“Me, too. I had a great time. Don’t know when I’ll be in the city again, but I do know how to video chat.”
Her throat clogged. Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded and blinked rapidly to ward off the unshed tears suddenly burning her eyes.
They lingered at the cafe more than an hour then slowly headed back to Nick’s hotel. When he grabbed her hand, it seemed the most natural thing in the world.
Kat sipped tea from her to-go cup while they waited in the hotel lobby for the shuttle that would whisk Nick away from the city. When it appeared in the circle drive, he stood and pulled Kat up with him.
“Guess this is it,” he said.
They moved at the same moment, and she was crushed against him, his strong arms holding her close.
“I’m going to miss you,” he whispered against her hair.
“I’ll miss you, too. Call me when you get home, okay?”
“Will do.” His lips met hers, and she closed her eyes, basking in the warmth.
Moments later, he stepped onto the shuttle. As suddenly as he’d popped into her life, he was gone again. With a chilly wind stinging her cheeks, she waved. The cold seeped into her veins. Already, winter felt more bleak and gray without Nick’s warm hands and electric smile. She watched the van drive away and wondered, had they just ended something or started something?
ChapterEight
On Sunday morning, Kat slid into the booth opposite her chronically late friend. “Wow, you beat me. Are you all right?”
“Are you kidding?” Mia leaned over the table. “I’ve been here for five minutes. I can’t wait to hear about the visit from Colorado Man. Come on. I needdeets.”
Kat was happy to give them. She wanted Mia’s take on the situation. Would she be in the hang-on-and-see-where-things-go camp or the let-it-go-it-was-a-fun-fling camp? “Well, I have to say it was pretty amazing.” She gave Mia a quick overview of her almost two days with Nick and all the things they’d crammed into their time together. “It was so much fun.”
“Oh, my gaaawd, girl,” Mia drawled. “You are, like, all sparkly.” She flittered her hands in the air for emphasis.
Rolling her eyes, Kat laughed. “Anything wrong with that?”
“Not at all, just so not you. Photo, please.”
Right. The post-date selfie, something they’d done since college. Kat pulled out her cell phone, glad she’d remembered. “Coming right up.” She found the photo the woman at the skating rink had taken and turned the screen toward Mia. Then she watched as Mia tapped the photo and held it up for a closer view.
Her friend’s eyes widened. “Yum!” She gave Kat a long, speculative look. “Please tell me this turned into a sleepover.”
Kat flopped back against the padded booth and blew out her breath. She shook her head.
“No. Way.” Mia groaned. “Why not?”
Kat shrugged. “I’ve only known the guy a few days.”
“Sure, but now you know him, right?”
Did she? Kat felt as if she knew Nick, but how could she really in that amount of time? She toyed with the napkin on the table, practically squirming under Mia’s challenging eyes—and waffling between being okay with her decision Friday night and seriously regretting it. Yes, she’d been stuck on the number of days they’d known each other and what was “appropriate” rather than how she felt. Kat’s stomach fluttered just remembering Nick’s caresses, the way she fit against him, his goodnight kiss. She couldn’t deny he’d left an ache of longing inside her.
“Besides, he already had a room booked.”
“Uh-huh. And he already cancelled a flight. I doubt he’d have hesitated to cancel a hotel room.”
Kat honestly wasn’t sure whether Nick would’ve accepted an invitation to stay or not. Would it have felt like a one-night stand? She met Mia’s eyes. “Too late to change my mind now.”
Mia shook her head. “Someday, my friend, you’ve got to let go of this prim and proper upbringing and let yourself have some fun.”
“I said we had fun,” Kat reminded her. She wasn’t surprised by Mia’s assessment. The two of them had always had a different approach to intimacy.
Mia took another look at Kat’s phone then slid it back toward her. “Looks good to me. Cute. Nice smile. Just the right amount of facial hair. So, what’s next? Another rendezvous on the horizon?”
