My body relaxed.
My shoulders didn’t feel so tense.
I didn’t have a thousand thoughts fighting for my attention.
I felt peace.
I opened my eyes and stared into the cascading water, still relaxed.
I continued to listen to the fountain, feeling more relaxed than I have felt in years.
It was like I’d had a glass of wine or two.
My buzz had come back.
All that in a few minutes?
“This crap really works,” I whispered to myself.
I nodded and stood, glancing over at the light in my office, not feeling motivated to do anything, which was new for me.
Then I did something I hadn’t done in years.
I decided to go to bed without finishing everything on my to-do list.
I was tempted to start feeling guilty, but then Nick’s words popped into my head.
Don’t feel guilty for taking time for yourself.
I would try to take his advice, but I just couldn’t help feeling that I was going to pay for this the next day.
Chapter Fifteen
RUTH
Surprisingly, last night was the best night of sleep I’d had in a long time. Was it the pasta or the wine or the quiet time I had spent by the fountain before I went to bed? I had no idea, but it was amazing and perfect. Well, except for one little problem.
The dream I’d had about Nick.
Okay, maybe “dream” wasn’t the correct word.
Fantasy.
Much more accurate.
It started with me flashing him again, and everything just spiraled out of control from there.
I did everything I could to not let my thoughts drift back to Nick as I lay in the dark last night. Every time he popped into my head I would try to focus on something else. I even tried counting sheep, but the sheep suddenly turned into deer who were eating grapes, which reminded me of wine, which led my thoughts right back to the dinner with Nick.
It was a complete failure.
That’s why I’d come up with the plan to avoid Nick all morning. How could I look him in the eyes after I had let him do all those things to me in my dream?
Impossible.
Little did I know it would also be impossible to avoid him since I had to go to the kitchen to get my four cups of morning coffee. He would be able to see me very clearly through the kitchen window each time I did so. And keeping the french doors closed on such a beautiful day would’ve been conspicuous. The only thing I could do was try to maintain a low profile and keep any type of conversation with him short and to the point.
And avoid eye contact, if possible.
I had to admit I was very excited that today would be the day that they would begin installing my gazebo. According to Nick, the gazebo had already been customized and fabricated offsite. All they had to do was put the custom pieces together, almost like a puzzle.
In a couple of days, my gazebo would be ready to use and all I would have to do was add the furniture that I had already purchased and that was in my garage. I couldn’t wait to use it for the first time and could even envision myself occasionally working with my laptop out there.
After my morning croissant and coffee, I was busy at work.
“Knock, knock,” Nick said through the open french doors of my office.
Startled, I banged my knee on the desk. “Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! Come in!”
Nick opened the screen door and closed it behind him. “You okay?”
I nodded, rubbing my knee, avoiding eye contact as planned. “Yeah. Fine. I just jammed my knee into the desk. No big deal. What’s a little collision with a solid wood desk that weighs three hundred pounds?”
“How long have you been accident prone?”
“How long have I known you?”
He grinned. “That was my fault?”
“You’re the easy blame—let’s go with that.” I stuck my head under the desk like I had dropped something and was looking for it.
“And I suppose it was my fault when you fell off the bike in the—”
“No, no, no, no, no.” From below the desk, I shook my finger at him. “The first rule about the gym is never talk about the gym. Ever.”
“Of course. Well, can you at least tell me how your wrist is? I noticed you haven’t been wearing the brace the last couple of days. I hope that’s a good sign.”
“It is, thank you for asking. How can I help you?” I pretended to organize files in my file cabinet with my back to him, so I didn’t have to look at him.
“Well, I feel kind of funny asking, but . . .”
Silence.
Why didn’t Nick finish his sentence?
Don’t turn around. Wait it out.
More silence.
What the heck was going on with Nick behind me?
The silence was too awkward.
I had to speak. “Did you pass out?”
“I’m here.”
I kept my head down. “And why haven’t you finished your sentence?” I pretended to shuffle more things around in the cabinet.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not!”
Okay, I didn’t have to be so adamant. I think I overdid it there.
“Then look at me,” Nick said.
This man was too smart for his own good and it was pissing me off.
I stopped fidgeting with the files and slowly turned around, locking gazes with him, but trying not to think of the dream. “See? I’m looking at you. You were saying?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Why are you acting weird? Is this about last night?”
“What happened last night?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
I flipped my hair back, laughing, trying to play it off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I do need to get back to work. What did you need?”
Nick hesitated. “As I was saying, I feel kind of funny asking, but I promised Brandon I would since I owe him more than a few favors.”
I nodded. “He wants to know if Dee is single?”
Nick’s eyes widened. “How did you do that? Did you get that from your women’s intuition?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what I’m thinking right now.”
I shook my head. “I have intuition, not ESP.”
“Well, I have ESPN, but that’s a whole different ball game.” He gave a cheesy smile. “See what I did there?”
“I do.”
“And you don’t think it’s funny?”
“I do not.”
“Not even a little.”
“Nope.”
“Hmmm. Tough crowd. By the way, how did you sleep last night? Did you have any weird dreams?”
Oh, no.
How did he do that?
I needed to Google “men’s intuition” and see if there was such a thing and if we ladies had some competition. What’s next? Spa and shopping days for the guys?
Nick snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Well, the reason I asked is because I had a dream and you were in it.”
I wanted badly to know what the dream was about, but what if it was hot and steamy like mine? Nick was the only man who had ever made me blush and I didn’t want it to happen again.