One Sweet Day I Found You: A Sweet Romance Book 1

by Jillian Walsh

  Nick’s brow shot up again. This was also new.

  “He pulled some strings and arranged for you to get back into the program at UC. Finish your last two years. You can start this summer—redo the last two classes you got the low grades in. You did a voluntary dropout, so you’d just be on academic probation the first semester in the fall.”

  Nick scoffed. “What? Why would he go and do a thing like that? I’m not going back. And I didn’t ask for any favors.”

  Kenny shot him a look. “Come on, man. Most people don’t get this kind of second chance. Why not?”

  Nick sighed, irritated, and walked behind the counter. Was he for real? “Okay. So is that all you wanted to talk to me about?”

  Kenny stared at him for a beat. “No, that’s not all. Mom wants you back, too. She’s been kind of a mess lately. Wants you to figure out what the heck you’re gonna do with the rest of your life. She’s always calling me, getting on my back about you. I can hardly take it anymore.”

  “Why doesn’t she call me, then?” Nick demanded.

  “I don’t know. I’ve asked her that. Whatever the reason, there are only two of us.” He wiggled a finger at Nick. “I can’t keep her happy on my own. I’ve tried.”

  Nick gazed at him, thinking.

  “Although, having Gloria around helps. They love her.” Kenny lightened for a second. “Anyway, why don’t you just think about it? Chicago has an outdoor scene, too, if that’s what you’re looking for now. You know it. You loved it down there. You can still get your cycling on.”

  Nick shrugged again. He did miss certain things about his old stomping grounds.

  Truth be told, he didn’t want to upset his mother. He’d already done that enough this year.

  Thanksgiving had been awkward and Christmas had been worse. He’d had enough of walking around on pins and needles.

  He hadn’t even gone home by the time Easter came around.

  It was his own fault, though. Or, was it—really? Couldn’t his parents just be happy for him, be proud that they’d raised their son with a backbone? Allow him to live farther than a stone’s throw away for a while? He was a grown man. He could move away and start over elsewhere if he wanted to.

  If only they saw it that way.

  But maybe Kenny was right. Maybe if his parents could see that he was happy, they’d finally believe him when he said he knew what he wanted. Maybe it was time he showed them just how fine he was doing. Maybe Nick should think about going back. Not to med school, just to Chicago.

  Kenny interrupted his thoughts. “You know, life’s totally crazy at times at the hospital, but the money—it’s going to be good. Really good. It’s exciting, too. Crazy, but exciting. Maybe taking a year off—well, maybe you’re ready now? I mean—some things deserve a second chance, right?”

  Nick kept his eyes on his big brother and pursed his lips. “It’s not about the money, Ken.”

  Kenny glanced around the shop at the canoe paddles against one wall and the backpacks lined up on the other. “You don’t want to be doing this forever, though, do you? You’re just wasting time here, man. You’re going to wake up one day, years from now, and ask yourself what were you thinking, when all your old friends have gone on to build rewarding careers. And then it’s going to be too late. Even the search-and-rescue thing—it’s only volunteer work. You could be doing so much more.”

  Nick squared his shoulders and fixed his gaze on his brother. “Nice try, bro.” Kenny’s face fell and Nick glanced at the door. “Gloria’s waiting. You don’t want to miss the ferry.”

  Kenny didn’t move.

  Nick sighed again. “Ken, I like my job. I like it here. And maybe I’ll work real hard and become a superstar like you and Dad someday, but don’t hold your breath.”

  Kenny shook his head. “I’m not kidding around. Nick…It’s been—long enough. Another summer here—seriously? This whole running away thing—you’re getting too old for it.”

  Nick straightened his shoulders and huffed. “Figures you’d call it that. You can’t stand the idea that your brother sells bicycle helmets for a living, can you? You can’t just let me be. You’re as bad as they are.”

  “No.” Kenny stared. “No, Nick. It’s not like that.”

