One Simple Step (Journey Series) (7 page)

And his hands.

I had always been tall compared to most guys while I was growing up. I even had about an inch on Teddy, but compared to him, Nick felt like a giant. The way he held my body firmly against the wall, made me feel safe and scared all at the same time. Scared because of the overwhelming feelings that he had been able to stir up.

Not that it mattered, he probably thought I was a complete and utter mess, and was now happy that I had blown him off.

The water skimmed my ankles as I waded in, trickling around my toes, until the waves receded, and then I went in even farther, hiking up my skirt.

I wasn’t going to let the whole interview thing bother me. I would keep looking for jobs until I could find something decent. I really did like this town, and being able to catch up with Remy. I’m certain she wouldn’t want me to live with her forever, but I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to go back to Indiana. I know my family, and Leah, were really pushing for it, just because they missed me. They all figured since things were over with Teddy, that there really wasn’t a reason for me not to come back, but something was holding me here. Maybe this is where I was meant to be in life, and although I didn’t really like the journey very much recently, I had to go through that to make it here.

I just had to keep living to make myself happy, and eventually things would work out.

Chapter 8

Nick

Ally showing up for an interview had been beyond shocking. I really hadn’t put two and two together when I saw the applicant’s previous address was in Indiana, mainly because of the different last name. And then to learn that she was actually
married
left me more than a little confused.

I never expected to even see her again.

She probably thought I was an asshole by the way I treated her when she basically broke down in my office. Really, I had no fucking clue what to do.

Growing up I was an only child, and then with Kara being my only relationship, I never really dealt with girls being a mess like that. I had never even see Kara cry before because she was always trying to be a tough bitch that no one messed with.

Ally looked beautiful even when she cried, though: makeup streaking down her face, her eyelashes clumped together into tiny black spikes, and her eyes the brightest blue I had ever seen. I just wanted to jump across my desk and wrap her up in a tight hug, but then I remembered how she had blown me off. I guess I could understand why she did that now. She was probably going through a hell of a time. At least Kara and I had never gotten married. I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to deal with that shit.

I watched her as she left in sort of a daze, but didn’t head in the direction of the parking garage, instead going towards the beach, kicking off her shoes before she stepped into the sand. “Hey Leo, I’m gonna head out for a break real quick. Have everything handled?”

“Sure,” he answered cheerfully, his head turning in the direction of where I was staring. “Take all the time you need, Nick.”

I rolled my eyes as I stepped through the large balcony that overlooked the ocean. Leo had always been a good guy to work with, but now he was even more relaxed than usual because he was looking forward to his retirement. I thought it would be more like in a year or two, but he recently informed me that instead it would be at the end of this month, which meant I would officially be taking over the responsibilities of the resort.

I was a little nervous at how many responsibilities exactly I would have to handle. Leo worked endless amounts of hours and was on call practically twenty-four seven, but I was ready as I could be.

I looked down the stretch of the beach that was only dotted with a few guests, but didn’t spot Ally’s tall figure. I panicked for a second, thinking she had gotten into her car all upset, but her shoes were still lying in the sand, so I knew she hadn’t gone too far.

I don’t know what made me do it but I looked out at the ocean, and just as I did, I caught sight of a blonde head bobbing above the waves. I didn’t even think for a second before I sprinted towards the water, and dove straight in.

Ally

My hands had just reached the bottom of the sandy floor when I felt a set of arms wrap around my waist and I was being pulled back towards the surface. I didn’t have time to think about what was happening, so I forgot that I was underwater and sucked in a mouthful, causing me to sputter for air as I blindly flailed around.

I didn’t get far, though, because I could feel my body being dragged towards the shore. When I managed to peel my eyes open, I saw Nick hovering over me. “What in the hell were you doing?” he asked in a quiet, calm tone, but I could tell he was trying to control himself by the way his jaw was clamped down tightly.

I didn’t answer him right away because, really, I was a little confused. I mean, I knew this was a private beach, but I figured it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. Apparently it was.

