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“So, how did you even find this barbecue? What does it involve?”
“You’ll see. It’s very laid-back. I’ve been a few times with my brothers, and we enjoyed it.”
“Are any of them going to be there?”
“No, just us.”
I clapped my hands together. “I can’t wait!”
We spoke a bit about the location as we drove along, and a short while later, Nick announced, “We’re here.”
I spent a lot of time by the water, since I lived nearby, but I hadn’t been around this side of the harbor. It wasn’t exactly a harbor, though. The nearest marina was pretty far away.
“I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place.” It looked like a beach. There was sand, lounge chairs, and umbrellas. “Nick, I think you’ve found my new favorite spot in the city.”
“Glad to be of service.”
The unmistakable scent of grilled meat was wafting through the air. I looked around, trying to trace its source. There was a bar on the left side, and right in front of it was a grill station.
“Yum,” I said, rubbing my belly. I wasn’t even hungry, but the smells were delicious.
Nick nodded in that direction. “Let’s take a look.”
There were several tables around the grill station, but most people were eating while standing at the huge counter. I couldfeel my limbs relax, as if they’d been holding tension for all these months and it was finally starting to melt away.
We glanced at the menu together. Nick put an arm around my shoulders, and I slowly warmed up. He was a touchy-feely person. How had I not realized it before? And why was I enjoying it so much? And his scent... wow. His aftershave was really something.
Goodness, Allison. You need to climb a man, stat, but that man will not be Nick Whitley. He’s basically the only other person in the twins’ life. No way in hell can you mess that up just because your hormones are working overtime.
“I want one of those mixed kebabs.”
As far as I could see, the cooks were the ones taking the orders as well. I wondered how they managed with so many people, but the system worked.
“Same for me,” Nick said.
“Coming right up,” the guy replied. “The drinks are on the other side.”
To my astonishment, we got our food only a few minutes later.
We each grabbed a skewer at the same time. I grinned, pressing mine to his. “Cheers!”
“Cheers, Allison. To a memorable evening.”
“Memorable? Why? Because of all these outrageous things you plan to do?” I waggled my eyebrows.
He chuckled. “I don’t plan to do them. I’ll just spontaneously come up with something if I have to.”
“So that’s the plan? You fly by the seat of your pants?”
“I’ve been doing that forever.”
I took a bite of the skewer. It was delicious.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you for that, being the CEO of such a huge company and all.”
He shook his head. “I plan things in business. There’s no way around that. But not as much as some of my brothers. And not at all in my private life.”
“What did you do today?” I asked him.