  “Oh, I think it is.” Nick straightened a stack of paperwork on the counter nervously and finally met his brother’s gaze.

  Kenny still didn’t move.

  Nick detected a hint of sadness in his brother’s eyes.

  “We just want you back, man. Whatever that looks like.” He reached across the counter and put a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Just think about it.”

  Then he turned and walked out.

  Eleven

  The sun was setting as Courtney turned her attention to the cast of characters on the sidewalk. “Don’t you love to people watch? It’s one of my favorite pastimes.”

  She took a sip from her glass of Pinot Gris and watched as a couple of kids sped by on scooters outside the roped-off patio. It was still the first week of June but already the mood at the The Hideout was lively.

  Nick sat opposite Courtney at an outdoor table facing Heritage Bay’s charming Main Street. “You’re in the right place, then.”

  A family with three small children and their Labrador retriever passed by on the sidewalk. A young couple holding hands came next, and a group of women in colorful scarves and bracelets, lost in spirited conversation, jingled past.

  Courtney turned her attention back to Nick. “So, I’ve told you all about me and how I ended up here, but I hardly know anything about you.”

  She pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. “Other than your farm animal vocabulary and your keen ability to keep a person afloat on the lake.”

  Nick grinned. “Which is an exceptionally important ability. And a very useful vocabulary.”

  “True, that.” Courtney grinned and sipped her drink again.

  “Well, so, I work at the shop. Been there a year. I lead tours when I can—favorite part about it. Oh, and I already told you that my grandparents were from Heritage Bay, so I spent a lot of time here as a kid. What else do you want to know?”

  “Well, what brought you to Wisconsin? You went to school in Chicago, right?”

  “Yeah, University of Chicago. I love that area. I’m from the suburbs outside Chicago. But I needed something different for a while. A change of scenery.”

  “I totally get that.”

  He told her how he took the job at the shop on a whim after he finished a two-week bike ride early last summer with a friend.

  “Okay, well I totally get that, too. I’ve done a few impulsive things, myself.”

  They talked more about Chicago, discussing the nightlife, their favorite sports teams, the restaurants, and their favorite outdoor spots in and around the city.

  “So, what’ a big-city girl doing in a place like this, then?”

  “I’m not just a city girl.”

  “I know. I saw that the other day. You didn’t even flinch when those chickens pecked at your hands.”

  Courtney laughed and leaned forward on her elbows.

  “My sister, Morgan, lives in Green Bay and when I found the job nearby I just thought I’d give it a shot. Plus, it’s only a few hours from home. Seemed like a good place to try next. How’d you find your place? Wait, I don’t where you live. Do you have an apartment?”

  “Yeah, an apartment and a roommate.” Nick smiled. “When I decided to take the job and move up here, I met Tom through a guy who works at the shop. He said he was looking for a roommate. The rest is history. You like to move around a lot, don’t you?” He took a bite of his pizza.

  “I don’t know. I feel like, well—like there are more places in the world than there is time to see them all, right? So, you have to take every opportunity you can, or you’re going to miss your chance.”

  Nick looked thoughtful and took a swig of his beer. He leaned back and stretched his shoulders.

  Courtney went o
n. “But then, it’s hard to spend very long in one place because new places are always calling. Maybe that’s why I started writing about travel. I can sort of get the wanderlust out of my system without actually going to all of those places. Even if it’s just a story about the best seat on an airplane.”

  “Who says you can’t go see them all? You never know.” Nick sat forward again. “Especially if you can write an article about ’em. That’s what tax write-offs were made for, right?” He grinned.

  “Well, sure, but it still costs a lot of money to fund the trips. My stories don’t pay that well.”

  “Yet.” Nick smiled.

  “All right—yet.” Courtney lifted her glass. “Cheers to that.”

  Nick lifted his pint glass of beer and clinked it against Courtney’s wineglass. “Cheers.”

  Courtney smiled. Nick was easy to talk to. And he seemed like he really got it. Guys like that were rare.