He licked his lips as he pushed his wet hair out of his eyes, and returned his attention back to me. “I know things are hard right now, Ally, but I promise they’ll get better. This is not the answer.”

He stared at me very seriously, and I sat up quickly. I couldn’t help myself any longer once I realized exactly what he meant. I began laughing as I pushed up the sleeves of my shirt, which was now sticking to me like glue. This man probably thought I was insane, second time in one day that I looked like a nutcase in front of him. Oh well, I guess everyone has a little bit of crazy in them.

“Nick.” I reached out to grip his hand, and bit down on my lip to control the laughter. Now, I felt a little guilty because he looked so worried, and there was the little fact that he had jumped into the water after me. Woops.

“I was just going for a swim, I swear. Nothing else. Just like you said, things might be bad now, but I would never do something like that.”

His eyes flicked to mine, and I could tell he really wasn’t sure if he believed me. “I swear,” I reassured him, giggling slightly. “Trust me, if you knew me before all of that happened, you wouldn’t even think twice about it. My best friend teases me that I’m all rainbows and butterflies, it drives her nuts. I just felt like taking a swim, clearing my head a little.”

He arched one eyebrow at me, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “In your clothes?”

“In my clothes,” I repeated, looking down at myself and realizing it probably wasn’t the best idea with a white shirt on that was now basically see-through.

Oh well, you only live life once, right? Except I think Nick was now noticing how little my shirt was covering by the way his eyes slowly moved away from my chest, and he gave me a wide smile before jumping up, holding out a hand to pull me to my feet.

“C’mon, Ariel, let’s get you into something that’s dry.” He looked back down at me one more time with a smirk. “And isn’t so revealing. Even though I don’t mind,” he stated, whispering the last part into my ear, his warm breath sending shivers all the way down to my toes.

I think my heart literally stopped at the feeling. “Ar-iel?” I managed to stammer out as I let him lead me back towards the resort.

“Yeah, apparently you think you’re a mermaid or something, so I think the name’s pretty fitting.”

“This is your place?” I asked in surprise after managing to peel myself off the back of Nick’s bike. I don’t know what I had been picturing, but this really hadn’t been it.

My body had pretty much been plastered to his on the short ride over due to my wet clothes. I tried to keep our bodies as far apart as possible to make things a little less awkward, but Nick knew exactly what I had been doing, reaching back to pull my arms tight around his waist. My whole body tingled from the contact of his warm skin, and my legs were like Jell-O when I managed to stand.

“Yup, this is it,” he replied, biting on his bottom lip as he shrugged his shoulders. “I literally just moved in, so don’t judge. There’s a ton of work to be done, but I think I can handle it.”

“I think it’s the best house I’ve ever seen.” From the outside at least. His yard couldn’t have gotten any better.
Who
wouldn’t want to open their windows to the ocean every morning?

The house itself was actually more of a petite beach cottage. It looked to be about the size of my parents’ garage back home, but it had such charm to it, with small little touches like the white shutters that adorned the two front windows, and the sea glass that was formed into a circle mosaic near the French doors.

“It was actually my great aunt’s place,” he explained as he pushed open the doors and ushered me inside. “She passed away last year, and my mom hadn’t decided what to do with it yet. I was kind of looking for something, but my ex hated the beach and thought the place was a shithole.”

“Seriously? She hated the beach?” I asked as I followed him around the tiny space. No, it wasn’t tiny, more like cozy. How could anyone not like this house? Yes, it was outdated with the wood paneling that covered almost every inch of the walls and the puke green shag carpeting, but it had potential.

“I know, right?” he answered from what I was assuming the bedroom before he stepped back out, throwing a pair of athletic shorts and an oversized t-shirt at me. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved my apartment, but it reminds me of Kara way too much, so I had to get out of there.” His eyebrows knitted together at the mention of his ex, and I could see the pain that was still there from the memories they shared together. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. I
knew
it wasn’t easy.

