My One and Only(72)

“You too, Nick.”

I watched him walk away, and it seemed as if a chunk of my heart went with him. Coco whined.

“Didja want that dinner recommendation, then?” Suzie called after him, frowning fiercely. Nick didn’t answer, and in another second, he was gone. Suzie huffed. “Okeydokey, then,” she muttered. “Can I have a credit card and your license, ma’am?”

“Sure.” I opened my wallet.

The little blue Montana flower Nick had picked for me fell out, flat and creased after two days. Still pretty, though. I picked it up and stroked a petal.

“Your flight to Denver leaves in forty minutes, ma’am,” Suzie informed me tightly. “And as you might know, they like you to get there a little early.”

I ignored her. Looked back toward the entrance of the airport, and before I knew I’d made a choice, was towing my suitcase behind me, Coco leaping along beside me.

“Oh, that’s just great,” I heard Suzie say. “A complete waste of my time.”

The sun was so bright outside that for a moment, I couldn’t see. But then I could, and there he was, leaning against the red Mustang, hands in his pockets, looking at the ground. He looked up, saw me, froze for a second…and then his lightning smile flashed, and I realized I was smiling, too. Coco barked and jumped.

“Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, here we come,” I said, and Nick’s laugh made my heart swell in a painful, wonderful way.

Maybe I needed closure. Maybe I needed something else. Whatever it was, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

BUT OF COURSE, IT wasn’t quite that straightforward.

“Okay, there’s one thing I didn’t mention,” Nick said as we headed away from the airport.

“What’s that?” I asked, pulling the Yankees cap back on.

He took a deep breath and held it for a second. “You know the library I just showed you?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I have a meeting with the dean of the college. They’re thinking about a new engineering building, and they wanted to talk.”

“Oh.”

“It’s not a big deal. Just an hour. Maybe two.”

“Right. Okay. Sure. Maybe we can find a Laundromat or something? I didn’t plan on being away this long.”

“Sure, sure.” He glanced over at me.

“What time’s the meeting?”

“Two. I had to reschedule it from yesterday, after you ran over the antelope.”

So. A meeting that just happened to be in Bismarck, North Dakota. I should’ve remembered. As carefree and meandering as he may have wanted to seem on our little jaunt from Glacier, Nick rarely did anything without a plan.

An hour and a half later, I sat in the BubbleNSqueak, watching my laundry through the porthole of a washing machine. For some reason, I was feeling vaguely…tricked. Not that Nick had owed me any explanation; he’d done me a huge favor by driving me here. But still.

“Snap out of it, Harper,” I said aloud. A woman about my age gave me a look, then glanced down to make sure her daughter was safe. “Talking to myself,” I explained.

“Oh, you betcha. I do it all the time,” she said kindly. Midwesterners. So bleepin’ nice.

Time to return some phone calls. I had the usual slew of messages. Tommy, Theo, Carol, BeverLee (my heart clanged at the thought of poor Bev; I hoped the divorce wouldn’t drag out), Willa and ah! Kim. Just what I needed. A girlfriend. I hadn’t talked to her since Sunday night, which felt like an eon ago.

“Kim, it’s me.”

“Who’s me?” she asked. “Gus, stop biting your brother! Stop it! Stop! Thank you! Hello?”

“Hi. It’s Harper.”

“Well, holy ovaries, Batman, it’s about time! Where are you?”

“I’m in a Laundromat in North Dakota.”

“Fascinating. Is your ex around?”

“He’s at a meeting, actually.”

“And tell me, what would Dr. Freud say about the fact that you two are still together? I mean, sure, you’re in the middle of nowhere, but there’s got to be a plane somewhere, right?”

“Actually, I’m in the capital city, and it’s quite lovely.”

“Yeah, yeah. But you’re still with what’s-his-name.”

“Nick.”

“Right. Gus, do I have to put you in a cage or something? Because I will! Don’t push it, mister!”

“As an officer of the court, I feel obliged to speak up and tell you that child imprisonment is against the law,” I said.

“Right. Well, then, I’ll take that as your offer to babysit all four of my precious angels when you get home.”

“Then again, cages can be very comfortable,” I said and smiled. Kim was all talk. She could barely stand to have the kids lose dessert, let alone shut in the dog’s crate (which, it must be noted, the boys used as a fort).

“So, back to you. Have you done it yet? You and the hot ex-husband? Nick?”

“How do you know he’s hot?” I asked.

“Isn’t he?”

“He’s…um…yes,” I admitted, rolling my eyes. “But no. Nothing’s happened yet.” Then, hearing myself, I quickly added, “And nothing will. We’re just…see, the flight was really—”