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

by Jillian Walsh

  “So, do you have any regrets about it? Wish you could go back and change the past? Or are you happy with your decision?”

  “Hmm.” He tilted his head, staring at her as if he hadn’t often heard the question.

  Courtney waited, gazing at him intently.

  Nick finally spoke. “You know, I’m happy with it. I never really wanted what my dad has. I tried. I really tried to do it—for his sake—but I can’t keep up with that kind of pace, that kind of pressure. I mean—I love saving lives, bringing people to safety, and getting them to the next level of treatment.” He looked thoughtful then went on. “Seriously, it’s something that makes me feel alive. But, if working in medicine means I have to deal with all that stress—and, of course, to be a doctor, it does—then I don’t want it. I can’t hack it.”

  He sat back and took a gulp from his water glass. Courtney let him go on.

  “I didn’t want it enough then. And I don’t want it at all now. I’ve seen what life is like without all the pressure, and I’d much rather live my life the way I am, now. What I’m doing now—well, let’s just say I feel like I can breathe. I didn’t feel that way in med school. Felt like I was drowning.”

  Courtney sat back. He had impressed her again, by the fact that he knew himself well enough to make such a choice. Not to mention the fact that he was brave enough to go against the wishes of his family. She gazed at him. He wore the expression of someone who’d just laid it all on the line.

  Her heart was beginning to ache for this guy. She wanted to throw her arms around him and hold him, right here and now. But that wouldn’t be appropriate, given the setting. Instead, she asked another question. “So, what happened after you left? How’d you find yourself here?”

  Nick laughed again, this time more cynically. “Right? Well, I was kind of a mess when I first dropped out. Lot of things happened that I didn’t see coming.” He paused a moment. “Went through a breakup with a longtime girlfriend. Her name was Regina. We had big plans, but she dumped me when she found out. Anyway, it was for the best—I know that now. She only wanted to marry Doctor Nick.” He cast his gaze away from Courtney momentarily.

  She nodded at his attempt to make light of it. The story sounded similar to her past with Austin—two people who’d grown in very different directions. Now she realized why his dropping out had been so difficult to share, but she didn’t want to push him. She ought to tell Nick about Austin, too, but right now wasn’t the time. This was about Nick.

  He went on. “I had to get out—just, away. Anywhere. Forget about everything for a while. So I took off. Rode my bicycle around until I ended up in Heritage. Decided to stay on and just see how things went.”

  “I totally get that. I went through the same sort of thing. It’s how I ended up in Australia. Sometimes, it’s the best thing you can do. Gives you a whole new perspective.” Courtney took a sip of her wine. He seemed glad she could relate. She went on. “So, do you feel like you’re over all that now? How have things gone?”

  Nick didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, actually, I do. And I’d never trade the life I’ve had since then. I’m happy here.” He locked his eyes on her. “Really happy.”

  Courtney’s expression softened. She reached out and offered her hand and he took it. He half-stood and gave her a quick kiss across the table.

  Nick sat back down and picked up his fork. “So, are you hungry?”

  “Starving.” Courtney was glad they’d talked. She slid her plate in front of her and they started in on the salads.

  In a little while, the waiter came by, took their plates, and refilled their water glasses. Nick sat forward. “So, can I ask you something, too?”

  “Sure. Anything.” She wiped her mouth and sat back. “What is it?”

  He looked like he was measuring every word. “Okay, so, does it bother you that I dropped out of med school? That I’m never going to be a doctor? That you aren’t sitting across the table from someone like that right now?”

  Courtney gave a tilt of her head. “Someone like what?”

  Nick didn’t say anything, just shrugged as if to play it down.

  Courtney asked a question. “Like a guy who knows the difference between what he wants and what he doesn’t?”

  Nick considered this.

  She took both of his hands in hers. “I think that’s the only kind of guy I’d like to be sitting across the table from right now.”

  Nick studied her, gripping her hands tightly.

