Here With You (A Laurel Heights Novel)

chapter Ten



"Right at this moment, Valentine and the Hulk are getting it on." Marley winked as she lifted her coffee cup. "Have you thought about that?"

"I try not to think about my friends getting it on," Nicole said, shaking her head and returning her attention to her sketchpad. On impulse, she gave the woman in her drawing red hair, for Valentine, because her friend would look awesome in this romantic pink bustier.

"But she's getting it on with the Hulk. It boggles my mind."

"They're on their honeymoon, but they may not be getting it on." As she drew in pink ties on the sides of the panties, she wondered what Marley would say if she knew Griffin Chase was hanging out in her apartment. Or that he'd kissed her and held her hand.

"Are you serious? Did you see the way he looked at her? At the wedding, I seriously thought he was going to eat her up."

"I know. It was so sweet. That was a romantic night."

"What are you doing?"

"Just doodling." She closed the sketchpad and put the pencils aside before her friend peeked.

Marley tapped the table, staring at her expectantly. "So..."

She shook her head. "What?"

"What the hell, Nicole?" Her friend threw her hands in the air. "Are you going to tell me why Griffin Chase came and pulled you out of the reception or not? I've been waiting days. Do you know how hard it's been to respect your space and not demand an explanation?"

She sighed. "You recognized Grif?"

"Is there anyone in the world who wouldn't recognize him?"

"I'm sure not everyone is a fan of his music."

"Forget his music. The man is hot. Have you looked at him? He oozes charisma and sex. He swaggered into the room and stole every woman's breath, in a cowboy hat no less. He should have just looked ridiculous."

Nicole frowned.

"Were you immune?" Marley narrowed her gaze with suspicion. "Don't lie to me."

She lowered her gaze to her teacup. She normally drank coffee, but she'd thought she'd try chamomile tea. If there were ever a time when she needed to be calmed, it was now with Grif back. "It's not like that between me and Grif."

"That's not how he looked at you," Marley said.

Her belly fluttered, but it was probably indigestion. "How did he look at me?"

"Like you were a Stradivarius and he wanted to run his hands all over you."

She swallowed. "He plays guitar, not the violin."

Marley raised her brow.

"He kissed me," Nicole blurted, unable to hold it back even though she knew she should. "He came back into my life, told me he wanted me to help with his music, and then he kissed me."

"Wait a second." Marley held up a hand, thinking. Finally she shook her head. "Okay, I'm not sure which of those statements to attack first."

"Tell me about it." She slumped on her elbows, her chin resting on her hands. "I've been grappling with it all for days now."

"How do you even know him?"

"He was my best friend, but that was before he became a rock star."

"I can't believe you never told us you were friends with Griffin Chase. Valentine's going to kill you when she finds out."

"Grif and I aren't friends anymore. We lost touch ages ago. I never expected to see him again."

"But he kissed you."

"Yes." She leaned forward, speaking quickly. "I don't understand that. He shows up out of nowhere, kisses me, and then doesn't try it again."

"Are you upset because he kissed you, or because he hasn't kissed you again?"

She pursed her lips. "Both."

Marley nodded. "I would be, too."

"But he's just going to leave, so it's better that he doesn't, isn't it?"

"There's no chance he'd stay?"

"Music is his life. He may not feel it right now, but performing is what makes him happy."

"I read he ended a tour a few months ago."

She nodded. "He's burnt out. He needs to finish his next album and he wants me to help him remember his passion for music. He thinks I'm some sort of muse."

"How far are you willing to go to inspire him?" Marley held her hand up. "Before you get into all the reasons why you shouldn't get involved in him, let me play devil's advocate. You obviously like him. Why not play with him? You know the boundaries. You can protect yourself."

Could she? "What if he doesn't want to go that far?"

"Please. He can have any woman in the world, but he's here with you." Marley frowned. "Don't you want to kiss him again?"

"Yes," she said instantly, without thought.

"There you go."

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind her.

Nicole turned around.

The woman from Back to the Fuchsia stood behind her with an armful of white tulips and a beleaguered expression. "I stopped by Romantic Notions to deliver these. It was closed, but then I saw you in the window, so like a creepy stalker I thought I'd accost you here."

"You're the sweetest stalker ever." Nicole took the bouquet. "There's no card."

"They're from your guy." The woman rolled her eyes. "Kooky celebrities."

She frowned at the flowers, knowing instantly who the florist meant. "Grif isn't my guy."

"Funny, since he wants flowers delivered to you every other day." She held her hand out. "Since you're just down the street, I'll deliver them myself, so I might as well introduce myself. Julie."

"Nicole, and I don't want flowers every other day."

"I know. Kooky celebrities." The woman gave her a crooked smile. "They have their own ideas. See you in a couple."

Nicole watched Julie leave. Then she turned around and stared at the flowers in her hand.

"You're going to need a whole bunch of vases," Marley said, sounding smug.

"It seems so."

