“Fuck, Robbie…don’t you think I’m gonna get recognized?” Nick Carter mumbled as he pulled his Tampa Bay Buccaneers hat down over his bright blue eyes a bit more. “Couldn’t we have gone to a bar or something instead?”

“And you don’t think you’re going to get recognized there? Come on, Nick. Chill out,” Robbie Peterson laughed and tipped back his beer, taking a long swig. “Besides, when’s the last time you went tailgating? You used to love football.”

“And I still love football,” he sighed. “I just hate going out to see the games when all the fans see me. I know you and I know you probably posted this shit on Myspace saying how I was going to be back in town or whatever.” He mumbled and took a swig of his own beer. He would need it for sure.

“Oh take the stick out of your ass, Nick,” Robbie rolled his eyes. “We have fucking amazing seats and I’m sure there are gonna be some hot ass waitresses serving us beer all day. What more could you ask for?” Robbie was already a bit tipsy and Nick could tell. Not like he minded, he just hated being the only sober one in his group of friends. Lately he just didn’t enjoy getting completely trashed, though, either. It was a lose-lose situation, or so it seemed.

“Whatever,” he mumbled and looked down at his almost empty beer. “When do we go into the stadium?” He asked his friends. They were right. It had been forever since he had been to a game, let alone a Bucs game at Raymond James.

“Probably in about an hour since the game starts at six,” Robbie explained. Nick let out another hefty sigh and downed the rest of his beer. “What’s your deal, Nick? Ever since you’ve been back in Tampa you’ve been such a dick about everything we do. You don’t go out as much, and when you do, you don’t get shit faced like the rest of us.”

“I don’t know, man,” Nick muttered. “I guess I’m just not used to being in this scene every night. I haven’t been around you guys in forever.” He shrugged. “I’m gonna go get another beer.” He muttered. Robbie nodded as he headed towards a tent where beer was being sold. It had been forever since he’d been in Tampa. Now that the Backstreet Boys were about to release another album, he had literally been flying around the world trying to promote it. The only reason he had gotten a break to come home for a week was because Brian had gotten sick with a cold and needed to rest. As of next Monday, they were back on a plane headed to Germany.

“Hey, what can I get ya?” The guy at the table where the beer was being supplied asked.

“A Bud Light, if you’ve got it,” Nick fished out his wallet from his back pocket and handed the guy a few dollars. “Thanks.” He smiled as the guy took off the top and handed it over. “Keep the change.” He sighed as he took a swig.

“This game is fucking stupid,” he heard someone mutter as they walked by. “Ben can’t even be here. And hell, we’re supposed to be at Howl-O-Scream tonight anyway. Why the hell did we decide to come here?”

He had to chuckle. He kind of felt the same way. The girl complaining was much shorter than him with stringy blonde hair and glasses. She looked more pissed off than he did.

“Allie, could you chill out? I haven’t been back to Tampa in so long and I wanted to check it out. We don’t have to stay the whole time. My dad gave me the tickets, so we might as well just go for a while…it’s free,” the girl she was with laughed and shook her head. Nick was much more attracted to her. She was short, too, but much more naturally beautiful. Her brown hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, falling only a few inches below. Her dark brown eyes were intoxicating but so subtle at the same time. She bit her bottom lip as she looked at the sign hanging below the beer table. “You want something?” She asked her friend, he assumed, was named Allie.

“Do they have that flavored Smirnoff?” She asked. The other girl laughed and shook her head ‘no’.

“Probably not,” she turned back towards her friend, then back to the man selling the beer. “Um, I’ll just have a Bud Light.” She smiled and pulled a few dollars out of her jean shorts pocket.

“Kate!” Robbie yelled out from behind Nick. Nick turned around, completely confused as to why his friend was catching this girl’s attention. A smile formed over the other girl’s lips and she walked towards Robbie after taking the beer from the vender and giving him a few dollars.

“Hey Robbie,” she smiled and gave him a friendly hug. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be at the game tonight or not. Bean said he wasn’t sure if you’d make it.”

“Yeah, we made it,” he smiled. “Bean couldn’t come, though. I, actually, brought my man Nick.” He smiled and patted Nick on the back. “Nick, this is Kate Martin and Allie Steel. Kate’s dad owns the season tickets right next to Bean’s.” He explained. Nick nodded and took another sip from his beer before he said anything to this girl.

