Page 67 of Something Like That

The waiter nodded and swept their plates up and away. An awkward silence descended, like a low-pressure system over the coast, making the air dense and thick. She didn’t know where to look, so she decided to stare at the tablecloth, at least until her heart rate returned to normal.

She kept her hands folded on the table this time, although it was probably like leaving the barn door open or the horse escaping or whatever the whole analogy was.

The waiter returned with the check, sliding it onto the table. All four of them reached for it, but Tyler managed to grab it first.

“I’ve got it,” he said, grabbing his wallet and slapping his credit card down without even looking at the total. A small streak of something that felt a lot like envy slid through her. She would love to not have to worry about the cost of something. She’d thought her path was leading in that direction, but sadly, it looked like it was going to be a little while longer.

As if reading her thoughts, Nick reached over and squeezed her wrist. Warmth spread through her, but it was nothing like the hot and bothered heat he could induce with just a look. This was intimate and meaningful and comforting.

She liked it. She liked it a lot.

The waiter came back. Tyler paid for dinner with nothing more than a tap of his card. And then they were all standing and slipping on their coats.

She was closest to the door, so she spun and headed out. Nick’s spicy scent wrapped around her. The pressure of his hand on the small of her back sent goosebumps sliding down her spine.

She slipped out the door, delighting in the brush of frigid air against her heated skin. The contrast made her shiver.

“You okay?” He leaned in, his breath brushing against her ear.

The muscles of her abdomen clenched, the band of heat flaring back to life. He was killing her.

“Mm-hmm.” She didn’t trust herself to do anything more than the hum. She honestly wasn’t sure what might come out of her mouth if she opened it. Probably something embarrassing.

Moving away from the door, she stopped on the sidewalk. The others gathered around her.

Tyler glanced at his watch. “I know it’s still pretty early, but I’ve got an early morning flight tomorrow, so I’m going to bail.”

“It was nice to meet you.” She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. He gave her a quick, friendly hug back and then stepped away.

He turned to Janelle. She smiled and gave him a quick hug as well. Then he and Nick did the whole bro-hug, single back slap thing. They stood and watched in silence as Tyler hailed a cab and was off.

Nick turned back and held his hand out to Janelle. “It was great to meet you. And I’m really sorry about the issue with the building.”

Janelle pushed his hand away and stepped in to give him a hug. He hugged her back. When they were done, she motioned for him to bend down. He did as asked. She whispered something directly in his ear. He whispered something back.

Alex leaned in, straining hard to hear what they were saying.

Janelle patted his arm and stepped over to stand next to Alex. The smirk on her face sent Alex’s heart smacking against her ribs. What was her so-called bestie up to?

He pulled out his phone and walked away from them. Alex opened her mouth to protest him not saying goodbye, but Janelle shook her head and grabbed her arm.

“Give me your keys.” Janelle held out her hand.

“What?” She cocked her head. “I’m fine. I only had one glass of wine with dinner. Believe me, all those carbs soaked up any alcohol in my system.”

“No, I’m taking your car to your house and staying with Em tonight.” Janelle used the tone that suggested she was being dense.

She prickled. “Why would you stay with Em tonight?”

Janelle rubbed her forehead, like she was trying to stave off a headache. “Because I figured you’d like to spend the night with Nick.”

She was struck speechless for a second. This really wasn’t anything she’d considered. Which, in retrospect, was silly. Her only excuse was she’d never done this before. Never left Em alone to go on a date, let alone go back to someone’s hotel room for what was essentially a booty call.

“Unless you don’t want to go with Nick…”

She looked at Janelle, the uncertainty in her friend’s tone making her hesitate. Did she want to go with him? What they’d already done in her car aside, this felt like a big step. No, scratch that, this was a huge step. She glanced at him. He stood a little ways away, fooling around with his phone.

He was in profile, concentrating on the small screen. She took a minute to soak him in. He wasn’t what you’d call pretty. His features were too rough for that. But he was definitely rugged and handsome.