The Essence of Perfection Read online

  “No problem.” She didn’t know what else to say. Are you going to kiss me again is what she wanted to say, but that didn’t seem like the best icebreaker.

  “I wanted to ask you about your list.”

  Nicola plopped down in the chair. “My list?”

  “Yeah, you trying things you haven’t done before.”

  If he had wanted to kiss her again this was not the way to set the mood. “What about it?”

  “I’ve got an idea of something you can try. Something we can do together.” He ran his hands over his ripped jeans. His sexy dark eyes watched her steadily.

  “Well, that’s not exactly how it works. I’m supposed to pick things already on my list. Not add new things.”

  The corner of his mouth tipped up ever so slightly. Her stomach clenched. “Well then how about you consider my request anyway.”

  Somehow, he made the words sound sensual and heat pooled in her lower belly. “Okay, what were you thinking?”

  “Would you like to go kayaking with me this weekend?”

  She watched him for several seconds. Waited for the laughter followed by an “I’m kidding.” It didn’t come. She raised a brow. He mirrored her movement.

  “Kayaking?”

  He nodded slowly. “That is what I said.”

  “Like . . . on a river kayaking?”

  This time he smiled, and it took him from gorgeous to heart stopping. “That’s typically where people go to kayak.”

  Was he crazy? There was not a single cell in her brain that thought getting into a tiny boat and going in the middle of a raging river was smart. What if she fell in? Sure, she could swim, but she only swam in pools and only when she went on vacation. Which meant she hadn’t swam in . . . she calculated the time since her last vacation. Four years.

  They’d only kissed once and the man was already plotting ways to kill her off.

  “I’m not sure,” she said in a measured tone.

  “Think about it. It’ll be a lot of fun. Plus, I overheard you talking to Mr. Goldberg about needing something interesting for Your Morning Wake-Up Call. What’s better than choosing something that takes you out to experience nature?”

  She had a magic show and a trip to Cancun lined up for television and they seemed just fine with that. “Why would you ask me to go kayaking? I thought you asked me in here to talk about our kiss last night or something.”

  He ran a hand over his mouth and leaned back. “I was going to eventually get to that.”

  “And your lead in was kayaking?”

  He shrugged. “I haven’t asked a woman out on a date in a while. Would you have preferred dinner and a movie?”

  She would have, but the words died in her throat. A date. He was asking her out on a date.

  “You don’t date.” The words rushed out.

  “I also don’t typically kiss a woman then ask her to go kayaking, but here I am.” He infused enough humor in his voice to make her smile.

  Okay, maybe she could try kayaking. It was not on her list, but not being afraid to try something new when asked was on there in one version or another. A vision of icy cold water, crocodiles, and snakes falling from trees floated across her vision. She shivered and considered suggesting the dinner and movie idea until she met Damien’s dark eyes. The spark of anxious hope in them. He sat stiff and unsure. Was he nervous about asking her out?

  Nicola straightened and nodded. “Why not. Let’s go kayaking.”

  Damien’s body eased and he shifted out of his seat to kneel in front of her. Nicola easily rested her hands on his broad shoulders. Unwilling to ignore her temptation to touch him. His hands pressed lightly against her waist as he eased her forward.

  “Were you worried I wouldn’t want to go?” she asked. Her ever blunt self reared its ugly head again.

  “I was worried you’d say no in general.”

  Really? Damien Hawkins, rising art celebrity and big-time internet thirst trap was worried she wouldn’t want to go on a date with him? Pre-list she would have said no. Pre-list she wouldn’t have signed up for his class. Pre-list she would have enjoyed watching the muscles of his hands and arms work beneath his skin as he created something on the potter wheel and posted the video on social media. Daydreaming about his artsy sex appeal while simultaneously thinking a guy like him was not dateable.

  His fingers lightly played along her side. Sparks of electricity shot out with each soft touch. Now, with Damien in front of her, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes as he’d asked her to do something as out of her world as kayaking, she was once again grateful that she’d been pushed into doing things on her list.