“Nice to meet you,” he finally managed to mumble and shook her hand.

“You too,” her smile…wow, her smile made him melt, or so it seemed. “So, are you from around here?”

“You could say that. I’m from Ruskin,” Nick nodded and tilted back his beer to get another gulp. “But I live kinda all over the place…”

“He’s in the Backstreet Boys,” Robbie chuckled and took another gulp from his own beer. Nick rolled his eyes, wanting to punch Robbie in the face.

“Oh!” Kate smirked. “That’s cool, I used to be a fan…kind of. My sister was always a big fan growing up so I heard a bunch of the songs. And I went to a few concerts.” She giggled and shrugged. “I guess I remember you now that I think about it.” She tipped back her beer as well.

“Hey, Robbie! You going out tonight after the game?” Someone yelled from a different angle.

“Most definitely,” Robbie smiled back. “I’ll be back. I’ll see you girls inside the stadium.” He winked at them and then went to talk to the person that interrupted their conversation.

“So, what about you?” Nick finally asked back. “Are you from around here?”

“I’ll be right back…” Allie interrupted and walked towards the bathroom. She, obviously, wasn’t interested in the conversation any.

“Um, kind of,” Kate smirked. Again, there she went with that smile. “I grew up in Tampa but my freshman year of college my family moved to Boston. My older brother got accepted to Boston College and they decided to pick up and follow him. So, I live in Orlando…I went there for school and just kinda stayed.”

Nick nodded and smiled. She seemed interesting enough. “Orlando’s a nice area.”

“Yeah, it is,” Kate grinned just thinking about it. “Granted, some of the aspects aren’t too lovely. But I love the nightlife and my friends there. And Tampa’s not too far away to come back and visit, like today.” She explained.

“Very true,” Nick nodded in agreement. “Tampa’s a beautiful place, too.” He felt like an idiot for not being able to contribute more to the conversation but he wasn’t really sure what to say. That, and the fact that for some reason she was really having this strange affect on him where he wasn’t sure he could say anything at all. Usually he was the one to play hard to get, not the other way around. He was melting in the palm of her hand.

“It must be beautiful enough for a celebrity like you to return to,” she grinned, giving him a golden opportunity to jump into the conversation.

“It is,” he swallowed hard and licked his lips. Come on, Carter. Say something intelligent, for Christ’s sake! “It’s somewhere I guess I’ll always call home, ya know? I have a place in California, too, but there’s something about Tampa. I even love Miami and I’m not even from there.”

“Now that’s one place I’m not too fond of,” Kate nearly shuddered.

“What?” Nick chuckled, starting to feel a bit more comfortable in the conversation. “A girl like you who admitted to liking nightlife not enjoying Miami? You must be joking.” He sounded playful and that made her laugh.

“I guess it’s kinda not fair for me to judge…my roommate my freshman year was from Miami and she was the biggest bitch I had ever met. Ever since then, I’ve had it in for the place,” Kate shrugged innocently and Nick laughed.

“Oh man, you have to go back and try out the Brass Monkey,” he licked his lips again, only this time it wasn’t out of being nervous, it was out of excitement. He loved meeting people he could dive into conversations with – people that didn’t judge him because of his career or his fame. People who liked talking to him because they found him interesting.

“I’ll have to try that,” she giggled and took another swig from her beer.

“Kate,” someone sounded a bit agitated. The pair turned to see Allie with her arms crossed over her chest. “Can we please go in now? It’s so fucking hot out here.” She complained and headed towards the stadium whether or not her friend was behind her.

“I guess I should probably go with her…even though we’re going to be sitting out there in the sun for like, another hour and a half or whatever,” she mumbled and started walking. Nick followed.

“I might as well go in with you,” Nick shrugged. “Robbie ran off with those people and I’m having fun talking to you. Our seats are next to each other?”

“Yeah,” Kate smiled as they both threw out their beers and walked to the line to get in.

“Fun for you; you have to put up with me for another five hours at least,” Nick joked. Kate looked back and smiled.

“I can’t imagine it’d be that horrible,” she winked. Nick smirked and followed her in. This girl was impressive.

“Hey man, I’m in the stadium,” Nick answered his blackberry as Robbie was calling him. “Okay, see ya in a minute.” He hung up. “I swear, that guy and women.”

