Charming You (Thirsty Hearts Book 1)

by Kris Jayne

  "Just keep your eyes open," Alexa added.

  "Wide open," Taryn reiterated.

  Micky chewed on the muffin and considered what Alexa and Clarissa suggested. Could she have that conversation with Nick?

  Her reaction the other night still embarrassed, but underneath the embarrassment was undeniable desire. She couldn't get Nick out of her mind, and she didn't want to.

  The women wrapped up their brunch and decided to take a turn around the park across the street from the restaurant. Micky slipped on her sunglasses and walked in step with Clarissa, ahead of Taryn and Alexa. She heard the delighted screams of children and looked over to the sand-covered play area.

  A dozen kids climbed all over an elaborate wooden playset with two slides—one of which corkscrewed down from the top of a gable-roofed tower. A screeching girl with a mass of curly brown hair jumped from the top of the contraption. Micky gasped before she saw the girl fall into the arms of a tall, broad-shouldered man.

  Then, she gasped again. Micky was prepared to run into Nick at the office, not outside in cargo shorts and a T-shirt with a small child.

  "Oh, my God, that's Nick," she said, suddenly breathless. Maybe he wouldn't see her.

  "Where?" Clarissa asked, whirling her head around from side to side, before following Micky's gaze several yards away to the well-built man swinging a child up and over his head. By then, Taryn and Alexa had caught up to them.

  Micky had never seen Nick so casual. Running around the playground had mussed his usual carefully composed, dark chocolate hair. His T-shirt clung to his shoulders and chest, revealing more of his muscled form than Micky had seen through his crisp, white dress shirts.

  Seeing him relaxed and playing with a child somehow made him even sexier. She wondered if the little girl was one of the nieces he'd mentioned to her. The moment she realized she was looking too long…it was already too late.

  He lowered the girl to stand on the ground and glanced up, squinting, then straightened.

  "Let's go ahead and walk down to the Nasher," Micky suggested. They'd briefly talked about walking through the sculpture collection over brunch. Now seemed the perfect time to make a beeline out of the park. However, as she opened her mouth to make her case, Taryn gestured discreetly to something behind Micky.

  She turned around and saw Nick striding toward them with the young girl beside him, her hand in his. Trapped, Micky pasted a smile on her face.

  "Micky, hello. I wasn't sure it was you at first," Nick said.

  "Hi, how are you?"

  "Good. I agreed to take my niece out for the afternoon. Her sister Alice has a soccer game, and someone didn't want to go. This is Natalie. Natalie, this is Micky."

  "Nice to meet you, Natalie. These are my friends, Clarissa, Alexa, and Taryn," Micky said, pointing to each of her companions. "We had brunch and decided to take a walk, maybe to the Nasher. We were just talking it over."

  Micky hoped her friends would back up her escape plan. Taryn looked like she was about to help her when Alexa piped in.

  "That did sound like fun, but unfortunately, Taryn and I have to beg off. Wedding planning, you know," Alexa explained, with a mischievous smile. Taryn fired a fuming look at her cousin.

  Joining in on Alexa's betrayal, Clarissa added, "And I'm supposed to meet Pete. I don't think I'll have time now."

  Taryn's jaw flexed, but she was entirely too Southern and polite to cause a scene by disagreeing. "It's too bad we all have to run off, isn't it?" she commented.

  "And so suddenly," Micky murmured.

  "If you still have some time, Natalie and I were about to go get some ice cream. Why don't you walk with us?"

  With the afternoon sun high right behind Nick, Micky had to squint at him even with her sunglasses. His brows raised in hope. As long as his niece was there, Micky thought she could count on him to behave.

  "Sure. I'll see you guys later." Micky waved at her retreating friends.

  "Ice cream!" Natalie exclaimed. Micky laughed.

  Nick was glad for the buffer provided by his niece. As much as he longed to tell Micky that his relationship with Vivienne was over for good, she looked nervous to be around him.

  "How was brunch?" Nick asked, hoping some light conversation would help Micky relax. Her shoulders were stiff, and she stayed focused forward, not looking at him.

