Page 34 of Keep My Heart (The Haydon Falls #1)

‘We were supposed to go to a concert,’ Jason says, ‘but the band cancelled so we decided to come here.’ He smiles at me. ‘Hey, Lyndsay.’

‘Hi.’

He gives Nick a questioning look, like he’s wondering why I’m here with him and what it means. I’d like to know that too .

‘When are you going back to LA?’ Brody asks me.

‘Sunday.’

‘Are you going to the reunion?’

‘Yeah. I wasn’t going to, but I figured as long as I’m here, I might as well.’

Jason smiles at Nick. ‘I can’t believe you’re actually going. You said you never would.’

‘Yeah, well, it was the only way to get Matt to shut up about it.’ He looks at the girl next to Jason. ‘Hi, I’m Nick and this is Lyndsay.’

‘Oh, shit, sorry,’ Jason says. ‘I should’ve done introductions. Nick is my older brother,’ he tells the girl. ‘He’s a lawyer in New York. And Lyndsay lives in LA, but she grew up here.’

‘Nice to meet you,’ the girl says. ‘I’m Beth.’

‘And I’m Ainsley,’ the girl beside me says.

‘They’re just here for the summer,’ Brody explains. ‘They work at the camp.’

‘The one Sawyer went to?’ Nick asks. ‘I didn’t think that was still around.’

‘It’s not the same one,’ Beth says. ‘It’s at the same location, but it’s run by a different company. They have them all over.’

Nick turns to me. ‘Sawyer begged my parents to let him go to camp when he was seven, but then he got there and hated it and begged them to let him come home.’

‘Why didn’t he like it?’ Ainsley asks. ‘Kids usually love camp.’

‘He liked all the activities,’ Jason says. ‘But there was this girl there that kept beating him at all the competitions. Fishing. Canoe races. Archery. He wanted to get out of there before his reputation was destroyed.’

‘Sawyer isn’t used to losing,’ Nick explains. ‘He told his camp counselor he was allergic to his tent so he’d be sent home, but they knew it was a lie and told him he had to stay unless Mom and Dad came to get him.’

‘Which they didn’t,’ Brody says, laughing. ‘I think he’s still mad at them for that.’

‘He must be really competitive,’ Beth says. ‘We try to make it so the kids just have fun without worrying about winning.’

‘For Sawyer, it’s always about winning,’ Nick says. ‘He’s extremely competitive.’

‘You want a drink?’ Brody asks, pointing to a pitcher of beer on the table. ‘It’s pale ale. It’s pretty good.’

‘I think I’ll get something darker,’ Nick says, getting up. ‘Lyndsay, what can I get you?’

‘I’ll just have the pale ale,’ I say, grabbing one of the extra glasses sitting on the table.

Nick reaches across me for the pitcher and pours some beer in my glass. ‘I’ll be right back.’

When he’s gone, Ainsley turns to me. ‘So how does that work? With you in LA and Nick living in New York?’

‘I’m not sure what you mean.’

‘How do you guys date living in different cities?’ Beth asks.

‘Oh, we’re not dating. We’re just friends.’

‘Really?’ Beth says like she doesn’t believe me. ‘You guys seem like a couple. I just assumed you were together.’

‘Me too,’ Ainsley says.

Nick and I seem like a couple? Why? It’s not like we’re holding hands or kissing.

‘Have you guys been talking since he left?’ Jason asks.

‘Not really. Nick’s been busy with work.’

‘Are you going to the reunion with him?’ Brody asks.

‘Yeah, but only as friends.’

Brody glances at Jason, giving him a look like they know something I don’t, or maybe I’m just reading something into it .

‘Does he have a girlfriend?’ Ainsley asks, in a way that makes me think she’s interested in him. She better not be. She’s on a date with Brody, or at least I think she is given that they’re here together. Then again, I’m here with Nick and we’re not dating.

‘No, he’s single,’ I tell her.

‘Why do you care?’ Brody asks Ainsley, sounding annoyed.

‘I’m not asking for me,’ she says, putting her hand over his. ‘I’m asking for my sister. She’s around his age and she’s moving to New York next month. She got a job there.’

‘Nick’s not looking to date anyone,’ I say, not wanting this girl’s sister going out with Nick. I know he’s not mine, but I don’t like thinking about him with someone else.

He returns to the table with his beer. ‘Sawyer’s getting slammed. He needs another bartender.’

‘He’s gonna make a shitload of money tonight,’ Jason says, looking around. ‘The whole damn town is here.’

‘I’m proud of him,’ Nick says with pride in his voice. ‘I gotta say, when he was talking about doing this, I didn’t think he’d actually follow through, but he did. He actually followed through and did it.’

‘Hey, Nick,’ Ainsley says, leaning past me to Nick. ‘My sister Maddie is moving to New York in a few weeks. Would you mind if I gave her your number? She doesn’t know anyone there and I was thinking maybe you could show her around.’

‘She’s 31 and a pediatrician,’ Beth says, like she’s trying to sell Nick on this woman.

‘This is her,’ Ainsley says, pulling up a photo on her phone.

She reaches across me to show it to Nick.

The woman is gorgeous, with long blonde hair, a beautiful smile, and a great body.

The photo was taken on a beach and she’s wearing a bikini.

She’s perfect for Nick. Smart, beautiful, close to his age, and lives in New York .

‘I’d love to, but I don’t have time,’ he says. ‘I’ve got more work than I can handle. I barely have time to sleep.’

‘Maybe you could meet her for dinner sometime,’ Ainsley says, taking her phone back. ‘You have to eat, right?’

She’s really pushing this. She’s determined to set her sister up with Nick.

‘Congrats on making partner,’ Jason says to Nick. ‘I know I said it on the phone, but now that you’re here, we should celebrate.’

‘Yeah, beers are on us tonight,’ Brody jokes, knowing they’re free since Sawyer owns the bar.

‘Thanks,’ Nick says, smiling. ‘I’ll make sure to order a few more.’

‘No, really,’ Jason says. ‘We’ll take you out somewhere else. How about tomorrow night?’

‘I’ll be at the reunion,’ Nick says.

‘You won’t be there all night. We’ll go when it’s over.’

Nick glances at me, then back at Jason. ‘You don’t have to take me out. We can celebrate tonight.’

‘You got plans tomorrow?’ Brody asks, his gaze bouncing from me to Nick.

‘I don’t know yet. I just don’t want to commit to anything right now.’

That seems to be Nick’s story for everything.

He doesn’t want to commit to anything, except maybe his job.

That’s all he seems sure of, the only thing he seems to want right now.

Maybe later he’ll want more, like a wife and a family, but I can’t wait for him to get there.

I want to get married again and have children.

I can’t put my life on hold for Nick. My head knows that, but my heart doesn’t agree with it. It wants Nick.