“I am,” Nick confirmed. “Are you?”
“Very,” I laughed. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Not at all,” Nick told me. “I would have thought you’d have your pick of men.”
“Yeah, well you’d think wrong.” I picked up my wine glass, wagging a finger at him to emphasize how wrong he was. “I’m not the kind of girl guys think of when they’re looking for someone to date.”
“Are you so sure about that?” Nick leaned forward, a little bit of brown leeching into his blue eyes as his bear briefly came through. The way he gazed at me made me feel as though he’d want to eat me for breakfast and I had a brief flashback to my dream.
“I’m too busy to date anyway.” I used my wine glass to hide my blushes, draining it before topping it up again from the bottle. “What with the store and class and then helping mom out with Tate, there’s no time for boyfriends.”
“Or maybe you just haven’t met someone worth making time for?” Nick suggested.
“Maybe,” I shrugged. “But I can’t see that changing any time soon.”
Was it my imagination or did Nick say something like we’ll see?
Chapter Six
When I got to work the next morning, there was no sign of Nick. Instead, Matt was opening up the store.
“Did you have fun yesterday afternoon?” he grinned when he saw me.
“It was all right, thanks,” I replied breezily, as if I didn’t care that Nick wasn’t there. “Why? Did you miss me?”
“But of course.” Matt blew me a kiss and I giggled as I headed out back to see what orders we had.
“Where’s Nick?” I asked, trying to keep my tone casual.
“He’ll be here later,” Matt told me. “He and Justin are off on a mission.”
“What – some kind of shifter mission?”
“Oh, no, nothing like that.” The way Matt laughed made me feel stupid. “No, they’re just going to check out a different flower supplier.”
I couldn’t help but wonder whether Nick had deliberately made sure that Justin was out of the store after our conversations yesterday. He needn’t have worried. I’d spent enough time with Justin to see him more like a brother than a lover and the last thing I needed was to get involved with someone who was going to leave town the second Shelby got back from vacation.
Working alongside Matt was like a breath of fresh air. There was no pressure from him, no sexual tension, no dreams to haunt me…
Because I’d had another dream about Nick last night. This time, instead of putting me in a cab by myself after lunch, which is what had actually happened, we’d gone for a walk through the park. We found a secluded spot, where Nick had turned to kiss me. I could still feel the pressure of his mouth against mine, the feel of his warm breath against my cheek as he nuzzled against me, the thrill of knowing that at any moment, someone could walk past and see what we were doing. It was the most vivid dream I’d ever had and I was struggling to believe that it hadn’t really happened.
I was torn between being glad that Nick wasn’t here to spare me embarrassment and being disappointed that I wasn’t going to see him for a while.
Or maybe he was avoiding me on purpose?
“Everything OK, Jess?” Matt asked. I realized that I’d been staring into space for the last five minutes instead of putting together the birthday bouquet I was working on.
“Fine, fine.” I grabbed my purse. “I’m going out to Perk You Up. Do you want anything?”
“Sure. Thrill me.”
I headed up the sidewalk and into the coffee shop.
“Now there’s a woman on a mission,” grinned Joe when he saw me march up to the counter.
“I need caffeine and I need it fast!” I replied. “Give me my usual and a caramel macchiato.”
“Coming right up.” Joe bustled about, making the coffees as I drummed my fingers on the counter. “Somebody’s tense today,” he observed.
“It’s just…” I sighed. “Ugh. Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know what to make of my temporary boss.”
“Is that the tall guy with the blue eyes and broad shoulders? The one who looks like he’s an actor slash model?”
“That’s the one. How do you know him?”
“He came in the other day. He mentioned he was helping out at Tulips and that someone had told him that I served the best coffee in town. Thank you for that, by the way.”
“It’s nothing but the truth,” I told him.
“He also told me that he was going to be sticking around for a while,” Joe said, “so if you don’t know what to make of him, you’ve got plenty of time to figure it out. What happened to Shelby? Nothing bad I hope?”
“She’s on vacation,” I replied. “But Nick mentioned that he might be opening up a restaurant in the area, so that must have been what he meant when he said he was going to stay in town.”
“Well as long as he doesn’t start serving coffee, I don’t care what he does. I might make great coffee, but someone like him behind the counter could sell my old dregs in a cup and women would be queuing up round the block just for the chance to gaze adoringly at him when he calls their name.”
“Tell me about it.” I rolled my eyes. “We’ve got quite a few customers who’ve suddenly decided that they absolutely must have fresh flowers every day since Nick, Matt and Justin arrived. I must admit that there’s part of me that’s worried that Shelby might replace me with one of them when she sees how well the business has done with them selling flowers.”
“Shelby would be crazy to let you go,” Joe reassured me. “You’re a good little worker. But if she does do something stupid, you come talk to me. I can always find a place behind the counter for someone with your attitude.”
“Thanks, Joe. That’s good to know.” I took the steaming cups of coffee he handed to me and strolled back to Tulips, enjoying the feel of the sun on my skin in the few minutes I had before I had to go back inside.
“You took your time,” remarked Matt when I walked into the store.
