Three Girls And A Leading Man (8 page)

Before I could even say hello, he
had reached for me and pulled me into a big hug. “I was getting worried you
might ditch me,” he said into my hair.

“Nah,” I replied, smiling into his
suit jacket. “I’m here.”

He looked down at me, the lights
from the strip reflecting off his hair. “I’m really, really glad,” he said, his
deep voice sending a flutter into my belly. He stared down at me for a minute
and I again felt color spread to my cheeks. “Come on,” he said finally. “I
think the show is going to start soon.”

We approached the crowd gathered
around the fountain as the lights around the lake began to dim. The people fell
silent and the music started.

“Hey, I know this music,” I said as
the operatic piece began. “It’s
Time to
Say Goodbye
—that’s Sarah Brightman!”

Nate looked down at me with a
bemused expression. “She was in
Phantom
of the Opera
,” I said sheepishly. “Sorry, theater dork.”

He just grinned and put his arm
around me.

From our room high above, Ginny and
I could tell that the fountains would be cool. But I had no idea how amazing it
would be in person like this, once the music got going. The jets were
synchronized perfectly with the music, like the water was really dancing.

As the music reached its crescendo
and the water pushed ever higher into the sky, I was surprised to find wetness
on my cheeks. I looked up and saw that Nate was watching me rather than the
show. “Sorry,” I whispered, embarrassed. “It’s beautiful.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he said, shaking
his head. “You’re beautiful too.”

I felt my stomach lurch in a
disturbing way, so I just smiled at him. Now that the show had ended, the
crowds around us began to disperse, and the spell seemed to be broken.
“Alright,” Nate said, as we started to move away from the fountain. “What do
you feel like doing tonight? Did you already eat?”

I shook my head. “No, we had a huge
lunch but our tickets for Cirque were right around dinner time.”

“Then we should eat,” he said,
taking my hand. “What do you feel like?”

“I’d be up for anything,” I said,
shrugging.

“Well, that’s good,” he replied.
“Because Vegas happens to be very well-known as one of the culinary capitals of
the United States.”

“Really?” I asked skeptically.
“Isn’t Vegas all about buffets and cheap casino comps?”

He gasped in mock horror.
“Absolutely not! All of the great chefs have restaurants here. Bobby Flay,
Wolfgang Puck, Joel Robuchon.”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Bobby
Flay as in that guy from TV?”

Nate shook his head at me sadly.
“Your culinary education is woefully lacking. You must allow me to rectify that
for you.”

“Oh my God, you’re one of those
foodie people, aren’t you?” I asked. “Please don’t tell me you’re gonna take me
to some place where the food is so fancy you don’t even want to touch it and
the portion is so small it would work better for Barbie doll. I’m a real girl,
okay? I have an appetite. ”

“Please,” he said, tugging on my
hand. “Just trust me. You’re about to have the best meal of your life.”

Chapter Ten

‘The first date is
such an important part of your mate-finding experience. It is essential that
you present yourself as the girl your new guy just can’t live without. It’s a
good idea to eat something small before you leave; you wouldn’t want to end up
starving and stuffing your face in front of Mr. Right. What a turn-off! It’s
also a good idea to abstain from drinking. Only one glass of wine with dinner,
if you must. A man looking for a wife isn’t going to be interested in a
beer-guzzler, ladies!’—
The Single
Girl’s Guide to Finding True Love

“I was right, wasn’t I?” Nate
asked, watching my face closely as I chewed. I wanted to keep him in suspense
for a while longer, but I couldn’t help the little moan that escaped my lips.

“See!” he said triumphantly. “It’s
delicious, isn’t it? I told you!”

I finished chewing and smiled at
him. “Yeah, it was pretty damn good.”

I was surprised when Nate had
hailed a cab and taken us to this little restaurant set back from the craziness
of the strip. It seemed a little bit like a dive to me, definitely not as fancy
or chic as the places
  
I had been
frequenting thus far on my trip. But when Nate insisted we both order starters
before I formed an opinion, I agreed. He had begged me to let him order for me,
and his enthusiasm about my eating experience charmed me. I had ended up with
some steak-wrapped artichoke thing. And to tell you the truth, it was one of
the most delicious things I had ever eaten.