  “Well,” she said, being bold and cupping the back of his neck. The thick weight of his dreads brushed her hand and she loved it. “I don’t typically kiss a guy then say no when he asks me out the next day. Especially when he kisses as good as you do.”

  The heat in his gaze could melt polar ice caps. “Then I guess I better kiss you again.”

  * * *

  Nicola went straight to Shonda’s place after forty minutes of bone melting kissing with Damien in his office. He hadn’t pushed her for more, and even though her body screamed for more, her brain held back. She needed to think. Her personal life wasn’t supposed to blow up like this, she still had Desiree’s perfume to figure out, there was her fight with Quinn to fix. Now wasn’t the time to start a hot affair. Was it?

  Shonda would help her figure this out. Her divorced best friend was actively and aggressively dating. Not to find a new husband, but to find out what was out there and what she did and didn’t want to deal with after being married since she was twenty-two. Shonda could instruct her on how to enter the realm of no-strings-attached love affairs. That’s all she had time for right now.

  Her heart plummeted when she pulled into Shonda’s driveway. Quinn’s car was parked outside of Shonda’s garage. What was Quinn doing there? They hadn’t seen each other since the disastrous dinner at her parents’ home. Now she was hanging out at Nicola’s best friend’s place?

  She considered backing out and leaving. Quinn would decimate the little bit of self-esteem Nicola had in whatever it was she was doing with Damien with her unsolicited advice and assumption Nicola would mess things up. The curtains fluttered and she knew she’d been spotted.

  Shonda answered the door. She held a wine glass in her hand and hip-hop music played in the background. “Hey! I didn’t know you were stopping by. We just got back.” Shonda hugged Nicola then pulled her in.

  “Got back from where? It’s Wednesday. Where are the kids?” Why hadn’t they called her?

  “Their dad wanted them to go to bible study with him and stay at his place. Now that he’s suddenly found Jesus and decided to be sanctimonious, I agreed to let them go after Quinn asked me to the Women’s Empowerment Network’s monthly meeting.”

  “She’s going to that?” Nicola followed Shonda into the house.

  “She’s on the board. Didn’t you know that?”

  She had not known. “Oh, yeah, I forgot.”

  They went down the hall into the family room. Shonda’s home had an open floor plan that allowed conversation and people to flow easily from the kitchen to the family room. Quinn sat on the couch where she sipped wine and flipped through one of Shonda’s many photo albums. In a world of online posting and hundreds of digital pictures on a phone, Shonda was the one person Nicola knew who routinely printed her pictures and put them in frames and albums.

  “Shonda, I’d completely forgotten about going to that all white party. That was really three years ago?” Quinn said not looking up.

  “Hey, look who’s here,” Shonda replied.

  Quinn glanced up. Her smile didn’t falter. Her body didn’t tense up. Her eyes didn’t frost over, but Nicola could still sense her sister wasn’t entirely happy to see her.

  “Nicola, what brings you out on a Wednesday night?” Quinn asked sweetly. Too sweetly. Almost mockingly.

  Nicola didn’t take the b
ait. “I just finished pottery class. Thought I’d come through and hang out with Shonda and her kids for a little bit before going home.”

  “I’m glad you’re going home instead of going back to the lab,” Shonda said. “That class is doing you good. You used to work until this late at night.”

  Shonda went into the attached kitchen and picked up a bottle of wine. She pointed at Nicola and raised a brow.

  Nicola nodded. “Just one glass. I’ll work late tomorrow. I got behind with the trip to L.A. I’m still catching up.”

  Quinn held up a hand. “My fault. I’m a bad influence.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” Nicola said. “I’m just saying I need to catch up.” Remind herself of her responsibilities when her body still hummed from her time with Damien. A guy like that could become a big distraction.

  “No offense was taken,” Quinn replied. Her phone chimed and she glanced at the screen and grinned. “I guess your busy schedule means you can’t go to Cancun.”

  Shonda brought over the glass of wine and Nicola took it. She sat on one of the leather lounge chairs and took a sip. “Of course. I can’t wait.”

