“I’m glad to see you’re keeping busy, Victoria.”
The gracious older woman smiled. “Oh, you know me. Of course I am, dear.”
Nick hadn’t brought up Courtney yet, although she’d been on his mind all weekend. He half hoped he might run into her. “So I meant to ask you, how’s your new tenant working out? I actually met her the other day. Small world, eh?”
“You did? She didn’t mention that. Courtney’s wonderful. She brought me my favorite cherry pie yesterday. Isn’t that thoughtful? You don’t meet many young people these days who’d do that for an old-timer.”
Nick grinned. “Who are you calling old-timer? I bet you could outrun me.”
But wow. He was impressed.
Victoria was grateful. “Oh, Nicholas, you’re intent on keeping me young, aren’t you? Anyway, why don’t you go and say hello?” She gestured toward the guesthouse. “She doesn’t know many people in town yet. She’s probably getting lonely.”
Nick was skeptical. He found it hard to believe that Courtney could be lonely. She’d been so outgoing and sure of herself.
“Oh, go on! She’s just about your age, isn’t she?”
Although Nick had gone so far as to ask Courtney out the other day, since then, he almost wished he had never asked.
He scrubbed a hand across his jaw. First of all, he would only be setting himself up for heartbreak. All the warning bells had gone off inside his head. She could do a number on him if he let her in. It would just be easier not to.
But if he did, and something more developed between them, his second reason was even more important. Courtney would only be here through the first of next year. The fall season, Christmas, New Year’s Eve—then she’d be gone.
After Sam left, Kira said her boss would only agree to hire new writers on short-term contracts. Sam had been a full-time employee, like Kira. But Beecham didn’t want to get burned again and risk someone quitting so soon, so he’d hired Courtney for a short-term contract position, seven months in her case. She’d have to be offered a new contract at the end of the term, if she even wanted to stay by then, and who knew if that would happen?
Courtney didn’t seem like the type of woman that he could have a casual fling with. And most people couldn’t hack the winters this far north, either. He couldn’t count on her staying.
Ash reappeared from the other end of the porch and leaped up onto the sofa next to Nick, then promptly settled in for a rest on his lap. “Whoa there, boy.” Nick rearranged him so he wouldn’t fall and started scratching behind his ears.
“Now Ash, that’s very bold of you,” Victoria scolded gently. “One thing that animal is not is shy.”
“You’ve got that right.” Nick laughed and went on petting the cat.
He hadn’t been able to get Courtney off his mind all weekend. If he weren’t lying to himself, or to Victoria, he’d admit that he even hoped to run into Courtney today. He’d have played it off as a coincidence, but it wouldn’t have been one.
“So are you going to say hello?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I only met her once. I don’t want to bother her at home.”
“Oh, Nicholas, don’t be silly. Go and knock on her door. That girl could use a friend. Come to think of it, I’ll bet you could use a friend, too. When was the last time you mentioned any pretty young ladies? You’re beginning to worry me. Your grandmother wouldn’t have wanted to see you end up a bachelor. You’re no spring chicken anymore, young man.”
Nick laughed again. He hadn’t dated anyone, at least not seriously, in over a year.
He leaned back in his seat. He was getting choosier. Victoria was right about that.
“Since when did you become a matchmaker, Mrs. Brady?” he joked, trying to ignore the uneasy churn of his stomach. Nick rearranged himself on the spacious patio sofa with the cat sprawled across him.
The older Nick became, the more he found himself attracted only to women with whom he could imagine some sort of future. The type he could have a good conversation with—genuine, smart, witty. Women with whom he had a lot of things in common. Women who could hold their own, on multiple levels.
Maybe he was getting too picky, but he couldn’t help it. He knew his type.
He didn’t like needy or melodramatic or helpless. And he didn’t like superficial. Unfortunately, those kinds of women were all too easy to find.
