Falling For Nick

Falling For Nick by Joleen James

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Authors: Joleen James
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watching television? What did normal families do in the evening?
    As a boy, his nights had been filled with looking after Billy, making him something to eat, watching the old black and white TV before going to bed. And later, as a teenager, he'd spent the evenings out, looking for trouble and finding it.
    He grimaced at the memories.
    The bell at the door tinkled. Clea came into the café, closing the door behind her. She paused to stomp the snow from her boots, then made a beeline for the counter.
    Something inside him softened as he looked at her, pulled him toward her. Nick came out of the booth. She turned.
    "Nick."
    He half expected a hardness to fill her eyes, but instead he detected happiness in her tone. The knowledge pleased him.
    Her cheeks glowed pink from the cold. Snowflakes clung to her hair, which was already starting to curl from the dampness. He longed to reach out and wrap one of those golden curls around his fingers.
    "Hi. Where's John?" he asked.
    "With Robert." She frowned, her back straightening, almost as if she dared him to challenge her. "They're snowed-in at his place. I'm supposed to be there with them, but by the time we closed The Coffee House the snow was too deep on the road to the lake."
    Nick took a deep breath, hoping to quiet his temper. He didn't want his son alone with Boomer, yet as long as Clea and Robert were engaged it was inevitable. Even though the thought of Boomer and John alone bothered Nick, he didn't want Clea to know it, didn't want to argue with her. Not tonight. Thinking about her plans to leave town already had him in knots.
    Lucy came out of the kitchen. "Hey, Clea. Did you come for pizza?"
    "I sure did." Clea smiled at the waitress, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "I'll take one with everything to go."
    "I just ordered one with everything," Nick said, not wanting her to leave. With both Robert and John gone it left the door wide open for him. Time alone with Clea was just what he needed. "Join me for dinner."
    Clea glanced around the café, and he knew she wondered if anyone would tattle to Robert.
    "I can't eat an entire pizza," he coaxed.
    Clea raised one blonde brow. "I seem to remember that you can." She smiled, enhancing her beauty, making him ache for the easy conversation they'd once shared.
    "Not anymore." He grinned back. It felt good to banter with her, making him remember how they used to laugh. "Join me. I promise I'll behave. I could use the company." He pointed to the booth.
    "Oh, all right. I'll probably regret this." To Lucy she said, "Cancel my pizza. I'm joining Nick. Would you bring me a soda, please?"
    Lucy nodded and smiled. "Coming right up, honey." The waitress sailed back into the kitchen.
    Nick led her to the booth. "Let me take your coat."
    "Thanks." She pulled the black jacket off and he took it from her, his fingers brushing against hers.
    The contact sent tiny sparks through him, making him want to touch more than her hands. "Your hands are cold." He hung her coat up next to his, longing for the freedom to take her icy fingers in his warm ones.
    "It's cold outside." She slid into the seat opposite him. "I'm surprised you're not busy towing cars out of ditches."
    "I hope people will stay in tonight. I spent the day hauling cars out of the snow. Mullin has my cell number in case I'm needed."
    Lucy brought Clea's drink and set the glass on the table.
    "Thank you," Clea said to the waitress. She picked up her straw and removed the paper before inserting it into the soda.
    Nick watched as she sucked on the straw. She had the most beautiful mouth. He'd always thought so, but it was more than that. She had an inner beauty that had charmed him from the beginning, and it was that part of her he wanted to reconnect with most. She'd been so open with him, so honest when they'd been kids. She'd disarmed him in a way no one ever had before or since.
    "You're staring at me." Clea pushed her drink away.
    "I can't help it." Nick took a sip of his

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