Just In Time For Love (Stanton Falls #1) (5 page)

Good for me.  

That was how Nick felt
right up until the moment that she responded to his greeting.  

“I’m sorry.  I know
I’m supposed to know you but I’m just having a really hard time placing you.”

Nick laughed for a few
seconds until he noticed how nervous she looked.  He thought that she was
joking but her furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes were obvious giveaways that
she really was trying to recall where she knew him from.  

“Nick….  Nick….
 You really don’t remember me?”

She didn’t want to be
mean but she just couldn’t place him in the least bit and it was getting to the
point that it was turning from a cute reunion into a quasi-awkward situation.
 

“No, I can’t say that I
do.  I kinda feel really like I should now.”

“Wow.  When you
used to work here I would come here all the time.  Ordered apple pie for
dessert on a regular.”

“C’mon.  Everyone
in town orders apple pie from here for dinner.”

Nick turned to Aaron who
was barely containing his laughter.

“Dude, help me out
here.”

“I got nothing man.
 You obviously aren’t that memorable.”

Suddenly recognition ran
across Donna’s face.

“Wait a minute.
 You I remember.  You came in a lot always with…”

She looked back to Nick.
 

“No way.  You look
so different now.  You used to have the long hair that would hang halfway
down your face.  That’s why I didn’t recognize you.  You were always
either looking at a menu or all that hair was covering up them pearly blues.
 I could never forget two of my top clients.  You paid for a good
portion of my school you know.  At least two classes.  How
y’all
boys been?”

Nick was lost in his
thoughts as she spoke to him.  He hadn’t seen her in over a year, maybe even
more than two years but he knew it was her from the second she fell through the
door and into his arms.  He didn't know if it was just because he hadn’t
seen her in a while but he could swear she looked even more beautiful now than
he remembered.  He had never actually seen her in anything other than her
work clothes so he had only that point of reference but even then she was
pretty.  There in her business clothes, he still saw the same young woman
from before.  He studied her face, finally noticing her looking at
him.
 
She waved her hand in front of his
face attempting to get his attention.

“I’m sorry.  It’s
just that.  Never mind. You were saying something?”

“Not so much saying as I
was waiting for you to respond.  I was asking how you guys have been and
you sort of zoned out on me.  Aaron was saying it was your inability to
pay attention.  I didn’t know whether he was serious or not but you were
off in your own world for a good fifteen seconds there.”

Nick looked at Aaron
with a look that only the two of them knew what it meant “I’m going to get you
back.”  

“Pay him absolutely no
mind.  He’s an idiot even though he thinks he is a comedian.
 
I was just thinking how great it is to see
you.  You’re back from school now I presume.”

“Yes but how did you
know I was at school.”

“When you went missing a
while back, I was just interested to see what had happened to you.”

It seemed as if Aaron
wanted to make things even more awkward for Nick.  

“You should have seen
him.   After the third time you weren’t here he was getting the
details.”

Nick jumped in again,
desperately hoping to shut his friend up.

“Thank you for the play
by play Aaron.  Why don’t you get us a table while I talk to her for a
minute?”

Before he could speak
up, Donna looked at her watch and exclaimed.

“Oh my!  I’m
supposed to be somewhere right now.
 
Listen, it was great seeing you again, but I really have to head off for
work.”

She started off towards
her car, leaving a stunned Nick and chuckling Aaron standing outside the diner.
 She looked back while opening her card door to sit down.

“I’ll see you boys
around.  I really gotta go.  Bye.”

She closed the door to
her car just as Nick was shouting back to her.

“Can
I
...”

She was already starting
the car when he finished his sentence under his breath

“…maybe take you to
dinner one day?”

Nick watched as her
small green beetle drove off down the road and turned the corner.  He’d
have to catch up with her some other time.  At least he knew where she
probably got her coffee in the mornings.  

“Sure, but I don’t think
my wife would approve.  Or unless you want to bring her too.”

“Man, what in the world
are you talking about?”

Aaron snickered as he
responded.  He was having the time of his life at his friend's expense.

“You asked if you could
take me to dinner.  I assumed you were talking to me because there was no
one else here.  Donna had gotten in her car and you were just standing
there so there was no way you were….”

“Shut up Aaron.”

Nick turned around and
walked to go inside the cafe while Aaron stood holding the door open for him.

“Why do you say such
mean things to me?  I thought you were my friend.”

Nick gave him a rueful
half grin and walked by to their usual table.    

“Hey man, I thought it
was funny.”

“Right.  And that
is exactly why I gotta find a new best friend.  I
knew
I
shoulda
just met you at the office today but no, you wanted
to stop for coffee and embarrass me to no end.  With friends like you…”

Aaron feigned shock and
sadness.

“Whoa.  Now don’t go
blaming me because some woman you used to seriously like had no idea who in the
world you were.  It’s actually hilarious that she remembered me
immediately.  You actually should be thanking me because if I hadn’t been
here, maybe you would still be out there trying to convince her of who you
were.”

Aaron spoke in an
imitation voice of Nick’s earlier meeting with Donna.

“You don’t remember me?
 But you sold me apple pie.”

Thinking back, Nick did
feel rather silly trying to convince her of who he was.  

“C’mon man, she said it
was the hair.  Everybody said I look totally different when I got it cut.
 She remembered the
old
me so that counts too.  And as for
remembering you, who wouldn’t remember that constantly goofy look on your face.
 For the record, I leave the office every day hoping I can forget it but
every day you come in and drill it into my mind again.”

“You have got to face
the truth buddy.  Out of the two of us this is just another example that I
am the lasting impression and you are the other guy.  Don’t feel bad pal.
 Nothing wrong with being the other guy.  Like I’m a superhero and
you’re my sidekick.  Like Batman and Robin.  You don’t hear about the
boy wonder by himself.  They know Batman just fine--but no one just
remembers Robin.  It’s Batman
and
the boy wonder or just Batman.
 But if it's any consolation, you make a really cool Robin.”

It was obvious Nick
wasn’t going to let him get his goat.  

“Ok man, enough is
enough.  We could spend all day sitting here talking, or in your case whining
most likely, about how she didn’t remember you but I have got to eat first so
your puppy love is just going to have to wait.”

“Now that’s a bit much
Aaron.  I was just happy to see her again.  I barely even know her.
 It’s ludicrous to say I’m in love with her.”

“Well love or a big
crush, from where I was sitting and what I know, it all looks the same to me
when it comes to you and her.  You have always had a big thing for her and
it hasn’t changed from what I see.”

“Aaron, could you just
order your food?  I’m not even hungry anymore. I’m just taking a coffee.”

“Fine.  Let me get
the waitress’s attention.”

As Aaron went about
putting his order in with the waitress, Nick spent his time thinking back to
the unlikely encounter he had experienced less than ten minutes ago.  In
spite of everything else he was really glad that she was back.   He
just hoped that he would have the chance to see her again without having to
stalk the diner from across the street.
 
Although he felt prepared to do it if he needed to.  

As the waitress got
ready to walk off and put in Aaron’s order, Nick stopped her and added more for
himself besides a coffee.  Moments earlier his stomach had begun to
grumble and he immediately had second thoughts on not getting anything for himself
to eat.  He had a lot of work to do that day and he had a feeling that it
was going to be hard enough concentrating if she penetrated his thoughts
throughout the day like she was doing then.  The last thing he needed was
a growling belly or hunger migraine to slow him down.  

After his order was placed, he sat talking to his
friend but his mind still floated back over and over to the most beautiful
woman he had seen in Stanton Falls since...well since the last time he had seen
her.

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