She threw open the door with a scowl. “What?”
Nick quirked a brow at her, holding up two brown paper sacks. “Ummm.…food?”
Noel froze. She hadn’t seen him since she’d waved goodbye at the airport and they’d decided to keep this whole pretend relationship going. Standing there in a simple blue T-shirt and jeans, he made her heart beat faster. She didn’t want to admit she’d been thinking about Nick, their kiss, and their arrangement all too often. She’d even had a rather erotic dream about him last night that ended in her helping herself along this morning.
She could feel her cheeks warm remembering. “Hi.”
“Hey. Mom wanted me to bring this by for you since you couldn’t come over for Thanksgiving. And return your storage key. She sends her thanks, by the way, and will get the items back to you after the concert.” Nick held out the key to her, which she took. “But I seem to have caught you at a bad time and feel like I should just leave this and back away slowly.”
Noel shook her head. “No, sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
“Whoever you thought I was, I’m scared for them.”
Noel rolled her eyes. “Get in here.”
Nick passed by into the apartment, his Christmassy scent trailing behind him. Noel smiled as she closed the door, leaning back against it to find Nick looking around her place. She hadn’t done much to the apartment since she moved in after college and Nick had never been there before. They’d always hung out at his parents’ place while he was on leave or went out with the guys. To his eye, it probably looked barren. No pictures on the walls. A simple gray couch and loveseat set. TV and black entertainment center. Black coffee table.
It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy art and she had boxes of pictures in storage tubs. All of her parents’ framed photos. She could always go through, sort and display those, but she didn’t want walls full of reminders of her childhood. Besides, she only came home to sleep and eat. The rest of the time, she went out with friends, hiking, doing anything else. Spending money on a bunch of pictures and throw pillows made very little sense to her.
“Love what you’ve done with the place.”
“What?” she scoffed.
“It’s like a bachelor pad, minus the half-naked girl posters and neon beer sign.”
Noel tried to take one of the bags from him but he held it away.
“Shut up and feed me.”
“Whoa, now. You should show some respect to the man with the bags.”
“The man with the bags better recognize the danger he is in, keeping food from a hungry nurse.”
“Fair point,” Nick said, flashing that adorable grin. “Show me to the kitchen, wench.”
Noel laughed, leading the way. There wasn’t much to the small kitchen with oak cabinets and white walls, but it served its purpose. Her mouth watered when he pulled one tub after another out of the first bag. He started working on the second bag and Noel held her hands up. “That is a lot of food! Did your mom seriously pack all of that for me?”
“Yep.” He held up two tubs, one in each hand. “She even packed you extra potatoes because she knows how much you love them.”
“She’s trying to fatten me up.”
“I’m not saying she is, but there might have been some discussion about you working too hard. Not eating enough. Gonna blow away with a strong wind.”
“Oh geez, she did not.”
“No, she said, ‘Take these to Noel. And give her our love.’”
Noel’s heart soared. “I’ll have to give her a big hug next time I see her.”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate that.”
Noel grabbed a plate from the cupboard and held it up. “Are you still hungry? There is enough to share.”
“No, this is all for you. I ate so much I created a food baby.”
Noel glanced down at his flat stomach and scoffed. “Wow, you’re hardly showing. What is your secret?”
He cupped the side of his mouth and whispered, “I skipped breakfast to make more room.”
She shook her head, setting her plate down on the counter. “Such a dork.”
“You might say I’m a-dork-able.”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“Ouch. I was going to ask if I could keep you company, but you’re kinda mean tonight.”
“No, that’s just my personality. You should be used to it by now.” Noel opened the container with rolls and helped herself to one. The soft, buttery bread practically melted on her tongue. “God, that is good.”