She is right in front of you
He wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing there. Once he’d made the decision to find her, he’d done it without hesitating or giving himself the time to talk himself out of it. He’d only been in Tampa for a day before he’d made the decision to find her. True, he’d been in and out of the city for the last fourteen years, but he’d never felt so compelled to seek her out before. Now, it had been an urgency that had beat in his pulse.
On the first day of this trip out to Tampa, he’d followed impulse and driven past the elementary and middle schools he’d attended. Staring at the playground and the brick buildings teeming with children, he’d practically seen himself there. And with him, he’d seen Shelby.
Since then, he’d called up every last person he could think of that may have had her number or address. She hadn’t been in the phone book, and he’d finally found her whereabouts through her business partner. He’d practically blazed a path to her door. Now that he was here, though, he hadn’t a clue what to do about it.
Shelby stood, looking nearly as stunned to see him as he was to see her. Her dark hair had grown from the short bob she’d always kept it in when they’d been younger. It curled past her shoulders and a fringe of bangs framed the deep brown eyes that studied him with surprise, wonder, and curiosity. Her skin was still the same cream and roses that he’d remembered it had been. All she’d said since her door had opened was his name. Nick. That was it, and yet it brought back a rush of memories.
“Shelby.” He found his voice and managed a smile. “Hi.”
She seemed to snap out of her daze, too. “It’s been a while, Carter.”
“It has. Aren’t you gonna invite me in?”
“Sure. Come on in.” She held the door open, and he stepped into the house, taking in its every detail with hungry eyes.
After several moments, he turned back to her and smiled. “You have no idea how good it is to see you. You’ve grown up on me, Shel.”
“So have you,” she replied. Her lips curved a fraction as her eyes continued to examine his face. “It’s been quite a while. How did you find me?”
He shrugged. “Your partner at the antiques shop told me your address. It’s a great shop.”
“Thanks.” And silence settled between them, each too nervous and at a loss for words.
“Shelby-”
“Nick-”
They both began at the same time and muffled identical chuckles before Nick urged her to go first. She shook her head. “No, you go first.”
“Uh-uh. You first.”
They stared at each other for a moment, and, when the stubborn look, that she’d once known so well, settled on his features, she had to resist the urge to cry. Partly out of joy, partly out of regret for the years they’d lost. Before she knew it, his arms were wrapped around her in a fierce hug, and she buried her face in the curve of his neck.
“Damn you, Nick. You never called, never wrote. You broke every promise, and, now, here you are. You’re thirteen years late.”
He tilted her face up to see her eyes. “That’s a dirty lie about me not writing. I sent you our first album. Remember?”
She did. “I never opened it.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because it would mean that I’d really lost you. That you were never coming back home.” Shelby stepped out of his arms and gestured to a couch. “Why don’t we sit? Do you want anything to drink?”
Nick shook his head. “No. Just you.” Sincerity shone true in his blue gaze. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” she murmured and, unconsciously sliding Logan’s ring off her finger and into her pocket, settled next to him on the sofa.
They were still there nearly four hours later. Having talked about everything from his experiences with the group, traveling, and the people he’d met and her college experiences and the trials of opening a business of her own, they were nearly out of things to say. His family hadn’t been brought up, and she hadn’t wanted to pry. His hurts were his own, until he felt the need to open up, Shelby had decided. But they were nearly out of words.
Nick wasn’t even sure that he wanted to say any more. He couldn’t help but wonder at how wonderful she’d grown up to be. He’d experienced his first bout of puppy love with Shelby and once imagined that, once they were old enough, he’d marry her. Obviously, that hadn’t worked out, and the dream had been left by the wayside as so many other things had been in his career. But he was sitting in her living room now, and he couldn’t help but remember why he’d loved her before.
He’d met, and slept with, his fair share of women in the last decade and a half. They’d been beautiful and tempting, and he’d given in to that temptation. He’d even believed himself in love with some of them. There had been Mandy, then Tiffany, and, later, Paris. Between them all, there had been countless other women, whose names and faces had blurred together. Yet, after all of those experiences, Shelby Washington all grown up still held more appeal than the rest put together.
And he was thinking too much, too fast. He’d just found her not even six hours ago and had barely given her a thought in the past ten years. He would be fooling himself if he thought that any line he could try out would work on Shelby. Besides, he wanted to regain her friendship. First, anyway.
“Let’s go out for dinner, Shel.” The words popped out before he’d even really processed the thought. “You’re not busy, right?”
Shelby shot him a look of surprise before shaking her head. “No. No, I’m not busy. Are you in town long?”
“I’m going back in a few days. I want to spend time with you, Shelby. I know we’re not the same people we were thirteen years ago, but I want to try to be your friend again. I really have missed you,” he said sincerely, and she believed him.
The smile on her lips matched the one that lit her eyes. “I’d like that, too. Let’s start with dinner tonight and see what happens after that.”
“Deal.”
He walked her to her door after a fabulous dinner followed by a stroll along the beach. With a great deal of luck, there had been no squealing fans to recognize Nick, so they’d had a peaceful evening catching up. In fact, Nick thought, the whole day had been pleasant and peaceful. Being around her had always given him great measures of peace. It was as though her personality sucked all the negativity out of his mind and mood.
“This was a great idea, Nick.” Shelby stuck her key in the lock before turning to face him under the glow of her porch light. “It was really good being able to see you and talk to you again.”
He grinned. “It sort of felt like all that time didn’t really pass. I always loved hanging around with you.”
“Same goes, Carter.” But the breath clogged in her throat when he took a step closer, his eyes intent on hers. “Nick?”
Reaching out, he curled a lock of dark hair around his fingers and tugged lightly. “All day, Shelby, I’ve been trying to figure out what it is that’s been pulling at me about you. I’ve met a million women, since I last saw you. None of them hold up to you, though.”
“Nick.” His name was a barely audible whisper now. She didn’t hear it over her pounding heartbeat.
“You’ve got this grace and dignity around you, and it’s…What’s the word? Enchanting,” he decided after a moment. “There’s not too much dignity among the blonde bimbos in Hollywood.”
She needed to find her voice, Shelby resolved. She needed to find her voice and put a stop to this. “From what I hear, you enjoy those blonde bimbos.”
She didn’t have to see his face to know that there was hurt shading his eyes. It came through in his voice. “You’re absolutely right. I could deny it, but what would be the point?” There was a small sigh. “I guess I’ve been an idiot all this time.”
“Why?” Shelby couldn’t quite meet his eyes.
Nick tipped up her chin to see her eyes. “I wasted valuable time with shallow, brainless women when I could’ve been here. Doing this.”
And his lips met hers in a soft, dreamy kiss.