“Anyway,” he said, shaking his head quickly and giving me a wide smile, showing off those white teeth that contrasted perfectly against his tan skin. “The bathroom is down that hall. Why don’t you get changed, and then I have someone you need to meet.”

“Alright, sounds good.” I hurried down the hall to change, even though I had no clue who I would be meeting. It wasn’t like anyone could be hiding in here. I would have already spotted them.

I tried to avoid the mirror when I got in there, but I couldn’t help it, I needed to assess the damage. My makeup was just about all washed off, and my hair had turned into a crimpy mess. I ran my fingers through it to make it look somewhat presentable and stripped out of my clothes, throwing them into a wet pile.

I tied the shirt into a knot near my hip and rolled the shorts at the waist, but they were still so big that I had to hold onto the elastic. As I went back out into the living room, I could see Nick sitting cross-legged on the floor with a gorgeous black lab lying next to him, looking like he was in heaven as Nick scratched behind his ears.

“And who is this handsome guy?” I asked as I dropped down to the floor, and was instantly attacked with dog kisses. “Well, hi to you, too.” I giggled, flopping backwards.

“This is Gunther, and I’m pretty sure he’s in love with you,” Nick answered, throwing a squeaky toy to the opposite side of the room, effectively ending all of the attention I had been getting. “Sorry about that, he loves meeting new people.”

“Not a problem, I’ve always loved animals. I’ve missed being able to have one, being out on the road for so long. I tried getting a cat once, thinking that would travel better and keep me company, but the guys didn’t let me keep it for very long.”

He made a face, and jumped to his feet, reaching down to help me up. “I’m strictly a dog guy. I wouldn’t be able to handle cats either, but I guess I could understand. I’m sure you were by yourself a lot.”

“Yeah, well,” I answered shakily. “Let’s not talk about that right now. Don’t you need to get back to work? I don’t want you to get into trouble or anything because—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he offered quickly. “I rarely miss work, and I’m taking over soon, so Leo gives me basically any free time I need right now. So, how did you like the resort?”

“I loved it, it would definitely be the kind of place I’d want to stay on vacation. Very ritzy, but it still manages to have that small town charm.”

“Good, ‘cause if you still want the position, you start Monday.”

“Oh, no.” I shook my head sharply as I followed him out the open patio doors, Gunther trailing behind. “I’m not going to let you feel sorry for me, Nick. I don’t really need a job that badly right now. I’m sure I’ll find something, or maybe I’ll go back to school. Either way, I’ll figure out another option.”

He stopped abruptly, and turned around, grabbing both of my shoulders to stop me from following him to…wherever we were going. “Stop. I’m not hiring you because I feel sorry for you, because I don’t. I think you would probably kick my ass if I did. I’m hiring you because I think you would be good for the position, and I need you.”

“You need me?” I teased with a smirk, my eyebrows shooting up quickly.

“I need you,” he repeated, biting back a smile.

“Well, I guess if you really, really need me so much, then I’ll do it.”

“Awesome, you’ll have fun, I promise. Plus, I’m a pretty cool boss, so you have that going for you.” He grabbed onto my hand, and started his walk again, Gunther following closely behind us.

“We’ll see about that, I guess. Mind telling me where we’re going?”

“Well, I sort of had to save this girl from drowning today—” I cut him off with a snort and he glanced back, throwing me a wink, his electric blue eyes glittering with amusement. “And now I’m starving, so we’re going to grab something to eat.”

Nick ended up taking us to a tiny beachside eatery that was within walking distance. The parking lot was bigger than the actual building, but I don’t think there was one spot open. Nick insisted that I had to try the seafood there even though I had never been a fan, and I was surprised when I actually liked it. We ate our food, overlooking the ocean, and fell into an easy conversation just like the night we met. After making a quick stop back at Nick’s house to grab my semi-dry clothes, we ended up back at the resort parking lot.