Page 33 of Saving Meadow

“Holy crap,” came from behind Nick. When he turned, Rory came into view.

Now she was more in his league, and suddenly I felt out of place. She was taller than me, had a killer body I knew she worked hard to keep, and her skin was flawless and made up perfectly. In short, she was everything I wasn’t. Whole.

“Sorry.” Rory shook her head and put her hand out to Nick. “Hi. I’m Rory. Sorry to interrupt.”

Nick took her hand and gently shook it before pulling it away and taking a step back, putting space back between them.

“Nick Clark. Nice to meet you.”

“Hey, Rory, what’s up?” I asked, not wanting to be rude but wanting this conversation to move along quickly.

“I was coming down to see if you wanted to go to lunch with me and some of the girls,” Rory explained.

“Sorry. I have plans, but thanks.”

“If those plans include Mr. Clark here, I’d turn down the offer too.” She stopped to wink before she finished. “Enjoy lunch.”

The way she said lunch had me rolling my eyes. She made it sound like lunch was code for a covert sex operation. Geeze. Not that I’d be entirely opposed to covert sex after Nick’s text but… Nick’s chuckle pulled me from my thoughts.

“Thanks, we will,” he answered.

“Meadow!”

Holy shit, what now? My desk was turning into Grand Central Station. All I wanted was to escape this place and enjoy my lunch hour with hot Nick, but now Queen Bitch Beth was bellowing my name as if there was a football field between us and not twenty feet.

“Yes, Beth?”

“I need the Hoppers file when you get back from lunch,” she demanded.

“No problem.”

I didn’t bother waiting for a reply. I pulled my bag out of the bottom drawer of my desk and yanked when the strap caught on the metal, causing the cheap leather to tear.

“Crap!” I picked up my now broken purse and secured it under my armpit, determined to get the hell out of the office.

“I told you, you need to stop buying those cheap knock-offs and invest in a high-quality purse. My Coach bag would never rip like that,” Beth chastised.

“Good for you,” I mumbled and made my way to Nick. “Save me. Hurry, let’s run to the elevator before something else happens.”

Nick’s answer was to lean down and brush his soft lips against mine, stopping to linger just a moment before looking at me. “I’ll always save you, Red. On three we’ll make a break for it.”

I appreciated his humor and the accompanying smile made the shit Beth had slung, Rory’s appearance, and my broken purse melt away. Nick was here. We were going to get lunch together. And he’d promised to kiss the hell out of me.

Best day!

As soon as we got to the sidewalk, Nick grabbed my hand and held it on the short walk to the burger place. How could a gesture so small and normal feel so big? I was giddy at the contact, and it wasn’t because I hadn’t held a man’s hand in so long, it was because it was Nick. Last night after he went home, I’d plopped back down on my couch, picked up the throw pillow he had been leaning against, and held it to my face. In a total stalker move, I inhaled, breathing in his scent, and wondered what the hell I was doing kissing Nick. Albeit, it was only a peck, not a passion-fueled duel of the tongues. But still. I wondered if I was latching on to him because he’d extended a branch of hope and he was nice to me? Was I so desperate for attention I’d imagined things that weren’t there? After careful thought, I’d decided my attraction had nothing to do with my attack, the lack of affection, or anything else negative. It was simply because of him. I didn’t want him to save me; I wanted him to kiss me and touch me, and do all the other things he said he was going to do because I was a twenty-six-year-old woman. There was nothing wrong with what I was feeling toward him. And I’d also made up my mind to stop over-thinking everything. He’d said my scar didn’t bother him. I was going to believe him. I had to if I was ever going to escape the self-imposed prison I’d locked myself in.

Bottom line? I was tired of feeling sorry for myself. Nick had opened my eyes to another way and now that they were opened I couldn’t bring myself to close them again.

“You’re quiet,” Nick commented as he opened the door to the burger place offering me to enter.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be.” Damn. I was so used to being by myself I’d forgotten to talk. “I suck at small talk,” I admitted.

“I’m not complaining. Is everything okay? Is Beth breathing down your neck?”

“Yeah. But that’s nothing new.”

The hostess greeted us and walked us to a booth. I sat and Nick slid in after me, scooting close. The girl handed us our menus and told us the specials before heading back to her podium.