As Tony held the door open for them, she turned her attention fully on him and gleaned a tiny glimmer of amusement. “You were going to let us in all along, weren’t you?”
“There’s something about watching the two of you beg,” Tony said as he flipped the lock on the door again.
“You’re pure evil,” she muttered.
“What can I say?” Tony asked. “It’s my new kink.”
“Whatever keeps you warm at night, Tony, my friend,” Nick said magnanimously. The chairs had been stacked upside down on the tables. He pulled two down and righted them. Pulling the first out for her, he kept his hands braced on the backrest as she lowered to it.
It was a courtesy he’d offhandedly performed for her countless times. Had she ever dwelled on it before?
She could feel the thought tumbling around in the messy hamster wheel of her mind.
There wasn’t room in there for this. She’d have to demo, rewire and reimagine everything.
Everything she and Nick were and ever had been to each other.
No, she thought. That wasn’t right. That wasn’t what either of them wanted. Their friendship had been the touchstone that had kept her life in order. It made her world make sense. She knew it was that way for him, too.
Nick lowered to his seat.
Standing over them, Tony clasped his hands behind his back. “Menus?”
“Bring us each a plate of hot wings with a side of your Whoa Daddy sauce,” Nick said readily.
“And loaded crinkle fries,” Sassy added. “Don’t forget the ranch.” Then she dug a one-hundred-dollar bill from her purse and extended it to him. “For opening the doors for us after hours.” She threw in a saucy wink for free.
Tony took the edge of the Benjamin between his first and middle fingers contemplatively. “You two want bibs with that?”
“Ha,” Sassy tossed back. Then she thought about it, eyeing Nick’s retro T-shirt—his favorite—and glancing down at the pretty square-neckline blouse with floral print and balloon sleeves she’d recently splurged on at Wagon Wheel, the pricey new boutique downtown. She changed her mind, sobering. “Yes, please.”
“I’ll get right on that,” Tony said before turning for the kitchen.
Sassy caught the faces pressed against the small round window in the kitchen door. They scattered as Tony crossed the room. She leaned toward Nick. “I don’t think he was the only one who stayed late to cook for us.”
The light in Nick’s eyes wasn’t something she’d miss for the world. He’d been spread so thin before the camping trip, working too many shifts, too many long nights and spending most of his free time with his mother at the medical facility where he’d secured a place for her. Over Christmas, he’d moved into an apartment complex across the street from it so he could be as close to her as possible.
According to her doctors, Margot’s Alzheimer’s disease had taken a turn. Nick wasn’t willing to take any chances if she needed him at a moment’s notice.
He looked thinner than he had five days earlier. The structure of his face appeared more rugged. After hours under the harsh Utah sun, the mesas of his cheeks were stained red, bringing stony canyon walls to mind. His cheekbones were now fine-cut, shadows living in the slight hollows underneath them.
She should be the one sending him reminders for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Eat your Wheaties, Malone… Don’t skimp on the carbs… The bakery’s gone BOGO on doughnuts. Treat yo’self!
She eyed the hand he’d placed on the table. The urge to cover it with her own gnawed at her. He cared so much about others. Not enough about himself.
Thank God she’d gone looking for him and Riot in Dark Canyon Wilderness. Would he have really radioed for help if he had needed it? Or would he have convinced himself that park rangers had more important things to do than get him through the last leg of his journey back to the trailhead?
Her pulse picked up because she wasn’t sure. The thought of his star fading out burned like acid in her throat. The bridge of her nose prickled, as it often did at the onset of tears, and she did reach for him.
His eyes skimmed up to meet hers. They looked almost golden in the light from the kitchen window—tawny lion eyes.
There was so much she wanted to say, too much building up inside her. She settled for “I’m glad you’re back.”
His smile was soft. His hand flipped underneath hers to clutch her fingers. Despite the cold outside, his skin warmed hers. “Me, too.”
Maybe one day he wouldn’t hike alone. Maybe one day he’d take someone with him…like her. She wasn’t the best hiker. She’d spent nights out in the elements, but she’d never pitched her own tent. She’d had to borrow Sabrina’s hiking boots because she didn’t have a decent pair of her own. Though how could she say no to sleeping under the stars or spending days in isolation exploring Dark Canyon Wilderness with the person she felt closest to?
Nick carefully let go of her hand. He gripped the table’s edge. “You got a security warning from the gallery?”
