Page 31 of Wish Lists and Road Trips

He finished chewing and took another slice. “Like you said, we didn’t eat lunch.”

I studied him. “Your color looks better. I didn’t even notice how pale you were. Nick!”

His head popped up, eyes wide. “What?”

“Is this a habit for you? Not taking care of yourself?”

“I didn’t realize I was hungry until we got food. I’m fine.”

“It’s not fine. You can’t go into hypoglycemic shock and crash the Rover. I need to get home and buy a house.” I reached across the table and pinched the skin on his hand to check the elasticity.

“Ow. What the hell?”

“You’re dehydrated too.” I pulled up the fitness app that I’d downloaded last summer then promptly ignored. “I’m going to start tracking your water intake.”

He plucked my phone from my hand and put it face down on the table, then served another slice of pizza onto my plate. “Tell me more about your house,” he said.

I knew a subject change when I saw one, but this one was too enticing.

“It’s a dump.” I blew a raspberry and frowned. “I mean, right now it is. But I’m going to fix it up.”

Nick folded another slice in half and took a tidy but huge bite while I sawed off the end of my slice with a plastic knife.

“And it has room for your studio?”

The excitement I’d felt when I first saw it bubbled back up at Nick’s attentive eyes. I was a popped champagne bottle, spilling over. “It was built as a single-family home, but the first floor was converted to a dentist office in the nineties. The waiting room needs to be redone and I need to knock down a few walls. Obviously I have to redecorate the whole thing, but it has this really cute wooden signpost out front. I can’t wait to hang my sign there. That’s how I’ll know I made it. A sign hanging from a post.”

He chuckled and shook his head.

It would be one step at a time. I needed to replenish my savings account, which was a barren desert after paying for cosmetology school. Then I could quit the job at the mall. I’d set up an office to run the blog and my socials and edit videos. Then I’d pick at the renovations until I could get it in good enough shape to see clients there.

I had visions of bridal parties sipping champagne near the fireplace while I made them feel good about themselves. Mothers bringing their daughters in for prom. They’d leave feeling special and happy all because of me. It was a five-year plan at best, but it didn’t matter because the first step would be done. I’d have some solid ground to build on.

“It’s going to auction on Friday,” I told him. “And my realtor said there hasn’t been much interest. I have a good chance.”

“Wow. Auction.” He raised an eyebrow. “Not many buyers can pull off a cash sale.”

“I have a trust,” I admitted. “It kicked in when I turned twenty-five.” I chanced a look at Nick, trying to read him. I hated telling people about that. It made it a lot harder to claim my emancipation from my parents’ world when I was using family money to do it.

Part of me wanted to explain all of the things I’d had to give up for this inheritance—agency, self-respect, love—but I knew to a hard-working guy like Nick, I’d just seem ungrateful. “I know you probably think that sounds privileged, and I know that it is, but I’m using it to build something. I worked my butt off to make it this far. I paid for every dollar of cosmetology school myself.”

Nick tipped his head to look at me. “Hey. I’m not judging you, Brit. I had a whole business handed down to me. I know it still takes a lot of work.”

My face softened at his quiet understanding. I’d set out to do this completely on my own, to prove that I could, but if I let myself, I could get used to having someone like Nick in my corner.

Notlikehim. Him, specifically.

I grabbed my phone and pulled up the real estate listing. “Wanna see?”

He wiped his hands on a napkin and took it from me. “This is it?”

“Yes.” I took a bite of pizza, trying not to fidget while Nick examined my hopes and dreams.

“You were right about it being a fixer-upper,” he said, but his lip curled up in a smile and I knew he approved. It meant the world.

“It’s a long way from Liberty Ave.”

He raised an eyebrow.

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