The problem was, the kind of women he considered his type didn’t usually waste their time on guys who rolled up their lofty career goals and sent them barreling out the window. Or guys who seemingly preferred riding bicycles to climbing the social, professional, and economic ladder.
It seemed his choice to leave the field of medicine made him look twice as bad to women as if he’d never been in med school at all.
His ex-girlfriend, Regina had shown him that. They’d dated for two years. She was an M.B.A. student, and she had mapped out an ambitious future for them together. Two high-powered careers, an expensive house on the pricier side of town. A couple of kids, a nanny. He had been blindly in love with her and gone along with it.
But when he dropped out of school, it took her less than a month before she completely lost all faith in him.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” she’d said. “You and I, we had plans. We knew where we were going. And I still want all that, Nick. I still want it.” Long pause. “Even if you don’t.”
It still made him wince just thinking about it.
“So, if you’re going to take the easy way out, I’m sorry, but we can’t be together. I’ll find someone else who wants those things.”
With one soft kiss, she told him goodbye and sashayed out of his life forever.
Nick sighed heavily.
It seemed these days, unfortunately, women of his type now seemed, more or less, out of his league. If he got involved with someone he was truly interested in, sooner or later, she’d find out about his choice to drop out of med school and give him that look—loser, damaged goods, man-child, not worth it.
The “call me if you ever get your life together” look. He’d seen it twice since Regina, over casual dinner conversation. There had never been a second date with either of those women.
So he’d taken to dating only casually— women he wasn’t interested in for the long haul. It may have felt a bit pointless, but it was a heck of a lot easier than setting himself up for rejection. And he never brought those women over to meet Victoria.
So Victoria was right—he hadn’t mentioned anyone in a long time because there hadn’t been anyone worth mentioning.
Nick and Victoria turned and gazed at the vast, deep-blue expanse of the lake over the horizon, both lost in thought.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Victoria. I’ve got lots of friends. Lady friends, too.” He grinned, hoping to convince her.
Victoria crooked a finger at him. “Don’t lie to me, sweetheart.”
Nick laughed.
He and Tom had done a fifty-mile bike ride this weekend, crisscrossing the peninsula. Nick thought it would take his mind off of Courtney, but it had done the opposite. He’d had way too much time to think.
Tom had accused Nick of being weird yesterday—too quiet, too brooding, even more than usual, as Tom put it. When they’d stopped for a cold one in town after the ride, Tom had pried it out of him. Nick finally explained his dilemma, in as few details as possible.
“I knew this had something to do with a girl.” Tom looked victorious even before Nick had finished his beer. “From the minute you didn’t say a word.”
Nick was generally not extremely talkative around most people, but Tom always knew something was up when Nick was quiet even around him.
“Is that right?” Nick had asked.
“That is right,” Tom had said, throwing a dart at the target. “So, ask her out. You never know—you might get to know her and change your mind. She might not be your speed, or she might just be a headache. It’s worth finding out before you beat yourself
up over it, if you ask me.”
Nick had laughed. “But I didn’t ask you.”
Tom slapped him on the back. “Sure, you didn’t, buddy.”
Another swig and they’d finished their game of darts and retreated to the baseball game on the bar’s flat screen.
Nick sat up in his seat and scanned Victoria’s property, then turned the conversation to the state of her beloved pink hydrangeas in front of the porch.
“Yes, my gardener is doing a wonderful job with them this year. Thank you for noticing.”
Nick allowed his thoughts to turn back to Courtney. Tom was usually pretty smart about these things. But he was way off on this one. Because the only problem with Courtney—she was exactly Nick’s type.
She was the whole package—smart, funny, easy to talk to, a girl next door. But she was also smoking hot.
It would only be a matter of time until he saw the same look on her face.
He knew it.
Victoria broke the silence, one eyebrow raised. “Fine, Nickie. You don’t have to stop in and visit her for your sake. But do it for hers. That no-nonsense photographer she mentioned sounds delightful, but she and I can’t be her only friends all summer. Young girl like that—she needs a nice young man to show her around town, like you.”
