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A shudder rocked through her, tears threatened to spill out, Aggie took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Yeah. But I'm sure they’ll pass.” Deliberately brightening her mood, Aggie asked, “So where are we going for dinner?” Nick had been surprisingly secretive about their plans for the evening.
“Picnic.” He held up a basket. “I packed it myself.” He shot her one of his charming dimple-making smiles, then sobered. “How did you do today? Did you take it easy? I thought your friend might have still been here.”
Obviously, he would continue with his questions until he completed his inquisition. Aggie just wanted to forget all about last night, pretend it had never happened. She would have told him to let it go, but since he’d been there too, he was as much a part of it as she was, so she felt obligated to give him the answers he wanted. “Today was rough, but tomorrow will be better, and the day after that will be better still until everything is back to normal. You don’t have to worry about me. Work was helpful because …”
“You went to work today?” he exploded.
“Of course.” She frowned, annoyed. She liked Nick, but she wasn't in the market for a controlling babysitter. She wanted a partner.
“You're injured, you went through something traumatic not even twenty-four hours ago, you should have stayed home, rested, taken care of yourself.”
“Iwastaking care of myself, by keeping busy. Nick, I appreciate your concern, but my job is important to me, and it was exactly what I needed today, something to keep my mind occupied so I didn’t dwell on what happened and totally freak myself out.”
The scowl on his face slowly faded. “Okay, all right, you’re right. I’m sorry. I was just concerned. But you’re completely right. You’re a big girl. I’m sure you know better than anyone what’s best for you.”
Relaxing, Aggie found a glass vase in the cupboard and took it to the sink, pleased they’d gotten that sorted. She had been taking care of herself for a long time now, she didn’t need someone to step in and take over that role. “It’s okay, I understand and appreciate your concern. And you weren’t the only one who thought me going to work wasn’t the best idea. Summer was very adamantly against it. If we didn’t work together, she probably would have locked me in here so I couldn’t leave, but since she was able to keep an eye on me all day she reluctantly went along with it. Tonight isn’t about what happened though, tonight is just about us, about having fun and getting to know each other.”
Nick’s face eased into another of his charming smiles. “You're right. Again. You done with the flowers?”
“Yes. What do you think?” She shifted one last flower then held up the vase.
“Beautiful.” When she looked at him, she saw he was staring at her not the flowers.
Aggie giggled and rolled her eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”
Nick grabbed her hand and the picnic basket and pulled her toward the door. Aggie allowed him to lead her outside, barely pausing to let her grab her things and lock up. Getting her things—phone, keys, purse—back from the police had gone a long way to settling her nerves.
The car ride to the park was full of small talk. They discussed their favorite foods, music, TV shows. They chatted about the hot summer they'd been having. Aggie felt completely at ease with Nick. There was none of that awkwardness that often came with a first date, it was like they had known each other forever. So far everything was going so smoothly that her hopes were rising higher by the second. This reallycouldbe it. Nick could be the one.
“Okay, close your eyes,” Nick announced once he’d parked the car.
“Close my eyes?” she repeated, confused.
“I set up a little something, I want to surprise you.”
Somehow Nick possessed the ability to make his smile grow bigger and brighter, even when she thought it was already as big and bright as a smile could get. Intrigued, she obliged and closed her eyes.
Nick took her hand and began to lead her through the park. “No peeking,” he cautioned.
“I won't,” she promised. Her trust in this man was complete. She didn’t feel even the slightest inclination to open her eyes to check where she was going. She knew Nick would lead her safely to their destination. This man had saved her life, walking her through the park was nothing in comparison.
Suddenly they stopped, Nick released her hand and moved behind her, lightly gripping her shoulders. “All right, open.”
Aggie opened her eyes and gasped in delighted surprise. A white lace-edged blanket had been spread out on the grass, a gold candelabra was set in the middle, around which were several bouquets of colorful flowers. The blanket was set up under a canopy of green, leafy branches. The trees had been wrapped in fairy lights that were glowing like little stars in the early dusk. It was all so beautiful. Aggie loved flowers, she loved candles, she loved fairy lights, she loved picnics, and she was quickly falling in love with Nickolas Sleigh. Very quickly.
“Are those tears?” Nick turned her around to face him, his face alarmed as though he suspected she might be having a breakdown.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Sorry, I cry when I'm happy,” she explained. No one had ever done something like this for her before. It was so beautiful, so thoughtful, so sweet, she was so moved she couldn’t help but cry.
His expression remained unconvinced. “So, you're all right?”
In response, she threw her uninjured arm around his neck and kissed his cheek. “I'm fine, better than fine, perfect really.”
A huge, joyful laugh rumbled through his chest, and he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “Okay then, cries when happy, I’ll have to remember that.”
“How did you manage all of this?”
“I had a friend help. He stayed here while I went to pick you up so nobody messed with anything.”
