Page 33 of Keep My Heart (The Haydon Falls #1)

Lyndsay

‘What if he doesn’t show up?’ I ask Diane as I paint sparkly purple nail polish on Leah’s tiny fingers. She insists I’m better at painting her nails than her mom.

‘This is Nick you’re talking about,’ Diane says. ‘He’s very reliable. Always has been. He’s nothing like Chris.’

‘Is Nick your boyfriend?’ Leah asks, smiling at me, her head tilted.

‘No. He’s just a friend who’s a boy.’

‘Did he kiss you? Because if he kissed you, he’s for sure your boyfriend.’

‘Who told you that?’ Diane asks in her concerned mom tone.

‘Shana.’ Leah rocks side to side on her chair, causing me to almost paint her finger instead of her nail. ‘Tommy Mayfield kissed her and now he’s her boyfriend.’

‘Leah, can you hold still a minute so I can finish?’ I ask.

She nods really fast, then watches as I finish the last two nails. ‘Do you have to go back to California?’

‘Yes, but I’ll come back to visit. ’

‘When?’

‘I’m not sure yet. Maybe Thanksgiving.’

‘That long?’ Diane says. ‘I thought you were coming back for the fall festival.’

‘I was, but .?.?.’ I finish painting Leah’s nails and sit back, looking at Diane across the kitchen table. ‘It’ll just remind me of Nick.’

‘Maybe he’s coming here to tell you he wants to try to make this work.’

‘I doubt it. He said it’s because Matt talked him into going to the reunion. He’s not here to see me.’

‘Then why is he taking you to breakfast?’

‘Because we’re friends.’

‘Mommy, look!’ Leah jumps off her chair and runs over to her mom. ‘Isn’t it pretty?’

‘Super pretty. And I like the sparkles. You should thank Lyndsay for buying you that.’

Leah runs over to me and gives me a hug. ‘Thank you!’

‘You’re welcome, sweetie.’

‘I’m gonna go show Daddy!’ Leah runs off.

‘She’s going to miss you,’ Diane says. ‘We all are.’

‘I’m going to miss you guys too.’

‘There isn’t any chance you’d consider moving back?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe. But what would I do here? And how would I find someone to date? The only single guys around here are either too old, too young, or friends with Chris.’

‘What about going somewhere else?’

‘I might’ve considered moving to New York if I thought Nick and I might have a chance.’

‘Did you tell him that?’

‘No. If he wanted me to move there, he would’ve asked. The fact that he didn’t tells me he doesn’t want to even try having a relationship. He’s consumed with his job and maybe that’s all he wants out of life.’

‘I don’t think that’s true. I could easily see Nick married with kids.’

‘I could too, but I don’t think that’s what he wants.

Maybe this weekend is his way of telling me goodbye, for good this time.

Maybe he’ll tell me he doesn’t even want to be friends.

’ I fight back tears, telling myself for the millionth time that I’m not going to cry over Nick.

He’s a great guy and I wish things had turned out differently between us, but I need to end this fantasy of us being together and just accept that it wasn’t meant to be.

‘I don’t think he’d come here just to tell you goodbye,’ Diane says, getting up to get some wine. ‘Want some?’

‘No, thanks.’ I watch as she pours wine in a glass. ‘Maybe when he’s here, he won’t even talk about us. Maybe last weekend didn’t mean anything to him and I’m making it into more than it was. I mean, he said he’s coming back for the reunion, not to see me.’

Diane comes back to the table, holding her wine glass. ‘We both know he’s coming to see you. The reunion is just an excuse. He didn’t even want to go.’

‘I can’t tell you how much I want to see him. He’s not even here yet and my heart’s already racing, I’m so excited.’

‘That’s why I’m worried.’ Diane takes a sip of her wine. ‘Part of me wishes he wasn’t coming.’

‘You don’t have to worry. I’m not getting my hopes up. I know Nick and I don’t have a future together, but I’m still excited to see him. I feel like it’s been months, but it hasn’t even been a week.’ I check my phone for the time. ‘He should be here by now. I wonder who’s picking him up.’

‘Probably Sawyer. Hey, Tom went to the brewery last night with some friends and said the place was packed. ’

‘I’m not surprised. I think it’ll do well. It’s a fun atmosphere and the beer’s really good.’ My phone rings. I check the screen. ‘It’s him! It’s Nick!’

‘Are you going to answer it?’

‘Hey, Nick,’ I say, trying to sound cool and not crazy excited.

‘Hey, I just got into town and was wondering if you want to go to Sawyer’s for a drink. He picked me up from the airport and we’re heading back to the brewery. We can stop and get you if you want.’

‘Um, yeah, that sounds fun!’ I look at Diane. ‘But I’m not at home. I’m at Diane’s house.’

‘Perfect! We’re like a mile from there. We’ll be there in a minute.’

I end the call and jump up from my chair. ‘He’s coming to pick me up. How do I look?’

‘Great, but why is he picking you up? Where are you going?’