“So you want to stay and order?” he
asked.

“If the entrees are as good as that
starter, then I definitely want to stay.”

He handed me the menu and I looked
it over.

“What do you think?” he asked, his
face lit up like a little kid at a toy store. I had to admit, it was kind of
cute.

“It looks kind of eclectic,” I
said. I was no food expert (that was Jen’s department) but even I could
recognize a wide gamut of influences on this menu, from Italian to American to
French.

“That’s the beauty of it!” Nate
said. “They’re not bound by labels or traditions. They just make really good
food.”

“Okay, you’re gonna need to chill
out a little bit,” I told him, laughing. “This place has already won me over.
No need to oversell.”

He laughed too. “Sorry, this is
just one of my favorite restaurants.”

“I didn’t know you’ve been to Vegas
before,” I said, surprised he hadn’t mentioned it.

“It was one of my dad’s favorite
vacations,” he said quietly. I had a bad feeling about his expression.

“Is he…um, is he still around?” I
asked tentatively.

“Naw,” Nate said, taking a gulp of
his water. “He died a few years ago. Heart attack.”

“Nate, I’m really sorry to hear
that,” I said. I felt terrible. I should have just let the moment go.

“I am, too,” he said, taking a deep
breath. “He loved coming out here. He had me and my sisters here from the time
we were kids. He would hit up the casinos while we hung out at the hotel. And
then at night he would take us around to all of his favorite restaurants. I
loved those vacations.”

He seemed happy enough remembering
it, and I breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked sad like that I had an
overwhelming urge to wrap him up in a big hug. A thought that was way too
maternal—not a very Annie-like inclination.

“What about you?” he asked, looking
up at me. “Are both of your parents still around?”

Crap. I so did not want to talk
about this. There was a reason I liked to keep things light with the guys I
dated. But he had told me about his dad and it would be pretty rude not to
reciprocate.

“Um, my parents split up when I was
younger,” I explained, trying to get it over with quickly. “My mom brought me
up. She’s still around; she lives pretty close to Jen and me. But I don’t see
my dad.”

“Really?” he asked, sounding
surprised. “Like, not at all?”

I shook my head, wishing he would
drop it. I hated talking about my dad. “Nope, haven’t seen him in years.”

“I’m sorry, Annie,” he said, and I
hated the pity in his voice. I had to remind myself that what he had been
through was worse.

“It’s not a big deal. Like I said,
it happened when I was little,” I replied. Where the hell was our waiter? If
this line of conversation continued, I was going to be desperate for a beer in
no time.

“How’s your mom?” he asked. “You
guys pretty close?”

I sighed, starting to feel
irritated. Why did people always feel the need to have these drawn-out
question- and-answer sessions?

“We’re not very close,” I replied
flatly, hoping he would catch my tone. “We don’t have a lot in common and she
can’t believe that I could be happy without being married.”

“My mom is like that, too,” Nate
said, laughing. His lightness surprised me. “She’s determined to marry me and
my sisters off. Probably because she feels bad for us, being fatherless and
all. Its like she’s desperate for us to have families of our own.”

I smiled in spite of myself. “That
sounds just like my mom,” I said. “It’s annoying, but what can you do?”

The waiter finally returned to take
our dinner orders. I decided on the lobster ravioli while Nate asked for a
steak. I also made sure to order a large beer.

“So,” Nate said. “You clearly want
to change the subject.”

I had to laugh. He had a knack for
reading my mood, that was for sure. “Why don’t you tell me about your friends?
You guys seem pretty close.”

My mood brightened considerably
after that. I could talk about Ginny and Jen all day. By the time the server
returned with our food, we were laughing and I was having fun again.

“How do you feel about cheesecake?”
Nate asked once my plate was cleared. Like the very ladylike girl that I was, I
had eaten every single bite of my delicious lobster ravioli.

“I adore cheesecake,” I said. “My
friend Jen actually makes the best cheesecake in the world.”