“Good coffee takes time,” I corrected, waving the cup at him before crossing over to hand him his drink. “You know it’s worth it.”
“True, true.” Matt took a sip and closed his eyes, savoring the flavor. “Man, that’s good. I’m going to miss that when I go back to San Diego.”
“I thought you guys were planning on staying for a while?” I frowned. “Nick said that he was going to be opening a restaurant here.”
“Nick might be, but I’m not,” Matt replied. “I’ve got things to do at home. I can only stay here for a few more days and then I’ve got to go back even if Shelby’s still on vacation.”
“I’ll miss you when you go.” I genuinely meant it. Matt might only have worked here for a couple of days, but he was one of the nicest guys I’d ever met.
“It’ll only be au revoir, not goodbye,” he told me. “But if we don’t get all these orders on Jed’s truck, Nick won’t even give us enough time to say that before he kicks our asses out the door. Come on. You’ve had your coffee hit. Let’s get the bouquets finished so that by the time Nick gets back, he’ll think we actually have half a clue between us.”
We started wrapping and soon had everything ready for Jed before moving out to the store front to open up for the day. Working with Matt was so uncomplicated that I’d almost managed to forget my strange dreams until I heard a familiar voice coming in.
Looking up from the flowers I was putting together for a customer, I could feel my breath catch in my throat at the sight of Nick standing at the door. Maybe it was just because business had been slow, but it had felt as though something important had been missing all morning while he was out. Seeing him walk in the store, it felt as though my world was complete again.
If I didn’t have a customer standing right in front of me, I’d have slapped some sense into myself.
Get over him, I told myself sternly, but I could tell that it wasn’t that simple. I had a major crush on Nick and if I wasn�
�t careful, it was going to develop into a more serious complication I could do without.
I watched as he held the door open for the leaving customer, understanding why she seemed to simper as she walked past him.
“How’s my favorite chief sales assistant?” he asked, coming over to check up on me.
“Good, good,” I nodded, trying to pretend that my heart wasn’t suddenly beating a mile a minute at the sight of him. “How were the new suppliers?”
“So-so. We’re going to give them a trial and see how it goes. If it pays off, I’ve just saved Shelby a ton of money and if not…” He shrugged. “It’s only for a few days.”
“Sounds good.”
Nick disappeared off into the back of the store and I gazed after his departing form, enjoying the sight of his butt through his trousers.
“Someone’s got it bad.”
My head whipped round to see Justin leaning across the counter grinning at me.
“Oh shut up,” I retorted, but there wasn’t any bite to my tone.
“Listen, I can tell when someone’s got a crush and you’re the Queen of Crush City,” he told me. “I don’t blame you. Every woman he’s ever met felt the same way. That is, until they realized that wolves are where it’s at.”
He grinned a predatory grin.
“Is that right?” I arched an eyebrow.
“I’m just saying that if you want some help getting over our boss, I’m always happy to help out,” he offered.
“That’s very kind of you, but I think I’ll be fine,” I told him, his flirting making it easy for me to come to an important decision. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to Nick about something.”
I turned and headed out back to find Nick.
“Hi, Jess.” The smile he gave me made me feel all gooey inside. This was not good. Not good at all.
“Hey, Nick. I’ve been thinking…”
“Yes?”
“I took a deep breath to give myself the courage to say what I needed to say.
“Did you mean it when you said that you wanted me to take you to my favorite restaurant? Purely for research purposes of course.”
“I did,” Nick confirmed, an amused twinkle in his eye. “Purely for research purposes. Of course.”
“Well, I thought that maybe you’d like to come out with me tonight?” I asked. “I don’t have any classes and there’s a special on at Mason’s. You get a free cocktail with every entrée.”
“How could I say no to free cocktails?” Nick grinned. “It sounds great. What time shall I pick you up?”
“No, no.” I shook my head. I wasn’t going to have Nick see the state of my house. Not after the restaurant he’d taken me to. We clearly moved in very different worlds and I was going to make sure it stayed that way. “I’ll meet you there. How does 8 sound?”
“Sounds like a date,” he smiled.
Chapter Seven
I checked my reflection for what seemed like the thousandth time, making sure that I was completely satisfied with my appearance. It had been hard to decide what to wear. What outfit said “yes, I’m attracted to you, no, this is not a date, yes, I want you to kiss me, no, I don’t really, well, yes, I do if it’s anything like my dreams, but no, I’m not interested in a relationship, no, really, no, I’m not!”
It was a tough call and I was still agonizing over whether I’d done the right thing.
There had been a good reason why I’d decided to invite Nick out. First impressions can’t be wrong, can they? If we just spent a bit more time together out of work, he’d have to show his true colors and then I’d be able to get over him when he reverted back to his normal arrogant self. I couldn’t possibly have a crush on someone who was a total ass.
At least, that was the theory.
There was a knock at my bedroom door. I looked over to see mom standing there. “Didn’t you say you needed to be at Masons for eight?” she asked. “You’re cutting it fine if you’re going to make it on time.”
I checked the time. “Dammit!”