  Then Courtney grinned, hoping to lighten the mood. “Otherwise, one of us is bound to be pretty miserable. Am I right?”

  He laughed.

  “Did you seriously think it would bother me?”

  He shrugged again. “I mean—I’ve gotten that kind of response before. Most people just see it as quitting, and that’s enough to change their opinion of me.”

  “Well, that’s just not cool.” Courtney pursed her lips. “Honestly, Nick, it doesn’t bother me at all. I think it was brave. We’re not here to live out someone else’s dream for us. We need to make our own way in life. It takes guts to swim against the tide.”

  He stretched his shoulders, leaning against the booth, and gazed at her.

  “I admire you more, if I’m being honest,” she said. “And I appreciate you telling me.”

  Nick took a deep breath and let it out then leaned across the table for another quick kiss. He gave her a slightly baffled look. “Where did you come from, Courtney Price? And how did I get lucky enough to find you?” He sat back down, not taking his eyes off of her.

  Slivers of moonlight danced on soft black waves as Nick led Courtney down the resort’s flowering garden path toward the waterfront. He put his arm around her and they enjoyed an after-dinner stroll among the hollyhocks and hibiscus. A cool breeze blew softly and a faint light shone from the hotel buildings.

  Reaching a gazebo surrounded by leafy, shade-loving hosta and fine-textured ferns, they stopped for a view of the lake. Courtney squeezed Nick with the arm that circled his waist.

  “Well, Nick Bingham, this has been the absolute, most perfect day. Ever.”

  “Ever?” Nick grinned. He thought so, too. “So I knocked it out of the park, then?” He turned to face her and put his arms around her shoulders, then pulled her in close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his broad chest.

  “You sure did.”

  This day was one for the books. “I’m glad you liked it. I did, too.” He leaned into her, inhaling the soft, floral fragrance of her long hair. He felt her warmth as she reached up and clasped her hands together behind his neck.

  Nick had told her his story, the whole thing, and Courtney hadn’t shown any sign of the disappointment he’d feared. That look he dreaded—it just wasn’t there. In fact, she seemed to see the man he wanted people to see—not the loser that Regina saw, not the failure that his father saw. She saw the old Nick—happy, fulfilled, still just figuring things out with his life.

  Courtney seemed to understand him, and what’s more, she seemed to believe in him.

  He gazed into her eyes. A rush of emotion came over him and he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

  She kissed him back and he felt the heat on the back of his neck. He kissed her again, with fervent motion—raw and unrestrained.

  He wanted to hold onto this girl—with all his heart. More than anything.

  Fifteen

  “Welcome to Nick’s house!” Tom said with exaggerated enthusiasm. He held the door wide for Courtney.

  “Thanks!” She laughed and stepped into the comfortable second-floor unit.

  It was Friday night and the first time she was visiting Nick’s apartment. Also, the first time meeting his roommate.

  Tom stuck out a hand to shake. “Hi. I’m Tom.”

  Courtney shook amiably. “Courtney. Nice to meet you.”

  Courtney stepped inside and looked around. The place definitely screamed bachelor pad, with sports memorabilia on the
walls and bicycles leaning against them, a wide-screen TV, and mismatched living room furniture, but it was neat and tidy and altogether cozy.

  Nick came over from the living room in sweats and a T-shirt. “Don’t mind him. He thinks he owns the place. Come on in.” He gave her a hug.

  “Well, no, I don’t own the place, but I do manage the place.” Tom said with feigned pretentiousness. Tom was one of two assistant managers for their sprawling apartment and condominium complex, but he wasn’t one to take himself too seriously.

  “So I’ve heard.” Courtney grinned.

  Tom dropped the act for a second. “No, seriously, Nick’s told me all about you, Courtney. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “Likewise,” Courtney said politely.

  “Actually, I feel like I already know everything about you. Nick never stops singing your praises.”

  Courtney laughed and Nick turned pink.

  “Stop it already, dude. You’re gonna scare her away.”