  If it weren’t for the promise to the television show she’d bail on the trip. They were leaving in a few weeks and she really couldn’t afford to take off right now, but the smug tone in Quinn’s voice meant her sister expected her to change her mind. Maybe even wanted her to change her mind.

  Shonda sat on the arm of Nicola’s chair and gave Nicola a one-armed hug. “See Quinn, I told you she was still going.”

  “Yay,” Quinn said with a tight smile before dropping her phone and flipping through the pictures.

  Shonda squeezed Nicola’s arm. A silent plea. Quinn may have already filled her in on their argument. Shonda was now pushing for a peace offering.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were elected to the Women’s Empowerment board?” Nicola asked.

  Quinn shrugged. “I couldn’t believe it myself. It just kind of happened.”

  “I knew you were a member, but it’s really great that you’re taking a leadership role.” Did that sound preachy? She didn’t want to sound preachy when she talked to Quinn. She wanted Quinn to do well. To not feel like a disappointment when Nicola knew she wasn’t.

  “One of my followers was attacked by a guy who thought the way she dressed was invitation enough for his advances. When she commented on one of my posts, I got mad. Then I found out that the Network was trying to help her find a lawyer. I stepped in, and then started helping them with other cases.”

  Shonda nodded. “Your sister has gotten the Network a lot of attention and new donors. They’re able to help many more people now.”

  Pride at her sister’s efforts filled her chest. “I remember you talking about that. That was almost two years ago. I didn’t realize you stayed involved. I thought . . .”

  “That I was just using my status as trophy wife to sell products online? Turns out selling products can translate to selling people into giving to a good cause.”

  She opened her mouth to defend herself. Shonda placed a hand on her shoulder. Did her small be nice head shake. Nicola sipped her wine then took a deep breath.

  “You should tell Mom you’re on the board,” Nicola said.

  “I told her.” Quinn flipped a page of the photo album. “She didn’t seem impressed.”

  “Why not?”

  Quinn looked up from the pictures in her lap and nailed Nicola with a hard stare. “It was right before the Desiree announcement. She was preoccupied.”

  Nicola glanced away. This upside-down world they lived in made her uncomfortable. Quinn’s accomplishments getting ignored because of Nicola. Her mom downplaying one sister to uplift the other. Just like their childhood, except now the roles were reversed. Reversed because of a miracle in a bottle Adele believed Nicola made on her own. When without Quinn, the miracle may not have happened.

  Shonda, bless her soul, felt the tension and broke the silence. “Nicola, how’s the pottery class going?”

  “Pretty good.” The low hum that had disappeared as she talked to Quinn returned as memories of her kiss with Damien resurfaced. “Really good.”

  Shonda moved next to Quinn on the sofa. Her eyes were wide, and she elbowed Quinn and grinned. “Oh no. Do you see that smile? Something has happened.”

  Quinn’s icy stare melted away. She crossed her legs and leaned forward. “Oh yeah. There’s definitely a story behind that look.”

  Nicola sipped her wine. Her face was on fire. “It’s nothing.”

  Shonda shook her head and pointed a finger. “Don’t even come at me with that. Spill it. I know you’re dying to.”

  She was, and even though she didn’t want to talk Damien with Quinn, maybe doing so would melt some of the frost between them. Let Quinn see how helpless she was when it came to dating, and maybe she’d forget about being mad at her.

  “Fine. Damien finally kissed me.”

  Quinn and Shonda clapped their hands. Shonda spoke first. “I thought this was a never gonna happen situation.”

  “I did too,” Nicola said. “But I went to the studio the other day and he kissed me. Then tonight, he asked me out.”

  Quinn lifted a shoulder “At least he asked you out.”

  Shonda gripped her wine glass and grinned. “When and where?”

  “He wants to go kayaking.” She tried to infuse her voice with excitement. A yay I’m doing something fun type enthusiasm.

  They didn’t buy it. Shonda’s nose screwed up and she leaned back. Quinn’s lips parted in a disbelieving gasp.

