“It was last week,” I admitted. “I think it went really well, but you never know.”
“When will you find out?” he asked.
“It could be any day. The timing of this trip was really good for me, actually. Otherwise I’d be sitting at home obsessing.”
“Yeah, it’s good to have distractions when you’re waiting for that kind of thing.”
I looked over at his tanned, muscular body and smiled. “Yeah. Distractions can be really good.”
Chapter Nine
“Annie, seriously, I need to get in there!” Ginny shouted from outside the bathroom door.
“One second!” I shouted back. “Stupid, fucking humidity...”
I attacked my hair with the straightener one last time before I gave up. It was a losing battle.
I exited the bathroom and found Ginny waiting for me. “If you say one word about my hair, I’ll kill you, McKensie,” I told her.
She rolled her eyes. “Your hair is fine,” she said. “You always get so worked up over it. Most girls would kill to have curls like that.”
“Frizz,” I corrected. “I have frizz. Red frizz. And the heat around here isn’t helping at all.”
“Well, why are you bothering straightening it then?” she asked. “Why don’t you just braid it? It will get it up off your face and it looks so pretty like that.”
“We’re in Vegas,” I whined. “I want to look sexy and chic, not like a freaking librarian.”
“Sexy and chic, huh?” she said, her face lighting up. “Who might we want to impress tonight, huh?”
“Oh, shut up,” I said, scowling.
“Seriously, are you going to see him?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Who knows? I have plans with you guys.”
Kiki’s dad had included tickets to Cirque de Soleil in our package. I was really excited; it was supposed to be incredible.
“Yeah, but we’re in Vegas,” Ginny said impatiently. “It’s not like you’re gonna go up to bed as soon as the show is over.”
“We might meet up at the fountain,” I admitted. “But only if I feel like it. It wasn’t set in stone or anything.”
Ginny smirked. “Well, I hope that works out then,” she said before she headed into the bathroom to do her own hair.
I decided to take Ginny’s advice and just braid my hair. There was no point in fighting it. I sat down at the desk in front of a mirror and went to work on my hair. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I smiled a little goofily. It had been a great day so far. The truth was, I was really excited about the prospect of seeing Nate again. I’d had more fun with him by the pool then I cared to admit. When we had to leave to go the stratosphere tower, I actually felt disappointed. When he offered to meet up at the Bellagio fountains later that night, I was quick to agree.
And while the thrill rides at the top of the tower were crazy fun and terrifying, I’d had had a hard time keeping my mind off my date all day.
Get a hold of yourself, I instructed myself firmly. He’s not your boyfriend. It’s a little fun to have on vacation, nothing more. Enjoy it, then move on.
That had been my motto with boys for years, and it had always served me well. Unlike Ginny and Jen, I had spent little of our teens years pining for boys who didn’t like me back. In our twenties, I’d had few moments of heartbreak. I just worked better that way.
A few minutes later, Ginny was ready. “See, babe,” she said, looking me over. “You look great. Totally hot. Nate will love it…if, you know, you happen to see him.”
I knew she was teasing me, but I ignored it. “Ready?” I asked her.
“Yup,” she replied. “Let’s go find the others.”
***
Three hours later I was heading across the busy street toward the Bellagio casino. Even from this distance I could see people gathering for the dancing fountain’s next performance. Ginny and I had seen the show from our room a few times, and I had to admit it was pretty cool. I wondered for a moment if Nate would be there. What if he was having too much fun with his friends? What if they had decided to get strippers after all?
Stop obsessing, I told myself. It isn’t you.
As I hurried across the courtyard toward the fountain, I heard a voice.
“Annie!”
I turned, and there he was, walking toward me. He was dressed in a suit, but had removed his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. I couldn’t help the smile that broke out across my face. He looked great.
Before I could even say hello, he had reached for me and pulled me into a big hug. “I was getting worried you might ditch me,” he said into my hair.
“Nah,” I replied, smiling into his suit jacket. “I’m here.”
He looked down at me, the lights from the strip reflecting off his hair. “I’m really, really glad,” he said, his deep voice sending a flutter into my belly. He stared down at me for a minute and I again felt color spread to my cheeks. “Come on,” he said finally. “I think the show is going to start soon.”
We approached the crowd gathered around the fountain as the lights around the lake began to dim. The people fell silent and the music started.
“Hey, I know this music,” I said as the operatic piece began. “It’s Time to Say Goodbye—that’s Sarah Brightman!”
Nate looked down at me with a bemused expression. “She was in Phantom of the Opera,” I said sheepishly. “Sorry, theater dork.”
He just grinned and put his arm around me.
From our room high above, Ginny and I could tell that the fountains would be cool. But I had no idea how amazing it would be in person like this, once the music got going. The jets were synchronized perfectly with the music, like the water was really dancing.
As the music reached its crescendo and the water pushed ever higher into the sky, I was surprised to find wetness on my cheeks. I looked up and saw that Nate was watching me rather than the show. “Sorry,” I whispered, embarrassed. “It’s beautiful.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re beautiful too.”
