by Ella Sparkle
“Hello!” Kimmy waved from the booth where she was sipping a drink that was almost as bright pink as her dress.
Steven nodded his head in Nick's direction, “Hey.”
“Nice to meet all of you,” Nick said. “Do all of you work with Jenna?”
Mike eyed Nick suspiciously. “Yes. Are you the daily order of Hawaiian pizza with extra jalapenos? The one that was ordering pizza just to see Jenna?” Mike crossed his arms over his chest.
Jesus! Why did I tell my friends anything? So they could bring it back up at the most inopportune times?
Nick chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. “Guilty. I wasn't sure how to see her again. I figured the best way was to try and get another pizza delivered.”
“I see,” said Mike as he continued to stare at Nick. Things were getting awkward. I knew Mike meant well and was looking out for me, but that was not how I had pictured things going. I felt I had to do something quickly, so I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. “Nick works in construction.”
“Wait a minute! I thought you looked familiar! Are you Nick Blaine?” Cassie suddenly seemed even more excited.
“Yes, I am,” Nick said with a small smile.
“Well, how about that? I am Cassie Charles. I’m a realtor. I’ve sold some of the houses your company built and some of the condos you remodeled over by Hudson Street. That is going to be a really nice area when you are finished.”
“Thank you, I think I've seen your name on several of the listings over there. Nice to meet you and put a face to the name.” Even though Nick was talking to Cassie, he stayed right next to me the whole time. His hand was still resting on my back and he was slowly drawing small circles with his fingers on my bare skin.
Cassie seemed pleased that Nick recognized her name. “Nick, I really appreciate the work your company does and that you only use local subcontractors and hire local crews. I grew up here and Blaine Construction has really put a bunch of people back to work. It's been great for the town!" She said enthusiastically.
Nick seemed to beam at Cassie’s statement which, in turn, made me happy. “Thank you! I grew up here too and have no intention of leaving. This town just needed a push forward.”
Cassie nodded her head happily in agreement.
“I'm here with some of my crew tonight, I should go back and check in with them. It was nice to meet all of you.” He added, before turning to face me. He reached down and squeezed my hand. “It was especially great seeing you, Jenna. I plan on seeing you again soon.”
“I would like that,” I said, giving Nick my biggest smile so he would know I really meant it.
“Until then...” Nick squeezed my hand again and disappeared into the crowd.
He'd barely left the table when Cassie shouted, “Holy shit! I had no idea Panty Melter Nick was Nick Blaine! You go girl!”
I turned back to Cassie, after watching Nick disappear into the crowd. “I had no idea either. What do you know about him?” I asked, now we had a full name to go with that face, those eyes, and that body.
“I've only heard good stuff. Treats people well and really seems to care about this town. Blaine Construction supports all kinds of community events. The company is known for quality work and is in demand. All of my top commissions have been from his property sites.”
“Wow! He sounds almost too good to be true.” I glanced back over to where I had seen him last, but he was no longer there.
“Well,” said Cassie in a very matter-of-fact tone, “he probably has hookers buried in his basement and his junk is super tiny. Oh, and I bet he kicks puppies and baby rabbits.”
“Cass! Stop! You're crazy!” I laughed.
“You know I'm just kidding! In all seriousness, I've never heard a bad word about him from anyone.”
“I think he's suspicious,” Mike chimed in.
“You think everyone is suspicious,” Steven shot back. “Who wants another drink before we head out?”
“Count me in!” Cassie raised her hand.
Steven looked at me and I nodded, “Yes, please!”
“I'll help you grab the drinks, Steven,” said Kimmy as she slid out of the booth. I turned to watch Kimmy and Steven disappear into the crowd.
I sat at our table and looked out over the crowd. What a night it had been. I was so excited I had run into Nick. Just like the previous times we'd met, we parted with a desire to see each other again, but no real plan on how that was going to happen. I sighed and played with the cocktail napkin sitting on the table in front of me.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nick walking back in my direction. My heart started racing. What was he doing?
Chapter 18
Nick
As I made my way through the crowd back to our table, I was already kicking myself for walking away from Jenna. I had her name but realized as I was walking that I didn’t have a phone number or any way to contact her again other than through Pete’s Pizza. Damnit, I really had lost all my dating skills over the past few years.
I sat down at the table and rubbed my hands over my face. I had no idea what the fuck to do when it came to her. I liked being around her... maybe a little too much for someone I had only seen a few times. There was something about her that grabbed a hold of me the very first minute I laid eyes on her and had not let me go since. If anything it just gripped me tighter every time I saw her.
“Hey, buddy, where did you disappear to?” Bax pulled up the seat next to me.
“She's here. I ran into her.”
“Who is... wait ... oh fuck... you're not talking about Pizza Girl are you?” Bax asked excitedly, looking around at the crowd.