  "Good. It's nice to get together every once in a while. Taryn is getting married, so her cousin Alexa was up from Austin. We had a party at Taryn's fiancé's house. We're all very excited about their wedding."

  "My uncle is getting married," Natalie said. "My sister and me are going to be flower girls."

  Nick cursed silently at having another moment where Micky would think him a pig. His mother spilled the beans to his sister the minute he left her house, and he'd called Amy back. They obviously hadn't gotten around to telling the kids.

  "I was getting married, Natalie, but Vivienne and I broke up a couple of days ago. So, you'll have to wait awhile to be a flower girl, unfortunately," Nick said. That news stopped Micky in her tracks and finally got her to look at him.

  "Why?" Natalie whined. "We were going to have a big party."

  Nick smiled. He knew where his niece's priorities were. "We'll have to have a big party for something else."

  "Can I still get a new dress?"

  "You'll have to talk to your mom about that one," he said.

  "The wedding is off?" Micky finally asked. "For good, then?"

  "Yes. For good. It's over," Nick said

  "I'm sorry. That must be difficult."

  Micky ran the tip of her tongue across her top lip. A slight breeze ruffled her espresso-colored hair, lifting it away from her shoulders and revealing the creamy skin along her collarbone. He should still be upset over the demise of his relationship, but no one had told his nether regions. His cheeks flamed. His thoughts needed to head in another direction.

  "I'll be fine. A little ice cream will help. Let's get going. There's a food truck here somewhere that is supposed to have top-notch ice cream."

  "I hope they have the kind with cookies in it," Natalie piped up. "It's my favorite. What's your favorite, Micky? Uncle Nick likes chocolate."

  "Hmmm? I like all kinds of ice cream, but mostly, I like fruity flavors. Strawberry, peach, cherry. Strawberry is probably my favorite," Micky answered.

  Nick led them to the ice cream truck and bought three cones piled high. A drip of strawberry ice cream slid down the side of Micky's cone. She took it and immediately licked the edge of the cone. Nick looked away. He had to stop obsessing over her tongue. Micky caught him leering, and the corners of her mouth turned up.

  "How's your cone, Nick?"

  "Fine."

  Micky laughed. They parted ways as soon as she finished her ice cream. Nick watched her hips sway and sighed.

  "She's pretty," Natalie said. "Do you like her?"

  "Yeah, sweetie, I like her a lot."

  Chapter Fourteen

  "I'll be there in about fifteen minutes," Nick told his sister Amy over the phone.

  "Perfect. It'll be good to see you. You're doing okay?"

  "Yes," Nick replied.

  "Are you sure?"

  Nick rolled his eyes. "Positive. See you in a few."

  The siblings said their goodbyes and Nick started up the car to head east of downtown to the Lakewood area where his sister lived with her husband James and their two girls. He pulled up in front of his sister's ranch-style house, and Nick braced himself more of his sister's sympathy. Before he could get Natalie out of the car, the front door swung open, and Alice, his older niece, came running out. Amy trailed behind her.

  "Uncle Nick!"

  "Hey, how was soccer?"

  "We won! And I scored a goal!" Natalie grinned.

  "Brava! High five!" Nick slapped hands with his nine-year-old niece.

  They all walked in and to the back of the house where the family room overlooked a wide backyard with a creek that ran behind the proper
ty. Alice dragged Natalie over to the computer, which sat on card table in the corner of the family room.

  "James is traveling this week?" Nick asked. He worked in sales and was often on the road.

  "Yes, he left this afternoon and won't be back until Friday. So, you get to be the honorary man of the house tonight. Isn't that exciting?"

  The scent of tomatoes and garlic flowed from the kitchen into the family room.

  "Smells good."

  "Thanks. I hope you're okay with spaghetti. The kids love it, and it's easy. It's been a long day."

  Amy had her hands on her hips and inhaled as she stretched her chest forward.

  "You should have told me. I could have picked something up."

  "No, it's fine. You did me enough of a favor taking Natalie for the day. I hope she behaved."

  "She did."

  Natalie heard her name and shouted across the room from her seat by the computer.