"And a couple boxes of condoms, because no guy sends flowers to a girl he doesn't want."

She frowned at the tulips. They were her favorite.

"Just do it." Her friend sat back, looking eager. "You'll always wonder, and what do you have to lose?"

"I don't know. My heart?"

"No way. You're much too sensible to let it go that far."

Was she? She touched a flower petal and wondered if she'd passed sensible when she let Grif back into her life.





Half an hour later when she returned to Romantic Notions, the door was unlocked. Knowing she'd locked it, it could only mean Olivia, her boss and the owner, stopped by to check in. Eager, Nicole went inside.

Olivia stood at the counter, looking over the books, her baby boy squirming on her shoulder. Her hair was clipped back, a dark trail down her back. She wore dark jeans, a red top, and the most contented expression Nicole had ever seen. She looked up as the door chimed and smiled. "Nicole, you're a goddess."

"And I didn't even return with a latte for you." She hugged her boss, careful of the baby. "I didn't realize you were coming in today."

"Parker and I needed to get out of the house." She smiled softly at her son, running a hand over his head. "He's an adventurer, like his dad."

"May I?" She set the tulips on the counter and held out her hands.

"He's feeling especially rambunctious today," Olivia said as she passed him over. "He may spit on you, too."

Parker lunged at Nicole with a happy gurgle when she reached for him.

"Yikes." She caught him quickly, settling him on her hip.

"He moves a lot, but you won't drop him," Olivia said.

She hoped not. She bounced him a little, loving the delighted coo and the way his fingers caught her shirt and held on. She stroked his thatch of dark, downy hair and breathed in his baby scent, enchanted by the way he smiled at her. "I'm in love. He's adorable."

"I know. I tell Michael he's just like me." Olivia winked at her and then pointed to the books. "You're rocking the business. I think I should just take maternity leave forever and let you run the store."

She tried to imagine working there forever, but it didn't feel right. Sure, she'd been there the longest of any job, but forever was a long time. But to her boss, she just said, "I love working here."

"Let me put these in water for you and then we can go over the state of the union. I ordered a shipment of Chantelle that doesn't seem to have arrived yet." Olivia picked up the flowers and headed to the back. "And then you can tell me about your admirer."

"I don't have an admirer," she said quietly, not wanting to yell in Parker's ear.

She didn't think Olivia heard. Her boss came out of the back and set the vase of tulips next to a display of black satin Aubade and then immediately began quizzing her about what'd been going on since she'd been in a couple weeks ago. Nicole knew Olivia felt a little bit out of the loop, like she was abandoning her old baby for her new one, but Olivia managed to run things just as efficiently from home.

Nicole didn't mind. As far as she was concerned, she was happy to leave the business details to Olivia so she could do what she liked: sell romance.

"So." Olivia leaned her hip against the counter and crossed her arms. "Tell me about him."

She stilled, causing Parker to fuss. Patting his back, she rocked him back and forth. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're going to play dumb about all the flowers in here?"

"Yes."

"Then it's serious." Olivia pursed her lips. "You'll give notice if you decide to leave me, right?"

"I'm not leaving you." She rolled her eyes at Olivia's disbelieving gaze. "Seriously. I'm not going anywhere. It's not like that. He's just my old best friend from childhood who's visiting."

"Michael was my best friend from childhood, and he came back to stay."

"Yes, but Grif won't."

Olivia just stared at her.

"I mean it." She rubbed the baby's back, trying not to notice how nice he felt. "He needs a little help, and then he'll be on his way again. He doesn't stay in one place for long."

"Michael didn't either, until he came back and asked me to marry him."

Nicole stilled, caught by the vision of Grif on his knee, asking her to love him forever. Pathetic vision, because it wasn't ever going to happen. He was married to his guitar, whether he remembered it or not.

As if he sensed her unease, Parker began to fidget. She tried rocking him harder, but he began to mewl.

"He's hungry." Olivia held her arms out.

She reluctantly surrendered him to his mom, feeling the loss as soon as he was lifted from her. She'd never thought she'd want children, but maybe she did.

Olivia smiled down at her baby, serene love in her eyes. She rocked him back and forth as she pulled out a bottle from her diaper bag. He latched onto it eagerly, his long fingers curling around hers.

Nicole watched them, feeling their bond and being jealous.

"When Michael came back, I didn't want anything to do with him," Olivia said so softly that, for a moment, Nicole thought she was talking to her son. "I didn't think I could forgive him for leaving me. I didn't think he could make the commitment to settle down. But in the end, I had to try, and I'm glad I did, because otherwise I'd be missing the best days of my life."

Nicole swallowed thickly. "You're saying I should be open, because it'd be better to have loved and lost."

"Hell no." Olivia made a sour face. "Losing sucks. But if there's a window for happiness, you shouldn't miss climbing through it."

"Got it." She sighed. "I'll keep my windows open."

"He may come in through one."

She smiled ruefully. "And escape back out another."