‘To the brewery. Sawyer got Nick at the airport and they’re heading over there. He’s going to be here in a minute.’ I look down at my baggy t-shirt and faded jeans. ‘I’m a mess. I can’t go out like this. Do you have anything I could borrow?’

She laughs. ‘You’re like three sizes smaller than me. You’d be swimming in anything of mine.’ She comes over to me, putting her arm around me as she walks me out of the kitchen. ‘You look fine.’

‘I’m not ready,’ I say, turning to her. ‘I’m not supposed to see him until tomorrow.’

‘Well, apparently he couldn’t wait that long.’

‘I’m so confused. Does he like me or are we just friends?’

‘I think you two need to have a talk this weekend and figure that out.’

The doorbell rings.

‘I’ll get it!’ Leah yells.

As Diane and I walk to the door, my heart nearly stops when I see him.

He has on dark jeans and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

There’s a thick layer of stubble on his face and his hair looks kind of messy, like he ran his hand through it.

He looks so damn hot. I’ve missed him so much.

He hasn’t noticed me yet. He’s leaned down to Leah, listening to her talk and smiling at whatever she said.

‘Hey, Nick,’ I say, feeling breathless.

‘Lyndsay.’ He slowly rises to standing, his eyes not leaving mine. ‘It’s good to see you again.’

‘You too.’

Leah turns to me. ‘I told him if he kisses you, he’s your boyfriend.’

‘Apparently it’s a rule,’ Nick says, smiling. ‘I’d never heard that one before.’

‘Me either.’

‘I’m not sure I’d trust a seven-year-old on that,’ Diane says.

‘Hey, Diane,’ Nick says.

‘Hi, Nick,’ she says in the same protective tone she uses with her kids. She likes Nick, but she’s worried he’ll break my heart. But he’s already done that, and it wasn’t his fault. It was mine, for imagining something that wasn’t there.

‘You ready to go?’ Nick asks me. ‘Sawyer’s waiting in the car.’

‘Yeah.’ I hug Diane. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’

‘Me too!’ Leah says, holding her arms out to me.

I hug her. ‘Goodnight, sweetie.’

Nick and I go outside to Sawyer’s car. Nick opens the door for me and I get in the back seat. Nick slides in beside me.

‘What am I .?.?. your chauffeur?’ Sawyer asks, glancing at Nick in the rearview mirror. ‘Why are you sitting back there?’

‘So I can talk to Lyndsay without straining my neck. Just shut up and drive. ’

‘Hi, Sawyer,’ I say. ‘Thanks for the ride.’

‘Anytime.’ Sawyer pulls out of the driveway and heads down the street.

‘How was your flight?’ I ask Nick.

‘Uneventful. I slept for most of it.’

‘Sounds like you needed the rest after all the hours you worked this week.’

‘Yeah, it wasn’t a good week,’ he says with a sigh.

‘But you got good news. That’s exciting!’

‘It is,’ he says, but his tone doesn’t match his words.

‘I bet your parents were thrilled. Their son making partner at a fancy law firm?’

‘Hey! What about me?’ Sawyer says. ‘I opened a freaking brewery last week.’

‘I’m sure they’re proud of you too,’ I say, leaning up to his seat. ‘I heard it’s been getting a lot of business.’

‘Yeah, the past couple nights it’s been packed. This is our first real week of being open. Last week was our soft opening. I didn’t really announce it. I wanted to work out the kinks first.’

‘Who’s running it when you’re not there?’

‘This guy, Wade. I hired him last week. He used to run a bar in Eau Claire. So far, he’s been working out great. The bartender I hired is good too. I need to hire another one if business keeps up like this.’

‘It might slow down in a few weeks,’ Nick says, ‘once everyone’s had a chance to check the place out.’

‘I’m expecting that, but even if I get half as many people as I have now, I should still be okay.’

‘Sorry for the last minute invite,’ Nick says, turning toward me. ‘I just thought if you weren’t busy, you might want to go out.’

‘I didn’t have plans, so yeah, I’m glad you asked.’ I glance down at my baggy shirt. ‘I just wished I could’ve changed clothes.’

‘I think you look great,’ Nick says, smiling at me.

Is he flirting with me or just giving me a compliment? I’m so confused. Why did he invite me out tonight? And for breakfast tomorrow? Are we just hanging out as friends, or does he want us to be more than that?

We get to the brewery and I see cars lined up all the way down the street.

‘You weren’t lying,’ Nick says to Sawyer as we go inside. ‘The place is packed.’

‘I gotta help serve,’ Sawyer yells above the noise. He hurries off to the bar.

‘I don’t see anywhere to sit,’ Nick says, his hand going to my lower back as he looks around the brewery.

‘We could just stand,’ I tell him.

‘Nick!’ someone yells.

We look up and see Jason waving us over. He’s at a table with Brody and two girls I don’t recognize.

‘Looks like we got a seat,’ Nick says, keeping his hand on my back as he leads me through the crowded bar.

‘I didn’t know you guys were going to be here,’ Nick says, pulling my chair out for me.

I take a seat at the long, high-top table. Nick sits beside me, across from Jason and one of the girls. The other girl is next to me and Brody’s beside her at the end of the table.