  "We got ice cream."

  Amy shook her head. "Before dinner, Nick?"

  "Sorry. We wanted ice cream."

  "We got some with Uncle Nick's girlfriend. Her name is Micky, and she's real pretty."

  Alice spun around. "Uncle Nick is getting married, Natalie, remember?"

  "No, he's not. Miss Vivienne dumped him," Natalie announced.

  "That's not entirely true, Nat. We just decided it was best if we didn't get married."

  "We should be nice to Uncle Nick, girls. People get sad when they break up," Amy ordered.

  Normally, they do, Nick thought. Of all the reactions he'd had to Vivienne's news, sad hadn't come up. He felt stupid. He worried about his job. Nowhere in his heart was there sadness.

  "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. But I do want to keep this to ourselves, girls. It's family business," he said.

  "You're really not getting married?" Alice whined. Nick knew the girls were looking forward to being in the wedding. He walked over to the computer table and patted her hair.

  "I wanted to be a flower girl," Natalie sighed.

  "You know, when someone calls off a wedding, it's mostly sad for the people who were getting married, Natalie. Not the flower girls," Amy reminded her.

  "I know. Sorry, Uncle Nick," Natalie said.

  "It's okay. Vivienne and I are better as just friends."

  "You can still get married. You just have to find another girlfriend. Maybe your friend Micky," Natalie suggested.

  Nick grimaced to himself. He wasn't prepared to talk about Micky with his family.

  "Who is Micky?" Amy asked. "She seems to have made quite the impression on Natalie."

  "She's a woman who works in my building. We ran into her today at the park," Nick explained, trying to sound casual.

  "That was quick," his sister said.

  "We just met and are only friends," Nick clarified, heaving a sigh.

  "I'll bet," Amy remarked, moving her eyebrows up and down with suggestion. Nick rolled his eyes. Amy had rarely said anything to him, but he knew she hadn't ever taken to Vivienne. "Dinner is ready. Let's eat. Girls, get off the computer, and grab the plates and silverware."

  Amy laughed as her daughters argued over which glasses to use for dinner. It only got sorted out when Alice rolled her eyes at her little sister and declared that she was "such a baby." Nick loved spending time with his nieces—even with their bickering. It reminded him of his own childhood, and how much fun it was living in a house teeming with activity, fights, and laughter. He still wanted that for himself.

  As everyone sat down to their spaghetti dinner, the conversation turned away from the demise of his engagement.

  "Hey, Uncle Nick, I got a new Mavs shirt the other day to wear when we go to the game," Alice informed.

  "Mom said that we get to sit in the suite again. I love sitting in the suite. It's the best," Natalie added.

  "You girls are getting so spoiled by Uncle Nick's tickets. I'm afraid he's ruined you for sitting in the rafters with the common folk," Amy observed.

  "You should bring Micky," Natalie said.

  "Why is that?" Nick asked.

  "Maybe if she likes you, you can still get married this summer! And we can still get dresses," Natalie said and giggled.

  "You can't go around marrying just anybody, Nat." Alice admonished her younger and, clearly, less-wise sister.

  Nick didn't follow Natalie's logic to the conclusion that he should marry Micky, but thought maybe his youngest niece was onto something. Would it be weird to invite her to a basketball game? His family would be there, and they barely knew each other. Nick waved the doubt away and figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

  "Yeah, it's a little early for marriage. She's just a friend that I met. Maybe I'll see if she's free on Saturday. If she comes, you have to be nice. No talking about Vivienne. Girls don't want to hear about your ex-girlfriends," Nick told them.

  "You just met her, and we may already get to meet her," Amy said, a little incredulous. Nick could tell she was intrigued beyond belief.

  "Don't get ahead of yourself. There's nothing going on with Micky. We're just friendly. It might be fun to get back in the saddle again, and I can't cancel on this bevy of beauties," he said, pointing to his giggling nieces.

  "I don't think we met Vivienne until you were practically engaged," his sister mused. "I'd love to get a better preview this time."

  "Sure. I'll invite Mom, too, and the two of you can question her like the CIA."

