Her breath catches, and it’s so subtle that I doubt either of her parents notice, but I’m watching for it. Valerie looks a little confused. “Well…okay. You know you have us if you ever need anything or want to talk about it.” She laughs, and looks at Bruce. “I need someone to start getting Bruce out of the house again, so if you two want to have a girl’s night and go out and talk about your feelings, feel free.”
Bruce and I chuckle. “Thanks,” I say. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Nicola is still looking at me, and just like yesterday, I can’t interpret her expression. But it feels like she’s searching for something. I hope I can give her what she’s looking for. We order our pizza, and true to form, I order meat lover’s, though the temptation to order the Hawaiian is still there. But I want to order something that I’ll actually eat.
The tension that appeared when Valerie asked why I’m back disappears for the most part, but I can’t help feeling a little awkward still. It’s bound to happen, when you haven’t interacted with people regularly for years. Your dynamic is going to change, and we haven’t quite found our stride yet. But overall, the conversation is good, and as we casually talk about life and the work plans that Bruce has, Nicola relaxes. She fucking lights up when she talks about all the ideas that she has for regional flavors and the incentives that go along with them, and I fire right back about marketing ideas and pitches for slogans that are off the top of my head. I’m glad that Bruce looks approving but really, I’m just happy that I’m able to make Nicola laugh.
It’s the best sound in the world. Apart from, maybe, hearing her moan.
The pizza is just as delicious as I remember, and I eat way too much of it. But I can’t bring myself to regret it at all. This is great. Especially when she’s smiling at me from across the table.
“Well,” Bruce says, stretching, “I have to get back to the office.”
“And I have a meeting,” Valerie says. “You want to be dropped off at the office, Nicola?”
“I can take her back,” I say. “I’m going anyway.”
Valerie smiles at me. “That would be perfect, Tristan, thank you.”
I catch Nicola’s face as her mother says that, and am rewarded with seeing her mouth fall open in shock. She was definitely going to protest, but I didn’t even give her a chance. I suppose I should feel bad, but I don’t. There’s not a chance in hell that I’m playing fair. Not when it comes to this.
“We’ll see you both later,” Bruce says, clapping me on the shoulder. He’s already taken the bill with him, so I don’t even have to worry about that. All I need to focus on is Nicola, now that we’re finally alone.
“Well,” Nicola says. “Are you going to sweep me into the bathroom here too?”
Fuck. I would in a second. “Would you like me to?”
Her cheeks stain pink with her blush, and it tells me her real answer. But she doesn’t reply, just changes the subject. “I like your ideas. It’s a good thing that Dad brought you on now. We have a lot to do for summer.”
“I agree. We’ll definitely be working a lot together.”
She rolls her eyes. “Which was your goal, clearly.”
Leaning my elbows on the table, I wait until she looks at me. “I didn’t ask Bruce for a job to get closer to you. In fact, I didn’t ask him for a job at all. If I had, it would have been something small, like on the production line just to get me started while I settled back in town. I never imagined that he would offer me Marketing Director.”
Nicola takes a bite of her pizza and looks away. “Well you’re certainly a good fit. But thank you for telling me that. I really believe in the company, and I didn’t want—”
“Me to ignore everything about my job while trying to be with you?” I finish for her.
“Yeah.”
I smile at her. “Don’t worry, I fully plan on doing both.” She looks away again, and I have to ask. “Have you changed your mind? If you have, I won’t hold it against you.”
“Do you think launching a sorbet would be good in the South? That might be nice and refreshing for the summer months. I could do something with lemon.”
“Nicola.”
She looks at me. “What?”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“And you didn’t answer the one Mom asked you earlier about why you left and why you came back.”
There it is. There’s anger in her gaze. But I can take the heat. If I didn’t think I could, then I certainly wouldn’t be here. “I’m back for you,” I say. “Four years ago you promised me all of you. No matter how long it took. And I was a coward about it. I wasn’t ready, but I am now.”