  Tom spoke to Courtney. “All right, well, we both know that isn’t true. Nick doesn’t talk that much.” Tom pulled up a barstool for her at the kitchen counter and Nick slid into the seat next to her. “She has to pass the roommate approval test. Stand down, Nick.”

  Nick laughed again. “Sorry, Courtney. I didn’t know he was gonna get like this.” Nick was still blushing.

  Tom had perfect timing. “Yes, you did,” he said.

  Courtney laughed and shook her head as Nick cringed. She was enjoying this.

  Tom walked around the kitchen counter and pulled some sodas out of the fridge then passed them around. He turned back to Courtney and dropped the act again. “So, Nick says you just moved to the area? Where ya from?”

  “Yeah, I did. I’m actually from Madison. How about you?”

  “Sheboygan,” Tom said. “Try sayin’ that one with a straight face.”

  Courtney cracked up again. So did Nick.

  Tom went on to ask more questions, and Courtney told him all about her trip, her two years in Chicago, and her new job in Door County. Nick listened and they both asked questions with interest.

  Tom was good at keeping a conversation moving. He was the entertaining, comical, life-of-the-party complement to Nick’s more calculated and deliberate approach.

  She asked about him and he told her about his job and that he lived year-round in Heritage Bay now. That he’d earned his EMT license in Milwaukee several years ago, then popped up to Door just for the summer two years ago and never left. “I’m trying to talk Nick into becoming a ‘lifer, too. Maybe you can work on him.”

  Nick smiled and shook his head. “Don’t encourage him.”

  After a few more laughs, the three of them made popcorn and kicked back in the living room with a movie.

  Tom went to bed after the movie. “Goodnight, kids. Great to meet you, Courtney.”

  Nick and Courtney said goodnight and stayed on the couch, cuddled up with a blanket, Nick’s arm around her.

  “So, what do you think of him?” Nick asked quietly.

  “He’s fun. I like him a lot. You guys must have a good time together.”

  “Yeah, he’s a good guy. Solid.” Nick grinned. “I’m glad you like him. I can tell he likes you a lot, too.”

  “Oh yeah?” She gazed at Nick and he sat up and took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. She skimmed her fingertips along his jawline.

  “Yeah, for sure. Anyway, how couldn’t he? How could anyone not like you?” Nick kissed her softly. Courtney smiled and kissed him back.

  They caught up on how each of their days had gone and soon, Courtney got up to leave. Nick walked her to her car and gave her another long parting kiss. “So I’ll see you Tuesday, right?”

  “Tuesday.” Courtney climbed into the car. She glanced at him in the rearview mirror as she drove out of the parking lot. He was waving. Her heart melted. She couldn’t have stopped smiling if she wanted to.

  Courtney tightened the laces on her lightweight gray sneakers then dug inside her duffel bag to make sure she’d packed the essentials. Sunscreen, a bottle of water, lipstick, sunglasses, a beach towel, and flip-flops. Nick said she could borrow a helmet from the shop.

  It was Tuesday and she was meeting him at two o’clock for a mountain bike ride after his shift ended. She lengthened the straps of the bag so it would easily fit across her back.

  Nick often led tours through the wooded trails, which were accessible from right near the shop, so he knew of some well-hidden lookout spots if she were willing to hike a short distance from the trail. She’d been looking forward to it.

  She’d only seen him once since Saturday night. He’d stopped in after work late on Sunday after leading not just a morning but an afternoon kayak tour.

  Things had been great between them, but he was exhausted and had to be back at it early the next morning for his shift. He hadn’t stayed very long.

  She missed him already.

  She glanced at her phone. Still half an hour until she needed to leave.

  She washed a couple of dishes in the sink. A message popped up on the phone from her mother.

  How are things? Call me when you’re not busy.

  Courtney tapped at the screen.

  Doing great. Lots to tell. Heading out for a bike ride in a few. I’ll call you tomorrow. Tell Dad I said hi. Love you.

