She nearly skipped the last few steps to the cafe, and when she saw Nick waiting just inside the door, her heart skipped with her.
“Morning,” he greeted her with a quick kiss on the lips.
“Morning.”
“Cute place. I’ve seen a couple of amazing plates go by.” He gestured toward the windows. “How ’bout a booth?”
“Perfect.” Kat slid in and pulled off her gloves, ready for some hot tea and a pastry.
After the server took their order, Nick leaned forward. “You come here a lot?”
“Pretty regularly. Mia and I have a few favorites. We usually meet up before we head to the studio on Sundays.”
“That the plan for tomorrow?”
“Yep.”
“And when will you be back to check on Nana? You’ll want to see for yourself that they’re treating her well, right?”
Kat heard the hopefulness in his voice and hated to sound negative, but she couldn’t give him false hope, either. She sent him a soft smile. “She’s getting a new computer so we can have video chats.”
“How dare she.”
The server brought their drinks, and Kat spent an inordinate amount of time dipping her teabag into the hot water. Then she added a squirt of lemon and a drop of honey. When she looked across the table, Nick’s intense gaze met hers.
“You know, we have a pretty fine ice-skating arena in the Springs. Olympic skaters train there.”
“Yes, I know.”
“You ever been there?”
“Once.”
“It’s probably changed a lot. You should come see it.”
Kat couldn’t help laughing. “That would be fun.”
He caught her hand. “Does next weekend work for you?”
She pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. She knew he was teasing, but there was not a chance she’d be in Colorado next weekend or the weekend after or the weekend after that. She took a sip of tea, then sat back as the waitress returned.
When she placed plates on the table, Nick released Kat’s hand.
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Kat cut her apricot danish into small pieces and stole glances across the table at Nick. He was—or pretended to be—quite interested in the makings of his breakfast burrito.
Finally, she couldn’t stand the awkward silence. “You know, Nick. I don’t go home often.” She spoke softly, but the tightening of his jaw told her he heard every word. He’d known that from the beginning.
His gaze met hers. “I was wondering if you might change your mind.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “The thing is, I…I couldn’t afford the time or the cost.”
He cocked his head and offered a slow, lopsided smile. “Couldn’t you at least try to be sad about that?”
Kat let out a sharp laugh, and relief washed over her. His ability to stay upbeat and crack a joke about their situation was endearing. If he whined or argued or tried to twist her arm, he’d only make it easier for her to say goodbye.
And it was getting harder with every minute that ticked by. She reached for his hand. “I am sad. I– I don’t know where that leaves us, but I hope we can stay in touch.”
He ran his thumb over her hand, and she felt as if his eyes looked straight into her soul.
