Nick's knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel as tight as he was. He was on his way to meet Veronica for their do-over date and he was not going to let anything stop him from being there on time, even early. He was driving very cautiously, probably a little too cautious. Several cars behind him had honked their horns at him as they drove by him. He didn't care, however, he intended to make this date.

As Nick neared the intersection that the accident last week occurred his mind flew to thoughts about Lindsey. Wanting any information he could get about her he called his finance guy to see if she had contacted him about a check for any outstanding bills. He was told that it was probably too soon for the insurance company to settle any claims yet but she had called to see if Nick's offer was legit.

“Did you get any contact information from her?” Nick had asked. He didn't know why he was asking, he was sure she didn't want anything to do with him. He had, after all, ran through a red light and into her car giving her injuries.

A car horn blaring behind him brought him back to the present, the light was green and he was just sitting here. He waved apologetically to the car behind him and proceeded through the light.

“You really gotta stop zoning out Carter,” he chastised himself as he turned into the parking lot for the restaurant he was meeting Veronica at. He entered the building carrying the flower they agreed to bring to identify each other, as cheesy as it was they had decided on a red rose. When he didn't see a rose on any of the occupied tables he asked the hostess to seat him.

Nick was specific about the table he wanted. He asked for table somewhat near the back and then sat facing the door so that he could see her when she walked in he wanted to be able to greet her.

He sat fiddling with the napkin on the table, sipping the water in the glass. It was something to do while he waited. He watched several women enter the restaurant, none of them carrying the required red rose. He was starting to feel anxious, what if Veronica was going to stand him up now to let him know how it felt.

He sighed in relief as he saw a woman with red rose walking coming through the door. He stood up before she could talk to the hostess and approached her. As he got a better look at her he realized she was beautiful. Her blond hair was slightly wavy and reached just past her shoulders. As he got closer he could see just how green her eyes were, they were shocking but beautiful. The outfit she was wearing was a tight fit and hugged her small curves accentuating what she had. He had, indeed, saved the best for last.

“Veronica?” He questioned as he approached her. Her smile was warm and inviting as she looked towards him.

“That's me, you must be Steve.” She smiled calling him by his alternate identity from the site as she stuck her hand out to greet him. Nick smiled and shook her hand, directing her back to the table that he was already sitting at.

“Actually,” he started off better to get the name thing cleared up. “My name is really Nick.” He chuckled to himself.

Veronica made a face at his confession. “I don't get it, are you a friend of Steve's sent here to check me out to see if I am good enough for him?” She looked like she was going to stand up and bolt. Time for Nick to come clean.

“No, no, that's not it at all,” he ran his hands through his hair but regretted it when he felt the sticky hair gel come out of his hair and coat his fingers. “I am Steve.” He admitted looking at her face which still only showed confusion. “I have an online identity that is different from my real one. It's not easy to meet people online you want to actually get to know you if your name is really Nick Carter.”

Veronica scrunched up her nose, “I don't get it. Nick Carter?” She looked at him and shook her head. “I don't know anyone with that name.”

Nick took her hand in his and was happy that she did not pull her hand away. This girl really was perfect. He told her all about who he really was, what he did for a living and she listened aptly as he explained it all. No judgment came out of her mouth, she only sat and listened.

After they received their food, Nick realized he'd been doing all of the talking. “So tell me more about yourself. What did you do for a living again?”

Veronica smiled, a dimple appearing on her right cheek. “I work in retail. Currently I am with Macy's in the ladies intimate apparel department.”

“So you sell bras and panties all day long?” He asked trying not to keep the smirk of amusement off of his face.

“Yes. I know it sounds like a silly job, but I am on the track to become the manager of the department soon and from there it is only a matter of time before I manage the entire store. That is if I can ever afford my management classes.” She shrugged.

“Oh?” Nick asked to continue the conversation.

“I need to take some business classes before they will accept me into their management program. Thankfully I won't need those to be department manager so I am hoping that when I become the department manager I can start taking the necessary classes to move up. If only my car would stop breaking down.” She laughed and shook her head. “I shouldn't bore you with my problems though that's not why we are here.”

“Do you like sports?” She asked after it was silent for a few minutes. “I personally like football. I am originally from Florida so I am an avid fan of the Buccaneers.”

Nick's smile could not get any larger, he thought he had died and gone to heaven he had finally lucked out meeting someone online. They sat and talked for the next couple of hours, only ending it because Veronica had made plans that night with her family and she needed to get ready. Nick returned home on cloud nine.