“Oh, I know,” Kate laughed. “Him and my dad don’t get along at all. Bean and my dad, surprisingly, do.” She sounded shocked.

“Wow, that’s interesting,” Nick frowned. Kate nodded and went on to explain.

“My family’s had these seats since forever. My grandfather had them first and then passed them on to my dad. Well, when my parents moved to Boston, my dad didn’t want to sell the tickets because he figured they’d been in the family forever. But since I live in Orlando, usually I can’t use them and I just give them to Bean. But my dad met Robbie once and hated him. Bean didn’t bother telling Robbie that I was my dad’s daughter…Robbie thought I was a gold digger and talked to my dad the whole night about how much money he had and if I was using him and how good the sex was. My dad freaked out and went off on him.” Kate laughed and so did Nick.

“That’s Robbie, alright,” he chuckled.

After a moment of silence, Kate finally spoke up. “So what about you? Just visiting Tampa for a bit?” She asked and took a drink from her bottle of water she had purchased.

“Kind of,” Nick shrugged. “The guys and I are back on tour again. Only we’re touring overseas. We were in Europe but Brian, from the band,” he added in, just in case she wasn’t that familiar with them, “got really sick with a cold, so he needed to come home and rest for a few days. But we’re headed back Monday.”

“As in tomorrow?” Kate sounded shocked. She could never follow that kind of lifestyle – being in the states one day, then another country the next. She loved traveling, but she also loved coming home to familiarity and comfort.

“No, no,” Nick laughed. “Next Monday. I just got home yesterday.” He explained. She nodded and sipped her water some more. “It’s fun once you get used to it.” He read her mind. “I love it now. I don’t know if I’d imagine my life without you.” Kate bit her tongue. He was so different than her, yet they seemed to get along well.

“Kate, do you want anything? I’m going to go get popcorn or something,” Allie muttered as she climbed over Kate than Nick to exit the aisle.

“Nah, I’m fine,” she shrugged. She shivered a bit as soon as Allie passed by. “Jeez, Florida weather is something I’ll never get used to. During the day it’s hotter than hell, but at night I’m already chilly.”

“It’s about damn time,” Nick nodded in agreement. “It’s already middle October. You’d think it’d be cooler by now. I was in New York a few weeks ago doing a radio interview and it was freaking cold. We had to wear sweatshirts and shit.” He laughed. Kate nodded.

“I’m going to visit my family for Thanksgiving. I don’t even want to know what Boston’s gonna be like,” she sighed. She held up her hand to the waitress walking by. “Could I get a Bud Light?” She yelled down the row.

“Make that two,” Nick chimed in. The players began to run onto the field and the crowd began to cheer. “I hope they win.” Nick leaned closer to Kate so she could hear him over the cheers from the crowd. She nodded.

“Me too. I’ve always been such a big fan,” she sat back in her chair. “However, I must say that I’m seriously bummed Chris Simms hasn’t gotten any better since he got tackled last season and had to have his spleen removed.” Nick watched intently as she gulped down more water. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was about her…but something was different. Maybe it was the way they could carry on a normal conversation like this. Or the fact that she didn’t seem fazed by the fact he was a celebrity.

“Yeah, that sucked,” he chimed in. All of a sudden, Robbie appeared next to him with a huge grin on his face.

“Dude, we’re totally going out tomorrow night with those gorgeous ladies,” he pointed over his shoulder at two blonde Barbie impersonators behind him. “Oh, sorry for interrupting.” He smirked and plopped down, finishing off another beer. “I’ll call you.” He grinned back at the girls who giggled and walked off.

“You should come with us,” Nick turned towards Kate with a smile. It couldn’t hurt. Besides, she seemed interested enough.

“Oh, I’d love to,” she smiled, but suddenly her smile faded. “Damn, I keep forgetting I’m not in Orlando.” She laughed softly. “I’m heading back to Orlando tomorrow. I have work.” She sighed. “Thanks for inviting me, though.”

“We’ll probably go out in Orlando,” Robbie shrugged. He knew his friend well and could tell he was very interested. That was one thing Robbie was great at – getting Nick a good lay. But he didn’t realize that wasn’t what Nick was into anymore.

