Page 34 of A Daddy for Christmas 3: Nova
“I know your kitchen almost as well as I know my own now,” he replied, beaming up at me.
“I love that,” I said, leaning over to kiss him just as the doorbell rang.
I still took my time, plundering those sweet lips even as the doorbell chimed again. “Coming!” I yelled, hoping that it would keep them from ringing it again as I stole a quick peck before hurrying to the door.
“Not yet, but I’m definitely hopeful for later,” Nova muttered beneath his breath, so random and unexpectedly provocative that I nearly ran into the doorframe on my way through the living room.
Guess he was feeling as frisky as I was.
I caught a whiff of the food as soon as I opened the door, tipped my delivery dude, and thanked him for making the trek before I carried everything into the kitchen, where Nova waited. I swear, we were like kids on Christmas morning, opening the containers, arranging them in the middle of the table, and fishing handfuls of soy sauce packets out of the bottom of the bags before finally locating the chopsticks. I sucked at using them and wasn’t even going to try. Nova, on the other hand, broke his apart and tapped them together with ease before snagging a honey shrimp from the carton and popping it into his mouth.
“Ohhh, now that’s good,” he moaned, licking his lips for any lingering trace once he’d stopped chewing.
“It’s kind of like Ezekiel’s,” I replied. “Never a bad dish in the house.”
“There was a place, just off campus, that my friends and I loved to go to, especially at the end of finals week, when we were all either celebrating or licking our wounds depending on how our tests went. I’ve never had honey shrimp, before or since, that rivaled it, until tonight. This is divine.”
“See, and yet another thing to look forward to after your move.”
“The way the pluses and bonuses to moving have been adding up, I am going to be overwhelmingly depressed if I don’t get this job.”
“Nope, we’re not even going to entertain that possibility because that is not the kind of energy we want to put out into the universe,” I said. “Only good thoughts until you walk into that building. As long as you believe in yourself, everything will turn out in your favor, and when it does, we’re going to celebrate.”
“I’m glad you’re driving me,” he said. “I’d be worried about an Uber getting lost or being late, and I’d probably fidget the whole ride, worried that they didn’t know how to get there because I don’t know how to get there, and even with GPS I think I’d be so wound up that I’d make the driver anxious, which wouldn’t be good for anyone.”
“Oh man, the last time I was that nervous was before my first trip to the North Shore Invitational. Not only did I get myself so spun out that I tried to talk my coach into letting me drop out, but my teammates and I basically sent one another into such a spiral that if it hadn’t been for some quick thinking on the coach’s part, we’d have crashed out and never made our rides.”
“What did he do to pull you out of it?” Nova asked as we filled our plates from the cartons.
“Took us down to the water before sunrise, and the four of us paddled out together,” I explained. “It wasn’t about catching waves; it was about sitting and listening to the ocean and reflecting on what we loved about the sport. He wanted usto remember that what we sought out there wasn’t trophies, sponsorships, or checks, but the ride of a lifetime. He said that as long as we kept our focus on that, everything else would fall into place. Man, was he right. Putting all the hype, the possibilities, and potential fanfare out of my head allowed me to zone in on the true magic, which was finding the wave that I was meant to be one with. I swear I could feel it building, just in the way the water felt. I knew in the depths of my soul that it was going to be a spectacular ride even as I was paddling for it, and man, did it turn out to be the one that won me the event. I guess my point is that you are going into that interview for all the right reasons. It isn’t about fast-tracking your career or trying to land that cushy corner office; you’re looking for something that you are going to love doing that’s also going to let you love your life outside the office. So, trust that you deserve it, and there won’t be a reason for nerves.”
He nodded as we locked gazes, a slow smile curving his lips into a sultry bow.
“That’s going to be my mantra tomorrow,” he said as he leaned across the table. “That I deserve it, because I honestly feel like I do after the things I’ve put up with over the last six months. I deserve to have a life again. I deserve to love what I do. Maybe it’s selfish, with all the other good things happening for me right now, but I feel like I deserve you and to see how far we can take this thing between us.”
I met him halfway, kissing him and marveling at the tan he’d gotten since he’d arrived on my beach.
“To the furthest depths of the deepest seas,” I replied, staring into his eyes. “Together, we have infinite possibilities.”
Chapter 15
(Nova)
“It’s been wonderful seeing you again, Nova,” Ethan said as he stood and shook my hand. “Your vacation plans turned out to be a wonderful bonus gift for us.”
Rather than the interview taking place in one of their offices, we’d sat at one of several tables in the domed botanical garden behind the building. It was a space I knew, from my previous visit, that their employees loved to utilize during their breaks to sit, socialize, and relax in.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” I explained. “I can’t wait to get started.”
“You make sure you give yourself a few days to get settled into your new apartment before you feel the need to rush in here,” Ethan explained. “Moving is no joke, especially whenyou’re moving halfway around the world. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. Your job is etched in stone, so don’t even think about rushing.”
“Thank you. That means the world to me,” I said. “I can’t believe that I’m finally going to get to focus on designing campaigns, instead of marketing them.”
“Well, after the ideas you rattled off during the interview, we can’t wait to see your first presentation,” Koa said.
“I won’t let you down,” I said as I shook his hand next.
“We know you won’t,” Koa said.