  “Girl, didn’t you see Bird Box?” Quinn shot back. “Do you want to fall in?”

  Laughter bubbled up in Nicola. Leave it to Quinn to say something silly. “We won’t be going down blindfolded. And the last time I checked there are no monsters out there.”

  Quinn shook her head and leaned back. “Are you going?”

  “I am.” She straightened her shoulders. “I’m doing new things, remember. This will be fun.”

  Quinn snorted.

  Shonda placed a hand on Quinn’s knee and laughed. “Stop. It’s cool to try new stuff. Besides, a date is just an interview for the next date. If she does fall in, then she knows not to go out with him again.”

  “Will you two stop saying I’m going to fall in. It’ll be great. It’ll be fun. It’ll be an adventure!”

  Quinn giggled. Shonda joined in. Nicola rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched. “It’s going to be a disaster, isn’t it?”

  They all broke out into a fit of laughter.

  Chapter 21

  Instead of dragging a Your Morning Wake-Up Call camera person on her kayaking adventure, the local affiliate outfitted Nicola with a portable camera to get all the action. The thing was attached to her helmet and ready to go. She’d asked Damien to not mention that this was a date while she wore the camera. Just two friends on an outing to keep their personal relationship out of the news. He’d agreed, but for a brief second, she’d wondered if her request bothered him.

  Now, as they stood on the edge of the river listening to instruction on how not to die on said river, she couldn’t think any more about if his feelings were hurt by her request. She was about to canoe down the river. Thankfully, Damien had insisted they do a two-person boat instead of putting her in a kayak. Apparently canoeing was easier.

  She doubted that.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind that I picked this?” Damien leaned over and asked.

  “Not at all,” Nicola said with a forced smile.

  She tugged on the red life jacket and tried not to look terrified. She glanced over at the swift current in the river and swallowed hard. Their guide for the tour gave information about how the trip would go. The more he talked, the more she questioned her ability to swim. She would survive if she were dumped in the middle of the pool. Getting dumped in the middle of a river. That was a whole other story.

  “I didn’t know you were the outdoors type,” sh
e whispered back.

  Don’t say no to new experiences. If she survived, this would be an awesome story.

  Damien leaned in closer to her, making their side conversation less likely to interfere with their tour guide’s instructions. “I took a canoe trip a few years ago. I did it on a whim when I saw it advertised online. I didn’t think I’d like it, but it was great. Once you’re out there in the middle of the river the sights and sounds of the city just fade away. It’s nothing but you, nature, and your thoughts. It’s a good way to get grounded again.”

  “Is this your typical first date choice?”

  He chuckled and damn if he didn’t look cute doing so. Even though his dreads were pulled back and the helmet they’d given barely fit over his hair he still managed to look sexy. Or maybe her hormones and a memory of how well he kissed made her immune to anything that could take away from Damien’s obvious sex appeal.

  “Not typically. Not at all. I haven’t been on a date in a while.”

  “How long is a while?”

  “Since my divorce.” He glanced away then.

  Five years. He said he’d been divorced for five years. She tried not to think about the type of pressure that statement came with. Tried and failed. If she was the first date in five years would he be okay with her directing whatever they were doing down the no strings attached road?

  “If you fall in the water don’t panic.”

  The voice of their guide snatched her attention. Her gaze swung to their guide. Fall in? Don’t panic? Four words that should not be spoken in the same sentence. Falling into a pretty big river should require a modicum of panic.

  “If you fall in, raise your hands and feet toward the surface,” their guide continued. “With the life jackets on you’ll float, and someone can easily pull you out of the water.”

  Nicola leaned toward Damien. “Is he serious? Are we expected to fall in?”

  Damien chuckled. “Nah, he’s just going over the rules. Like a flight attendant on a plane.”

  “I think I have a bigger chance of falling into this river than being in a plane crash.”

  Damien placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “You’ll be fine. You’re in the canoe with me. I know what I’m doing.”