Dread crept through Nicole and she carefully put the phone on the coffee table.
“Are you going to respond?” Lauren asked.
“No.”
The word rang with more finality than Nicole had meant it to, but she didn’t regret the sentiment. Things were going so well. She was already having one of the best summers of her life. She hadn’t heard from her dad in several months. Why did he have to go and ruin everything? Because that’s what he’s always doing.
Her phone buzzed again and she peeked at it, both afraid and eager.
“Aidan wants me to meet him tomorrow morning,” Nicole said.
“Great! You have the whole day off, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And what about your dad?”
Nicole shook her head and stood. “I’m hopping in the shower.”
She padded down the short hallway in silence, the excitement about her first date and first kiss with Aidan tinged with the anxiety over her father’s text.
CHAPTER 16
AIDAN
He saw her coming half a block away. It was her stride. Purposeful, yet unaware. Nicole looked all around her as she walked, taking in everything from the traffic on the street to the bread in the bakery’s window to the birds in the trees.
Aidan folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the SUV, waiting for her with all the patience in the world. He could watch her till the end of time and never get bored.
Right before she got to the pier’s parking lot, Nicole noticed him. A faint smile danced on her lips as she walked his way. She was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, with a baseball cap on and a tote bag slung over her shoulder. It was the opposite style from the night before, but she looked just as beautiful.
“Hi,” he called across the parking lot.
She waved. “Hello.”
Nicole stopped in front of the SUV and Aidan straightened up. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her in close but wasn’t sure how she’d react to that. They’d only kissed for the first time the night before and there were a few other people in the parking lot.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, switching her bag to the other shoulder.
“You like boat rides?”
“Um—yes?”
He laughed. “Don’t worry. There are life vests.”
Twenty minutes later, Aidan was maneuvering the Jon boat away from the pier and along the edge of the sound. The boat wasn’t much, but it was what he had experience driving. Nicole, for her part, seemed to be enjoying herself.
“This is so relaxing,” she said, looking out over the water. “I didn’t think this is what we’d be doing.”
“I can still rent us a fancy yacht for the day. There can even be a butler on it, if you want.”
Nicole made a face. “Yuck. No, thanks.”
Aidan chuckled. He’d only been half-kidding. Really, he’d rent any kind of boat Nicole wanted. One thing he liked about her, though, was that she didn’t seem to be fascinated by luxury. She was happy right there, sitting in a little flat-bottomed boat, cruising peacefully along the shore.
“How’s Lauren?” he asked.
“She’s good. She’s pretty thrilled that I’m out here with you.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Nicole stretched her legs out, getting more comfortable. “Yeah, she’s afraid I’m going to die alone.”
“No way. Not you.”
Nicole cocked her head. With her baseball cap pushed so low, her eyes were hidden. “You’re sure about that? Even after everything I told you?”
Aidan swallowed hard, not knowing how to answer. If he was going to be honest, he’d tell Nicole that he was completely certain something permanent was starting between them. He’d stayed up half the night thinking about her. Everything about their first date had been so smooth, so perfect. He could easily imagine spending each and every day for the rest of his life with her, and he’d never had those kinds of thoughts before.
“I have absolutely no doubt about it,” he finally said before turning from Nicole and looking past the boat’s stern. He’d stopped the engine a while ago and they floated just past the edge of town. From where they sat, the rows of colorful beach houses and the brick downtown area looked so picturesque.
“I hope people never find out about this place.” He inhaled deeply.
“More people, you mean.”
Aidan looked back at her. “Right. Is that selfish?”
“The wildlife around here is already suffering from the human population, so no.”
He nodded.
“Do I annoy you, talking so much about how important animals are?”
“No,” he answered immediately. “It’s refreshing.”
The boat rocked gently, the waves lapping against its hull.
“I heard from my dad last night.” Nicole looked down. “First time in a few months.”
“Really?”
“He’s in Miami for the next two months. He has a house there. He wants to see me, but I—I don’t know.”
Aidan’s heart squeezed tight. “Did something happen recently?”
Nicole scoffed. “Nothing new, if that’s what you mean.”
Leaving the engine, he went and sat on the bench next to her. She looked up, her eyes intense beneath the hat’s brim.
“He never apologized for what he did—for destroying our family. He just—” Her voice grew thick. “He left and acted like everything was fine. No harm done. Not in his head, anyway.”
Aidan sighed and reached out to take her hand. It seemed forever till she responded. When she finally pushed her fingers through his, he breathed in deep and clean. “I’m sorry,” he said.
She shrugged. “It is what it is. He has a whole new life now. A girlfriend. These houses I’ve never even been to. What’s up with your dad?”
She flipped the subject so quickly, Aidan had to take a moment to catch up.
“Uh, not much,” he answered. “I haven’t heard from him. Not since he stormed out after I told him I was staying here and that—”
“What?”
“That I didn’t want to do this reality show he’s pushing on me.”
