Solving For Nic (14 page)

Lizzie popped it open and found a lipstick, mints, tissue, powder, hand sanitizer and basically everything arm candy should be concerned with. She took a deep breath but it caught in her throat. She’d spent five hours in a resort full of telephones and it hadn’t once occurred to her to ask to use one.

“You ready?” Nic asked, his smile telling her he’d thought the same thing. He held his hand out for her. “Choose fun, Lizzie.”

She placed her hand in his and did exactly that.

The restaurant had a veranda right out on the beach. Wind chimes mixed with the sound of the surf as they were seated at the table closest to the water. Candles gave off a soothing warm glow and there were flowers everywhere. Lizzie didn’t think she’d ever seen a more beautiful setting. She couldn’t believe they had it all to themselves, but none of the other tables were occupied. The interior dining room was packed and people had been waiting for tables when the hostess walked them straight through.

There was already a bottle of wine open on the table and Nic waved off the server and poured their glasses himself. She sipped it cautiously. It was lighter than she expected and fruity. She set the glass back down. “Berries?”

“Not too dry, then?”

She took another careful sip. She was reeling from earlier and the setting was intoxicating enough. She didn’t need to add more trouble to the mix with alcohol. “No.”

The server returned with a menu for Lizzie. Her heart threatened to escape her throat as she hesitated before opening it. She blinked a few times, plastered on her best smile and tried to act normal. She hated being such a freak about food.

“Is there a problem with the menu? If you don’t see anything you like…”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not hungry.”

No surprises there. None of his first dates were ever hungry. “The fish is good.”

She flinched. “There are mushrooms.”

Okay, she didn’t like mushrooms. He wanted to know what she did like, besides plain scrambled eggs. Nic reached across the table and took the oversized menu from her. The server hadn’t given him one because all the chefs in his resorts knew his food requirements. He scanned the selection of specials. “The chicken is…” he stopped, when she shivered in revulsion. “You don’t eat chicken?”

She took a quick sip of her wine. “No. Too many antibiotics and growth hormones.”

“Free range or organic? No? Do you eat eggs?”

“Yes, and dairy. I couldn’t live without ice cream.”

“Then dessert’s a no brainer?”

She smiled, and Nic felt the lightness return to his chest. He glanced back at the menu. “I’m going to take a guess and say no red meat or baby animals.”

“No.”

“Definitely not the suckling pig?” he teased her, looking back to see her struggling to smile as she turned a light shade of green.

“Definitely.”

“That leaves fish.”

The opening he’d given her was too delicious to pass up. She sighed tragically. “This fish is a problem because I don’t have my cell phone.”

His head snapped back. “You need your cell phone to order fish?”

“I have an app.”

“An app? Are you counting calories?”

Lizzie swallowed hard. She couldn’t answer that. She was pretty sure arm candy did not track their calories in their head a week at a time. “No, there’s a Seafood Watch app. It helps find ocean friendly fish.”

“Ocean friendly fish?”

She nodded. “The ones that aren’t overfished. It can also let you know if mercury levels are too high and…” She trailed off when she registered the surprise on his face. “You don’t want to hear all this.”

Nic pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Not true. I think you’d better download it for me although I would hope the restaurants in our resorts already serve ocean friendly fish.”

Lizzie reached for the phone and he caught her hand, his thumb brushing across her fingers before releasing the phone to her.

“Something you’d better know about me.” He eased back in his chair. “I’m a pescetarian. I only eat seafood, eggs and dairy.”

Warmth cascaded through her. “Me too. I haven’t eaten meat since Stefan told me the truth about chicken nuggets.”

Nic smothered a laugh. “I haven’t eaten meat since I moved to Texas.”

Her eyes widened but before she could ask what he meant, the server appeared at their table.

“Order for us. You don’t need the menu. Tell her what you want.”

What was it like going through life knowing everyone made sure you got everything you wanted the way you wanted it? Different worlds. She took a light breath and ordered. “I haven’t had mahi-mahi this month.”

“We have a special tonight,” the server offered. “Mahi-mahi Grilled with a lemon glaze served with roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts.”

“Do you like Brussels sprouts?” Nic asked her.

“Oddly, yes,” she admitted. “The special sounds good.”

Nic ordered the same. The server left as the sommelier arrived with more wine. Lizzie glanced around the empty dining room while Nic tasted the wine. The restaurant was lovely. Ceiling fans turned down low kept the air moving and the candles flickered against all the white tablecloths covering empty tables. Which was odd, the lobby had been packed when they walked through.

