Page 9 of Naughty or Nice?
“Did you? Back to Atlanta?” He grabs a pint glass and steps to the side, gripping the lever to the tap for the lager he’s suggested. The dark cherry-brown liquor flows into the glass ’til it’s reaching the rim.
“No, South Carolina. I couldn’t find anything direct to Atlanta right now. Curse of traveling so close to Christmas.”
“You know you don’t have to leave Morrow immediately, right? You can stay in the Airbnb as long as you need...”
“Trust me, it’s better I get the hell out of here,” I answer without thinking. Then my eyes widen and I quickly backtrack.“I mean… I’m sorry, not to say I don’t appreciate your hospitality. Thank you so much for letting me stay in your house. Seriously, I’m not even sure what I would’ve done if you hadn’t stepped in. I’d probably be crying on some park bench somewhere.”
The grin fades from his face for a tighter expression. The kind of furrowed-brow expression of a concerned father… or father figure.
“That wouldn’t have happened,” he says after a couple seconds. “I wouldn’t have allowed it. Even if I had to kick Nate out for you to stay. You were the one done wrong in this situation. He asked for your hand in marriage, had you fly down here, and then decided to try to drop you on a whim. It’s not right, and I’m not pleased with him. I raised him better than to treat the women in his life like they’re disposable.”
He slides the Leinenkugel across the bar counter at me and then presumably goes to fill up a second mug for himself.
But I’m more stuck on what he’s said.
“You… you knew we were engaged?”
“Of course I did. Nate came to me for advice before he asked you. I told him to make sure he’s serious. Some good that did.”
“He was serious. Serious about the promotion he was seeking at work.”
As my chest twinges painfully at the topic of our breakup, I reach to take my first sip of the lager. Nicholas was right when he said it wasn’t a strong beer, more so light and sweet. Perfect for sipping on.
He raises his own mug in a mock cheers and then swallows a mouthful. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the first girlfriend he’s had commitment issues with. I’ve never understood where he gets it from. Laura and I were together for twenty-five years. Never once did either of us waver on our vows.”
A tortured look passes over Nicholas’s face, his voice strained to match.
I frown, remembering what Nate had told me about his mother’s untimely passing. His father had been devastated. It had taken him years to get over the loss. In fact, sitting across the bar counter from him now, it seems like one of those things that will always be difficult for him.
“I’m…” I pause for a sad shake of my head, his grief resonating with me, even if mine is entirely different. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I know it’s none of my business and I didn’t know you at the time. But Nate told me about what happened. How the illness came out of nowhere.”
“The doctors did what they could. We enjoyed what time we had left before she went.” He shakes back his ear-length white locks and then releases a deep sigh. His usual easy, almost effortlessly reassuring air returns as he meets my gaze. So does the twinkle in his eye. “The point is, I didn’t raise Nate like that. But you should know you’ll be fine. You’ll move on and he’ll regret letting you go.”
“You really think so? You’re not just saying it?”
“I don’t think so, darling. I know so.”
“But he’s your son…”
He shrugs. “I call it like I see it. And I know how Nate works. He’ll grow bored with the secretary and then want what he can’t have. That’ll be you. Because by then, you’ll have moved on. You’ll be thriving more than ever.”
“Wow.”
“Hmmm?” he grunts.
I smile despite myself, tempted to laugh. “I mean, you would’ve been an amazing father-in-law. It almost makes me more disappointed the engagement’s over.”
“The two of you might not be together anymore, but I’m always here for you. The rest of the family is too. Everybody’s onyour side except Frank. He’s trying to stick up for his cousin. But Amy and Jennifer gave Nate an earful for hours.”
“That means a lot. Thank you.”
“I’m relieved to see the return of your smile. Cheers on that.”
Nicholas raises his pint, and I take him up on his offer. The two of us toast to the moment, gazes linked, a warmth in the air.
Two hours later, The Tavern is emptying, but Nicholas and I haven’t moved from our spot at the bar counter. I’ve moved onto mulled wine (my second glass) while he’s switched from the Leinenkugel to a stronger ale that’s much more of an acquired taste.
We’ve long since drifted from the topic of Nate and our breakup. For that I’m grateful. I’ve had enough of feeling pitiful and pathetic to last me a lifetime. The last twenty-four hours have been more than enough.