Nick chuckled, his focus on the lawn. At least that meant Kira was behaving. But Victoria kept a steady eye on him. She wasn’t going to let it go, was she?
He sat up and Ash stretched then jumped off of his lap. “Okay. Fine. You’ve got me. I’ll go see if she’s home.”
Victoria grinned triumphantly. “Now, that’s my boy.” She took hold of the arm of the chair and started to pull herself out. Nick jumped up to lend a hand.
“Thank you for stopping by. You take care now, dear. Come again, soon. And tell your big brother and that flashy father of yours that I said hello. And your mother!”
Although they hadn’t been to see her in quite some time, the rest of the Binghams regularly kept in touch with Victoria, since she’d been such a good friend to Nick’s grandparents.
“You’ve got it, Victoria. I will. You too. Bye, now.” Nick gave Victoria a peck on the cheek and helped her back inside the house. He heard her lock the door and he started down the stairs.
A few moments later, Nick shook his head and laughed when she reappeared at the living room window, where she waved but stayed put. Apparently, she was going to make sure he didn’t leave without knocking on Courtney’s door.
Nick returned a wave and frowned, wrinkling up his face.
Victoria was from a generation that found it perfectly acceptable to show up at someone’s door out of the blue. But he was not. Courtney would probably think she had a stalker. He didn’t even have her number so he could text her.
Apparently, Victoria and Courtney had become friends, which was great. But that meant Victoria would probably tell Courtney if Nick had hightailed it out of there without saying hello. Then he’d look like an idiot. Or rude. Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Just go do it.
He marched past his sporty black Jeep in the driveway and headed toward the cottage.
At the entrance, he hesitated then tapped a fist at the white metal paneling on the screen door.
No answer. He glanced back at the driveway. Her car was still there. Maybe she was busy—or sleeping?
He turned to leave. At least he’d tried.
Just then a voice called out from a distance. “Hey, stranger!”
Nick turned.
Was it?
Courtney. It was.
She’d been out. Jogging.
Okay, he hadn’t thought of that.
Nick’s cheeks burned and his heart skipped a beat. “Hey, there!”
Courtney slowed as she reached him. A soft breeze blew in from the lake, cooling off the evening air, and Nick stretched out his shoulders, trying to relax.
She was smiling.
She looked good. Black yoga pants and a peach tank top. High ponytail. Athletic. A little sweaty. Gorgeous. Chill out, dude.
She reached up to wipe the sweat from her brow. “So, what brings you here?” she said, catching her breath.
“I—uh, I stopped in to see Victoria.” He motioned to the house. The old woman waved from the window and they both waved back. A moment later, the curtains closed and Victoria was gone.
“Oh.” Courtney glanced at the window and then off into the distance.
Shoot. That hadn’t come out right.
“Yeah, I didn’t get into it before, but I actually come to visit her every couple weeks, make sure she’s doing okay.”
“Oh, how nice of you.”
“But actually, I saw your car, so I thought I’d knock on your door, see if you were around.” He motioned to the door. “No answer. I figured you were busy.” He shot a look at the trail she’d just taken. “And now I can see you were out for a run.”
“Yeah. I just ran down to the docks. Nice night for it. Oh, and I saw your shop.”
“Oh, you did?”
Had she been looking for him, too? Nick fiddled with his keys.
“I must’ve just missed you. We close a little early for another week, before it starts getting really busy.”
“Ah.” Courtney wiped her brow with her forearm.
Awkward silence.
He switched his weight from one foot to the other. “So Victoria says you two hit it off.”
“Yeah! I like her. She’s very sweet.”
This was not going how he’d hoped. It probably sounded like he hadn’t meant to run into Courtney at all, when, in fact, he couldn’t stop thinking about her all weekend, as much as he’d tried not to. Still, he’d already thought this through. It wasn’t going to work.