I turned and looked at Bax. “Yeah. Her name is Jenna. She's here with a group of friends.”
“Holy shit,” Bax let out a low whistle. “What are the chances of that?” he laughed. “If she is here somewhere in this club, then why the fuck are you sitting with this sausage party?” He asked, elbowing me lightly in the ribs.
“I don’t know what to do about her,” I admitted.
“What do you mean you ‘don’t know what to do about her?’ I know it's been a while since you've been with someone, but the basic, fundamental principles remain the same. Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl, boy pursues girl. Boy takes girl back to his fancy new condo. Boy and girl have mind-blowing sex. Has it really been so long since you used your dick that you don’t remember how it works? Do I really need to go over this with you?” Bax tried to give me a stern face but was also clearly trying not to laugh at my predicament.
“You are an idiot,” I sighed.
“Admit it, that was pretty funny.”
I raised my eyebrow at Bax. “That's not what I meant at all. I don’t have time to be pursuing someone or going through the ridiculous process of dating. My sole focus right now is Blaine Construction. I've worked too hard and have too many people counting on me to get distracted and start letting shit slip. Ever since I met her, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her and it's making me crazy. Jesus, Bax I ordered pizza every night for a week just hoping I would see her again. Who does crazy shit like that?” I spluttered, exasperated at who I was with Jenna on my mind. What would happen if she was more than just an idea, if she and I were real?
“A guy who is interested in a girl,” Bax said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I think you're making this way more complicated than it needs to be.”
“My life is complicated. I don’t know how it is going to fit in with someone else’s life,” I said honestly.
“Why are you trying to mesh your lives together right now? Just have some fun. Listen, Nick, you and I have been friends for a long time and I have never seen you like this over a girl before. That tells me that there must be something really special about this chick and I don’t know why you're fighting it so hard. You've done an amazing job with your company, but it has consumed your life for the past few years. You can’t keep working this like this forever... it's jus
t not a sustainable, long-term plan for anyone. Go back and talk to her. Ask her out. See what happens. Stop being an asshole about all of this and give yourself a chance to have someone good in your life.”
I rubbed my hands over my face again and leaned forward with my elbows on the table. “I hate to admit it, Bax, but you may have a point.”
“And that, my friend, is why I am in sales. I can convince anyone of anything.
It's part of my charm,” Bax winked at me and I snorted at him. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know...”
Bax interrupted me with an obnoxiously loud noise that I think was supposed to sound like a buzzer. “Wrong answer. Try again.”
I sat there in silence as I went back and forth in my mind about what I was going to do. “Ok, let me ask you this,” Bax interrupted my internal war, “How do you feel when you're with her?”
“Good,” I responded quickly.
Bax looked at me like he was expecting more. “Nick, I'm trying to help you. Stop being a total dick, and making it difficult, giving me one-word answers. Try again, only tell me what you like about her."
“I like flirting with her and seeing her blush. I like that she's a little awkward... it's actually really adorable on her. She seems to have a good sense of humor and has a loyal group of friends, which makes me think she is a good friend to them. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and every time I am around her all I want to do is kiss her. I like how I feel when she is around... like all the other day-to-day bullshit I deal with doesn’t really matter. I like the way she looks at me with her big blue eyes... like she really cares about me. Not about the fact that I own a company, not about any of that other stuff...” I trailed off when I realized that Bax was staring at me with his mouth slightly open.
“Jesus, dude. This is probably the most feeling I have ever heard you express about anything. Ever. It's honestly a little weird.”
“I thought you were trying to help me figure out what to do.”
“Right, I just need a minute to actually process Nick Blaine having all of these feelings. You threw me off.” Bax shook his head like he was trying to clear it. “If you never saw her again after tonight would you be okay with it, or would you always be wondering ‘what if?’ What if I had just stopped acting like such a douche canoe and actually talked to her? What if I hadn’t fucked everything up? Let me tell you, brother, living in the ‘what if’ zone is not a good place to be.”
“I don’t know, there is a lot to consider...” I started to say.
* * *
“Stop acting like a jackass and answer the question,” Bax interrupted.
* * *
I thought about his question carefully before answering, “I would not be okay never seeing her again. She would be a ‘what if?’” As soon as I said it out loud, I realized it was completely true. I wanted to see her again. I wanted to get to know her more and see if the crazy feeling between us was actually the beginning of something. I didn’t have to figure everything out that night, I could just go with it and see what happened.
* * *
Bax cleared his throat. “Which makes me ask again, Nick, if she's somewhere in this club, then what the fuck are you doing sitting over here and not with her?”
* * *
I thought for a second. “You’re right Bax.” I stood up. “I am going to go and find her. Catch up with you tomorrow?”
* * *
Bax jumped up from his chair and thrust his fist into the air. “Go get your girl!” he shouted.
