“No. He’s… impressive. I know it’s probably insulting that I’m surprised, but I only know him as Eddie’s little brother or the joking guy we had dinner with. But I guess I see what you were talking about. He has a presence when he talks.”
I cleared my throat, wondering if that was a bit much, but Nick smiled. “Yeah, he really is. He’s both. He can command a ballroom or sit with a beer telling dirty jokes and be equally comfortable with either. I have always been very envious.”
Nick turned in his seat as Eric approached the table, stopping to shake hands with a couple at the next table. Lauren stood, gave him a peck on the cheek, and clung to his arm, telling him what an amazing job he did. Nick grabbed him by the arm as he stepped away. When Eric looked down at him, I thought I heard Nick whisper, “Thank you.'' Eric smiled and squeezed his shoulder. They maintained eye contact for a bit, an unspoken conversation happening.
As we finished our scotch, Nick noticed a young lady hovering near the table. “Hennington?”
“Yes sir, I didn’t want to interrupt. I’m more than happy to wait.”
He waved her over, and she gave him a folder with two pieces of paper, a picture of a yacht, and the Pilu logo on it. As he signed his name at the bottom, I realized he had bid on the yacht charter. I glanced at the bottom of the page.
Holy fuck!
“Nick? Please tell me that’s a typo. There are way too many zeros,” I whispered, although not quietly enough, based on Eric’s laugh.
Nick thanked the woman and handed one piece of paper back to her, folding the other and slipping it into his pocket. “Nonsense. I was going to bid on something. The point is the fundraising. This way we’re both happy.”
That man continued to amaze me. I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it again. I tried unsuccessfully to start speaking a couple more times before Lauren leaned towards me.
“Close your mouth, dear. Lest someone takes it as an invitation.”
The next morning, my phone buzzed, and after scrolling the text, I opened Nick’s contact to text him instead. I had come home last night after the gala, as Nick had to be in at work incredibly early for a phone conference with some investors in London.
Are you free next Sunday?
I was planning on spending it doing dirty things to my boyfriend. Why?
Can you do naughty things to me after a BBQ at Alex’s place for the footy grand final?
Sure. You may have to explain the game, though. I have never paid any attention to league.
Don’t worry, it's simple. It has to be for league players to work out how to play it. Besides we won’t really be watching much. We’ll spend the afternoon drinking and talking. Bring cossie. Dress casual.
Sure. I would love to meet some of your friends.
I had mentioned Alex a few times, and Nick knew I played touch football with some of my old university friends occasionally, but he had never actually met any of them. This seemed like a big step. Until now, I hadn't gone out of my way to introduce them because I wasn’t sure how he would fit. I mean, with me, Nick was the sweetest man on earth, but what if he didn’t get along with my friends? I loved those guys, but some of them were idiots. Most of them were people I had been friends with since school or uni, so we were all very different people but still had that bond.
God, I hope he did like them, though. I sighed and got up, throwing on shorts and a shirt to go for a run.
Chapter Fourteen
On Mum’s birthday, I headed into the station after a meeting to discuss the schedule with other team leaders after training, and Grayson approached me. He stood his regulation two metres “so he couldn’t catch the gay” away from me, but still. He had some good points in regard to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Stacey in the Short case, especially some timeline discrepancies between different family members’ stories. These things bothered me too, and after much of last week being spent on other cases, Grayson and I agreed it was time to have another chat with them both. After much debate, I decided we could fit it in today.
I was still hoping to get home at a reasonable hour. I let Brooke take the lead while we were talking to Jeff, partly so I could listen as an observer and partly because I really did respect the way the dickhead could run an interview. Afterward, we headed back to the station. I had insisted on driving, and Brooke was sitting looking at his phone. “Any thoughts, or is Facebook too fascinating?” I asked.
He put his phone down. “Well, I’m not fifty so I don’t have Facebook. I was making notes. I hate not being able to remember exactly what was said. There was something. I don’t know.” He frowned and started fidgeting with his phone but didn’t open it again.
“I really think we need to know more about him. Did you know he was working at Tourk as well? I thought Stacey just organises logistics like deliveries.”
“No, I hadn’t known. He didn’t really shine much light on Charlotte and Aimee’s falling out, though. I just don’t feel right about him.”
“Like what?” I had a similar feeling, but I wanted Brooke’s impressions.
He only shrugged.
“Spit it out.”
“I’m not sure how to explain.”
“Fuck, you are annoying sometimes, Grayson.”
“So I’ve been told.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence.
At six o’clock, I turned my computer off and headed home to shower and change. When Nick arrived, I opened the door and stopped short. He was exquisite. His smile. And those eyes. I had never quite gotten used to them. His smile widened as he looked at me, and before I had worked out how to breathe, let alone speak, he stepped forward.
“Jesus, Ky, you look amazing,” he whispered as he raised up on his toes and kissed me. Light and sweet and totally breathtaking. He nuzzled into my neck and inhaled. The faint echo of my name on his lips sent a shiver through me.
Eventually, I stepped back because if I didn’t, we were definitely not making it to dinner. “God, Nick, how do you look better every time I see you?”
And there was that smile again. My smile.
The restaurant was amazing. I didn’t think I had ever eaten French food before, but holy cow it was good. I had no idea what to get when it came time to order, and Mum and Tim were unsure too, so Nick asked if it was okay if he ordered for us. He definitely knew what he was doing.
For the first ten minutes, I couldn’t get a word in as Mum and Nick talked enthusiastically about travel, as if they are old friends. Mum talked about all the places she dreamed of going, and Nick talked about the places he had been. Sitting back and watching them bond was really nice. I caught Tim’s eye as he watched them too, hoping he wasn’t feeling excluded, but he winked at me.
I didn’t remember ever feeling so happy before, and I didn’t think I was the only one. Nick wasn’t faking this, and it wasn’t one-sided, the connection, the sense of finally being where we should. After dinner, we drank wine and joked and laughed. When my watch said we only had thirty minutes before Mum and Tim had to leave to catch their flight, I gave Mum the gift I had finally found for her, and she silently unwrapped it. She was still careful unwrapping presents so she could save the paper. Once it was, she sat and looked at it. Tim wrapped his arms around her shoulders and asked if she was okay. Mum shook her head frantically and leaped up wrap herself around me.