As Nick and Sara ate lunch in the hotel restaurant, they watched things
being set up for the wedding out on the beach. Sara couldn't help but
smile at how beautiful it was. "She'll certainly have beautiful wedding
photos." She looked almost wistful at the setting.
Nick chuckled as he watched her. "Yeah, it is a lot prettier than Vegas."
Sara shook her head and laughed. "How can you even compare the Strip to this?" She gestured toward the ocean with her hand.
"Can't." He grinned and took another bite of his meal. She was beautiful. He wondered if she knew that. He'd dated a lot of women and none of them compared to Sara Sidle and he wasn't even dating her. Damn he was so in love with her. He wondered if he should tell her now, but as he considered it he thought that if she didn't return his feelings it was going to make going to the wedding tonight extremely awkward. He needed to tell her, he just wasn't sure how, or when, but he definitely wanted to do it before they headed back to Vegas tomorrow.
They ate in companionable silence for a while. Sara furrowed her brow for a moment as she stared at her food.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Everything ok?"
She glanced up at him and nodded. "I was just thinking that maybe we should go back to the mall."
Nick looked at her with an amused expression, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and began to punch in numbers.
"What are you doing?" Sara looked perplexed.
He grinned. "I'm calling Catherine. You asked to go to the mall twice in one day."
She raised her eyebrow and tried to shoot him a withering glance, but ended up laughing instead. "I can't believe you."
He hit the end button on the phone and slid it back into his pocket. "I didn't really call her." He chuckled.
"Oh, really? I didn't think so considering you'd be waking her up." Sara just grinned at him.
Nick feigned disappointment. "Can't fool you."
She giggled. "That's why I'm a damn good CSI." She took another bite of her meal and shook her head at the amazingly gorgeous but goofy man sitting across from her.
"Yes, you are." Nick grinned at her. She was brilliant and he loved working with her. He was so glad she'd invited him to come with her to this wedding. He just loved being with her. Hell, he loved the very thought of her. Damn, he had to say something. "Uh, Sara?"
She looked over at him and smiled. "Yeah?"
"I've got your check, sir." The waiter had provided impeccable service throughout the meal, but at the moment, his timing was terrible.
Nick glanced up at him. "Uh, thank you." He reached for his wallet and pulled out his credit card, handing it to the waiter.
"I'll be right back with this sir." The waiter nodded his head and disappeared.
Nick turned back to Sara and his courage faltered. "Do you really want to go back to the mall?"
She chuckled. "Not really, but I do want to get something that provides a little more coverage to sleep in."
He grinned at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. "What's wrong with what you bought? I thought it was kind of cute."
Sara turned red and tried to stifle an embarrassed grin. "Uh, can we change the subject? I'm not putting that thing on for you."
He chuckled. "Did you want to just borrow a T-shirt and shorts then, I mean, do you really need flannel pajamas in Vegas?"
She smirked at him. "No, I don't need flannel pj's in Vegas, and yes, I'll borrow the T-shirt and shorts."
The waiter returned with Nick's credit card and as he signed the slip and figured out the tip, Sara studied him. He was an incredible man and she wished that she had the courage to tell him that she was in love with him. With Nick she didn't feel the need to be Sara Sidle CSI. She could just be Sara who happened to be a damn fine criminalist, but then so was he. He was fine in many ways. Sara looked out a the beach watching the progress of the workers setting up the chairs for the wedding. "Do you ever think about getting married?" She glanced over at Nick.
He studied her for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I do."
Sara let out a sigh as she turned her attention back to the beach. "This would be a really pretty place to get married."
Nick chuckled. "Yes, it would." He thought about what Sara might look like in a wedding gown walking down the aisle to meet him. Damn, she would freak out if she knew he was thinking like that.
Sara was lost in thought. She wondered what Nick would think if he knew she was picturing the two of them standing on the beach exchanging wedding vows. Damn, she was going to have to tell him soon that she was in love with him before it just slipped out.