  Courtney would need more than just ten minutes to talk to her mother. She also wanted to talk to her dad. He had texted yesterday and she wanted to tell him more about what had been going on lately than she cared to type onto a screen.

  But for now, she ought to squeeze in a few more minutes of work. She sat down at her laptop.

  She was quite pleased with the way things were going with her job. She’d already finished the first one-hundred-and-eleven lodging property updates on the website guide and Beecham was happy with her progress. She knew Kira still had a few dozen that needed new photos, but she hadn’t gone on any more photo shoots with her. She’d been too busy.

  Courtney’s most recent assignment was a Fourth of July blog post. Beecham wanted her to plug this year’s parade festivities and annual fireworks show.

  The Fourth was a big deal in Heritage Bay. All the lodging properties would be full, as would the restaurants, bars, shops, marina, and beaches, for the two weeks surrounding the holiday.

  She’d talked to the town council and several local businesses already. The Fourth was exactly one week away, so Beecham wanted it posted tomorrow. There had already been a lot of publicity on it, but her story would go into even more detail for out-of-towners. She was almost finished with it. But she still needed to edit the piece. It was choppy, at best.

  She’d also pitched mountain biking as a potential blog post for another week this summer. Headland State Park was a popular destination for cyclists of all abilities and a new post about it would certainly have wide appeal. Last year, Sam had written about the hiking trails within the park. Although there were adequate maps on the trails, a good story hadn’t been done on cycling in the park for several years. Nick had promised to feed her lots of details.

  Beecham loved the idea and asked that she interview several other rental shops on the peninsula since the Board had already published a story about Inlet Outfitters. He’d try and find one that wanted to pay for the spot. She’d agreed, but her date with Nick today would still help her write that story. Experiencing something in person always gave her the added edge when it came time to write about it. Nick was eager to show her the best trails.

  Nick also told her there was a sandy beach inside the park perfect for swimming and paddle boarding. They would stop there on the bikes for a quick bite at the snack shop around dinnertime and maybe relax on the sand for a bit.

  Courtney was excited. Sure, the plans sounded great, but what she wanted most was to spend more time with him.

  She glanced at her phone again. Time to go. She set her laptop to sleep mode, then shut and locked the front door.

 
; The bells on the wide front door of Inlet Outfitters jingled softly as Courtney opened it and peeked inside. She breathed in the fresh scent of pine and eucalyptus and glanced around.

  It was exactly 1:56 and she guessed Nick hadn’t clocked out yet. At the front counter, an employee she’d never met was busy with a group of customers, but there was no one else inside the store.

  The shop had its own parking lot, but it was small and she didn’t want to leave her car there all day while they went out biking, where it would take up a spot for a customer, so she’d parked at the marina’s main lot. With no sign of Nick, she headed through the store for the garage and lot out back.

  A young guy in the lot glanced up and met Courtney’s eyes. She recognized him as Marcos. He nodded to her. Nick had introduced them once when she’d stopped in to say hi.

  Courtney approached him, surveying the scene. A family of six waited their turn to be fitted with rental bikes and helmets.

  The youngest of the family tripped and ran into a bicycle, tipping it into a teenage girl standing nearby. The sharp edges of the pedal hit the girl’s ankle.

  “Ouch!” the girl said, glaring at the child.

  His mother hustled over and took him gently by the shoulder. “Come here, Jack. And say you’re sorry.”

  Yikes. Courtney turned away from the group. Another employee was fitting yet another pair of riders with a tandem bicycle.

  Courtney didn’t want to interrupt, but she had to ask someone. She hesitated before stepping in close enough for Marcos to hear. “Hi. Sorry to bother you, but do you know where Nick is?”

  Marcos grabbed two bicycle helmets from a wall holding dozens of helmets. “I think he left about half an hour ago.”

  Courtney looked at him, confused. Marcos handed the helmets to the kids, who waited patiently next to the rows of bikes, then glanced at her again. “That’s all I know. Sorry. I just got here.”