  It was just that he seemed a lot more comfortable talking about her than about himself.

  “So, tell me, what else do you do when you’re not working? What makes Nick Bingham’s week fly by?” Courtney uncrossed her leg and crossed the other one. “Because if it’s high-definition video games all weekend long, I would like to know as soon as possible, please.” She grinned.

  Nick laughed. “Oh, no, nothing like that. Although I have been known to spend a rainy day here and there on the screen with my stock cars in Daytona.”

  “Okay. Good to know.” She grinned. “So, what else?”

  “Oh, I don’t think I mentioned it yet, but I work in search-and-rescue for the county’s emergency medical services.”

  Courtney’s expression changed from amused to amazed. “What? So, like, you run around saving lives? And you have two jobs?”

  The guy was full of surprises.

  Nick cracked up. “Well, I don’t run around. But yeah, something like that.”

  Courtney laughed at the image.

  “And no, it’s a voluntary position.”

  “Wow. Still. It’s a job.” Courtney stared. “So, do you drive the ambulance, too?”

  He laughed. “No, I’m not in the ambulance either. The units each have a full-time staff for that. I mostly do the wilderness rescues—places an ambulance can’t go.”

  Courtney rested her chin in her hand and allowed her elbow to rest on the table. “Right.”

  He scrubbed a hand across his cheek. “They need someone to ride a bike or a snowmobile into the wild and rescue the poor suckers who get themselves into trouble. We bring ’em out so they can haul ’em off in the ambulance. It’s usually tourists, but not always.”

  Courtney sat back. “Wow. So what if they’re really in trouble out in the wild? Who does the lifesaving procedure?”

  Nick cleared his throat and looked away for a second. “We do most of that. But it’s not always a medical emergency. Often, it’s someone who got lost or did something careless and needs help. Stuff like that.”

  He seemed to be downplaying it, but Courtney thought it was pretty hard-core.

  She nodded along. “So, how often do you get called out?”

  “About once a week, sometimes less. More, in the summer. And sometimes it’s out on the lake, not the woods.”

  “Really? That is so cool.”

  Her glance fell on Nick’s chest and she imagined his muscular arms carrying helpless victims out of the woods on a stretcher.

  Courtney caught herself and turned her attention to her slice of pizza. She took a big bite.

  “I usually go out on calls with my roommate, Tom. I’m sure you’ll meet him at some point. He helps manage the apartment complex that we live in. Good guy.”

  “I’d like that. So, you must’ve gone through some medical training?”

  Nick cleared his throat again. “Yeah. A little bit. But EMT’s not that big a deal.”

  He sat back and Courtney smiled again, studying him. “Sure, it’s not.” She raised an eyebrow.

  Nick was so modest. How did the guy live a superhero kind of life and act like it was an everyday, run-of-the-mill kind of thing?

  “It’s not as hard as it sounds. And it gets me out of the shop, sometimes, to go ride my bicycle. What’s not to like?”

  Courtney laughed. “Uh, that’s above and beyond the call of duty. Most guys want to ride their bicycles for fun. You’re riding it for…well, not fun.”

  “Fun, not fun—still a bicycle. But it’s no big deal. Really.”

  Courtney lifted her wineglass again. “Yes, it is. Your turn—cheers. To search-and-rescue teams and first responders.”

  Nick clinked his beer glass with hers again graciously. His cheeks turned pink. Their eyes locked and Nick reached out to rest his hand on Courtney’s.

  She flipped her hand over and gave his a gentle squeeze.

  Nick’s smile was infectious. Courtney leaned. It wasn’t just the wine talking. This guy was really something. She locked her eyes on him.

  This was the first time anyone had really grabbed her attention in a long time. Like, eight months’ time.

  Since Austin.

  Stop it, Courtney. How could Austin be on her mind right now? Nick couldn’t be more different from him. Sure, Austin had his charm and his ambition. She admired him for that. But the moral ground under Austin had been shaky. She could never trust him again.

