Kent’s grin was swift and broad.
“Great. When’s your next evening off?” He asked softly, his gaze dropping momentarily from her eyes to her lips, as he released his hold on her chin.
“Um, Thursday,” She replied, licking her lips to moisten them. Her mouth had gone dry under his perusal.
Kent stood upright, pausing to brush a disheveled lock of hair behind her ear before he turned to walk out of her room.
He paused at the door and turned to her before exiting.
“I’ll pick you up at six.” Kent promised with a smile, then he walked out, leaving Nicole sitting at her desk, smiling softly at the empty doorway.
Chapter Six
Nicole was so nervous, she felt like she might be sick. Her clothes were strewn across her bed, chair, and desk. She couldn’t find anything to wear on her date with Kent.
Roni stood in the doorway, watching Nicole search frantically through her belongings, and couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped her.
Nicole turned quickly at the sound; the look on her face betrayed her nerves.
“It’s just Kent,” Roni assured her. “He won’t care what you’re wearing.”
Nicole threw her hands up in the air in frustration.
“I’ve seen the way he dresses, I know he cares… And besides, I care,” Nicole argued. “I want to look nice for our first real date.”
“Nic, you look great in sweats. Plus, you have amazing clothes. I would kill for your wardrobe.” Roni walked in and started going through the clothes on the bed. “What are you thinking? A dress? Or maybe jeans and a cute top?”
“I don’t know,” Nicole wailed as she threw herself atop her clothes and covered her eyes with her hands.
Roni picked a pretty navy blue dress off of the pile and held it up. “This.”
Nicole uncovered her eyes and peaked out at Roni.
“You think?” She asked.
“Yes. I love the tiny flowers and the neckline. I bet it looks great on you.” Roni held it out to her and nodded, encouraging Nicole to put it on.
Once she put the dress on, it was easy to accessorize and finish getting ready. She just finished putting her makeup on when she heard Roni letting Kent in the apartment.
Her stomach started to jump and dance at the sound of his voice on the other side of the wall.
Nicole took one last look in the mirror and smiled. She couldn’t believe she was actually going on a date with Kent.
She took a deep breath and opened her door. Kent and Roni were talking in the kitchen; he turned at the sound of her approach, and smiled broadly at her.
“Wow,” he exclaimed, looking her up and down with appreciation. “You look beautiful.”
He walked out of the kitchen to take her hand. She couldn’t help but melt a bit when he brought it to his lips.
“Thank you,” Nicole replied softly.
“Oh, Lordy.” Roni stated.
They both ignored her as Kent guided Nicole to the door, by placing his hand at the small of her back.
“See you later,” Kent said to his sister as they left.
“Don’t stay out too late,” Roni called after them with a chuckle.
As they slid into Kent’s truck he said, “I hope you like barbecue.”
Nicole turned to look at his handsome profile with a smile.
“I am from Texas.”
Kent chuckled at that and pulled away from the apartment.
Nicole realized that neither Roni nor Kent had ever mentioned where they were from, so she figured it was the perfect time to ask.
“I grew up in Dallas, where are you from?” She prompted.
Kent didn’t reply right away, but debated with himself about how much he was willing to reveal. He didn’t usually talk to people about his family. Not even Bree knew about his upbringing that was knowledge shared by him and Roni alone.
“Detroit,” he said finally.
“Really?” She asked, surprised. “I never would have guessed. I’ve never been, do you miss it?”
Kent bit back a bitter laugh, instead shaking his head.
“No.” He realized how abrupt he must sound, so he tried to shift the conversation to Nicole. “How about you? Do you miss Dallas?”
Nicole looked out the window, realizing that Kent didn’t know anything about her. She had discussed her past with Briana and with Roni, but this was her first real conversation with Kent. She knew she would have to tell him everything eventually, if she hoped to have any sort of a real relationship, but she wanted to keep it light tonight.
“No, I’m happy here,” she replied.
“Me too,” he admitted. “I never planned to settle down here, and have been putting my resume out, but I have to admit this town is growing on me.”
“Are you applying at newspapers, or are you looking for a different line of work?”
“Newspapers. I ‘ve applied to all of the big city papers, but it’s a rough time to get hired in journalism right now.”
Nicole’s stomach dropped at the thought of Kent getting hired on somewhere else and moving away, but she didn’t say anything
Kent pulled into a parking spot and turned to her. “Have you ever been here?”
Nicole looked at the barbecue joint and shook her head. “I’ve heard its good, though.”
“Let’s go find out,” Kent said, and they got out of the car.
Once they had ordered and picked up their food, Kent led her out the back door, and Nicole was surprised at the set up outside.
A stage took up the entire backside of the property, with a dance floor in front of it, and picnic tables filling in the rest of the space. There was another bar outside, and the place was decorated with old signs and bar paraphernalia.
There was a band warming up onstage.
Nicole couldn’t