* * *
I sighed and shook my head. “Too much, Bax. Too much.”
* * *
Bax laughed. “It just felt like the perfect moment for a cheesy, eighties movie line. Go. Call me tomorrow,” he said, slapping my arm good naturedly.
* * *
I nodded my head and took off through the crowd. I only hoped I wasn’t too late and she hadn’t already left. I was relieved when I caught a glimpse of her across the room in her red dress.
* * *
As soon as my eyes landed on her, I knew exactly what I was going to do. I took a deep breath and walked up to her.
* * *
“Jenna, I don’t really do this kind of thing, but do you want to get out of here?” Jenna’s mouth opened slightly and she looked completely surprised. I had a moment of panic thinking I had totally misread the entire situation.
* * *
“Well, Jenna,” Cassie said grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “He asked you a question. What's your answer going to be?”
* * *
Jenna paused for what felt like ever before she finally smiled and said, “Yes. My answer is yes.”
* * *
I didn’t even realize I had been holding my breath until she answered. I reached my hand out for hers and intertwined her fingers with mine. I looked right into those beautiful blue eyes and told her with complete sincerity, “Good. I'm glad your answer is yes.” Everything else seemed to disappear and it was only the two of us standing there holding hands and smiling at each other.
* * *
“Alright, you two crazy kids. Why don’t you get on out of here and don’t do anything I wouldn't do!” Cassie’s voice brought me back to reality.
* * *
Steven laughed. “I have not known you for very long and even I know that is a very short list.”
* * *
Cassie flashed him a big smile. “So true my friend, so true! You only get one life so you might as well make the most of it and seize every moment.”
* * *
Mike glared at me before looking over at Jenna, but I was too happy to give a shit. “Be careful Jenna,” he said. “You have my number if you need to call for any reason.”
* * *
I looked Mike directly in the eye, “Don’t worry, I'll take good care of her and get her home safely.” He really needed to back the fuck off.
* * *
Jenna quickly added, “Thank you for looking out for me, Mike. I appreciate it.” Mike gave her a slight head nod.
* * *
“Ready?” I asked Jenna. She quickly nodded her head.
* * *
“Good night everyone and thank you for a really fun night. I will see the three of you at work tomorrow and Cass, I'll call you in the morning,” she said, waving goodbye to her friends.
* * *
Jenna turned back to me and we started walking towards the front door. I put my arm around her and she looked up at me and smiled before moving her body closer.
* * *
I knew at that moment, without a doubt, I had made the right choice to go back and find her. Jenna had me under her spell and I quickly realized, much to my surprise, I was just fine with that.
* * *
* * *
Chapter 19
Jenna
The cool night air hit me as soon as we walked outside. Nick had his arm around me, but I couldn’t help letting out a shiver. Cassie and I had left my place in such a rush that I'd forgotten to grab a jacket on our way out.
Nick must have felt me shiver because he immediately asked, “Are you cold? Here take my jacket.” Before I could respond, he'd shrugged out of his leather jacket and draped it around my shoulders. It was huge on me but it smelled like him and I instantly felt wrapped in his warmth.
We continued to walk down the sidewalk to the parking lot hand in hand. The realization hit me that we might have very different expectations about where the night was headed. I needed to find out quickly. I couldn’t think of a smooth way to bring it up, so in typical Jenna fashion, I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“I'm not going to sleep with you tonight. I don’t do that. I mean I don’t leave places with men I just met and go somewhere to... you know. I am not saying it is never going to happen but it is certainly not going to happen tonight. Maybe after I get to know you a little better... if we see each other again...”
We h
ad stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and Nick looked at me with a confused expression on his face. Great. I had totally blown it. He was going to laugh at my crazy outburst and everything would be over before it even began. I took a deep breath and started talking again. “I totally understand if you want me to just leave now if you were thinking that's what we were leaving to go and do. I can call an Uber...”
Nick smiled at me. “Jenna, please stop and take a deep breath for me.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“My turn to comment on the subject?” It looked like Nick’s eyes were shining with amusement, which was not helping to settle my nerves.
“Yes, I'm sorry.” I looked away from Nick as soon as the words were out of my mouth.
“Hey,” he said gently, putting one finger on my jaw and turning my head back towards him. “Do not apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. I can tell you in all honesty that was not the reason I asked you to leave with me tonight. Don’t get me wrong, I have fantasized about what it would be like, but not tonight and not like this.”
“Okay... now I feel awkward and embarrassed. I didn't mean to ruin the moment.” As embarrassed as I was, I was not letting the fact that Nick said he had fantasized about me escape my notice. I was taking that little golden nugget of information and tucking it away to analyze later.
Nick looked at me with sincerity in his eyes. “You didn’t ruin anything and you have nothing to be embarrassed about. It's an important conversation to have.”
