by Anthology
So now here he was waiting outside the shop, smiling and opening the door for customers as he waited for Emma to arrive. He still couldn't believe she agreed to help him out. It wasn't that he was not grateful, because he was, but she hadn't really required any convincing, and she was the first person he asked. At first, he disagreed with Frank's choice, but the more he thought about it, the better fit Emma was. She had been their bookkeeper for years, and she was always quick-witted and caring. She was the type of person who went the extra mile just on principle, and not because they were her clients. He wasn't lying when he said she was a friend, but she was a business friend, which wasn't quite the same thing.
Shaking his head, Nick smiled as Mrs. Jenkins, one of their older regulars, approached the store from around the side where their parking lot was located. He made sure he was standing with the door open when she reached him. Sometimes the door was a little difficult for her to operate on her own, and she didn't appear to have her son or daughter with her today.
"Why thank you, Nick. You and Frank are such wonderful, helpful, and kind young men. I don't know how you haven't been scooped up yet," she said as she patted his arm with the hand that wasn't holding her cane.
Nick just smiled in response. Part of what she said reminded him of Stephanie. The comment itself, with the fact he would probably be seeing her in a few hours, brought a feeling to the surface that he couldn’t recognize. Suddenly, it was harder to keep the smile on his face. Thankfully, Mrs. Jenkins didn't appear to be in one of her chatty moods, or she was saving it for Frank, because she walked right into the store. Nick let the door slide closed behind her.
Luckily for him, in just that moment, Emma turned the corner, effectively stopping him from going down the rabbit hole of thoughts that would have plagued him. Her honey blonde hair was pulled back into a haphazard bun. Nick wouldn't have thought her hair was long enough to do that, but what did he know? She wasn't in her usual business casual clothes; instead she wore boot-cut jeans that hugged most of her legs, as well as some kind of stylish T-shirt underneath a leather motorcycle jacket. She almost looked like a different person than the woman who did their books, and for a moment, Nick almost had second thoughts. The woman before him looked cool. She was the kind of woman Frank might approach at a pub. Nick had to admitted, for the first time in a year, his libido paid special attention to a woman. Not just the passing interest, but something more, something much different than their current business relationship.
Emma smiled as she stood before him, maybe three feet away. "You should see the look on your face. You look so confused and startled. It's downright hilarious. I’ll try not to be offended by your inference that I don’t own regular clothes."
Her smile always radiated a glow that lit up her face, but today, with her standing in front of him, it was harder to ignore, and Nick found himself more drawn to it than usual. He blinked forcibly and took a deep breath to clear his mind. Now was not the time to be getting distracted. In fact, he was pretty sure Emma wouldn't appreciate his extra attention. Especially after he went to the extra lengths to tell her not wanting more was a perk of taking her with.
When she agreed to help him, Nick told her they needed to make it seem convincing that they were a couple. He wasn't sure why he needed it to be convincing; he only knew, for whatever reason, it was important to him that his ex-fiancée and Luke both thought he and Emma were together.
Instead of saying anything else, he motioned for her to follow him around to where he and Frank parked their cars. Nick already packed his trunk and had his newly altered costume hanging in the backseat. It was not until they were around the building he realized Emma had no bags with her.
He stopped and looked at her. "Suitcases?"
She smiled and motioned with her chin toward the corner. "In my car on the other side of Frank's."
Nick kicked himself. Of course she was parked back there; she always parked in the backside of the building and came around to the front of the shop to let them know she was there. He nodded and continued heading toward her car.
Chapter 4
Emma was a little thrown by the awkward way Nick was starting the weekend. She spent the weeks since he asked her to join him thinking about every possible scenario to let Nick know she had feeling for him, but she hadn't planned for this strangely silent Nick she had been sharing a car with for the last hour. Now she was wondering if this was a bad idea entirely. She spent probably the last fifteen minutes internally arguing with herself about if she should take the train home when they reached Portland. If she was making him feel awkward, then spending the entire weekend with her would not only leave everyone unconvinced they were couple, but it would probably make seeing his ex worse.
"Are you sure you want me here? I mean, if I make you this uncomfortable, then how are you going to convince people we’re actually a couple? Would it be better if I took the train home? Then you wouldn't have to worry about whatever is making you so nervous and you could concentrate on playing poker."
He looked at her, startled. “I… What? No, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I think I'm just feeling nervous about seeing Stephanie more than anything else."
She didn't buy it. That certainly was a factor, and maybe even a big one, but there was something he wasn't telling her. She decided to let it go because she could always make the decision to go home later. "Okay." Thinking a conversation might help break the tension, she asked, “Tell me about your adventures going to college in Portland and how you first started going to this event. That way when people ask or mention something, I can at least seem in the know."
