Marrying the Billionaire - Macie St. James Page 0,55
that way. She just knew she wanted to be somewhere else, no matter where she stood in the building. As soon as Brooke asked her to go outside, she identified what was happening here. She wanted to be outside.
But, more specifically, she wanted to be with Nicholas.
It wasn’t a feeling she was proud of herself for having. She needed to have the willpower to stay away from him right now. It was the best thing to do. But when her entire body seemed drawn to his side, how could she stop it?
As soon as she stepped outside, though, she realized this was much better than being inside the building anyway. It was beautiful out here. She’d toured the area with Brooke while the caterers set up, but it had still been daylight at that time. Now that it was dark, the combination of torch lights and the lake off in the distance made the entire patio area breathtaking.
Nicholas wasn’t alone out here, but he sat by himself, looking out at the water. Clusters of people were scattered around, all engaged in conversation. A couple of them waved at Charlie as she made her way toward where Nicholas sat.
Surprisingly, her heart rate sped up as she drew closer to him. Still? She would have thought that would have died down by now.
Charlie stopped directly in front of him, holding out the sheet of paper. “Brooke said you needed this.”
He looked down at it briefly before lifting his gaze to meet hers. She noticed he was holding one of the cups they’d set out for the after-dinner coffee they were serving.
“What is it?” he asked.
Shrugging, Charlie looked down at it. “Paper.”
Shaking his head, Nicholas laughed. “What is on that paper?”
“Do you really think I’d violate your privacy like that? What if it’s something Brooke didn’t want me to see?”
Nicholas held out his hand. “Let’s take a look at it.”
Getting light on it so he could read it wasn’t easy. The closest torch light emitted a subtle glow over the area—hardly a decent reading light. Finally, he gave up and picked up his phone, which had been on the armrest, activating the flashlight and shining it on the page.
“Oh, you’re right. This is top secret. It’s the itinerary for tomorrow. I’m sure they would hate for you to see this.”
Charlie frowned. “They printed out the itinerary on a piece of paper and had me bring it to you? Didn’t you get the email?”
“Sure.” Nicholas shut off the flashlight and returned his phone to its original position. “I think I’ve gotten every version of it, from the first draft to now. I have no idea why they thought I needed a printed copy. They didn’t say?”
Sighing and rolling her eyes, Charlie moved to sit down on the chair next to Nicholas. He hadn’t invited her, but her feet were tired, and it felt so good to rest them for a minute.
“I think she wanted me to come out here and hang out with you,” Charlie said.
It took some courage for her to say that directly to him. But it suddenly felt like the best possible idea. Maybe his response would tell her, once and for all, that he was not and never would be interested in her.
“She felt bad that I was all alone out here? Makes sense.”
He looked out at the water again, and Charlie moved her gaze there, as well. It gave her something to look at that wasn’t his face. The last thing she wanted to do right now was stare at him.
“I think it was more that she’s playing matchmaker,” Charlie said, her heart rate speeding up again. It had finally calmed down a little. She just hoped her nervousness didn’t show. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed that or not.”
“I’ve noticed.”
Silence followed. So much for getting an idea of how he really felt from this. He was being as vague as absolutely possible.
Charlie decided to push further. “I can have a talk with her if you want.”
Nicholas looked over at her. “I don’t mind. It’s kind of funny. Do you?”
Charlie shook her head. “No.”
See? She could be vague, too.
After looking out at the water a while longer, he spoke again. “I was just thinking—this is the third weekend in a row we’re spending together. I’m going to have a hard time concocting a reason to spend next weekend with you.”
All the air went out of her. She tried to remember how to breathe as she searched her mind for