Nicole stiffened. “Reality show?” There were likely very few people on Earth who were triggered by the term ‘reality show,’ but Nicole was definitely one of them.
“Yeah, he wants me to do this show where a camera crew follows me around. That’s all I know about it.” Aidan shook his head and held onto her hand a little tighter, hoping the news wouldn’t make her withdraw. “I told him no for the second time, and he walked out and went back to L.A.”
Nicole’s shoulders hunched. “I guess it makes sense. He is your manager.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to do that,” he reiterated.
“What do you want to do?”
The boat swayed and a sea gull cried out somewhere nearby. Over the last year, the future had been so fuzzy. Finally, it felt like things were beginning to take shape. Aidan could see the outline of his future—nothing extremely specific, but enough to give him some relief.
“I think I want to live in a town like this,” he said. “Somewhere small. Away from everything else.”
Nicole tilted her head and peered at him from under the ball cap. “That sounds nice.”
“Is there any chance the NGO will give you a permanent job?”
“Here?” Nicole looked back at the shore, like the answer sat over there. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, but that would be amazing.”
“You said you don’t want to move back to New York, right?”
“My mom wants me to,” she mumbled.
Aidan stroked the top of her hand. “You have to do what’s right for yourself. I know it’s hard. Trust me, I know...”
“Your dad?” she prompted.
Aidan swallowed the lump in his throat. “My whole life, it was about pleasing him.” He snorted. “I didn’t even figure that out until recently. All these years, I thou
ght I was living my own life, but maybe I wasn’t.”
“Hey.” Nicole scooted closer on the bench, her thigh pushing against his. “Don’t beat yourself up. You loved tennis, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So you’ve at least been living some version of your own life.” She paused. “Does that make sense?”
“It does.” Aidan laughed and wrapped one arm around Nicole’s shoulders. She leaned right in, fitting perfectly into the crook of his arm.
“You make me feel better,” Aidan said.
Nicole smiled gently, relaxing further into his chest. “Same here.”
“Do you know what’s going to happen with your dad? Are you going to go see him?”
“No,” she answered tartly, tensing against him. “Do you think that’s bad?”
Aidan took some time before answering. “It’s up to you. I can only give you advice.”
“And what’s your advice?”
“That relationships with parents are hard, but they’re important.”
Nicole’s laugh rang out across the open water. “That’s not advice. That’s a fact of life.”
“Picky.” He tickled her side a bit and she squirmed but didn’t move away. “Fine. Here’s some advice. Forgive him.”
“I—” Nicole didn’t go on. Her head dipped forward and she stared at her feet.
“Whatever you do after that is up to you. Never talk to him again, if that’s what you want, but at least forgive him. You have to set yourself free from the anger.”
“Is that what you’ve done with your dad?”
Aidan bit into his lip. “I’m working on it.”
“It takes a lot of effort, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, but I think it’s worth it. The only other alternative is to keep living in pain—keep putting others through pain. And who wants that?”
“Not me.”
Aidan ran his palm up and down Nicole’s arm. “Ditto.”
She turned on the bench to look straight at him. “I’ve tried to forgive him. I’ve tried for years. I know I need to forgive him, but I—” She closed her eyes.
“How about this?” Aidan suggested. “Forgive for yourself first. Do it so that you have less of a burden to carry around. And if that feels good, take the next step and do it for your dad.”
Nicole opened her eyes, and even from under the baseball cap Aidan could see the tears shining there.
“You’re too good to be true,” she said.
Tenderness whizzed through Aidan and he cupped Nicole’s face. “How did you know that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about you?”
CHAPTER 17
NICOLE
Nicole took Lauren’s hands in hers. “I hate that I can’t drive you to the airport.”
“Don’t do that. You have to go to work. They need you there. Both the people and the rabbits.” Lauren giggled.
“Especially the rabbits.”
Lauren squeezed Nicole’s hands. “I had a great time.”
“You didn’t feel like—”
“You didn’t ignore me,” Lauren cut in. “I had an awesome time chilling at the beach while you were off smooching with your tennis hunk.”
“Aidan’s a really interesting guy. We weren’t only kissing.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lauren pulled Nicole into a hug. “I’ll see you soon? You’ll come visit me at home?”
“Of course I will. September. Maybe sooner. Who knows?”
Nicole squeezed her friend tight, forced herself to let go, and then watched as Lauren climbed into the car waiting to take her to the airport. Lauren waved through the window and the driver pulled out of the duplex’s driveway.
Shouldering her backpack, Nicole set off on her morning walk to the office. It wasn’t eight yet, but the heat already pressed in around her. It sank into her skin and warmed her to her core.
From the moment she opened her eyes that morning, a tornado had been on a rampage in her head. She kept thinking about what Aidan said about forgiving her dad for herself first and then taking the next step from there.
