It was on the tip of my tongue to say, ‘No thank you, I’m married,’ but . . . I wasn’t, was I? And I’d spent enough time feeling sorry for myself tonight. My toes were frozen inside my high heels, and an alcoholic beverage with an attractive man who didn’t regard me with pity in his eyes sounded lovely.
“Sure.” I slipped my hand inside his and followed him inside. I craned my head around the mostly empty restaurant. Evan and Paige were long gone, starting their lives together. I hoped the rest of their lives were longer than the one I had with Jack.
I settled into a bar stool and dug into my purse. “I think the open bar ended when the bride and groom made a break for it.” Nick placed his hand over mine and shook his head.
“Put your money away. On me, whatever you’d like.” His mouth split into a wide grin as he settled next to me. He was good-looking enough outside under the soft lights. Inside and up close, he was gorgeous. He raked his hands through his short black hair before sliding into the stool next to mine. The dark suit he wore clung to his large muscular frame. Light brown eyes with longer lashes than any man had a right to fixed on me, and I was ashamed to admit I enjoyed it.
I pursed my lips and fought a smile. “Bailey’s on ice. Please.”
His smile grew even wider as he nodded. “You got it.” He called the bartender over to order our drinks as my eyes fell to my folded hands. My engagement ring twinkled at me, and I covered it with my other hand as I turned to face Nick.
“So, you said you lived in Florida?”
“Yes. Not too far from Tampa. I still have family in the Bronx; they live in Castle Hill. I took a long weekend to visit everyone.” Nick placed my drink in front of me, and I took a long sip from the thin black straw.
“Thank you. That’s nice. They must be happy about that.” I stirred the white liquid as my eyes darted from his. For some reason, it made me uncomfortable to hold his gaze for too long.
“They are. I try to visit as much as I can. My dad won’t admit it, but he hasn’t been feeling well lately, so I’ve been trying to visit more often. My grandmother will probably live to be a hundred.” Nick rolled his eyes and shook his head, making an unexpected laugh escape me.
“You only met Evan in college?”
“Yeah, two boys from the Bronx met in Philadelphia. He’s a great guy; I’m sure I don’t have to tell you.”
I nodded as a smile tugged at my lips. Evan was one of the best people I knew. “He sure is.”
We spent the next hour making small talk. Nick was charming and funny. It felt good to laugh and to not force a smile. My face ached from doing that for most of the night.
“So.” Nick put down his whiskey sour as his eyes bored into mine. “Were you . . . here with anyone tonight?”
I grimaced and looked away. “No. No, I wasn’t.”
Nick let out a long sigh. “I’m being too forward and making you uncomfortable, aren’t I?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m enjoying your company. I’m not uncomfortable, really.” I gave Nick a big smile, ignoring the pang of guilt at being unfaithful. Jack had been gone for almost a year; there was no one to be faithful to. My head was aware, but my heart vehemently disagreed.
Nick’s shoulders drooped with relief. “Good. You’re . . . really beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I whispered as I sipped my creamy drink. The heat coming from Nick’s stare was making me squirm a bit.
“Took me a while to work up the nerve to talk to you. I was sure you were with someone. How could you not be?” Nick’s voice dropped to a husky rasp as my eyes locked with his. I didn't know what to do with the sudden flip-flop in my belly from Nick’s words and undivided attention. It was time to put the brakes on whatever this was turning out to be.
I took a deep breath and put my hands on the bar. “I was with someone, but not anymore. My husband died a little less than a year ago.”
Nick straightened as his eyes grew wide. “Oh, shit. You’re Ellie, Jack’s wife?”
I nodded. “Yes, I am.” The right answer would have been “Yes, I was,” but I didn’t know when I’d ever be able to refer to my marriage in the past tense.
“I’m so sorry. I knew Jack. He came to visit Evan a couple of times at school. Nice guy. Ballbuster, but a good guy.”
I laughed as I tried to hide a rogue tear streaming down my cheek. “Thank you. Yes, that was my husband all right.”
Nick rubbed the back of his head as he grimaced at me. “I feel like a jerk now.”
I dropped my hand to Nick’s forearm and shook my head. “Stop that. You aren’t. If anything, you cheered me up.”
“I . . . was actually about to ask you out to dinner. I’m here until next Tuesday, but . . .”
I gave Nick a sad smile. “But . . . I’m sure your family wants to see you anyway. You wouldn’t want to waste time with me.”
