Take Me Home Chapter 1

I’m here.  Where are you?

Nick sighed as he read the incoming text.  His lunch date had arrived and he was in no mood to deal with her.  Pushing his phone aside, he had every intention of ignoring her text, at least for a few minutes.  Leaning back in his chair he tossed his pen onto his desk, massaging his now throbbing temples.

Annoyed that his morning had managed to escape him, now not only was his unfinished pile of paperwork still awaiting his attention, according to his phone, so was his sister.  While he loved her dearly, he hated when she stopped by Duke’s to have lunch with him.  It was never just a friendly visit, there was always some ulterior motive.

Picking up his phone, Nick carefully studied the screen.  He considered claiming he was busy.  It would only take a simple response to her text to send her on her way, but he knew she would never leave easily.  She would be knocking at his office door in a matter of seconds, or worse yet, making a dramatic scene with one of his wait staff, reminding him that she was there.  In even less of a mood to deal with a public confrontation, he got up from his desk with a groan, and reluctantly exited the peace of his office.

Walking through the restaurant on his way toward the dining room, Nick paused when he reached the bar.  Discreetly he stepped behind the counter and helped himself to an empty glass.  Grabbing a bottle of scotch he filled his glass halfway with the amber alcohol.  Studying the glass thoughtfully, he added another generous splash for good measure.  Something told him he was going to need the additional numbing effects.

“Having lunch with Abby?”

Nick turned with his glass in hand, to see his best friend and boss, Dawson, smiling at him.

“That obvious?” he asked, downing his drink in one big swallow.  Grimacing, he sat the empty glass aside.  “I have no idea what she wants this time, but I’m sure I’ll hate whatever it is.  As usual.”

Dawson grabbed his own glass, filling it with scotch as well.   Nick’s brow shot up in question.

“A sympathy drink,” Dawson joked.  “You know my motto, never drink alone.”  He saluted Nick with his glass, getting a smile out of him.  “You know,” Dawson told him, swallowing his drink quickly, “it is possible that this time Abby will surprise you.”

“Yeah, and it’s also possible that I’ll retire tomorrow,” Nick responded sarcastically.

“That will never happen,” Dawson assured him with a chuckle.

Wiping his hand over his face, Nick sighed.  Stepping out from behind the bar, he headed for his sister’s table, determined to ignore the ominous feeling that had now settled in his gut right next to the burning alcohol.

“I have a serious question I need to ask you,” Abby said as Nick took his seat across from her only a second later.

And here we go, he thought to himself with a shake of his head.  “What this time?” he asked out loud.  “Oh, and hello to you too, by the way.”  He loaded the last part with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

Quirking up one brow, Abby asked mildly, “Why do you always give me such a hard time?”

“Because I can,” he replied easily. “You do know that you do the same to me.”   She stared at him innocently.   “Whenever you stop by here for lunch,” he pointed out, “you always have some important question you need to ask.  If God forbid, I turn you down, you pour on the guilt.  So, your visits always lead me to doing you some sort of favor.”  With a mocking expression he asked, “Why don’t you just hire an assistant? Or better yet,” he suggested, “ask Mom, she’s retired.”

“I can see you’re in a receptive mood today,” Abby sighed with impatience.  “I guess I’ll just get straight to the point.  This particular request is specifically meant for you big brother.”

Nick slouched back in his chair, waving his hand in a stopping motion.  “Before you go on,” he cut her off, “did you order yet?  Because I need something to eat, before I can deal.” Motioning to the waitress, Nick could feel his stomach churning, reminding him that he had missed a few meals.   “Okay,” he said, as their orders were given and they were alone again. “Spill it, what do you want?”

Abby opened her mouth to speak, but her request was again interrupted, this time by the arrival of her fiancé Dave.  Shaking Nick’s hand in greeting, he pulled up a chair next to Abby.   “Did you ask him yet?” he questioned, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Nick’s gaze wandered back and forth between the two of them.

“I haven’t been given a chance,” she complained.

Settling his attention on his sister, Nick mildly inquired, “Ask me what Abby?”

Gracing him with an affectionate smile, she cleared her throat.  “Well, we’ve finally settled on a wedding date,” she told him, laying her head on Dave’s shoulder.  “And it would mean a lot to us, Nick…to me specifically,” she clarified, “if you would be Dave’s best man.”

Nick sat back clasping his hands behind his neck.  He carefully considered the couple sitting in front of him, begging him with their smiles.  Dawson’s prediction surprised him, it wasn’t quite as bad as he had expected after all.  Remembering his off-handed comment about retiring, he smiled.

“I think that’s a good sign,” Dave whispered to Abby.

“Why not,” Nick replied.  “I’d be honored.”

Abby sighed a breath of relief.  She knew in her heart he wouldn’t let her down, he never did, but she wasn’t prepared for him to be so nice about it.

“Thank you so much Nick.  Have I told you lately what a wonderful brother you are?”  Rounding the table she threw her arms around him in a fierce hug.

“Okay, okay,” he complained, wincing from her grip around his neck. “Let’s not make a big scene.”

Abby let go abruptly as she heard the muffled ringing of her phone.  Reaching into her purse, she glanced down at the screen.

“Oh my god,” she squealed.  Nick and Dave stared at one another as she picked up the call. “Hey, it’s so good to hear from you.  Are your reservations set?  Great.  Saturday morning at 11:00.  I can’t wait to see you, too.”

