“Oh yeah,” Nick said. “See? He knows someone good when he meets them.”
My stomach gave a slow flip. “He’s so cute. I want a pet, but I can’t while working at the hospital. I’m gone way too much. I have like three plants I’ve barely managed to keep alive, and really it’s just because my sister texts to remind me they exist since she got her plants at the same time.”
Nick leaned his forearms on the cart, the silver earrings catching my eye again as they gleamed beneath the store lights. “See, I could never keep plants alive. But a cat? They don’t let you forget about them. He will fucking remind me if he’s hungry or thirsty.”
I chuckled as Lucky leaned into me, his eyes waning to half-moons.
Nick studied me a little closer, and I finally met his gaze. I didn’t really know what to say to him. Part of me wanted to get to know him more. Not that I expected us both to date Evie, but she’d certainly made it clear she liked him too. I should have felt threatened by that, but I didn’t.
Maybe I wouldn’t mind having a girlfriend and a boyfriend.
For a while, I thought I’d end up dating Austin, but he was impossible to read at times. Despite being well-known in Whynot, it felt like no one reallyknewhim except for maybe Dallas and Avery. Possibly Mateo or Levi, but even they regarded him as a loved yet mysterious overworked entity.
But what about Nick? I didn’t know Nick. I knew nothing about him, aside from the fact that he had a cute cat, an abundance of tattoos, and a cheeky smirk.
“We kind of met in a whirlwind the other day,” Nick started. He held out his hand and I shook it, noticing the rough callouses on his palm. “I’m Nick. I grew up here, but I left once I graduated.”
“Nice to meet you. Well, again. I’m Matthew.”
He propped his chin up with his hand, and I suddenly really understood why Evie liked him. With just a tilt of his head, he’d turned up his charm factor by ten.
“You’re a doctor, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I run the hospital. And you . . . somehow pissed off Austin the other day, so I don’t really know what you do.”
Nick laughed and straightened. “Well, it’s easy to do that. I bought up some land outside town and I’m building a spa and resort.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “Do you think it gets busy enough for that?”
He nodded his head quickly. “It does. Think about the tourist seasons. Plus, I think it’ll help bring more folks in. I’m also going to offer discounts for locals.”
“How did you get into doing stuff like that?” I asked.
“I ended up in the hotel industry,” he said. “One of my first jobs once I moved was in hospitality.”
“And the callouses on your hands?”
His brows shot up in surprise. “I guess I should have guessed you’d notice everything, being a doctor and all. I also worked in construction, so when my job eventually became more suit-based, I took up woodworking as a hobby. I like to make random stuff.”
I tried not to think about the man I’d treated earlier this week. “You wear protection, right? When you work.”
“Of course. Why? Worried?”
“After some of the injuries I’ve seen, always.”
“Don’t worry about me.” He reached over and plucked a bottle of wine off the shelf. “If you want to know more, you have to wine and dine me, though.”
I laughed, my shoulders feeling light. “I’m already taking Evie out tonight. I don’t think I can do that with you too today, sadly.”
“Mmm, your loss. What kind of wine does she like?”
My mouth opened, but then shut. I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t even much of a wine guy, but it felt right to get something just in case. “I don’t really know, honestly. Do you have any suggestions? Is that weird to ask?”
“I don’t think so.” He hummed and took a step back, looking the shelves up and down. We were shoulder to shoulder now, both trying to pick out a wine for Evie. I’d just met him, I knew that he knew I knew about their past date, but there was something about this that just . . . felt good. Like we both cared about her, and wanted her to have a good night. “Personally, I’d go with a pinot noir and pair it with berries. Strawberries, raspberries. Maybe figs or an apple. You can feed her a strawberry by hand . . .”
“I don’t know if we’re goingthatfar. Or if I should even be askingyou. . .”
Nick glanced at me. “I guess you’re right. I think the question is—are we competition or are we friends?”