Nick glanced at his watch and then back at Sara. "Hey, I have an idea."
She looked at Nick curiously. "What?"
"Why don't you go get a massage in the day spa?" He was grinning at her.
"Why would I do that?" Sara raised an eyebrow at him. Not that she wouldn't mind getting a massage, but they weren't exactly cheap.
"Because I think you need to be pampered, especially after this morning. Besides, it's my treat." He smiled at her sincerely.
She looked at him incredulously. "Nick, I can't let you do that."
"Sorry, can't stop me." He chuckled. He thought that maybe while she was getting a massage he could work up his courage to tell her how he felt.
Sara let out a soft chuckle. "Ok, but I'm the one who really should be doing something nice for you, especially since I threw up on you this morning." She still couldn't believe he hadn't freak out over that. The thought occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, Nick might be harboring some feelings for her that went a little deeper than friendship. At the very least he was one damn good friend for taking care of her without complaining about getting puked on.
"You can dance with me at the wedding and keep Kelly away." He just continued to smile at her. "Let's go see if they have an opening for a massage."
Sara just shook her head in disbelief as they made their way to the day spa. She couldn't believe that Nick would do something so nice for her.
The day spa was able to get her in and as she went in to get a massage, Nick went back up to their room where he paced from one side to the other trying to figure out what to say to her.
"Sara, we've known each other a long time. What would say if I told you I thought you were hot?" Nick shook his head. "No, that sounds like I'm hitting on her." He put his hand on his forehead. "Sara, I'm in love with you." He rested his hands on his hips. "No, too forward and definitely not romantic." He let out a couple of deep breaths and started pacing again. "Sara, you're the most amazing woman I've ever met." He thought about that for a moment. "Not a bad start, but it doesn't give me an out if she starts to freak out." He chuckled. "Hell, I don't care if she freaks out. I'm in love with her, and I happen to be talking to myself." He sat down on the edge of the bed and just smiled.
He finally decided that he should just lay his clothes out for the wedding and watch TV while he waited for Sara to get done with her massage. He was going to tell her that he was in love with her, and he wasn't going to wait another day. He just had to find the right moment.
Sara shook her head and laughed. "How can you even compare the Strip to this?" She gestured toward the ocean with her hand.
"Can't." He grinned and took another bite of his meal. She was beautiful. He wondered if she knew that. He'd dated a lot of women and none of them compared to Sara Sidle and he wasn't even dating her. Damn he was so in love with her. He wondered if he should tell her now, but as he considered it he thought that if she didn't return his feelings it was going to make going to the wedding tonight extremely awkward. He needed to tell her, he just wasn't sure how, or when, but he definitely wanted to do it before they headed back to Vegas tomorrow.
They ate in companionable silence for a while. Sara furrowed her brow for a moment as she stared at her food.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Everything ok?"
She glanced up at him and nodded. "I was just thinking that maybe we should go back to the mall."
Nick looked at her with an amused expression, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and began to punch in numbers.
"What are you doing?" Sara looked perplexed.
He grinned. "I'm calling Catherine. You asked to go to the mall twice in one day."
She raised her eyebrow and tried to shoot him a withering glance, but ended up laughing instead. "I can't believe you."
He hit the end button on the phone and slid it back into his pocket. "I didn't really call her." He chuckled.
"Oh, really? I didn't think so considering you'd be waking her up." Sara just grinned at him.
Nick feigned disappointment. "Can't fool you."
She giggled. "That's why I'm a damn good CSI." She took another bite of her meal and shook her head at the amazingly gorgeous but goofy man sitting across from her.
"Yes, you are." Nick grinned at her. She was brilliant and he loved working with her. He was so glad she'd invited him to come with her to this wedding. He just loved being with her. Hell, he loved the very thought of her. Damn, he had to say something. "Uh, Sara?"
She looked over at him and smiled. "Yeah?"
"I've got your check, sir." The waiter had provided impeccable service throughout the meal, but at the moment, his timing was terrible.