It took him a moment to get his verbal bearings, but once he started and launched into story after story of the hijinks he and his friends would get into and about winning the scholarship involved with the poker tournament, whatever was making Nick feel so awkward seemed to dissipate. It didn't take very long before their conversation was more normal and lively. They were both laughing and enjoyed the rest of the drive. Emma was relieved since it meant she wouldn't have to ride back up to Seattle immediately. Maybe this weekend could still go the way she hoped.
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"And here we are," Nick announced as he pulled into the hotel parking lot.
Emma couldn't help but be surprised when she looked up at the hotel. She had been impressed with the building when she checked it out online, but the hotel in front of her was less than she imagined. It looked older and not as updated as the pictures she had seen. She started to doubt she googled the correct hotel. But she kept her thoughts to herself, just in case it was simply a situation where the inside and the outside of the hotel were different; she hoped that was the case.
After they both got out of the car and were pulling out their bags, Nick asked if Emma would like him to take her suitcase as well. Her stomach fluttered at his offer, but outwardly she frowned and shook her head.
"No, I got it, but thanks. Plus, you're the one who has to check in."
Shrugging, he slammed his trunk closed and began moving across the parking lot to the entrance of the hotel. Emma was surprise at the large number of people milling about. Intellectually, she knew there were to be hundreds of people attending this poker tournament, but she was surprised at just how many out-of-towners were here, and that was only at this hotel. She could imagine that not everyone was staying in the same place.
They walked inside and her eyes widened. It was beautiful. There seemed to be marble, or something like it, everywhere. It was the fanciest hotel she had been in, other than the one she and her college friends took a yearly trip to on the strip in Las Vegas. She tried not to look awestruck as they approached the counter. She hung back a little as he checked in. The process seemed rather quick with the clerk going over the basic details of the hotel amenities with Nick nodding as she explained things he probably already knew.
Nick thanked the woman behind the counter and motioned for Emma to follow him to the elevators. There was already a grou
p of people waiting, so it was a bit of a jigsaw puzzles of luggage blocking the way. Somehow most of the hotel guests managed to get on at the same time. By the time they arrived at the 10th floor, where Emma and Nick would be getting off, most of the people had stepped off, which meant she was no longer pressed up against Nick.
It made her cheeks flush, as she moved away, at just how strong of a reaction her body had to merely touching his arm. She hadn’t been able to decide whether she was more relieved or disappointed when there was room for her to move away. She followed Nick out and around a corner of what seemed to be a triangle in the center of the floor, creating a pathway on either side. She waited patiently while he opened the door and strode in. The look of shock on his face when he turned his back to the wall told her something was amiss, but it wasn't until she stepped fully into the room that she saw the king-sized bed taking up most part of the far wall.
"I… I swear I reserved a room with two beds. I… I am so sorry."
Emma tried to portray horror, while her heart did a little flip-flop in her chest. In actuality, the thought of sharing a bed with Nick made all sorts of interesting things come to mind. Her brain may have short-circuited a little at the naughty thoughts taking over.
It took a moment to gather her thoughts and for her voice to not be thready when she responded. "Close the door, Nick."
He let the door close, and when it clicked shut, she continued.
"We're supposed to be a couple. It’s going to look weird if you request double beds now. Am I right? Really, we’re both adults, and it’s a very big bed. You can sleep on one side, and I can sleep on the other. It's not going to be a big deal, unless you want to make it one. Is it really going to ruin your delicate sensibilities to have to share your bed with a woman you're not dating?"
He blinked at her a few times. "No, I just needed to get over the initial shock. It's fine. I just didn't want you to think I was trying to take advantage of the situation. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
Emma smiled, and with a few steps, she and her luggage crossed the room until she was sitting on the left side of the bed. "Nick, I go to Vegas every year with my girlfriends, and to save money, about half the time we share a king-sized bed. So this is really not a big deal for me." Her tiny inner voice yelled liar—not about the sharing beds with her friends, but about it being no big deal. Sure, she could make it through the weekend, but the entire time her imagination was going to be running wild.
Nick was nodding, but she had a feeling he was nodding more at whatever was going on in his head than at her. Then finally his eyes refocused and he smiled. It was a soft, cute smile that endeared him to Emma. "Okay then, with that settled, we should probably get ready for the opening. It's a formal event with drinks, and instead of reserved seating, they have high-bar-style tables that we can eat on. I mean, sure, there will be enough food that you're not going to go hungry, but it's not a meal in the formal sense. It starts in about an hour, which means the diehard drinkers are already there."
Emma wondered whether the idea of sharing a bed made him so uncomfortable that he felt the need to get that explanation out in one breath or if the nerves were from something else. She dismissed the thought. “Do you want the bathroom first?"
He lifted his suitcase onto the bed and answered, "No, I'm good."
Nodding, she grabbed the handle of her suitcase and rolled it into the bathroom with her.
Chapter 5
Emma was stunning. Not that she wasn't pretty on an everyday basis, but seeing her in what Stephanie once called a bodycon dress, made of slick black material, with her makeup and hair done, she was gorgeous. When she stepped out of the bathroom after her shower Nick's initial reaction was hard to hide. He was in for a challenge spending the rest of the night pretending she was his girlfriend and that he saw her dressed in less regularly.
