If Nick could have had the sidewalk swallow him up at that instant he would
have. He knew that Chelsea had something up her sleeve the moment she
suggested that both Nick and Sara come to Dallas. The fact that her kids
were quizzing him meant that she had most likely talked at length with the
rest of his sisters on the phone about Sara.
He glanced over at Sara who looked at little embarrassed at Conner's question. "Conner, man. Sara's my friend, and while she a very beautiful woman, I'm not in love with her, and she's not in love with me." Nick tried to clarify.
Conner wasn't catching the clue. "Uncle Nick, why wouldn't she be in love with you. Mom says a lot of women are in love with you."
Nick was about to explain further when Conner turned to Sara. "Uncle Nick's a nice guy. Why aren't you in love with him?"
Sara was speechless. She glanced over at Nick and noticed how uncomfortable he looked. It was all she could do to not laugh.
Nick raised an eyebrow at his younger nephew. "Conner, where's your mom?"
Panic swept over Conner's face. "Am I in trouble? I don't want to be grounded again. Last time it was Aiden's fault." At the mention of his name, Aiden disappeared into the house.
"No, you're not in trouble with me. But you might not want to ask questions like that." Nick chided his nephew gently.
Conner tilted his head slightly. "Why?"
Nick glanced over at Sara who was laughing. "He's six." He took Conner's hand and they walked back into the house. Nick glanced around and then looked down at Conner. "Where's your mom, bud?"
"Ona fell asleep in the van. Mom's putting her down for a nap. She said she sure needed one." Conner grinned at Nick before throwing his arms around his waist. "I'm glad you're here, Uncle Nick."
"I'm glad to be here, bud." He looked at Sara for a moment. She was trying not to laugh. He raised an eyebrow at her. She just shook her head and mouthed that she'd tell him later. Nick looked back down at his nephew. "Where did your brother disappear to?" His tone of voice was all business.
"The fort." Conner replied matter of factly as he stepped away from Nick.
"The fort?" Nick raised a curious eyebrow.
"We builded it in the back yard." Conner pointed through the sliding glass door that opened onto the deck.
"I see." Nick grinned. "Well, why don't you go tell him to come here."
Conner grinned back. "Ok." He quickly turned and ran toward the sliding door, yelling even before he had opened the door. "Aiden! Aiden!"
A harried looking Chelsea emerged from the hallway. "Conner!" Her voice was low, but there was a hiss to it.
Conner looked at his mom with a sheepish expression. "Sorry."
"Fiona is sleeping, honey, keep your voice down." Chelsea looked like she could use a nap herself.
Nick grinned a little too widely at his sister. "Hey, Chels."
Chelsea knew that look. She feigned innocence. "Did you two get settled in?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah, and we went for a walk."
Chelsea looked from Nick to Sara and back again. Sara looked amused. Nick looked like he was moving in for the kill. "So, Chels, just what have you been telling everyone about Sara?"
Sara glanced over at Nick and cleared her throat. "Uh, I'm going to go down to the apartment, I need to freshen up."
Nick knew she didn't but he appreciated the opportunity to question Chelsea in private. He smiled at Sara. "Ok." He turned his attention back to Chelsea and simply raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Nick." Chelsea was clearly dodging the issue and smiled.
Nick wasn't buying it. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and grinned. "Conner said you thought I was in love with Sara. What gives?"
"He's six, Nick. What do you expect?" Chelsea was furiously backpedaling.
Nick chuckled. "You told everyone that I was in love with Sara, didn't you?"
Chelsea didn't say a word. She just smirked.
"Now why would you do that? You know that she and I are just friends." Nick leaned toward his sister.
Chelsea raised an eyebrow. "Are you?
Nick looked a little taken aback. "What?"
"Are you just friends? Because the vibe I'm picking up is a little different." Chelsea challenge Nick.
"Of course we're just friends. Why would you think otherwise?" Nick was perplexed.
Chelsea smiled. "Now, Nick, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but whether you want to admit it or not, I think you have feelings for Sara that are a little more than just friends. Why would you bring her to Dallas otherwise?"
"Chels, you pretty much made me invite her." Nick defended.
Chelsea chuckled. "Since when have you listened to me? You invited her because you wanted to. Maybe you should ask yourself what you really feel."
Nick just rolled his eyes.
With a glint in her eye, Chelsea continued. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Sara's in as much denial as you are."
Nick was speechless.
Just then Conner and Aiden burst back into the house in flurry of noise. Chelsea turned around and with one look silenced them. "Boys, your sister is sleeping. Go outside and play for a while. Uncle Nick and Sara want to spend some time alone before we have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa tonight." She raised her hand and pointed toward the back door. "Now go."
