“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.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry this one's a bit shorter than chapter 1. I ended it at a good stopping point for me. Keep the reviews coming! I promise things will get a bit more interesting in the following chapters!!
Chapter End Notes:
Review!! Thanks =]
