Chapter 15
Abby
I woke up Tuesday morning with a smile on my face. Colin and I were going on a real date this evening. No practice date for us. We were moving on to bigger and better things. There’d been a bump in the road Saturday evening, but our relationship was edging forward. That might not have been my intention in the beginning, but it certainly was now. When I thought back to Saturday and how he’d kissed me, I still had tingles remembering how his lips felt on mine.
I got out of bed and stretched. My phone dinged, and I rushed to pick it up off my desk to see who it was from. I wanted it to be from Colin, but surprise filled me when I saw it was from Nick. I hadn’t heard from him since I’d told him I needed space. When I opened the text, there was a selfie of him with a big cheesy grin, and he’d crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out like a goof-ball. I wasn’t sure why he’d sent this to me, but if I had to guess, I would say he didn’t want me to forget about him, and he knew I couldn’t resist his funny faces. I responded back with a “lol” and a smiley emoticon and then took a shower.
Once I was out of the shower, I dressed and ate breakfast. I had a temp job scheduled for today, and I was in a hurry because the location was about an hour away. I checked my phone just as I was about to walk out the door. There was another text from Nick and a missed call from my temp agency. I called the temp agency back first.
“Hey, Rhonda,” I said. She arranged all my jobs and was my contact person. “I saw you just tried to call me but my phone didn’t ring. Sometimes my reception isn’t the greatest.”
“No problem. I wanted to let you know the job for today fell through. They ended up hiring someone yesterday, so they won’t need your help.”
“Oh, I’m all dressed and ready, but that’s okay.”
“Sorry about that. They just notified me. If they had called earlier, I could have found you something else.”
“Don’t worry about it. It gives me time to paint, and I always love that.”
We chatted for a while longer about potential jobs for later in the week, and then I checked the text from Nick. All it said was: I miss you. He meant it in a platonic way—I knew that.
And I missed him too, but not like I used to. Colin had consumed my mind lately, and Nick hadn’t even edged partway into my thoughts. Still, he was one of my good friends, so I did miss him—just not in the romantic sense. That realization pleased me because for the longest time, it had seemed like I would never move past my feelings for him, but I was finally doing it. I texted back: Miss you too.
Nick: When can I see you?
Me: Not for a while. Remember that space I asked for?
Nick: I thought I already gave you space. What’s wrong? We resolved everything after Colin left that day, didn’t we? I said I was sorry and gave you those tickets.
Me: Yes, but I’m still trying to figure things out. Just need more time.
Nick: You seeing him?
Me: Colin? Yes.
He didn’t respond, so I put my phone down and changed into more comfortable clothing. It wouldn’t do to stain my office apparel once I started painting. Another text came in from Nick. He’s not right for you.
I frowned and stared at the text. He didn’t even know Colin, had barely even spoken to him except for the one instance they’d met to discuss dating tips, so he was in no position to make that kind of judgment.
Me: You don’t know him. He’s a wonderful man.
Nick: But I know you, and you need someone to keep you on your toes. That guy isn’t up for the task.
Me: You’re wrong. Don’t underestimate him.
Nick: You told me your first date with him was boring. Don’t let loneliness make you desperate.
A spark of anger grabbed onto me, but I stamped it down. He didn’t know about recent events and how my outlook had shifted. He was only trying to be a good friend.
Me: My feelings for him have changed.
Nick: Want to hang out today?
What? I frowned, pausing. No response about my feelings, just: Want to hang out? I shook my head in amazement. Were all guys this dense? And then something occurred to me. Nick had always been sure of himself and his ability to draw women. I didn’t think he knew I had feelings for him, or used to, but what if he did? What if he thought hanging out would bring it all back? Maybe he wasn’t trying to string me along, but it was possible he didn’t like that I’d moved on.
Me: Can’t. I have a date tonight.
A few seconds after I sent the text, he called.
“Are you working today?” he asked.
“Well, hello to you too.”
He chuckled. “Abbs. I want to see you.”
“No, I’m not working, but I already told you I need space.”
“Why?”
“I’m trying to figure things out with Colin.”
There was a moment of silence, and then he said, “Figure things out with me instead.”
My head jerked back a little. There was more silence, and I shifted awkwardly. “What are you saying?”
“Just that I’m bored and need someone to hang out with today.”
Talk about mixed messages. He wanted me to “figure things out with him” but only because he was bored. Did he actually think I’d cancel on Colin in order to hang out with him? “Call one of your other friends. I’m busy.”
“Oh, come on, Abbs. You know you’d rather spend time with me. That guy is going to bore you to tears. You and I will have fun. It’ll be like old times.”
I blew out a harsh breath. “First of all, Colin is not boring. At all. And second, I already asked you for space and you’re not honoring that. Why?”
“I gave you time. The bigger question is why are you avoiding me?”
Another call came through, and when I saw it was from Colin, I cleared my throat. “Got to go. Colin’s calling me.”
