Nic nodded. He didn’t find satisfaction in the answer. The three of them were competitive, always pushing each other to greatness. He had the throttle at full speed while his sister was backing off.
Just as Samuel walked out Lisa walked in, carrying his limited-edition Nike Air Jordan’s. “I think these are yours,” she announced with a smile.
“Thanks. Hey, before you go. How are you feeling?”
She laid a hand over her belly, her skin glowing. “I feel good. Doc said things are progressing nicely.”
“I didn’t think you were interested in having babies.”
She shrugged, not seeming to take offense at his personal comment. “I don’t think I ever ruled it out, but I guess it just felt right to start now.”
He didn’t know how to respond. This simply didn’t seem like the sister he knew. The one who’d race him to finish dinner, even as Mom scolded them. The one who would go toe-to-toe with her brothers over grades. The one who graduated from college a semester early just so she’d have bragging rights.
“Look, I’m not saying it was an easy decision, but the practice is just work. It’s just a job. This is family.” She rubbed a hand over her belly again. “And Nic, life isn’t a competition.” She grinned. “We all may be competitive, but it’s fun and games. Finding a person you want to spend your life with, building a family, growing together—that’s important. That’s what matters most.” She paused for a second, and he wondered if she would continue but then she kissed his cheek, stroked his forearm, and left without further conversation.
Nic lay on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, replaying the night, his time in the Caribbean, his meeting with Juliette, all of it. He felt like he was on the cusp of something amazing or something incredibly horrific, and he just couldn’t put his finger on it.
Growing up, Nic would compete with his brother and sister. Lisa was right: they were all driven and competitive. He would compete with his friends, and not just in sports. He would compete with himself. Having the best and being the best drove him, in everything. Dillon was right there along with him.
But now, after Lisa’s announcement, he was forced to stop and reconsider. For some reason, he was internalizing her decision. And it shouldn’t affect him in the least. So why was it he was wide awake at one in the morning rehashing his entire life?
All he wanted to do was talk to Cat. She was so flippin’ easy to talk to. And smart too. They’d traded a few texts, nothing deep. He wanted to plan a trip to see her, but now with his promotion…
If Alan was moving to Human Resources, they’d want someone in the position right away. Nic was the perfect candidate, and everyone knew it.
He pressed his fingers against his temples. Was that what he really wanted?
He chuckled. Once Cat had said Things aren’t always as they seem, when she’d spoken of her ex-fiancé. Now, Nic was wondering about that himself. Would advancement in his job, his career, somehow prove he was just as successful as his siblings—the doctor and the lawyer? Was that how he was going to measure his success? He’d done it for so long, he never questioned it. Never stopped to think whether that was the best barometer.
If his best friend were alive, he would share everything going on in his life. Dillon had had great insight and already knew Nic was a workaholic; no time for relationships. But knowing Dillon, he might have said Live life to the fullest, because from where I stand you wouldn’t be lying around thinking about her, you’d be with her.
Nic rolled to his side, shutting his eyes, willing sleep to come.
The dreaded Saturday had arrived.
“No, the dress is definitely better than the jeans.” Celeste pointed from her perch on Cat’s bed.
Cat had been trying to get out of this blind date all week. Last week, Bethany and Riley had come over. All four of them had watched a chick flick and ate pizza. Cat still wasn’t herself, and her girls knew it. It had only been a month since she’d last seen Nicholas.
“You have to find a way to get over him,” Bethany had said with concern and love in her blue eyes.
“I know. This obsession with a rebound guy is starting to affect my job. I forgot an important update on a file I was working on, and I think I missed a meeting this week. Everyone seems to be walking on eggshells around me, thinking I’m broken up about Jack.”
They all nodded.
“Well, you know what they say: the fastest way to get over a guy is to get under another.” Riley grinned, but damn if Riley didn’t believe her own advice.
Cat rolled her eyes.
“She’s kinda right, babe. You need to date.” Cel tipped her head.
So, here she stood, trying on clothes that would meet Celeste’s approval for a date that they’d arranged with a guy named Stefano.
What the hell was she thinking? Seriously.
“Okay, perfect. Wear your navy heels and don’t forget the flower. You’ve got fifteen minutes before your Uber arrives,” Cel called out as she left her bedroom.
Fifteen minutes left. Fifteen minutes to think of a good excuse to get out of this thing.
Oh whatever. Maybe if I go on this date, they’ll leave me alone for a while.
She walked into the kitchen with a minute to spare and received the Celeste Beckworth nod of approval. “Look, I’m probably gonna crash at Nate’s tonight. He has a gig on Sixth Street and asked me to hang with him afterward,” she said as she waggled her brows, her eyes twinkling.
“Okay. I guess I can wait until tomorrow to give you all the gory details,” Cat replied on a sigh and headed out the front door.
The driver pulled up to Andiamo’s Italian Bar and Grill, and the valet opened her car door. Cat had been to the restaurant a few times with Jack. The place served some excellent eggplant parm and tiramisu. At least there’s that.
Even as she tried not to slump in her chair, Cat couldn’t stop thinking that she’d rather be somewhere else—anywhere else—besides on a date. She had only one person on her mind these days—Nicholas Westbrook.
She’d tried telling herself it was just sex, but after a hundred times, that lie simply didn’t stick. She’d even researched paralegal jobs in Orlando—a few looked enticing, but she wasn’t about to push herself on the man. If they were meant to be together, wouldn’t he have just asked her, Hey, have you ever thought of living in Orlando?
They’d hardly texted each other, as he was likely moving on. She clearly felt more for him than he did for her, and that was her deciding factor. She didn’t apply to any of the jobs in Orlando and scolded herself for not being over him already.
Her eyes began to water. She quickly lifted her cloth napkin to blot her eyes. Do not cry here. Not now. Save it.
Lowering her hand, she saw a tall, male figure out of the corner of her eye. She turned expecting her date.
Nicholas.
She couldn’t breathe. Was this her imagination?
“Hi, beautiful.”
It was him.
She jumped from her seat, the chair nearly crashing backward to the floor. She swung her arms around his neck and held on tight. “Oh my God.”
Then, the tears fell. Weeks of sorrow and pain, all detonated in a split-second. Weeks of trying to keep it together, when having him in her arms again was all she wanted.