‘Can’t say. I’ve never been in one actually,’ she told him.
‘But you are Irish, yes? That hair, those eyes?’
Holly blushed furiously. ‘Second generation,’ she confirmed, not willing to get into the specifics.
‘Me too. Second generation, I mean, although Greek in my case.’ He laughed. ‘My parents really thought about that one. Bet you never heard of a Greek named Nick, huh?’ She giggled, and he flashed a smile that made her heart almost stop. ‘So what do you say, Holly O’Neill? Dinner to make it up to you? We could go to an Irish bar if you’d like.’
Holly swallowed hard. She had planned to stay in, cook a steak, drink some wine from the now broken bottle that stained the path, and then probably take a bubble bath, but really she had just collided with one of the best-looking men she had ever laid eyes on, a man who was now asking her to dinner. Maybe her stars really were aligned today?
‘So, what do you think? I swear I don’t bite, and I will never knock you over again. If you like red wine, I know this little bistro down in Greenwich serving a cabernet that will literally make your mouth water.’
‘Greenwich … I just came from there,’ Holly said absently, feeling as if she couldn’t control the words that were coming out of her mouth. ‘I just got a new job in a store in the village and—’
‘Well, then you have to say yes. We have to celebrate.’ He smiled again and Holly had to restrain herself from throwing herself at him right then and there. If there was such a thing as love at first sight – well, maybe lust at first sight – Holly had a bad case of it.
‘OK then, it’s a date,’ she smiled.
19
It was after dark when the cab pulled up to the kerb in front of Holly’s walk-up. Nick jumped out of the car and ran around to Holly’s side to open the door for her. She stepped gracefully out as she held Nick’s hand and a shiver ran along the length of her spine as she wondered if he would try to kiss her.
‘Mind if I walk you to your door?’ he asked softly.
‘Sure,’ she replied, feeling suddenly shy.
Nick turned to the driver. ‘Can you wait for me? Keep the meter running, I’ll be back in a moment.’
Holly smiled at his chivalry and silently added another point to Nick’s score, which had been accumulating all evening since she’d first laid eyes on him.
And what an evening it had been. From the moment he had helped her up from the path, he’d been nothing but a complete and utter gentleman. Opening doors, pulling out her chair, asking questions. So unlike many of the guys she had encountered in Manhattan, who just wanted to talk about themselves, or sit at some bar drinking beer and watching whatever sport happened to be on TV. No, Nick was quite the opposite.
He was twenty-six, a couple of years older than her, and had been living in New York since he graduated from UCLA and left the West Coast in hopes of cashing in on the growing Internet boom that was sweeping the globe.
He had a background in the emerging field of computer science, and said that he was big into gadgets, especially his cell phone.
What’s more, Nick seemed to completely get Holly’s love for the city, as well as how excited she was to start work at Village Consignment. He was a rapt audience, and they had spent the better part of the last four and a half hours talking about so many things.
Holly walked to her door with Nick at her elbow and she felt nervous anticipation settle in her stomach. Shereallywanted to kiss him.
‘So, I had a really great time tonight, Nick. I’m glad we ran into each other. Literally,’ she added, smiling.
‘I am too. I’m hoping that you will say yes if I ask to see you again.’ He took a step closer and glanced at her lips. He was going to kiss her … She knew it.
She gulped and nodded. ‘Yes, I’d really like that.’
‘How’s breakfast tomorrow? Too soon?’ he smiled, and her heart beat faster.
‘No, not too soon.’ Her head moved closer to his and then suddenly he pulled her close, enveloping her in an embrace and covering his mouth with hers.‘Holly … ’ Nick whispered. She opened her eyes and wondered if he was going to ask to come in. Much as she wanted him to, she also hoped he wouldn’t. She never slept with a guy on a first date. Although this time she was tempted to break that rule.
‘Yes?’
‘You are amazing. And I would love to stand here all night, kissing you. I had a wonderful time tonight. But let’s save some of this for breakfast in the morning.’ He kissed her again and she was sure that her heart would beat out of her chest with happiness.
‘I can’t wait.’ She took a step back and almost had to physically restrain herself from jumping back into his arms.
‘Oh, there’s something in front of your door,’ Nick pointed out. He knelt down and picked up a small, box-shaped package. He looked worried as he glanced around at the apartment hallway. ‘Can people just walk in and drop things off? That’s not very safe.’
Holly focused in on the package and smiled, recognising the by now familiar shape. It had been a while …