Stopping under the shade of some trees, she pulled her phone out of her backpack. The conversation with Aidan had shaken her awake. She didn’t want to be angry. She didn’t want to be in pain. She’d prayed so passionately that morning that she thought her heart might explode. And she was finally ready to make the move. If she wanted to be happy, she had to forgive her dad. There was no way around it.
Her fingers shaking, she pressed the call button. It rang once. Twice. Nicole thought about hanging up, but she didn’t let herself. She had made a decision and she would see it through.
“Nicole?” her father answered, sounding confused.
“Hey, Dad. Yeah, it’s me.”
“Did you—did you see my text?”
He still sounded uncertain, like he thought the whole phone call might be some kind of prank.
“I did. Sorry I didn’t answer sooner. I…I would love to come see you in Miami.”
He remained silent for a moment. “Great.” She could hear the emotion in his voice. “We’d love to have you. What does your schedule look like?”
Tears filled Nicole’s eyes. She was crying and she didn’t know why. Sniffing slightly, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“I’ll check with the office and see when I can get off.”
“That sounds great, pumpkin. Let me know. Lizzie and I will be here for two months.”
Pumpkin. He hadn’t called Nicole that in years. She’d forgotten how much she loved it.
“I’ll text you,” she said.
“Great. I look forward to it.”
“Bye, Dad.” The words nearly caught in her throat, they were so thick with emotion.
“Bye, Nic.”
They hung up and Nicole opened her text thread with Aidan.
I did it, she wrote. I’m going to see my dad in Miami.
Holding the phone to her chest, Nicole looked around herself. Across the street, a woman pushed a double stroller with two babies in it. A calico cat sniffed at a bush. Sunlight glinted off the cars parked on the curb.
It was all the usual stuff, but each part of the world shone with a newness.
Nicole’s phone rang, making her jump. Seeing Aidan’s name, she eagerly swiped the screen.
“Hey.” She put her backpack on and started walking once more. She’d left for work a little early, but if she didn’t hurry, she would end up being late.
“I got your text. That’s great, Nicole.” His voice was smooth and warm.
“Thanks. It’s all because of you. You know, I’ve tried to forgive him for years, but I feel that this time it may be different.”
“I should probably practice more of that myself.”
“You still haven’t heard from your dad?” She checked for traffic before crossing the street.
“No. I need to call him.”
“What are you going to say?”
“Hm. That’s a good question. Any advice?”
“Do you think he’s still mad?”
“Probably,” Aidan answered, “but that’s not as far as it goes with Rick. He’s likely hatching up some kind of plan right now.”
“What do you mean?”
Nicole slowed down her walk. The office was half a block away and she didn’t want to have a private conversation where one of her coworkers could overhear.
“He’s a doer. My fall from grace is killing him. I have no doubt he’s coming up with my next move right this second. Or he’s had a secret one in his pocket for weeks. Other than the reality show one.”
Nicole smiled sympathetically, then remembered Aidan couldn’t see her. “If I can talk to my dad, then so can you.”
“You, guys, cleared the air?”
“Um, no. But I’m going to.” Nicole nodded to herself, feeling braver than she ever had before. “You’re right. It’s important. For both of us.”
“I’m really proud of you.”
She coul
dn’t have been ready for the satisfaction those words brought her. In a short time, she’d gone from wrestling with her feelings for Aidan to jumping deep into the middle of them. She cared about what he thought. She wanted to know everything on his mind, wanted to hear his voice every minute, feel his touch every second…
“Thanks for your encouragement,” she said.
“Can I see you today?” he asked, his voice going low and giving her those shivers she’d already come to expect.
“I’m off at five.”
“How about a movie and dinner?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Down the street, Amelia waved at Nicole before going into the office.
“I have to go now,” Nicole said.
On Aidan’s end of the line, waves crashed. “Okay. I just wanted to tell you that…sitting at the beach without you is not the same. The colors, the smells, everything’s so lifeless.”
Nicole went silent. “Everything’s lifeless without me?” she finally repeated. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever told me.”
“I’ll pick you up at six. It’s going to be a long wait.”
“Same here. I’ll have to get busy checking on the rabbits to distract myself.”
“Lucky rabbits! They’ll get to see you before me.”
“Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be so thrilled when they see me.” She chuckled before she said goodbye and hung up, her heart warmer than the Florida summer sun.
CHAPTER 18
AIDAN
Sweat rolled down Aidan’s face and neck in never-ending trickles. He’d been out jogging for no longer than ten minutes, but he already felt like he’d jumped into a salt pool.
All day long, he’d been looking for things to do while Nicole was at work. The only thing on his mind was her…well, and his dad.
Rick still hadn’t called. Aidan needed to be true to what he told Nicole and pick up the phone, but every time he thought about doing that his stomach curled in on itself.
He pumped his arms harder, picking up the pace. Maybe if he ran fast enough, he’d wipe all thoughts of his dad and his endless demands out of his head.
Winning Her Heart Page 9
