These days, it seemed Victoria Brady had unofficially adopted Nick as one of her own grandchildren, of which she had few. Nick made it a point to check on Victoria every few weeks. The woman was getting on in the world and didn’t have any family nearby. And he didn’t mind. His family was far away, too, after all, and his grandparents were gone. It was good for both of them to have someone close who felt like family.
But Nick wanted to downplay his connection with Courtney’s landlord and his familiarity with her new home. He should give Courtney her space. If he got to know her better, he could explain later.
They reached the main trail that met up with the parking lot.
“Victoria’s very sweet. Tough, optimistic. You’ll like her.”
“Good to know.” Courtney climbed over a branch on the trail. “By the way, her cottage is so beautiful. I feel like I’ve really stepped up in the world, moving in there.” She grinned.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Totally. Sure beats the hostel in Sydney. I shared an unlocked room with one to three other girls, give or take, at any given time, for six months. Bunk beds.”
Nick pulled a branch out of the way and Courtney ducked underneath. “That must’ve gotten old quickly.”
“It did, kind of. But, then again, it was great. Instant friends and day-trip companions. Couldn’t complain. A lot of them were from other countries, too. It was a great experience.”
He asked her more about Australia and Courtney gave him a quick rundown of her trip and the freelance work she did there before they reached the truck. Nick was impressed.
Kira returned just as Nick and Courtney emerged from the woods.
“How’d it go, Kira?” Nick took some of the bulkier equipment from her.
“I think I’m good on video and images. You all set for the article, Courtney?”
Courtney took her duffel bag off her shoulders as they reached the truck. “Yeah, I think I’m good.”
Nick unlocked the truck and threw his hat on the front seat.
“Hey,” Kira said, “so, Courtney, you’re supposed to get this post out by Monday morning, right? They want to see my video by Saturday and then they’ll give me any edits to finish by Sunday night. Do you want to run your post by me before Beecham sees it—since this is your first one? I used to look over Sam’s stories—he was the writer before you got here—just to give them a second pair of eyes before he submitted them.”
Courtney looked surprised. “Uh, sure. That would be great.”
Kira pulled a business card from her equipment bag. “Here’s my number. Text me anytime.”
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 you Aussie.” 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.
Seven
What in the world was that? Courtney drove out of the parking lot. Why would Nick dangle the proverbial carrot in front of her and then yank it away?
She chewed at her lip, frowning, and turned onto the main road.
He could’ve just asked for her number. Why didn’t he? Or, news flash—he could’ve just sealed the deal and told her where and when, and she’d have been there.
Yes, she was interested. She had to admit it. The day had not started out that way, but things had changed over the course of a few hours. He actually seemed like a nice guy. It was a pleasant surprise meeting him again, really.
But she wasn’t usually one to make the first move, especially since he had just been the focus of her interview. It would be too weird or unprofessional or something. Right?
Hopefully she’d run into him again somewhere. She did know where to find him now, after all. She let out a huff and hoped the pleasant scenery would change her mood.
Back at the cottage, Courtney set her notebook and duffel bag on the table and hung the visor in the front closet.
She’d had enough of pretending to understand men. Maybe Nick should take a lesson from Kira and learn to be a little more direct.
Yet, she was intrigued. He wasn’t just easy on the eyes, he was also intelligent and easy to talk to. And he’d been a great listener.