Page 24 of One Sweet Day I Found You

Courtney took the card, her expression unsteady. “Okay. Thanks.”

It looked as though Kira was already coming around. Even if only a little.

Nick ran a hand across his chin, listening.

“Exactly. And, no problem. I don’t want to give you a chance to tick off Beecham again anytime soon. But I’m still calling youAussie.” Kira kept a straight face. “It’s fun to say.”

Courtney snorted, waving it off. “Okay, then. I guess I can live with that.” She dug into her duffel bag for her keys.

Kira turned back to the truck. “Cool,” she said. “I’ll talk to you soon. Drive safe.” She opened the back door and began loading her equipment onto the seat.

Courtney took the opportunity to mime her relief to Nick. Nick smiled back, wiggling his eyebrows.

“See,” he whispered, moving closer to her, “I told you she wasn’t so bad.”

Courtney grinned and cocked an eyebrow.

“So I guess I’ll head out now. It’s good to meet you, Kira. I’m looking forward to seeing that video.” She took a few steps toward her car.

Kira didn’t look up. “Sounds good, Aussie. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Courtney stopped and turned to Nick. “Oh, hey, I forgot to get your shop’s web address for the post. I assume I can get the shop’s physical address and phone number on there, too?”

“Oh, right. Yeah, it’s on there. But hold up one sec. I’ll walk you to your car while Kira’s loading up.” He shut the front door of the truck and caught up to her.

When they reached the car, Courtney opened the driver’s side door, pulled out the notepad, and threw her duffel bag onto the seat.

Nick recited the web address and told her where to find the reservations page so she could link to it. “My shop’s at the docks. You know, the one that your trail leads to.”

Maybe she’d stop in and say hi sometime? If he were lucky.

“Oh, really? Well, I guess I’ll see you around then. Thanks for the interview and a great tour today. I had a really good time.” She sat down in the driver’s seat and Nick shut the door for her. She started the engine and rolled down her window.

Nick gazed down at her. He could get lost in those big, brown eyes of hers. “No problem. I’m glad you liked it. And hey, it was nice to meet you—for real this time.”

Courtney’s eyes locked on his. “Likewise.” She grinned. “I’m so glad I didn’t have to throw any drinks at you this time.”

He laughed.

He really wanted to see this girl again. The interview was over. It was okay to ask her out now, right?

“Speaking of which, we should grab one sometime,” said Nick.

Courtney’s mouth turned up at the side. “One what?”

“Drink. I mean, if you want to?” Nick waited. It wasn’t too soon to ask, was it?

“Oh. Yeah, that would be great.”

Nick rocked on his heels. “Great,” he said, stepping a few paces back from the car. “Well, you know where to find me.”

Courtney looked confused then forced a smile as she backed out of the parking spot.

Nick cringed, muttering to himself.Dude, what was that? You’ve lost your game.

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