“Yeah, we might go to Tabu or something,” Nick added in, glad Robbie was okay with leaving Tampa. “Where do you work?” He continued conversation.

“During the day I work at a broadcasting station in Orlando. But at night I volunteer at Girls and Boys Town in Central Florida,” she explained. Nick cocked his eyebrow in curiosity, completely interested in what she had to say. Kate’s lips turned up in a grin. It had been a long time since she had met someone so interested in her work. “It’s this foster home program for children that have been misplaced. They’re orphaned either by death or by bad home lives.” She explained. “It’s really sad, but really rewarding at the same time.”

“I bet,” Nick spoke up. He had done charity work time after time again, but never consistently, night after night. “I love kids.”

“Me too,” Kate smirked. “I wish I could keep them all.” She giggled. “But they move on with life and I do, too. It’s hard to see them go, but when they get adopted we’re all so happy for them.” The smile on her face seemed bittersweet. “I’ll have to see about getting off tomorrow. Usually after we get them all in bed only one adult needs to stay, but I’ll have to double check.” She explained.

“That’s fine,” Nick nodded in complete understanding. “How about I get your number and I’ll give you mine so you can call me tomorrow and let me know if it’ll work out.” So it was a subtle way to just get her number, but at least he was getting it.

“Sounds good,” she grinned and tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. “Mine’s (813) 555-0910.”

“Okay, I’ll call you so it’ll program into your phone or whatever,” Nick dialed the number and programmed Kate’s name into his phone. “Got it?”

“Yep,” Kate grinned. “I’ll call you.”

Nick smiled and sat back to watch some more of the game. He hoped she would.

“So who is this guy exactly?” Sophie Anderson, Kate’s best friend, asked as they continued to decorate Halloween cookies the following night. Kate had just hung up with Nick explaining that she had to be at the Girls and Boys Town until 10, but could leave afterwards.

“He’s a Backstreet Boy,” Kate shrugged, just giggling at the thought. “But trust me, Soph. He doesn’t act anything like the celebrities we read about.” She rolled her eyes. “He was such a genuine guy. I don’t know…he’s not in town for long so it’s not like I’m going to go off and fall in love.” She laughed.

“Love?” A little voice asked from Kate’s side. Kate smiled down at the little girl and wiped her hands on a towel to pick the little girl up. “Like you love me, Kate?” The small blonde girl asked. Kate smiled and kissed the girl’s nose.

“Kinda,” Kate scrunched up her nose. “Don’t worry. You won’t need to learn about love for a long time.” She emphasized the word ‘long’ and the five-year-old giggled. Lily was one of the misplaced children. Her father had abandoned her and her mother, leaving her mother to deal with debt and unemployment on her own. She ended up having a drug overdose and Lily was sent, by law, to the home. She had been there for almost a year and Kate was shocked she hadn’t been adopted yet.

“Okay,” Lily shrugged and stuck her finger in the bowl of orange icing for the cookies, licking her finger innocently. Her big blue eyes stared back at Kate.

“Excuse me,” Kate laughed and picked the girl off the counter and placed her back on the floor. “No more icing for you until they’re on the cookies.” She pretended to be shocked. Lily giggled some more and ran off into the other room. “I love that kid.” Kate smirked and continued to stir the icing.

“Don’t get too attached,” Sophie mumbled and turned to put more cookies in the oven. “John told me that a couple has been looking at her for possible adoption.” She explained. Kate’s eyes bulged wide. “Don’t get worked up, Kate. We want these kids to find wonderful families…we can’t be around for them forever.”

Kate knew in her mind that eventually one day would roll around where these kids got adopted. It was something they prayed for night after night. She just didn’t realize it would be so soon. “Who?” She asked as if she didn’t care, yet she did. Sophie knew just as well as Kate did that it was a big deal.

“Some couple from New Jersey,” Sophie shrugged nonchalantly.

“New Jersey?!” Kate exclaimed. “That’s going to be such a huge adjustment for Lily. I mean, how is she supposed to handle the weather change and everything?” Kate iced a few cookies and set them aside on trays to harden.

“Just like every other kid that gets adopted in a different state does,” Sophie frowned. “Kate, I know that you and Lily have a really tight bond. But you have to be happy for her. She’s ecstatic! Think about our family lives and then think about how great that’d be for someone else.”