Surely, Nic wouldn’t clear out an entire dining room so he and Lizzie could have dinner alone? No one had come into the boutique while she was there either, and she’d walked right in at the spa, past ladies flipping through magazines and drinking Mimosas while they waited. She turned back to him. It was hard to believe he owned this entire resort. He could clear out the entire building if he wanted to.

The sommelier left and Nic turned his attention back to her.

“Nic, is it a good idea to keep all these tables empty?”

He shrugged. “I like my space.”

She couldn’t help comparing the menu prices versus the number of empty tables. Based on normal table turn over time, families could live on what it was costing Nic to keep the dining room empty but that wasn’t what concerned Lizzie.

“Yes, but I’m sure your wait staff depend on tips.” Her cheeks burned at the shocked expression on his face. She really needed to Google
how to be arm candy
. She had no idea what she was doing.

She cringed as he nodded at the dangerous looking man standing on the edge of the dining room. She’d noticed him in the lobby earlier and as he approached their table she realized he wore a sidearm under the understated gray suit.

“Tag, ask the manager to seat these tables.”

Tag glanced at Lizzie, surprise lifting his eyebrows although the rest of his expression didn’t flicker. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Who was that?” Lizzie asked, as Tag moved away.

“Tag is head of my security.”

“You have security?”

Nic nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

Alarm prickled through her as the server arrived with their salads. She lost the chance to ask more questions.
Don’t forget who he is, Lizzie
, she told herself as she set the pot of salad dressing aside, careful not to let it touch the spring mix. Salad dressing was a menace.

“No dressing?”

She shook her head, not wanting to meet his eyes. He was really going to think she was a freak. “Do you have any idea what can fall into dressing?”

“I see your point.”

Stunned, she watched him transfer the strawberries from his salad to hers. Lizzie caught her breath. This really was a date. She was on a date with Nic, and it didn’t feel at all like a first date He’d even remembered she loved strawberries.

“You have the strangest expression on your face.”

She didn’t doubt it. She felt strange. The whole world seemed to be tilted two degrees differently than she was. Enough to throw her off, but not enough for anyone else to notice. Except for Nic. Nothing got by him.

“I’m not dreaming.” The truth escaped her before she could think of something clever to say. More hot color swept over her face. Someone needed to invent a laser therapy to stop the blushing response. Lizzie would happily be their first test subject.

“You're wide awake.” He leaned back in his chair, a teasing, and slightly smug smile playing at the corners of his mouth. She could still feel that mouth moving along her shoulders, and his hands scalding her skin. “Do you dream about me a lot?”

The arrogance of the question broke through the peculiar feeling of everything being familiar and strange at the same time.

“I bet you always wake up before the good part?” His deep voice took on a hoarseness that shimmered all over her skin, then went deeper, stoking her inner glow into a raging bonfire.

Nic watched the emotions play over her face. The wine, the candlelight warming her creamy skin was starting to get to him and he didn't like not knowing what he was going to do next. Except he felt a strange sense of anticipation. He hadn’t felt it in so long it had taken a while for him to recognize it.

He hadn’t realized how bored he’d been. Had been for a long time. He was only thirty-one but lately he’d felt ancient. Not anymore. The ennui was gone.

“What did you mean you stopped eating meat when you moved to Texas? Isn’t that steak country?”

Nic shrugged. “Obviously, I didn’t want to be there. I refused to eat anything but fish because I assumed all they ate was beef. It was childish but Claudia was so eager to play happy family, she had the cook prepare special meals for me.”

“Sounds like she was trying.”

“She was.” He remembered how hard Claudia had worked to make him feel welcome. “But I was an angry kid.”

“Claudia’s your stepmother?”

He nodded.

“Angie’s your half-sister?”

The fish arrived and Nic used it as an excuse not to answer. He watched her carefully lift her fork. When she tasted a bite and smiled, he relaxed back into his chair.

“The fish is perfect.” She smiled then returned to the subject he’d hoped dinner would distract her from. “What about your mother?”

Maybe it was the careful tone of her voice, or the gentleness in her expression but Nic found himself answering her questions. “She died when I was six.”

“How old were you when you moved to Texas?”

He watched, fascinated as she blinked back tears. Tears for him? How odd. He shook the strange feeling teasing at him and continued the story he never told anyone. A story that was somehow easier to tell Lizzie.