Courtney lifted a foot behind her, grabbed hold of it, and began to stretch. “Great weather this weekend, eh?” She dropped her leg to the ground.
His head was telling him stop but the rest of him was telling him go.
Get over yourself, dude. It was now or never. Enough small talk. Ask her. He cleared his throat.
Nine
“This is going to sound strange, but I have a favor to ask.” Courtney blurted it out before Nick could open his mouth and not ask her out again.
“Oh, yeah?” Nick said, hesitating. “Sure.”
“I have to write another story this week for the blog. It’s about a farm that’s supposedly somewhere nearby. I can’t think of the name right now, but it has all kinds of baby animals, and it’s open to the public. Have you heard of it?”
It was a unique attraction that brought in thousands of tourists each summer. Baby goats, piglets, fluffy yellow chicks, and more, Courtney had read. To Courtney it sounded like heaven. She’d rather not go alone.
“Oh, yeah, The Farmstead? It’s popular with the tourists. It’s just a few miles east.”
“Yeah, that’s it. Have you ever been there?”
“No. I haven’t.”
Well, this was awkward. “Oh. Uh…”
Nick ran a hand across the back of his neck a few times. “Doesn’t Kira have to go with you?”
“No, she and Sam went a few weeks ago. But I have to write the story.”
Kira had already done the shots and compiled her video. Sam had done a post on the same farm last summer, but with Courtney coming in to replace him, Beecham thought it would be nice to have a fresh perspective on the place. He’d told Sam to hold off and let the new girl write it.
Kira also had to visit fifteen more hotel properties this week for photos. She didn’t have the time to join Courtney.
Nick nodded.
He can’t take a hint, can he? She’d better open the door a little wider.
“So, I was just looking for someone to go with me. I’m supposed to immerse myself in these little outings as a traveler—not just ask questions of the owner. And I’d have an easier time writing about it from the authentic visitor’s point of view if I went with someone, because I doubt most tourists go there alone.”
“Oh. That makes sense.” A little grin cropped up on the side of his mouth. “Oh, so you’re asking me to go there with you?”
Bingo.
“Uh, well, yeah, if you have some time this week? I have to turn in the story by Friday.”
Courtney held her breath.
“I’m actually off this Wednesday. Would that work?”
It wasn’t like Courtney to ask a guy out. But this wasn’t a date. Tell that to the butterflies throwing a rager in her stomach.
She threw her mini backpack over her shoulders, stuck a hand in the back pocket of her denim short shorts, and leaned against the trunk of her Camry. Nick would be there any minute.
But again, it wasn’t a date, she reminded herself. She had an assignment, and he could help her complete it. What she’d told him was true. She did need to visit The Farmstead like a typical tourist would. She could’ve done it on her own, but they didn’t want the solo traveler’s perspective for a family destination like this.
Courtney looked around. A long red barn lined the front of the parking lot. Historical cabins and a woodshed flanked it on the left. She could see horse stables and what looked like a vegetable garden from a distance. A sign near the road read “The Farmstead: A Living Museum of Rural America.”
The farm was located in the agriculturally rich interior of the Door County peninsula. On the way here, she’d passed orchards and vineyards. It was a beautiful drive. And The Farmstead seemed to be thriving.
She realized she didn’t know what kind of car Nick drove then turned as a shiny black Jeep pulled into the farm’s parking lot. Nick was at the wheel.
Wow, he looked good in a Jeep.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Courtney said, trying not to swoon as he walked up. Boy, if he didn’t rock a pair of jeans and a blue shirt, too. The slip-on sneakers were a nice touch.
“Doing great. How about you?”
Oh, that smile. She was officially in trouble.
A tall, old-fashioned windmill stood in the center of the large barnyard. Courtney squinted and gazed up at it. The late morning sun was warm, and the sky a cloudless, bright blue.
One Sweet Day I Found You: A Sweet Romance Book 1 Page 6