Nate shook his head seriously.
“I’ve never had Jen’s cheesecake, but I think I need to challenge it. The chef
here is the cheesecake master. It’s so good you might cry.”

“Okay,” I said, grinning at him.
“Bring it on.”

***

After dinner, Nate suggested we
find a bar to relax in. “Unless you’re in the mood for dancing?” he asked
solicitously.

“Naw,” I replied. “I’m too stuffed
for dancing.”

Nate had been right about the
cheesecake, but I made him promise not to tell Jen that I thought so.

We ended up at the Extra Lounge,
one of several clubs in our hotel. It was packed, which was hardly surprising
for a Saturday night. We found ourselves at a high-top crammed back in a
corner. I couldn’t complain about the accommodations—the close quarters
meant that I was practically on top of Nate.

The strange thing about Nate is that
the more I got to know him, the more I liked him. Usually my experience was the
polar opposite. But I was starting to think that his kindness and his interest
were actually genuine.

Just
listen to yourself
, I thought.
Carrying
on like this might turn serious. It’s just some fun.

Nate kept the drinks coming all
night. I knew I should probably slow down, but I was having such a good time
with him. Between the buzz of people in the bar, the alcohol, and the intensity
in his eyes when he looked at me—well, it was all getting very heady.

“Tell me about your favorite trip
ever,” Nate said, leaning over the table. I screwed up my face.

“I gotta say, this one will be hard
to beat,” I told him. “I haven’t really traveled much. Never had the money
growing up…or since, for that matter.”

He chuckled. “That’s rough,” he
said. “I love to travel.”

“I wish I could more often. Before
this, the most exciting trip I’d taken was with Ginny, Jen, and Danny over to
Lake Michigan. It was a disaster. It rained the entire time and they messed up
our reservations. And Danny was a little terror.”

“That sucks,” he laughed. “Well,
all the more reason to make this an amazing vacation.”

When he said it, he caught my eye,
staring at me intently. I felt my stomach lurch. If I leaned forward, just a
little bit, I’d be kissing him.

Just as I was about to act on the
impulse, my phone beeped, surprising me so much I nearly fell off the chair.

“Whoa,” Nate said, grabbing my arm
to keep me upright.

“Thanks,” I said, looking down at
the screen. “Text from Ginny.”

“Checking up on you?” he asked.

“Making sure I’m okay,” I
corrected. “We have a long-standing rule about checking in when we’re out with
strange men.”

“I’m a strange man now?” he asked.
“I think I’m offended.”

“All men are strange,” I replied,
winking at him.

He moved a little closer and bumped
my shoulder with his. Mmm. Very muscular shoulder. It felt great against mine.
I had a flash of the way he had looked in his swimsuit down by the pool and
felt an urge to get closer to him.

To distract myself, I opened the
message and read it.

“She’s wondering when I’ll be
back,” I told him. He didn’t respond. When I looked up, his eyes were trained
on my lips. The look on his face sent a rush straight through my chest.

“Why don’t you tell her you won’t
be in tonight,” he said, his voice low.

I felt my heart start to beat
faster as I met his eyes. He was so gorgeous in that moment that it almost took
my breath away.

“Okay,” I whispered, feeling
totally blown away by him. “I’ll tell her.”

Chapter Eleven

‘Ladies, we should
talk about the sensitive issue of relations. When a man compliments you, it
might be tempting to offer yourself to him in an intimate way. I cannot warn
against this strenuously enough! It is so important that you remain a mystery
to the man you wish to end up with. There’s an old saying about cows and
milk—truer words were never spoken, ladies! Just remember that when
you’re feeling insecure.’—
The
Single Girl’s Guide to Finding True Love

I woke up in the morning even more
hung over than I had been the day before. “Ginny,” I moaned into the pillow.
“What the hell did I drink?”

“Ginny isn’t here,” an amused male
voice said next to me. I sat up straight in bed, ready to scream my head off.
Who in the…

“Oh my God, Nate” I gasped. “You
scared the hell out of me.”