I felt my stomach lurch in a disturbing way, so I just smiled at him. Now that the show had ended, the crowds around us began to disperse, and the spell seemed to be broken. “Alright,” Nate said, as we started to move away from the fountain. “What do you feel like doing tonight? Did you already eat?”
I shook my head. “No, we had a huge lunch but our tickets for Cirque were right around dinner time.”
“Then we should eat,” he said, taking my hand. “What do you feel like?”
“I’d be up for anything,” I said, shrugging.
“Well, that’s good,” he replied. “Because Vegas happens to be very well-known as one of the culinary capitals of the United States.”
“Really?” I asked skeptically. “Isn’t Vegas all about buffets and cheap casino comps?”
He gasped in mock horror. “Absolutely not! All of the great chefs have restaurants here. Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Joel Robuchon.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. “Bobby Flay as in that guy from TV?”
Nate shook his head at me sadly. “Your culinary education is woefully lacking. You must allow me to rectify that for you.”
“Oh my God, you’re one of those foodie people, aren’t you?” I asked. “Please don’t tell me you’re gonna take me to some place where the food is so fancy you don’t even want to touch it and the portion is so small it would work better for Barbie doll. I’m a real girl, okay? I have an appetite. ”
“Please,” he said, tugging on my hand. “Just trust me. You’re about to have the best meal of your life.”
Chapter Ten
‘The first date is such an important part of your mate-finding experience. It is essential that you present yourself as the girl your new guy just can’t live without. It’s a good idea to eat something small before you leave; you wouldn’t want to end up starving and stuffing your face in front of Mr. Right. What a turn-off! It’s also a good idea to abstain from drinki
ng. Only one glass of wine with dinner, if you must. A man looking for a wife isn’t going to be interested in a beer-guzzler, ladies!’—The Single Girl’s Guide to Finding True Love
“I was right, wasn’t I?” Nate asked, watching my face closely as I chewed. I wanted to keep him in suspense for a while longer, but I couldn’t help the little moan that escaped my lips.
“See!” he said triumphantly. “It’s delicious, isn’t it? I told you!”
I finished chewing and smiled at him. “Yeah, it was pretty damn good.”
I was surprised when Nate had hailed a cab and taken us to this little restaurant set back from the craziness of the strip. It seemed a little bit like a dive to me, definitely not as fancy or chic as the places I had been frequenting thus far on my trip. But when Nate insisted we both order starters before I formed an opinion, I agreed. He had begged me to let him order for me, and his enthusiasm about my eating experience charmed me. I had ended up with some steak-wrapped artichoke thing. And to tell you the truth, it was one of the most delicious things I had ever eaten.
“So you want to stay and order?” he asked.
“If the entrees are as good as that starter, then I definitely want to stay.”
He handed me the menu and I looked it over.
“What do you think?” he asked, his face lit up like a little kid at a toy store. I had to admit, it was kind of cute.
“It looks kind of eclectic,” I said. I was no food expert (that was Jen’s department) but even I could recognize a wide gamut of influences on this menu, from Italian to American to French.
“That’s the beauty of it!” Nate said. “They’re not bound by labels or traditions. They just make really good food.”
“Okay, you’re gonna need to chill out a little bit,” I told him, laughing. “This place has already won me over. No need to oversell.”
He laughed too. “Sorry, this is just one of my favorite restaurants.”
“I didn’t know you’ve been to Vegas before,” I said, surprised he hadn’t mentioned it.
“It was one of my dad’s favorite vacations,” he said quietly. I had a bad feeling about his expression.
“Is he…um, is he still around?” I asked tentatively.
“Naw,” Nate said, taking a gulp of his water. “He died a few years ago. Heart attack.”
“Nate, I’m really sorry to hear that,” I said. I felt terrible. I should have just let the moment go.
“I am, too,” he said, taking a deep breath. “He loved coming out here. He had me and my sisters here from the time we were kids. He would hit up the casinos while we hung out at the hotel. And then at night he would take us around to all of his favorite restaurants. I loved those vacations.”
He seemed happy enough remembering it, and I breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked sad like that I had an overwhelming urge to wrap him up in a big hug. A thought that was way too maternal—not a very Annie-like inclination.
“What about you?” he asked, looking up at me. “Are both of your parents still around?”
Crap. I so did not want to talk about this. There was a reason I liked to keep things light with the guys I dated. But he had told me about his dad and it would be pretty rude not to reciprocate.
“Um, my parents split up when I was younger,” I explained, trying to get it over with quickly. “My mom brought me up. She’s still around; she lives pretty close to Jen and me. But I don’t see my dad.”
“Really?” he asked, sounding surprised. “Like, not at all?”
I shook my head, wishing he would drop it. I hated talking about my dad. “Nope, haven’t seen him in years.”
“I’m sorry, Annie,” he said, and I hated the pity in his voice. I had to remind myself that what he had been through was worse.
“It’s not a big deal. Like I said, it happened when I was little,” I replied. Where the hell was our waiter? If this line of conversation continued, I was going to be desperate for a beer in no time.
“How’s your mom?” he asked. “You guys pretty close?”
