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“A lot. Yeah.”
“So, it’s just you and the girls, and your dad, and Nick. Is he…?” I leave the question hanging, trying to look professionally interested.
Vanessa looks at me shrewdly for a moment, a smile playing on her lips. “He’s single. Nick’s been a bachelor most of his life.”
“Oh,” I breathe out, relieved for some reason. Why am I relieved!? It’s not as if I have another chance of hooking up with this guy. I wouldn’t even be interested if he offered, I tell myself, looking anywhere but at his sister, whose smile is growing. “Well, that’s good to know. For the accounts. The estate planning.” I stutter through an explanation.
“It’s a permanent situation, if you believe what he says. A long time ago, when we were a lot younger, he was actually engaged. But it didn’t work out.” She shrugs. “He says he’s happy on his own. My husband and I tried to set him up a few times, but he insists he’s unlucky in love.”
A shriek comes from somewhere in the house, followed by a large argument. Vanessa sighs and stands.
“I’m sure we’ll catch up again soon, once you have everything set with my father and Nick. It was nice seeing you again, Blair.”
“It was nice seeing you too.”
She hurries out of the room, calling out to her daughters. I take a deep breath to decompress. Why does it feel like I was just under a spotlight?
Nick steps back into the room, looking over his shoulder with a grin on his face.
“You met the girls?” he asks, in a better mood than he was earlier. He seems more relaxed, and that releases some of the tension that’s been keeping me braced in this chair like a mannequin.
“Yeah. Well, sort of.”
“Scarlett and Aimee. Aimee is younger, but she loves to harass Scarlett.”
“I can see that.” It’s hard to hide my smile. Nick sees it as he sits down beside me. “Where were we?”
He picks up a pencil, looks through the paperwork and rolls the eraser across his lips. I can’t tear my eyes away, watching as they part just slightly… the glisten of his tongue… the memory of it on my body…
A shiver makes me sit up straight and Nick’s eyes meet mine. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just cold. Sorry—we should get into this.”
Scooting my chair closer, I try to concentrate on the numbers on the page and not Nick’s scent. It’s musky, a little spicy, and expensive, I’m sure.
As the morning goes on, Nick explains each of his father’s accounts in detail. I take notes on my tablet and request the pertinent documents, which Collin will have to send over from the UK when he has time. At one point, Nick pulls out a pair of glasses when we’re looking at some documents in an unusually small font. They’re minimalist, black and silver, and they bring out the steely grey in his hair and the iron of his eyes. I find myself pulled to him, leaning closer than I really need to and having a hard time concentrating.
By the end, we’re looking at a substantial amount of money. It’s on the higher end of what I’ve dealt with before. Nick doesn’t seem surprised at the number. He sits back, the pencil at his mouth again.
What’s with this guy? Does he have an oral fixation of some kind? I fight back the urge to stare, frustrated with myself, and start gathering my things.
“This is a great start. I can reach out to the bankers with the info you provided, and I’ll be in touch. It should only be a few days before I can move forward with his part of the estate documents. But if he’s able to get everything returned to me, I’m guessing we can start on your part of the process next week.”
Nick nods, easing the glasses to the edge of his nose. He looks at me over the rims and my heart flutters.
“That sounds good. Next time, my place, unless you need anything here. You have my number?”
The silence between us is awkward. His question brings me back to that night, and the fact that I didn’t get his number—or give him mine—as I was leaving.
But it was just supposed to be a fling, after all.
I wasn’t supposed to be sitting only inches away from this gorgeous man all over again. Tempted to climb onto his lap and give him something to fixate on, but knowing that if I do, it could destroy everything I’ve worked so hard for.
Chapter 5
Nick
IarriveatQuinn,Jacobs & Cowdery shortly after 9 a.m. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt I’m self-conscious about how casually dressed I am. I’m meeting up with a friend for coffee after this to talk through a deal we’re working on together.