  As if she’d ever get the chance.

  And Nick. Nick was just so, well—he just seemed to function on a whole different level. A higher level.

  Courtney gazed into Nick’s eyes. Could he be trusted? She wondered.

  She felt guilty for a second for even comparing him to Austin. So not cool.

  She snapped out of her thoughts. “You’re really something, Nick.”

  Nick seemed to squirm in his seat. He took another swig of the beer and laughed. “Nah.”

  Maybe she ought to tone it down.

  The sky had grown darker. Courtney and Nick looked up as the waitress came to the table and dropped off a flickering candle and left.

  Nick finally lost his pinkish glow and sat back again. He flashed a grin. “Wow, someone looks good by candlelight.”

  Courtney raised a brow. She flipped back her hair and rested her chin on her other wrist, gazing back.

  So.

  Did.

  He.

  Nick put his Jeep in park and opened the car door for Courtney. Stars shone brightly in the night sky. He took her hand and walked her to the front door.

  Under the dim porch light, Courtney turned and gazed up at him. “Thanks, Nick. I had a great time.”

  He grabbed her other hand in his and pulled her closer. “So did I. Thanks for coming out tonight.”

  Gosh, she was pretty.

  “Wouldn’t have missed it.” Courtney dropped Nick’s hands and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his chest.

  He pulled her in tight and a tingling sensation ran down his spine.

  He wasn’t usually all in so quickly when it came to girls. Then again, he’d never met someone like Courtney.

  He couldn’t get enough of her.

  Yet, he hadn’t told her everything about himself, and she’d given him several chances to tonight. He’d just been vague.

  But why ruin it? It seemed she liked what she saw in him, so far. Would she think he was such a great catch when she heard he’d buckled under pressure and now barely spoke to two of his three family members?

  He didn’t want to start down that path yet. It could wait.

  In the meantime, he’d better dial it back. He didn’t want to get too attached if she was just going to turn out like the other women he’d fallen for.

  But he wanted to kiss her. He really wanted to. Still, he knew where that would lead. It would just make him want her more.

  Nick pulled back from Courtney and looked down at her. Her eyes were full of tenderness.

  He couldn’t help himself. “Can I see you again?”

  “Absolutely
,” she answered quietly, gazing up at him.

  “Good.”

  He had to get out of there. Before this went any further. But he couldn’t—yet.

  He reached out and gently put his arm around her neck, pulled her close, then placed a kiss softly on the top of her head.

  Courtney put her head back on his chest and Nick rested his chin on her head. He was in trouble. Big trouble.

  Nick pulled back and looked her in the eye. “I’ll call you. Soon.”

  “Okay.” Courtney let her arms fall to her side, then pulled her jacket around her more tightly. She reached inside the pocket for her keys.

  She opened the door and turned back to face him. “All right, well thanks again, Nick. Have a good night.”

  “You too. Sweet dreams.” Nick started back toward the car and Courtney shut the door.

  Nick jumped back into his Jeep and headed out the driveway then turned onto the main road.

  He couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night, really. They’d talked and laughed. Exchanged a few funny stories. Mentioned their families—well, a little.

  He thought about his conversation with Kenny today. All afternoon he’d considered moving back to Chicago. He wasn’t going back to med school, but he still had his certification as a paramedic in the state of Illinois. He’d only have to renew it. Those jobs were usually paid positions in the cities.

  Or, he could get a job doing the outdoor thing, outside the city. Or maybe both. Finally make his parents happy—or, less unhappy—with him. Maybe, really get his life back on track, on his terms.

  He shook his head softly. But he couldn’t just ditch the shop, bail on the guys. They’d need another tour guide. The summer was booked out for almost four months already, past Labor Day and into late September.

  And the search-and-rescue emergency response crew—he had to think about them too. The busy season was right around the bend. He didn’t want to shorthand them.

  And now.

  Courtney.

  He hadn’t gone looking for her. But here she was, filling his thoughts: the perfect girl.