Dropping her phone back in her purse, Dave gave her a flustered expression.   “Is there something I should know about?” he asked hesitantly.

“That was just Charlotte,” she replied with a dismissive wave.

“Oh.” Dave looked relieved.

Nick froze.  Suddenly, the air in the room seemed thin, making it difficult for him to breathe.    “Charlotte?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yeah,” Abby responded, watching his odd expression. “You do remember her don’t you?  I think maybe you’ve been working too hard,” she commented with a mixture of sarcasm and concern.

Nick leaned back in his seat, dragging in a long, deep breath.  He definitely remembered her, he wished he could forget.

Abby continued, “Thanks to me, she’ll be here Saturday morning.  Her flight lands at eleven.”

Nick stared at her blankly.  How long had it been since he saw Charlotte last?  Eight years, he reminded himself.

Abby was still talking.  “I asked her to be the maid of honor for the wedding,” she said excitedly.

With a pause in the conversation, Nick shook his head several times before asking, “When did you say the wedding date was?”  He needed some clarification, an explanation of some sort.

“I didn’t, but it will be in September,” she replied, absently clearing a spot in front of her for the arrival of their lunch.

Nick took the moment of distraction to absorb the information that had just been dumped in his lap.  “If the wedding is seven months away,” he questioned out of nowhere, his tone agitated, “then why is she coming here Saturday?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Abby asked again.  With a flip of his hand, Nick silently indicated she should just answer the question.   “Charlotte has decided to make a life change, so her trip back here is going to be a permanent one.”

“A life change?” he asked slowly.  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”  Nothing about this conversation was good.  At least not for him.

“Charlotte is tired of her chaotic life in Chicago,” Abby admitted.  “She’s had a successful career as a pastry chef for the last ten years, but she’s really burned out.  One day she mentioned setting up her own little bakery and,” Abby stated proudly, “I just happened to have the perfect location available downtown.  She jumped at the chance to come back home and settle down here, with us.” Abby was clearly ecstatic about her best friend’s return.  Him…not so much.

Us, he thought morosely.  He didn’t need any, us, in his life.  His life was fine just the way it was, without Charlotte MacIntyre in it.  Poking distractedly at his lunch, Nick’s mind began wandering.  Slowly Abby’s voice faded as he found himself surrounded by the ghost of a memory, eight years in the past…

…“Oh, Nick,” Charlotte’s voice trailed off as they almost collided in the kitchen doorway.

Arriving late as usual to his Dad’s surprise birthday party, he was in dire need of a cold drink as he headed for the kitchen.  Unknowingly, he had stepped directly into Charlotte’s path as she exited at the same time.

“How are you?” she asked looking up at him.  They were standing only inches from one another.

Polite courtesy would have been for him to back up a step, but he was too stunned to move.  He swallowed hard as his gaze searched her face, getting lost in her beautiful whiskey colored eyes.  Unsure of what to say, he simply replied, “Fine.  And you?”

“I’m doing well thanks,” she said.   Her responding smile lit up the whole room, causing his heart to beat just a little faster making him agitated.  Their eyes remained locked, as the stilted conversation turned into a long drawn out silence.

Unable to react, he barely managed a slight nod.  Standing there staring at her, one emotion after another parading through his gut, Nick noticed the faint blush that was creeping up her cheeks.  Before he had a chance to speak, she broke the silence.

“I, uh, need to get this pitcher of iced tea to the table before your mom thinks I got lost,” she joked, holding up the container as her excuse.

“Yeah,” he replied, hesitating for a moment before moving to the side of the doorway to let her pass.

“It’s good seeing you,” she called over her shoulder.  “Maybe we’ll get a chance to catch up before I leave.”  Once again she flashed him another amazing smile.

Nick watched her cross the room, her wildly curly hair floating and bobbing around her shoulders and down her back.  Feeling self-conscious he stepped into the kitchen, desperately seeking some breathing room.

After hiding out long enough to down a few beers, Nick knew he had to return to the party.  As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t hang out alone in the kitchen all night.  It wouldn’t be long before someone came searching for him.  Certainly that person would never be Charlotte, but thanks to his slight buzz, he had wished it would be.  Sadly he realized that was the last thing he needed. Why hadn’t his sister warned him that Charlotte would be there?

Leaving the protection of his secluded spot, he casually slipped into the living room to join the party.  Lingering on the edges of the crowd, he was forced to watch Charlotte flawlessly fit into his family, as if she had never left them.  Left him.  Thankfully her visit was only temporary.  He could survive a few days.  And then she would be gone…again.

“Nick.”

Vaguely, from somewhere in the distance, he heard Abby’s voice tugging at his thoughts.  Looking up at his sister with a dazed expression, he was quickly dumped back into the present.

“I’m worried about you.  I seriously think you’ve been working too hard,” she said, this time with less sarcasm and more concern.

Drumming his fingers idly on the table, he was well aware that his reaction had nothing to do with his long hours and everything to do with the woman they were now discussing.  It never mattered that she wasn’t a biological part of the Lowery family.  He knew that his parents considered Charlotte a daughter and Abby loved her like a sister.

Personally, he had no idea how he felt about her, or what he considered her to be.  And now he had made a promise to his sister that included the two of them together after all these years.  A decision he was hoping he wouldn’t regret.