“You’re seriously going to take his call over mine?” he said, raising his voice. It was clear he wasn’t happy with that decision.
“I can’t believe you’re mad right now. How many times have you taken someone else’s call when we’ve been on the phone?”
No answer from him.
“Talk to you later.” I switched over to Colin. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Abby.” He sounded hoarse. “I’m so sorry, but I’m not going to be able to make our date. This morning, I woke up with a headache and chills. I have a temperature, and I doubt it will go away by this evening.”
“Oh, no. You sound terrible. Are you okay?”
“I’m sure I will be once I get some rest.”
“Hey, I don’t have to work today. What if I bring you some chicken soup?”
“I don’t want to make you sick too.”
“I have a strong immune system. It’s rare that I get sick.”
“But I’ll feel awful if I’m the one that—”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I want to be there for you.”
“I can’t help but worry.” He said it with a smile in his voice.
I sighed. “You don’t like it when people say you can’t do something. It only makes you want to prove them wrong. Well, I feel the same way. I’m not going to get sick.” I said it with as much firmness as I could muster.
“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Wouldn’t think of it.” We chatted for a few more minutes, and he gave me his address.
Not a minute after I hung up with him, Tammy texted. Can’t wait to hear about your date tonight.
I decided to call her. “The date was canceled.”
“What? No way. What happened?”
I stretched out on my chaise lounge in the living room. “Nothing. Colin is just sick, but I’m bringing him soup since I don’t have to work today.”
“Don’t scare me like that. For a second, I thought you two were on the outs.”
“Why did that scare you?”
“Because,” she said with emphasis, “there’s somet
hing special about this one. I can tell.”
I smiled. “Yeah, you’re right about that.” We talked for a while and then the conversation rolled around to Nick as it always seemed to though this time, she brought him up.
“Have you heard from Nick?”
“Funny you ask that. He called earlier. Wanted to me to hang out with him today.” I told her the whole story, excluding nothing.
“I knew he was trying to string you along.”
“I didn’t believe it at first, but I’m starting to wonder a little.”
“A little? Come on, Abby, you have to see what he’s doing.”
I stood and headed to the kitchen so I could take out ingredients for chicken soup. “I’m not sure he was purposefully doing anything. He lives on the fly.”
“Mark my words, Nick knew exactly what he was doing.”
“You really think that?”
“Yes.”
“Hmmm.”
“Don’t hmmm me. You need to be careful, or he’ll ruin your chances with Colin.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
“Okay…” She didn’t sound convinced.
“Hey, have a little confidence in me. I may have held out for Nick all these years, but that’s because no one else caught my eye…until now.” I took a breath and leaned against the kitchen counter. “I discounted Colin at first, but now that I see what a great guy he is, there’s no way I’m going to let something get in the way of this chance with him.”
“Not too long ago you were singing a different tune.”
“Well, things have obviously changed.”
She sighed. “Yes. All I’m saying is you need to be cautious.”
“Got it. Thank you. I will.”
After I hung up, I couldn’t help but feel miffed. She thought Nick had some kind of hold on me, and that just wasn’t the case. At least, it wasn’t true anymore. I would prove her wrong. Nick was not on my radar anymore—not in the way he had been.
I took homemade chicken stock out of the freezer and defrosted it and then poached a few chicken breasts in a pot of boiling water. After stir-frying some vegetables, I added everything to the broth and put pasta shells in as well. When the soup finished cooking, I poured it into my largest glass bowl and covered it with a secure lid.
It wasn’t until I was on the road that my pulse started to pick up. I was about to visit Colin, and sick or not, I really wanted to see him. Earlier, I’d typed his address into my GPS, and I knew the area pretty well, but I followed the voice instructions just in case.
The directions took me up a mountain, and I had to chuckle. What was it with Colin and mountains? I had never driven up this way, so I paid careful attention. I passed several houses and then continued on, wondering how much further it would be. It wasn’t until a large structure in a perfect lookout point came into view that I paused. It was stunning. That couldn’t be his home, could it? He was a professor, not a multi-millionaire.
Everywhere I looked, there was greenery. Tall pine trees swayed in the wind. At least an acre of grass stretched out from the front entrance. Shrubbery surrounded the perimeter, and I had to stretch my neck to get a good look at everything. The exterior of the house was a warm shade of brown woodwork, and there were so many windows, I was sure the cleaning team spent a full day on just the windows. And yeah, I was confident there was a cleaning team because no one in their right mind would try to clean a dwelling like that on their own.
I couldn’t stop staring at it in disbelief. It was like one of those homes you see in a magazine, and it took my breath away. How had I not realized this was here? I double-checked the address to make sure I had the right place. When I saw the address was correct, I called Colin because it was possible I’d written the numbers down incorrectly.
“Hey, do you live in an enormous wood mansion?”
“Yes.” His voice was raspy and a little weak.
“I think I’m at the wrong residence.”
“I can see you through the window. You’re at the right place.”
