Page 20 of Too Good to Be True

“To a fantastic teacher and a productive workweek.”

She smiled. “And to a model student.”

They clinked glasses and drank, smiling at each other over the rims of their glasses. Then Kelsey and Paige reappeared, and Nick stood.

“Stay. We’ll just grab another stool,” Kelsey said.

“Thanks, but I was getting ready to leave anyway.”

“Hot date?” Paige said, and then she clamped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. That’s none of my business.”

Nick shook his head. “No worries. And yes, I do have a date…with my laptop. I’m apartment hunting.”

“Ah. Well, good luck, then,” Paige said, still looking embarrassed by her outburst.

“Speaking of apartments,” said Kelsey, “my brother lives in an apartment complex not far from here, Buckingham Square. You should check it out.”

“Thanks, I will. Have a good weekend, everyone,” he said, looking directly at Stacy when he said it.

“You too,” they said in unison, although Stacy’s voice might have been slightly louder.

They exchanged another glance, and then she watched him saunter away. He stopped off at the table where Eric, Britney, and a few others had congregated, and she noticed the look of disappointment on Britney’s face as he said goodbye.

I know how you feel, Stacy thought as he walked out. It was the first time she’d felt a connection to Britney, and the thought startled her. Later, when she left the bar, she reminded herself of all the reasons she shouldn’t be thinking about Nick in that way.

No matter how much her friends tried to convince her otherwise, the cons far outweighed the pros. Samantha, the heroine of her book, would have agreed, although Jason was doing a stellar job of trying to change her mind.

She envisioned Nick clinking glasses with her and stating, “Age is just a number.”

Had he really meant it, or had he said it for her benefit? Maybe it had just been an offhanded comment and had nothing to do with her.

Later, when she’d shut off the light and snuggled under the covers, she allowed her imagination to roam. She imagined he’d been sending her a message that he was attracted to her too despite their age gap.

There was no harm in pretending, and nobody would ever know, especially not him. Having reassured herself, she let her mind go free and had one of the best dreams she’d had in a long, long time.

Six

During her third week of training Nick, she felt like she’d gotten a firm handle on the situation. She’d loosened up, allowing herself more peeks at the sun and laughing at his silly yet accurate observations of their coworkers. They still maintained a professional distance. However, she would be tested by the middle of the week.

“Can I ask a favor?” he said on Wednesday morning.

“Sure.”

“I drove in with Fran this morning, but then I got a call about a vacancy at Buckingham Square.”

She nodded, although she wasn’t sure how this applied to her.

“I wanted to go look at the apartment at lunchtime, but Fran’s using the car to go to the dentist.”

“She’s going to the dentist on her lunch hour?”

He laughed. “You know Fran. Efficiency above all else.”

“Right.”

“Would you mind driving me? I’ll buy lunch for us on the way back,” he added as if to sweeten the deal.

“Oh.”