Nick didn't know how long he had been staring before he realized he wasn’t talking. "You look amazing!" he said, probably a little too rushed.
He watched as the blush formed under her makeup. "Thank you. Are you ready?"
Not trusting himself to speak, Nick nodded before motioning her to go first out the door, which gave him an unintentionally wonderful view of Emma's backside as he followed. Playing her boyfriend was going to be tougher than he initially planned.
__________
The opening ceremony dinner flew by before Nick even realized it had been longer than an hour. Stephanie and Luke didn’t show up until late in the evening, and both ignored Nick like the plague, which suited him fine.
Though Stephanie continued to blatantly stare at Emma as if she recognized her but couldn’t place her. Emma, for her part, ignored Stephanie, even though Nick knew she noticed the extra attention. Instead, she concentrated on whomever was in front of them at the time. She was lively and engaging and knew just enough about most subjects to make anyone who spoke to her feel at ease.
During the two times they had not been in the same conversation together, Nick had been congratulated on his good taste. The compliment made him preen a little until he reminded himself that Emma was not really his. It also struck him that he never received such complements when he brought Stephanie. Once he came to that realization, Nick made a point to watch Luke and his ex out of the corner of his eye. Sure enough, less people came up to talk to the two of them, and Stephanie's body language stated rather plainly that she thought she was better than most of the people in the room. Nick couldn't understand how he never noticed that before. For the first time, he found himself wondering if maybe their breakup had been for the best after all.
__________
When they were back at the room and Emma was in the bathroom cleaning her face and changing, Nick found himself staring at the conundrum that was the bed. Part of him wanted it to be as easy as Emma made it sound, but the inner gentleman in him balked at the idea. Inspiration struck when it dawned on him how many throw pillows were on the bed. It might seem juvenile but a wall of the extra pillows might be just what they needed. Smiling to himself, Nick got to work, and by the time Emma exited the bathroom, there was a pillow dotted line down the middle of the bed.
A chuckle reached his ears before her words did. "What on Earth?"
The grin that wound up his face couldn’t be stopped as he turned to see Emma in an oversized set of flannels. "It's perfect, don't you see? That is as long as you stay on your side of the border, ma'am." He mock glared.
Her laughter was musical and light, like wind rustling through trees. "I’ll give it my best shot," Emma responded before brushing passed him and pulling back the covers.
Nick didn't wait. "Good night, Emma," he called as he grabbed his pajamas and dashed into the bathroom. A cold shower was most definitely in order before he went to bed.
Chapter 6
Emma loved watching Nick play. After they grabbed a quick breakfast, they dashed back upstairs to change. She was quite proud of the gunslinger outfit she put together. It was an added bonus to see Nick was pleased with the outfit too. He even made a comment about how cool it was she went out of her way like that.
Between that comment and the glares last night, it made her think less of Stephanie. Emma had not been her biggest fan before, but now she just didn’t understand how Nick could have been with the other woman so long.
While he played throughout the day, Nick was the jolly, gregarious guy she liked so much. He joked around with the people at his tables, to the point where he and one older gentleman were slinging insults playfully at one another for over an hour. If she hadn’t heard Nick and Frank do something similar before, she would have been offended on Nick's behalf.
She had never been one for poker, but Emma gladly watched the entire day with relish, cheering every time Nick advanced to the next table. She was not alone either. Out of the forty or so spectators who started the day sitting on the outskirts of the room, several of which seemed to be fans of Nick. Throughout the day, she watched as people grabbed food
and drinks. She couldn't imagine drinking that much alcohol throughout the day as seemed to be routine for some of the players and spectators. She nursed an iced tea and grabbed herself a spinach and artichoke dip when it became clear they would not be formally breaking for lunch.
They were nearing the end of the day, or at least Emma assumed that was what was happening, as the announcer had already said these were the last tables before the final round that would start tomorrow at ten. Emma watched all five tables to see if she could decipher who would be the winner at each of them.
Though it wasn't just her; before the current matchup, an older woman by the name of Florence had come to sit on the stool next to Emma. The woman introduced herself and Emma immediately recognized the name from the car ride over the day before. Nick mentioned two older women were the organizers of the event. They had been doing this for several decades and had been more than pleased when the event switched from a dinner to a poker tournament. He described them as feisty older ladies, so Emma wasn't entirely surprised when one of them came over to talk to her. There had been some less-than-subtle and probing questions, but after a while, she and Florence settled into a conversation about the poker players in front of them. Florence described how she could guess with relative accuracy who would be at the final table each year. Though she had a parting comment for how her numbers were thwarted last year by Stephanie and her infidelity. Florence had a bitterness to her voice when she talked about Stephanie. Emma imagined it was the same tone a grandmother would have, and it made her heart warm toward the other woman.