When she turned back around to look at Nick, he was still speechless.
He glanced over at Sara who looked at little embarrassed at Conner's question. "Conner, man. Sara's my friend, and while she a very beautiful woman, I'm not in love with her, and she's not in love with me." Nick tried to clarify.
Conner wasn't catching the clue. "Uncle Nick, why wouldn't she be in love with you. Mom says a lot of women are in love with you."
Nick was about to explain further when Conner turned to Sara. "Uncle Nick's a nice guy. Why aren't you in love with him?"
Sara was speechless. She glanced over at Nick and noticed how uncomfortable he looked. It was all she could do to not laugh.
Nick raised an eyebrow at his younger nephew. "Conner, where's your mom?"
Panic swept over Conner's face. "Am I in trouble? I don't want to be grounded again. Last time it was Aiden's fault." At the mention of his name, Aiden disappeared into the house.
"No, you're not in trouble with me. But you might not want to ask questions like that." Nick chided his nephew gently.
Conner tilted his head slightly. "Why?"
Nick glanced over at Sara who was laughing. "He's six." He took Conner's hand and they walked back into the house. Nick glanced around and then looked down at Conner. "Where's your mom, bud?"
"Ona fell asleep in the van. Mom's putting her down for a nap. She said she sure needed one." Conner grinned at Nick before throwing his arms around his waist. "I'm glad you're here, Uncle Nick."
"I'm glad to be here, bud." He looked at Sara for a moment. She was trying not to laugh. He raised an eyebrow at her. She just shook her head and mouthed that she'd tell him later. Nick looked back down at his nephew. "Where did your brother disappear to?" His tone of voice was all business.
"The fort." Conner replied matter of factly as he stepped away from Nick.
"The fort?" Nick raised a curious eyebrow.
"We builded it in the back yard." Conner pointed through the sliding glass door that opened onto the deck.
"I see." Nick grinned. "Well, why don't you go tell him to come here."
Conner grinned back. "Ok." He quickly turned and ran toward the sliding door, yelling even before he had opened the door. "Aiden! Aiden!"
A harried looking Chelsea emerged from the hallway. "Conner!" Her voice was low, but there was a hiss to it.
Conner looked at his mom with a sheepish expression. "Sorry."
"Fiona is sleeping, honey, keep your voice down." Chelsea looked like she could use a nap herself.
Nick grinned a little too widely at his sister. "Hey, Chels."
Chelsea knew that look. She feigned innocence. "Did you two get settled in?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah, and we went for a walk."
Chelsea looked from Nick to Sara and back again. Sara looked amused. Nick looked like he was moving in for the kill. "So, Chels, just what have you been telling everyone about Sara?"
Sara glanced over at Nick and cleared her throat. "Uh, I'm going to go down to the apartment, I need to freshen up."
Nick knew she didn't but he appreciated the opportunity to question Chelsea in private. He smiled at Sara. "Ok." He turned his attention back to Chelsea and simply raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Nick." Chelsea was clearly dodging the issue and smiled.
Nick wasn't buying it. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and grinned. "Conner said you thought I was in love with Sara. What gives?"
"He's six, Nick. What do you expect?" Chelsea was furiously backpedaling.
Nick chuckled. "You told everyone that I was in love with Sara, didn't you?"
Chelsea didn't say a word. She just smirked.
"Now why would you do that? You know that she and I are just friends." Nick leaned toward his sister.
Chelsea raised an eyebrow. "Are you?
Nick looked a little taken aback. "What?"
"Are you just friends? Because the vibe I'm picking up is a little different." Chelsea challenge Nick.
"Of course we're just friends. Why would you think otherwise?" Nick was perplexed.
Chelsea smiled. "Now, Nick, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but whether you want to admit it or not, I think you have feelings for Sara that are a little more than just friends. Why would you bring her to Dallas otherwise?"
"Chels, you pretty much made me invite her." Nick defended.
Chelsea chuckled. "Since when have you listened to me? You invited her because you wanted to. Maybe you should ask yourself what you really feel."
Nick just rolled his eyes.
With a glint in her eye, Chelsea continued. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Sara's in as much denial as you are."
Nick was speechless.
Just then Conner and Aiden burst back into the house in flurry of noise. Chelsea turned around and with one look silenced them. "Boys, your sister is sleeping. Go outside and play for a while. Uncle Nick and Sara want to spend some time alone before we have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa tonight." She raised her hand and pointed toward the back door. "Now go."
When she turned back around to look at Nick, he was still speechless.