AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll bet it takes an hour to write a sentence on this thing.”
He leaned across the table, trying to see what she was doing. “You know, a lot of people actually use the phone to talk.”
“Uh-huh.” She hit the call button and felt her own phone vibrating in her pocket. “Now I’ve got your number and you’ve got mine.” She held out his phone, and he took it back. “Just … don’t answer my calls in public, okay? I’d hate for anyone else to know you have that thing.”
He grinned. “Still think you can bear to be seen with me Friday night?”
She was already looking forward to it.
11
“Still a long way from nine o’clock,” Mel said. “Probably a lot of barflies still looking forward to their evening, thinking they’re going to get to see Nick Freeman.”
Nick’s legs ached as they approached the entrance to Vivez Dance. “Are you going to behave yourself in there?” he said. “Because I’m prepared to disown both of you.”
“No, you won’t. We make you respectable by association.”
Gavin held open the lobby door as Mel announced she was off to find the bathroom. Nick stood and tried to catch his breath—and then he forgot about his breathing entirely.
Hayley was gliding toward him across the parking lot. Her dress was simple and navy blue, with a V-neck and a little pocket over the left breast, almost as if she’d found a T-shirt long enough to end halfway down her thighs. Except this was obviously a dress, tailored for her curves without hugging them, and the color looked great against the tanned skin of her arms and legs. She smiled as she took off her silver mirrored aviator shades.
“Hey, rock star.”
“Hey,” he said. She slipped into his arms and squeezed him for only a second or so, but he felt stronger afterward, calmer. He could only wrap one arm around Hayley while his other hand gripped the walker, but even so, holding her made him feel like he was home.
He said, “You remember Gavin.”
“I do!” Hayley laughed as Gavin tipped his hat to her, and effortlessly crossed one tan sandal behind the other to give a slight curtsy in return. “I have to meet your wife!”
“She’s in a hurry to meet you too.” Gavin pulled open the door again. “She’s in here somewhere.”
Nick noticed Hayley was making a point of walking alongside him. “I was thinking,” he said. “I’ll bet we could request Kevin as our server.”
Hayley smiled her thanks. “He’s working in the kitchen. But he’ll try to pop out and say hi before the show.”
Nick tried to hide his relief as they walked up to the box office window, where a delighted Mimi Ranier was on duty.
“Niiiiiick!” she exclaimed, drawing out his name affectionately. “How wonderful of you to elevate the evening with your presence, my darling.”
“Mimi, my dear, what little I bring to the party means nothing when all eyes are on you.”
“Why Nick, you wouldn’t be making fun of my outfit, would you?”
Nick grinned. Mimi was wearing black slacks, but her T-shirt was a shade of yellow normally reserved for a sports car. “I was wondering about it, but we both know you can light up a room in any shirt.”
Mimi patted his hand. “That I can, but Linda likes to splash some color ’round the place. How many people are lucky enough to be with you tonight?”
“You’ve got me down for three, I think, and we’d like to be seated with my friend Hayley Burke.”
There was only the slightest flicker of recognition in Mimi’s eyes as she made some notations on a list and cheerily announced they could absolutely share a table. Nick could have applauded.
Hayley leaned in as they entered the theater. “A little young for you, isn’t she?”
Nick laughed. “Not to worry,” he said. “Mimi would tell you I’m not ready for a woman like her.”
Cal’s shirt was fire-engine red.
“Ladies!” he exclaimed as everyone sat down. “Gentleman! Nick! Welcome to Vivez Dance!”
