“There you are!” Nicole ran and jumped in my arms, making me wobble on my feet.
“Damn, girl. Have you put on weight?” She pinched my side as I put her down, making me yelp. Laughing, I slung my arm over her shoulder.
“We have some catching up to do,” she whispered to me.
I nodded. “Yeah, after we eat. Dad said the burgers are almost ready.”
“I want to hear all about the man.”
I sighed. “Yeah, well….”
Nicole looked at me with a serious expression on her face. “What does that mean?”
I kissed her cheek. “I’ll tell you after we eat. Let’s get Nanna and Pop out to the table.”
She snorted. “Good luck. They’re watching baseball.”
I grinned and dragged my sister along to see my grandparents.
After our late lunch, I was stuffed. Two burgers, potato salad, baked beans, watermelon, and my Nanna’s fresh corn salad sat in my stomach like a rock. If I didn’t get up and move around, I’d never be able to eat the homemade ice cream my grandfather made. And I wasn’t missing that.
“Let’s go for a walk.” I took Nicole’s hand and pulled her up from the chair.
“You’re supposed to love me and protect me. Not make me walk after having a food baby.”
“Shut up,” I laughed. “I have to work later, so if you want to talk, now’s your chance.”
Always eager to hear about my non-existent love life, she jumped to her feet. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
She grabbed two bottles of water before we headed around the house to the sidewalk.
“So how’s everything going? Still loving P.A. school?”
“Oh no,” she said, “we’re not starting with me. We’re starting with you and the hottie.”
I chuckled. “This is going to be an incredibly short story.”
Nicole stopped on the sidewalk and turned to face me. “Why? You said there was flirting going on. What happened?”
I ran my hands through my hair. “There was. But I’ve been staying out of his way.”
She frowned. “What does that mean?”
I started walking. “When Preston comes into the bar, I try to handle the things that don’t require me to be out front. Like inventory, or going to get the glasses from the dishwasher. Things that keep me from looking at him.”
“Wait.” She grabbed my arm and stopped again. At this rate, we’d never make it around the block. “Why wouldn’t you want to look at him?”
I sighed and started walking again. “Because when I look at him, I want him. And I don’t have time for a relationship. You know how driven we are.” I motioned back and forth from me to her. “I can’t afford to be distracted, and when he’s around, I can’t take my eyes off him. Then I go home and dream about him. It’s horrible!”
I blew out a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair again.
“Nick, how long have you been into him?”
Walking on, I answered without looking at her. “About a year.”
“And he’s been looking at you like he could eat you with a spoon, too?”
I scrunched up my face at her analogy. “That’s gross.”
