Page 21 of Seeking Vengeance
“All right. I’ve got a few things to finish up at the garage. Why don’t you head back and crash for a bit? Christ, you look beat.”
“You’re working today? It’s Saturday.”
“I know, but I promised Sean I’d have this Escalade done for pickup first thing Monday. Shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. I’ll be home well before your shift. Hey, we’ll get a pizza tonight, yeah? Anything you want on it.”
Nicki sniffed and nodded. Sheshouldbe working tonight. Saturday was undoubtedly the best night of the week. Men were ramped up in weekend mode with a full day remaining for recuperation before having to face the grind once again. It was when she made her biggest tips and had the greatest chance of getting the information she needed. And what would she be doing? Hanging out in her brother’s apartment, scrounging his clothes while she scarfed down takeout and watched crappy movies on cable.
She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she’d been benched yet though. That would bring up questions, and she’d have to explain what had happened. She wasn’t ready to do that. Nick would hear about it soon enough.
* * *
Even from the gift shop,Sean could see the pain in Nicki’s eyes, feel her hurt, making his own gut twist in the process.
Should he go to her? Probably not. But damn, she looked so lost, sofragile. Maybe it was the warm and fuzzies still flowing through him from his visit upstairs, but there was no way he couldnotgo to her. Before he even realized it, his feet were carrying him in her direction.
“Nicki.” He said her name softly, afraid to startle her.
She looked up, surprised, and he caught his breath. For just a moment, she appeared so young. Her crystalline eyes were wide, her expression unguarded. There was none of the heavy makeup she’d been wearing last time he saw her; her hair hung in soft waves, layered and uneven around her face. Even the faded Levi’s, Reeboks, and hoodie made her look more like a young woman than the sexy vixen who had straddled his lap the night before and ridden herself to climax.
It didn’t last long. As soon as she registered who had spoken her name, her face hardened into the scowl he knew so well, and she matured before his eyes.
“What do you want?” she practically hissed.
“May I sit down?”
She looked as if she’d rather have a root canal. “It’s a free country. I was just leaving anyway.”
“Please,” he said as he slid into the seat across from her. “Don’t go just yet.”
His long legs extended under the table. It was a deliberate move on his part. She’d have to crawl over them to extract herself. She exhaled heavily but remained where she was. He decided to count that as a small victory.
While he hoped that she might open up to him, the realist in him knew it was unlikely. He was not a patient man, but he would try to be for her, and he looked forward to the challenge of earning her trust. Starting now.
Nicki avoided his eyes as he ordered coffee and a sandwich, shaking her head when he offered to get something for her as well.
“Well?” she asked once the waitress left. “Are you stalking me now? They have laws against that, you know.”
“My brother and his wife just had a baby,” he said. “I drove her to the hospital.”
“Oh. Uh, congratulations then, I guess.”
The server came by with a clean mug for Sean. He didn’t miss the way Nicki’s scowl deepened when the pretty young thing filled his cup and completely ignored Nicki’s.
“How about a refill for my friend?” he prompted.
The server offered an embarrassed smile, mumbled an apology, and topped off Nicki’s cup as well. He probably shouldn’t have taken as much satisfaction as he did in the way Nicki’s eyes glared at the waitress. If he didn’t know better, he might think Nicki was actually jealous.
“Boy or girl?” she asked finally when the waitress moved to the next table.
“Boy,” Sean answered, grinning. “Big guy too.”
He told her a little about the baby and Maggie and Michael. She listened, brows perpetually knitted, but refrained from further comment. They sat in silence for a few minutes, a silence that should have been more awkward than it was, until his sandwich came. This time, Nicki didn’t acknowledge the server’s presence at all. It was rather disappointing.
“That them?” she asked, her eyes trailing the group passing through the lobby.
Sean followed her gaze. Sure enough, he saw his father, brothers, and sisters-in-law moving toward the exit.
“Yeah.”