“We are her family,” Kate mumbled and pulled more cookies out of the oven.

“Katherine Marie Martin,” Sophie scolded. Kate spun around and frowned at her.

“What?” Kate couldn’t help but smirk at her best friend using her full name. Whenever Sophie got really frustrated with Kate, she’d use her full name.

“Do you expect to work at the home for the rest of your life?” She asked her with her hands planted firmly on her hips. Her voice was low so the other kids wouldn’t hear her.

“No, but --….”

“No buts,” Sophie stopped her short. “The number one things these kids need in their lives is stability, Kate. Granted, we’re being stable right now because we’re in here almost every night helping them with homework, feeding them dinner, putting them to bed. But what happens when we find out we need more money to pay the bills and we have to work longer hours? Or what if we get married and our husband needs us to move to California with them for work? What then? Where is the stability in their lives? Do you realize how detrimental that is to them?” She finished her tangent and stared at her best friend. Kate’s eyes were filled with tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“I would adopt her if I could, Soph,” she whispered and turned back to the cookies for a distraction.

“I know you would, honey,” Sophie wrapped her arm around her friend and hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak out on you. I just want the best for these kids.”

“I do too,” Kate nodded in agreement. “I just wish I could keep them. But I don’t have the money for it and I know I’m not old enough or mature enough to have my own kid.” She chuckled.

“You’re getting there,” Sophie winked. As soon as she said that, Kate felt a vibration in her pocket.

“Oh, hold on a second,” she pulled away from her friend and reached into her jean pocket. “Oh my God. It’s Nick!” She squealed and cleared her voice a bit. Sophie sat anxiously waiting her to answer. She smiled and hit the ‘Call’ button. “Hello?”

“Hey Kate, this is Nick Carter from the football game last night,” he explained. Kate smiled and bit her bottom lip. She boosted herself up onto the countertop.

“Oh, hey Nick,” she smiled nonchalantly. “What’s up?”

“Well, I talked to Robbie, and we’re definitely going to go out to Tabu tonight. We’ll probably try to get there around 11:00 or so. Do you think you can make it?” He asked hopefully.

Kate grinned. “That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m at the home right now…but the kids will definitely be in bed by then. Um, I’ve been to Tabu before, but I don’t really remember where to park. Can you describe like a parking garage or something?” She asked him hopefully.

He chuckled on the other line. “I haven’t been there in months, so I don’t even remember. Parking can be a bitch in downtown. What if I just swing by and pick you up? I’m riding over by myself because Robbie’s meeting girls over there…so I can just drive you…” he offered. It seemed like a polite gesture. Kate had no idea he really wanted to spend some time alone with her before getting to the noisy club.

“That would be fine,” she agreed. She was a little hesitant. She had spoken with Nick for a few hours at the game, but she didn’t feel like she really knew him. What if he was a big drinker? Would he try to drive her home drunk? “As long as you don’t mind.” She threw in at the end.

“Not at all,” Nick assured her. “Where can I pick you up?”

“Um,” Kate bit her bottom lip and looked over at Sophie. “I’ll probably stay at the house until then just because I want to be here if one of the kids needs me…so can I just give you the address for here?” She asked, not really to Nick but more to Sophie.

Sophie nodded and mouthed, “That’s fine.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Nick smirked. She was so cute. She was such a normal girl. Granted, Nick had dated a few “normal girls” in his lifetime, but most of them knew exactly who he was and they were more superficial than Kate. Kate was all natural – natural hair color, natural body. It was something that Nick wasn’t really used to.

“Okay, it’s 1263 Broadway Drive in Oviedo,” she told him. “It’s right outside of Orlando…just a smaller city.” She explained. Nick wrote down the address and listened to her directions on how to get there from I-4. “And you’re sure you don’t mind picking me up?”

“Not at all,” Nick repeated. “Seriously, don’t worry about it.” He chuckled.

“Okay, then,” she smirked. “See you at 10:30?”

“Yeah, 10:30 sounds great,” Nick grinned from one ear to the next. After saying goodbye and hanging up, he couldn’t believe he had scored a date with this girl. It wasn’t like he couldn’t get a date to begin with. It was just the fact that this time, the date was because he was interesting and he could be himself. Not because his name was Nick Carter and had all the money a girl could dream of. None of that mattered. And that made him smile.