  Amy stuck her tongue out at her brother, causing her daughters to giggle.

  "How'd you meet?" his sister asked.

  "At the office or, more accurately, in the parking garage. She had car trouble, and I helped her out."

  "Wait? This is the woman you helped out a few weeks ago? I guess you ended up having drinks with her?" Amy asked. Nick had spoken to his sister on following Saturday and mentioned it to her.

  "Yes. It's not a big deal," Nick said, quickly running through a mental Rolodex of topics he could bring up to redirect the conversation.

  "You sounded pretty interested when we talked on the phone before. Does she know that you were engaged?"

  "Oh, she knows. It's been a topic of conversation," Nick said. Amy gave Nick a sly look. She'd force him to explain that later.

  "She has dark hair. I thought boys liked blonde hair better. Like Barbies," Natalie stated.

  "Nat-a-lieeeee!" Alice threw her face into her palms. "You can't say things like that about Uncle Nick's new girlfriend. It's rude."

  "Men like all kinds of things. Like how smart someone is and whether she's nice and honest. Hair color doesn't matter," Nick said, earning a wink from his sister. "And she's not my girlfriend. She's a friend."

  "Does she work in your office?"

  "No. She works for a software company in the building. There's really not much more to say," said Nick, trying to close the topic.

  "I can't wait to meet her."

  Nick rolled his eyes at his sister's smug look.

  They finished their dinner, and Nick helped the girls clear the table. Afterward, the girls took the laptop to their rooms to play a few more games before bed. With the girls out of the room, Amy pressed Nick for a bit more honesty as they sat at the kitchen table, sharing a post-dinner bourbon.

  "What's the real story with Vivienne? There's something you're not telling us," Amy pushed.

  His mom and his sister amazed him with their near psychic ability. They also shared a few traits with the bloodhound, and so he'd have to be clear with them both.

  "There is, but I can't discuss it. And I don't want to get into this with Mom. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Whatever the other issues are, the bottom line is that it's for the best. The more I think about it, the more I realize I was forcing it. I think I was so focused on getting married and having that ideal family life to go along with partnership in the firm, I let that keep me from examining whether she and I had a real relationship. We didn't, but I'm truly okay with how things are. It's good actually. Good for Vivienne, and good fo
r me."

  "I can tell. You really like this woman Micky, don't you?"

  "I don't know. She's pretty hot," Nick smirked and his sister smacked his arm. "I might bring her to the game, but keep things light. Okay? I don't need to scare her off with my crazy family."

  "Crazy? Never!" Amy laughed. "As long as we convince the girls that eventually they will get to wear a fancy dress and sprinkle flower petals, we can keep them calm. I'm always calm, and you know James was never a big Vivienne fan."

  "I gathered that."

  "I shouldn't tell you this, but you know what James used to say?" Amy leaned in and lowered her voice. "He was surprised she didn't freeze your dick off."

  "That's terrible." Nick grimaced.

  "I know. I shouldn't have told you. He didn't dislike her as much as he didn't get your relationship. James thought she was aloof."

  "I know. She's a good person, though. Her family puts a lot of pressure on her. She feels like she has to hold it all in, hold it together constantly."

  "Listen, I liked Vivienne well enough, and I figured if you loved her and wanted to be with her, I'd support you. If you don't, I still support you. But boy, I can't wait to meet your new prospect."

  "I know. You people are too much."

  "You love it. What would you do without all these women in your business?"

  "Live in peace?"

  "Booooo!" Amy said. "Hardly."

  "I know."

  Nick helped his sister finish cleaning up the dishes before saying his goodbyes for the night and heading home.

  Chapter Fifteen

  On Monday morning, Nick drummed his fingers on the heavy mahogany of his desktop after wrapping up a phone call with the private investigator used occasionally by his firm. He ran his finger over the UPS label on one of the two envelopes Vivienne received.

  The return address was for an apartment complex in Fort Worth—just the name of the complex with no apartment number. An online search of the tracking numbers revealed that someone dropped off both at the same UPS Store—also in Fort Worth but on the other side of town from apartment complex.