slightly damp again from a recent shower and a shadow of stubble darkened his jaw, making him look a bit rough and dangerous. Fresh waves of warmth flooded her core. “Uh, I’m sorry, Dr. Reyes, but I need to go. I’ll call again tomorrow to check in, sir.”
“Is everything all right, Dr. Watson? You seem a bit distracted,” he said.
“Fine. Everything’s fine.” Her voice sounded strained to her own ears. Distracted was right. And dazed, as Nick grinned, all smooth confidence and lethal male perfection. “Talk to you tomorrow, sir.”
She ended the call without waiting for Dr. Reyes’s response.
“Patients doing well?” Nick asked as she stood there staring at him. “Are you sure you’re not too tired tonight? If so, say the word.”
“No, no. I’m good. Sorry.” Belle shook off her errant desire to snuggle up on his lap, maybe slide her hands beneath his sweater to feel his warm skin. She took a step back, hoping some extra distance might clear her steamy thoughts. “We should, um, probably get going.”
“Yep.” His gaze narrowed on her a moment before he pushed to his feet. “Italian food okay with you? I know this great little place just outside Manistee that serves the best baked ziti in the area. Gluten-free, of course. I called and checked.”
“Perfect.” She smiled and forced herself to move across the room to get her coat from the hook beside the door. Nick stepped in to help her, his warmth surrounding her along with his scent of soap and clean male.
“At first I wasn’t sure about this red coat, Belle, but it really suits you.” He rested his hands on her shoulders while she buttoned up the
n turned her to face him. “Are you sure everything’s all right?”
“Of course.” She pulled on her gloves. “Why wouldn’t it be? Let’s go.”
* * *
Forty minutes later, they walked into Casa Antoine’s and were seated in a nice banquette for two. After removing their coats, she and Nick perused the menus a maître d’ handed them. Belle did her best to concentrate on the food selections and not the man beside her, his thigh pressing against hers, his arm brushing hers occasionally.
“I don’t remember this place being here when we were growing up.” She took a swallow of water and gazed around at the old-world-style décor. Soft music drifted down from speakers in the ceiling and candles were lit on each table, casting a glow over the room. The place felt romantic and intimate. It only made Belle more aware of the circumstances between her and Nick, the history, the scorching kiss they’d shared. Her hand trembled as she set her water goblet back on the table. Hopefully, Nick was too busy studying the wine list to notice. “You said the baked ziti is good here?”
“The best.” He grinned and her knees tingled. “It’s fantastic. The house salads are excellent, as well. Do you know what you’d like?”
“I’ll try the ziti and a side salad, please.”
“Perfect.” Nick summoned a waiter over and ordered the same thing for both of them, along with a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. Once they were alone again, Nick fiddled with his silverware, seemingly as nervous as she was despite their kiss, or maybe because of it. “So.”
“So.” Belle smiled at the sommelier pouring her wine, then waited until the man had finished with Nick’s and left before speaking. “Looks like everything’s going to plan with the free clinic renovations.”
“It does.” Nick glanced around at the other patrons. “How’s your patient recovering?”
“Good. Good.” Belle traced her fingers over the stem of her wine glass, imagining she was trailing them up Nick’s chest instead. She swallowed hard against the sudden tightness in her throat. “She’s been back for a dressing change and Dr. Reyes says her healing is progressing well. And she’s happy, which is the most important thing. How about your meningitis patient?” Belle asked, watching Nick over the rim of her glass as she sipped her wine. “Still improving?”
“Yes. In fact, if she keeps doing well, the hospital plans to discharge her the day after tomorrow.”
“Wonderful. She’ll get to spend Christmas with her family.” Belle sat back as the waiter delivered their salads—finely chopped lettuce and cheese with a light vinaigrette dressing. She took a bite and the tang of fresh greens, garlic and anchovies danced on her tongue. “You were right. This is fantastic.”
“Glad you like it,” Nick said around a bite of his own salad. “Bread?”
Normally, Belle would’ve said no, but tonight she couldn’t resist the freshly baked yumminess. Her dietary restrictions weren’t because of any health reasons, just that appearances were everything in Beverly Hills. But here with Nick, tonight, she was all about living her life to the fullest. Tonight she’d choose bread and love it too.
After smearing on a healthy dose of the honey butter provided, Belle bit into the still warm crusty bread. It tasted so unbelievable that she couldn’t contain her groan of pleasure.
Nick paused to watch her, a small smile playing around his lips. “Good?”
“You have no idea.”
They ate for a few minutes in silence.
“Is Connor’s team any good?” she asked, making small talk.
“Not bad. I mean, they’re only eight, so it’s not like they’re Wayne Gretzky out there or anything.” The waiter cleared away their empty salad plates and replaced them with steaming crocks of baked ziti and a fresh basket of bread. Nick thanked the guy then waited for him to leave before continuing. “But, yeah, Connor does pretty well. And he loves the sport, even though I worry about him.” At Belle’s look, he smiled. “Okay, fine. You were right about that. Those games can get rough sometimes, even in the junior league. But the coach is great, like I said, and takes all the precautions. I’m trying to be better about letting Con have more freedom, like you said. Cut me some slack. I’m working on it.”
