Page 16 of Big Nick Energy

“I can tell.”

He closed the door before I could respond.

I watched him walk around the front of the vehicle and took a deep breath. I stuck the key in the ignition and turned it as he got in. His long legs were folded, and his knees were basically touching his chest.

“Oh, there’s a button on the side to give you some room,” I pointed out.

He gave me the address to the rental home as his seat started sliding back. I typed the location in the GPS and when I looked back at him, he was staring at me.

“You had a child in the front seat?” he joked.

I burst out laughing. “Nah, my best friend. She’s 5’7” but she likes to sit straight up and close to the dashboard,” I explained.

“I was going to ask if you came to homecoming alone.”

Now we’re talking.I bit my lip and tried not to smile as he put on his seatbelt.

“I came with my best friend Paris,” I answered casually. “Did you come alone?”

“Technically, I did. But everyone on my line is in town for this. We’re hosting the step show and the party tomorrow night, so the SONs had to show up and show out. You have a regular ticket or a VIP pass for tomorrow?”

I could feel his eyes on me. “Regular. I don’t even think I knew there was a VIP option.”

“It wasn’t publicized. It’s kind of by invitation only and even then, those of us who financially contributed were the only ones who had access. But I didn’t know who you knew, and I didn’t know if you might’ve gotten one.”

“No one has given me a pass.”

“Aight, let me fix that. Remind me to get you and your friend passes first thing in the morning. I have some in my hotel room.”

Pulling out of the parking spot, I kept my eyes straight ahead so he couldn’t see the giddiness on my face. “I can do that.”

“What’s that look?” he wondered.

“Just thinking about the perks that have already come from our collision earlier.”

He laughed.

“But I do have a question for you,” I said.

“Anything.”

My stomach fluttered and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “How do you find the time to work a full-time corporate job, run a successful nonprofit program, and have an active social life?”

“I make time for everything that’s important and I balance it accordingly. One week, one thing might need more of my time and another week, something else. It helps to have an assistant.”

My eyebrows shot up, intrigued. “Your assistant handles your social life too?”

“If it’s important. Work and moving has been at the forefront this year so she hasn’t had to do much as far as my social life is concerned.”

“Don’t tell me this weekend is your first nonwork or nonmoving activity you’ve done for the year!”

He made a face and ran his hand over his smooth, chiseled jaw. “Yeah, pretty much.”

I gasped as I parked across the street from the rental house. “So, you haven’t gone on dates, gone to the movies, gone to any concerts, gone on any trips? You just go to work and then go back home?” I turned to him and frowned. “You don’t doanything?”

He burst out laughing.

“Okay, okay, okay, you got me.” His deep, hearty chuckle filled the car as he realized I was mimicking his earlier reaction to me.

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