“Really? Which of the six million windows are you watching me through?”
He chuckled. “You like to exaggerate, don’t you?”
“Only when I’m dumbfounded.”
“I probably should have warned you.”
“You think?”
“I don’t generally have visitors, so I forgot to mention it.”
“Okay, I’m coming in now.”
“Good, I was wondering when that was going to happen.”
I ended the call and picked up the bowl of soup, heading to the front. The door opened before I had a chance to knock. Colin stood there looking exhausted, skin flushed, nose red, but his eyes still took me in appreciatively.
“You poor thing,” I said. “Not to worry, reinforcements have arrived.”
“I’d give you a welcome hug, but you might drop that soup.” He directed me to follow him. We passed through a huge living room on our way to the kitchen, and he found a large pot in a cabinet for the soup.
I poured everything in and turned on the burner. “You hungry?”
“A little. I haven’t eaten anything all day, so I should definitely have something.”
I placed my hand on his forehead. “You’re warm. Have you taken your temperature lately?”
“Yeah, a few minutes ago. It’s 99.9 degrees Fahrenheit.”
“That’s not great, but it could be worse.” I hesitated. “Did you specify Fahrenheit because you thought I’d think it was Celsius?”
He laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “No, force of habit.”
“You look tired. Go sit down and I’ll finish this.”
“Thank you.” He seemed relieved.
“Before you leave, is there a map to this place? You know, so I can find you when I’m done here.”
He snickered and glanced at me with humor in his eyes. “Smart-aleck.”
“But you make it so easy to tease you. And you can’t blame me. I’m still in shock that you live in a house like this.”
“I should have given you a heads-up.”
“No, don’t change a thing. You’re kind of like a Christmas package I’m slowly unwrapping, and I’m surprised at every turn. Whatever you’re doing, it’s working for you.”
The corners of his lips edged up. “Good to know.” He turned and then glanced back at me. “I’ll be in the room to the left of the kitchen.”
After I’d sufficiently warmed up the soup, I shuffled around in his cabinets until I located a tray I could use. I ladled soup into a bowl and placed it on the tray.
I found him in a smaller, cozier room with brown walls and a fireplace. There was a reclining couch and a huge television screen. “Do you want me to bring the soup to you or place it on this table over here in the corner?”
“Put it on the table. I’ll be there in a second.” He used his remote to pause whatever he was watching and then he joined me. “That smells delicious.”
“I hope you like it. I labored for hours making it for you.”
“You did?”
“No, just kidding. But it is homemade, and I made the stock in the crock-pot the other day. The appliance did the laboring for hours, and all I had to do was put the stock in the freezer.”
He lifted a spoonful of soup to his lips. “This is so good. You’re really beautiful, did you know that?”
I smiled. “I think your high temperature is messing with your head. We were talking about soup, not my appearance.”
“Your appearance is stunning, but this time I was referring to you as a person. Bringing soup—it was a beautiful thing to do. No one has ever done this for me before.”
“No? I’m sure Wilhelmina would have if—”
“Wilhelmina cares about me a great deal, but she has her own life.” His eyes looked exceptionally tired as he lifted another spoonful to his mouth.
“Well, I’m glad I was able to help you then.”
“Me too.”
&n
bsp; “So, do you mind if I bring up the elephant in the room?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Not sure what you’re referring to but go ahead.”
“How did you afford a house like this on a professor’s salary? I’m not trying to pry, and you don’t have to answer, but I’m really curious.”
“My father built this house, and he left it to me before he died.”
“Oh, I see. That makes sense then.”
He bit into a piece of chicken and chewed lazily. “And I have money. I mentioned that to you once before.”
He had? I couldn’t remember. “I don’t recall that, but it’s okay.”
“I offered to buy you a car for your coaching services. Remember now?”
My mouth fell open. “That’s right. I just kind of glossed over that and didn’t think about it again.” I glanced at him sheepishly. “I guess I didn’t believe you were serious.”
He gave me a scrutinizing look. “Now you know. By the way, I still plan on paying you for your services. I just haven’t had the chance.”
I pointed a finger at him. “You’d better not pay me, or I’ll be mad at you. I offered to help for free and there’s no way—”
“Let me at least make it up to you somehow.”
I shook my head stubbornly. “There’s no need for that.”
“But it will be so much fun.” He grinned, his eyes finding mine, and all the fight went out of me. Those eyes were like deadly weapons when he threw them my way.
“Well, then, I wouldn’t want to take away your fun,” I said.
“Good.”
After he finished the soup, we watched a movie on the couch. He fell asleep fifteen minutes in, so I got up and wandered around, looking to see if there was anything I could help him with. The place was immaculately clean, so there was nothing I could do there. I put the rest of the soup away in his refrigerator and then found a back porch overlooking a striking view of the ocean and forest. I sat out there for a while until I got cold, and then headed inside, deciding to check on Colin.
Blind Date with a Billionaire Professor (Blind Date Disasters) Page 15