I sighed, starting to feel irritated. Why did people always feel the need to have these drawn-out question- and-answer sessions?
“We’re not very close,” I replied flatly, hoping he would catch my tone. “We don’t have a lot in common and she can’t believe that I could be happy without being married.”
“My mom is like that, too,” Nate said, laughing. His lightness surprised me. “She’s determined to marry me and my sisters off. Probably because she feels bad for us, being fatherless and all. Its like she’s desperate for us to have families of our own.”
I smiled in spite of myself. “That sounds just like my mom,” I said. “It’s annoying, but what can you do?”
The waiter finally returned to take our dinner orders. I decided on the lobster ravioli while Nate asked for a steak. I also made sure to order a large beer.
“So,” Nate said. “You clearly want to change the subject.”
I had to laugh. He had a knack for reading my mood, that was for sure. “Why don’t you tell me about your friends? You guys seem pretty close.”
My mood brightened considerably after that. I could talk about Ginny and Jen all day. By the time the server returned with our food, we were laughing and I was having fun again.
“How do you feel about cheesecake?” Nate asked once my plate was cleared. Like the very ladylike girl that I was, I had eaten every single bite of my delicious lobster ravioli.
“I adore cheesecake,” I said. “My friend Jen actually makes the best cheesecake in the world.”
Nate shook his head seriously. “I’ve never had Jen’s cheesecake, but I think I need to challenge it. The chef here is the cheesecake master. It’s so good you might cry.”
“Okay,” I said, grinning at him. “Bring it on.”
***
After dinner, Nate suggested we find a bar to relax in. “Unless you’re in the mood for dancing?” he asked solicitously.
“Naw,” I replied. “I’m too stuffed for dancing.”
Nate had been right about the cheesecake, but I made him promise not to tell Jen that I thought so.
We ended up at the Extra Lounge, one of several clubs in our hotel. It was packed, which was hardly surprising for a Saturday night. We found ourselves at a high-top crammed back in a corner. I couldn’t complain about the accommodations—the close quarters meant that I was practically on top of Nate.
The strange thing about Nate is that the more I got to know him, the more I liked him. Usually my experience was the polar opposite. But I was starting to think that his kindness and his interest were actually genuine.
Just listen to yourself, I thought. Carrying on like this might turn serious. It’s just some fun.
Nate kept the drinks coming all night. I knew I should probably slow down, but I was having such a good time with him. Between the buzz of people in the bar, the alcohol, and the intensity in his eyes when he looked at me—well, it was all getting very heady.
“Tell me about your favorite trip ever,” Nate said, leaning over the table. I screwed up my face.
“I gotta say, this one will be hard to beat,” I told him. “I haven’t really traveled much. Never had the money growing up…or since, for that matter.”
He chuckled. “That’s rough,” he said. “I love to travel.”
“I wish I could more often. Before this, the most exciting trip I’d taken was with Ginny, Jen, and Danny over to Lake Michigan. It was a disaster. It rained the entire time and they messed up our reservations. And Danny was a little terror.”
“That sucks,” he laughed. “Well, all the more reason to make this an amazing vacation.”
When he said it, he caught my eye, staring at me intently. I felt my stomach lurch. If I leaned forward, just a little bit, I’d be kissing him.
Just as I was about to act on the impulse, my phone beeped, surprising me so much I nearly fell off the chair.
“Whoa,” Nate said, grabbing m
y arm to keep me upright.
“Thanks,” I said, looking down at the screen. “Text from Ginny.”
“Checking up on you?” he asked.
“Making sure I’m okay,” I corrected. “We have a long-standing rule about checking in when we’re out with strange men.”
“I’m a strange man now?” he asked. “I think I’m offended.”
“All men are strange,” I replied, winking at him.
He moved a little closer and bumped my shoulder with his. Mmm. Very muscular shoulder. It felt great against mine. I had a flash of the way he had looked in his swimsuit down by the pool and felt an urge to get closer to him.
To distract myself, I opened the message and read it.
“She’s wondering when I’ll be back,” I told him. He didn’t respond. When I looked up, his eyes were trained on my lips. The look on his face sent a rush straight through my chest.
“Why don’t you tell her you won’t be in tonight,” he said, his voice low.
I felt my heart start to beat faster as I met his eyes. He was so gorgeous in that moment that it almost took my breath away.
“Okay,” I whispered, feeling totally blown away by him. “I’ll tell her.”
Chapter Eleven
‘Ladies, we should talk about the sensitive issue of relations. When a man compliments you, it might be tempting to offer yourself to him in an intimate way. I cannot warn against this strenuously enough! It is so important that you remain a mystery to the man you wish to end up with. There’s an old saying about cows and milk—truer words were never spoken, ladies! Just remember that when you’re feeling insecure.’—The Single Girl’s Guide to Finding True Love
I woke up in the morning even more hung over than I had been the day before. “Ginny,” I moaned into the pillow. “What the hell did I drink?”
“Ginny isn’t here,” an amused male voice said next to me. I sat up straight in bed, ready to scream my head off. Who in the…
“Oh my God, Nate” I gasped. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Three Girls and a Leading Man Page 6