I patted my hair one last time, making sure it had just the right amount of deliberate messiness. I’d gone for a figure hugging, plum colored dress that hung just below my knees with a bodice that crossed over my breasts to tie at the side of my waist. My lipstick was the perfect shade to match, so I’d kept my eye makeup light, not wanting to go too far into vamp territory.
“You don’t want to keep your boss waiting,” warned mom as I pulled on my comfy, long, leather boots and grabbed a clutch. “Although I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea for you to go out on a date with him. He is your employer after all. You should be keeping things professional.”
“I told you mom. It’s not a date. I’m taking him out so he can check out the competition. This is purely professional.” I hurried out of my room and downstairs. “I won’t be too late. Promise!” I called as I headed out, running when I saw the bus waiting at the end of the street.
Nick was already waiting for me outside Mason’s as I hurried towards him.
“Sorry, sorry,” I gasped, as I rushed up.
“Let me guess – the bus was running late?” Nick grinned affably.
“The story of my life,” I shrugged, not wanting to admit that I’d actually missed the one I should have caught.
“Well, you’re here now, so let’s go in. I’m starving!”
Nick held the door open for me and I led the way into one of my favorite places.
Mason’s wasn’t upmarket by any stretch of the imagination. It hadn’t been decorated in years and the tacky pictures on the wall had been there for as long as I could remember. The menu was cheap and cheerful and stood out in marked contrast to the gourmet food Nick had treated me to at lunch.
Yet for all its flaws, Mason’s was always packed. People didn’t come for the food. They came for the atmosphere. You never knew what was going to happen on any given night. Sometimes there were live bands, other times you were treated to dinner theatre or the latest avant garde performance art. I’d seen belly dancers shimmy between the tables and there’d even been an impromptu stand up show from a guy who went on to appear on SNL.
“Hey, Mikey!” My face lit up when I saw my favorite waiter coming towards us. “I was hoping you’d be working tonight. Have you got a table for two?”
“For you? Anything!” Mikey led us over to a corner booth where we squeezed round a small table. “The special tonight’s a grilled Turbot fillet with a wild mushroom arancini.” He leaned forward to add conspiratorially “but if I were you, I’d go with the pork loin. I don’t know why chef insists on cooking seafood. He’s not very good at it. He’s been watching too many episodes of MasterChef!”
“Thanks for the tip,” I grinned, as Mikey winked and disappeared off into the crowd.
“This place is lively,” remarked Nick diplomatically, looking around.
“Sorry. I guess this wasn’t the kind of thing you were looking for?” I tried to suppress a smile. My plan was working. Nick was already being a snob. It wouldn’t take long before he showed just how unsuited we were for each other.
“Are you kidding?” He turned to face me, positively buzzing with excitement. “This is perfect! This is exactly the kind of thing I want to do.”
“Really?” I did a double take.
“Look around, Jess. This place is packed. Who wouldn’t want a business this successful?”
“I guess. But it’s not really your kind of thing, is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well it’s not exactly the Sage and Marjoram.”
“So?” Nick shrugged.
“Well you said we went there to check out the competition. The people who go there are hardly going to eat here, are they?”
“Who says I only want one restaurant?” Nick pointed out. “This could be the best opportunity to diversify. I’m scoping out all my options before I decide which direction to go in.”
“Fair enough. Although I don’t think t
here could ever be another Mason’s!”
Nick said something to me, but whatever it was lost as a loud guitar chord rang through the place.
“Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together and give a warm welcome to tonight’s band, the Coven of Warlocks!”
The diners whooped and cheered as the lights dimmed apart from a spotlight aimed at a group of long haired musicians squeezed into a small stage area in a corner of the room. They launched into a lively number that immediately had people getting up to dance.
“Do you want to dance?” Nick leaned over to yell the question at me.
“What?” I pretended that I couldn’t hear him. I came to Masons to watch the entertainment, not be part of it.
“Do. You. Want. To.” He shook his head. “Oh, never mind.”
Just when I thought I’d escaped the embarrassment of dancing, he stood up, took me by the hand and twirled me away from the table before I could resist.
“Wait a minute.” I stepped back. “I don’t dance.”
“Sure you do,” Nick countered. “Everyone dances.”
“Not me.” I firmly shook my head.
“Then it’s about time you started.” He pulled me towards him, placing his right hand in the small of my back as he clasped my hand in his left.
At first, I stood there stiffly, not wanting to give in to the call of the drums, but as Nick started moving, I copied what he was doing, gradually relaxing into him and doing the one thing I always swore I would never do.
I danced. In public.
Nick was an incredible dancer and although I felt as though I had two left feet, I followed his lead and, to my surprise, I found myself dancing in time to the music and I wasn’t making an idiot of myself!
By the time the band launched into their third number, I’d discovered that I really enjoyed dancing, at least when I was with Nick to lead the way, so I found myself pouting when he led me back to the table.
“What’s the matter? Worried about getting blisters?” I asked.
“I just figured that we probably ought to eat at some point,” Nick explained. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Anyway, they’re playing a slow number. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for us to dance to that.”
Loving Bear: A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Love Laid Bear Book 2) Page 5