Warmth spread through Belle over the fact he’d taken her advice, at least a little. “That’s great. Connor’s a really good kid.” She took a bite of the cheesy pasta. “Wow. This is marvelous too.”
“See?” Nick grinned. “I wish you’d learn to trust me again.”
“I’m working on it,” she said, mimicking his words back to him with a grin. And she was too. Belle wanted to rid herself of all her Nick-related hang-ups, but with so little time left she wasn’t sure she could open up and let him into her heart once more like she had way back when, no matter how much she might wish she could.
They ate until Belle couldn’t force down another bite. She sat back in the booth, feeling full and happy for the first time in recent memory. “Thank you for bringing me here tonight.”
“Thanks for accepting.” He finished his pasta and wine, then exhaled slowly. “I won’t lie. I did have another agenda in asking you here.”
“Uh-oh,” Belle said, eyeing him warily. “Are you going to seduce me, Dr. Marlowe?”
Belle couldn’t quite believe those teasing words had come out of her mouth. Perhaps it was the wine. Or the easy company. Or the fact that for the first time in a really long time she felt at peace and comfortable, without the stress of her job or her future looming over her. Perhaps coming home again hadn’t been such a huge mistake after all.
Nick’s low chuckle sent a rush of molten heat all the way to her toes. He shook his head, a slight flush staining his tanned cheeks. “Actually, I wanted to talk about our breakup.”
Yikes. Talk about a mood-killer.
“Oh.” She straightened and fiddled with her napkin again. “It was a long time ago, Nick. I don’t really think there’s anything left to talk about.”
“I feel like I owe you an explanation. Especially after what you told me in the car the other day about coming to see me at Northwestern.” He reached over and placed his hand over hers, stilling it. His warm touch was gentle as he rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. “You seem to be under the impression I got over you and moved on a lot quicker than I did.”
Belle nodded, staring down at the table. “Okay.”
“I didn’t.” Nick sighed and sat back, pulling her toward him, so their entwined fingers rested in the middle of the table. “I loved you, Belle. You were my first true love. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was letting you go back then, even if it was for the best. Afterward, I kept wanting to talk to you, to see if you were doing all right, but you avoided me like the plague. I guess I deserved it after the way I broke your heart, but at least you had your friends and your aunt to talk to. I didn’t have anyone.”
She frowned at him. “You were the most popular guy in school. What about your friends? Your parents?”
“My parents were both too busy working all the time to have much energy to deal with my teenaged woes. And you’d be surprised how lonely being Mr. Popular can be. Besides, guys don’t usually rally around to wallow in feelings the way women do. So I dealt with it like I deal with most things that trouble me. I forged ahead, thinking I’d get over you at some point. By the time I’d gotten to the University of Michigan, I almost believed I’d moved on.”
“But you hadn’t?” Belle asked, the words scraping a little in her throat on the way out.
“No.” Nick shook his head and stared at their joined hands on the table. “I was a mess. I tried dating other people, but it never worked out. I just wasn’t into them the way I’d been into you.”
“Oh, Nick. What about Vicki?”
“We didn’t meet until Northwestern. I was in medical school and she was doing her graduate nursing degree. Nope. U of M was a pretty lonely time for me.
I can’t tell you how many times I longed to pick up the phone and call you, just to talk and find out about your day.”
Her heart ached at the depth of loneliness in his words. “You should have.”
“No. I shouldn’t.” He exhaled slow. “I’d set you free. To call you would have meant my sacrifice was all in vain. You needed to explore your future on your own and I needed to make my own way too. I figured we’d reconnect again if it was right.”
Wow. All this time she’d imagined him with a new life without her, happy and content, but it seemed she’d been wrong about that too. So much wasted time.
“Once I met Vicki, we became friends. She was a great listener and gave the best advice. It helped she’d been through a similar breakup. I’m sure she probably got sick of me talking her ear off about you, but she never complained.”
“You talked to her about me?” Belle blinked at him, surprised.
“Sure. You’re the most important person in my life, and the source of my greatest heartache. Why wouldn’t I talk about you? I needed to talk to someone.” He shrugged. “Vicki let me get it all out. We bonded. Then one night she asked me to go with her to a party and pretend to be her boyfriend so she could show her ex she was over him. We had a bit too much to drink and one thing led to another...and, well, I’ve already told you the rest.”
His voice trailed off and Belle let her fingers slip free of his. A jumble of emotions wrestled inside her—gratefulness he’d finally shared his side of things, melancholy for what might have been if they’d only reconnected all those years ago, and an odd buzz of adrenaline for the possibilities now during her brief stay in Bayside.
“Wow. I don’t know what to say...”
“It’s okay. I wanted you to know the truth. Finally.” Nick pulled his wallet from his pocket, handing his credit card to the waiter. “Ready to head out?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment.
A Mistletoe Kiss for the Single Dad Page 9