Nick glanced up at him. "Uh, thank you." He reached for his wallet and pulled out his credit card, handing it to the waiter.
"I'll be right back with this sir." The waiter nodded his head and disappeared.
Nick turned back to Sara and his courage faltered. "Do you really want to go back to the mall?"
She chuckled. "Not really, but I do want to get something that provides a little more coverage to sleep in."
He grinned at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. "What's wrong with what you bought? I thought it was kind of cute."
Sara turned red and tried to stifle an embarrassed grin. "Uh, can we change the subject? I'm not putting that thing on for you."
He chuckled. "Did you want to just borrow a T-shirt and shorts then, I mean, do you really need flannel pajamas in Vegas?"
She smirked at him. "No, I don't need flannel pj's in Vegas, and yes, I'll borrow the T-shirt and shorts."
The waiter returned with Nick's credit card and as he signed the slip and figured out the tip, Sara studied him. He was an incredible man and she wished that she had the courage to tell him that she was in love with him. With Nick she didn't feel the need to be Sara Sidle CSI. She could just be Sara who happened to be a damn fine criminalist, but then so was he. He was fine in many ways. Sara looked out a the beach watching the progress of the workers setting up the chairs for the wedding. "Do you ever think about getting married?" She glanced over at Nick.
He studied her for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I do."
Sara let out a sigh as she turned her attention back to the beach. "This would be a really pretty place to get married."
Nick chuckled. "Yes, it would." He thought about what Sara might look like in a wedding gown walking down the aisle to meet him. Damn, she would freak out if she knew he was thinking like that.
Sara was lost in thought. She wondered what Nick would think if he knew she was picturing the two of them standing on the beach exchanging wedding vows. Damn, she was going to have to tell him soon that she was in love with him before it just slipped out.
Nick glanced at his watch and then back at Sara. "Hey, I have an idea."
She looked at Nick curiously. "What?"
"Why don't you go get a massage in the day spa?" He was grinning at her.
"Why would I do that?" Sara raised an eyebrow at him. Not that she wouldn't mind getting a massage, but they weren't exactly cheap.
"Because I think you need to be pampered, especially after this morning. Besides, it's my treat." He smiled at her sincerely.
She looked at him incredulously. "Nick, I can't let you do that."
"Sorry, can't stop me." He chuckled. He thought that maybe while she was getting a massage he could work up his courage to tell her how he felt.
Sara let out a soft chuckle. "Ok, but I'm the one who really should be doing something nice for you, especially since I threw up on you this morning." She still couldn't believe he hadn't freak out over that. The thought occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, Nick might be harboring some feelings for her that went a little deeper than friendship. At the very least he was one damn good friend for taking care of her without complaining about getting puked on.
"You can dance with me at the wedding and keep Kelly away." He just continued to smile at her. "Let's go see if they have an opening for a massage."
Sara just shook her head in disbelief as they made their way to the day spa. She couldn't believe that Nick would do something so nice for her.
The day spa was able to get her in and as she went in to get a massage, Nick went back up to their room where he paced from one side to the other trying to figure out what to say to her.
"Sara, we've known each other a long time. What would say if I told you I thought you were hot?" Nick shook his head. "No, that sounds like I'm hitting on her." He put his hand on his forehead. "Sara, I'm in love with you." He rested his hands on his hips. "No, too forward and definitely not romantic." He let out a couple of deep breaths and started pacing again. "Sara, you're the most amazing woman I've ever met." He thought about that for a moment. "Not a bad start, but it doesn't give me an out if she starts to freak out." He chuckled. "Hell, I don't care if she freaks out. I'm in love with her, and I happen to be talking to myself." He sat down on the edge of the bed and just smiled.
He finally decided that he should just lay his clothes out for the wedding and watch TV while he waited for Sara to get done with her massage. He was going to tell her that he was in love with her, and he wasn't going to wait another day. He just had to find the right moment.