Sara pulled the car up in front of her parent's house fully expecting them
to be busy helping one of the guests in their bed and breakfast. As she
and Nick unloaded the luggage from the trunk she was pleasantly surprised
when her parents emerged from the house. They'd been making lunch and had
heard the tires crunching on the gravel driveway.
Nick watched Sara with interest as a smile spread over her face at seeing her parents. They swept her up into a flurry of hugs and smiles and after a moment they turned their attention to Nick as Sara gestured towards him. "Mom and Dad this is my friend Nick Stokes."
Nick extended his hand with a grin on his face as Sara's dad shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."
Sara's dad glanced over at her with a hint of amusement on his face before he looked Nick in the eye. "Just call me Rick. We're not that formal here."
Nick chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Rick."
Sara's mom kept glancing between Nick and Sara, a smile spreading across her face. "Nick, I'm Helen." She glanced over at Sara for a moment with a knowing smile before looking at Nick again. "Sara didn't say that her friend was so good looking." Sara's mom was a mirror image of Sara herself, just an older version.
Nick glanced over at Sara for a moment; she was doing her best to keep a smile pasted on her face but her expression clearly indicated that she wanted to bolt. He turned his attention back to her mom and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Helen."
"We're just going to get settled and then I think Nick wanted to go rent kayaks." Sara clearly wanted to get him away from her parents before they said something that would embarrass her.
Rick interjected. "Sara, honey, you don't need to rent kayaks. We bought several kayaks and canoes a few months ago to have around for the guests. You can use a couple of those."
Nick was amused. "Hey, Sar, I thought you said you were dying for a piece of your mom's quiche."
Sara shot him a feigned smile and the look in her eye clearly told him that he would be getting an earful later.
"Honey, why don't you two get settled and then we can have some lunch." Helen suggested.
"Ok." Sara relented with a deep sigh.
Her dad smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek. "It's good to have my girl home."
"Thanks, Dad." Sara smiled as she leaned against her dad for a moment.
Rick gave her one last squeeze before he stepped away and picked up a couple of the bags by the car.
Sara reached for her suitcase and glanced up a little surprised as Nick beat her to it.
"I got it." He smiled at her and gave her a friendly wink.
"Nick, I can carry my own suitcase." She rolled her eyes at him slightly as she tried to restrain an embarrassed smile.
"I know." He chuckled in amusement as he lifted his suitcase and hers and followed her dad into the house.
"He seems very nice." Helen's tone was conspiratorial as she put her arm around Sara's waist clearly implying that she thought Nick would make more than just a nice friend.
Sara stiffened slightly and her voice was a bit defensive. "Mom, Nick and I are just friends."
"You say that now, baby, but he doesn't look at you the way a man who's just your friend does." Helen said knowingly as she and Sara made their way into the house.
Sara began to wonder to herself if bringing Nick home with her had really been such a good idea.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick and Sara were taking a walk around the 50 acres that the bed and breakfast was built on. By the end of lunch, Sara had been ready to bolt, and Nick had smiled and suggested that she show him around. With a grin pasted on her face she readily agreed.
He glanced over at her as they walked. "Your parents seem nice."
Sara looked at him with disbelief. "You mean weird."
Nick chuckled. "Why? Just because they used to be hippies and went to Woodstock? I think it's pretty cool that they met at a Grateful Dead concert."
She smirked at him. "You would think that's cool, especially since you said your parents met in college."
"Law school actually." Nick smiled. "Sara, if you met my parents you'd think they were normal and I'd be the one wanting to get outside. I think your parents just seem curious about your life."
"Nosey would be a more descriptive word I think." Sara replied wryly.
Nick laughed and slung his arm over her shoulder, pulling her into a friendly hug. "Why wouldn't you want them to know about your life? They're your family."
Sara smirked at him as he let her go. "Nick, when I tell them what's going on in my life, all they seem to do is criticize. They never understood why I wanted to study physics or go to Harvard and my becoming a criminalist really threw them off."
"So you think they don't get you." Nick clarified.
Sara nodded. "They don't get me at all. I have more in common with my grandparents than I do with them or most anyone else in this area, which if you hadn't noticed isn't all that heavily populated."
"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think my family gets me either. Why do you think all of them live in the Dallas area and I live in Vegas?" Nick elbowed her with a smile.
"I wondered about that." Sara replied in amusement.
"Let's just say that as the youngest of seven it's hard to make people see you as your own person, especially when your dad is a judge and your mom is a public defender." Nick confessed.
Sara's jaw dropped slightly and her eyebrows curved upward. "Your dad is a judge and your mom is a public defender?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah."
Sara just shook her head in disbelief. "How did I not know that about you?"
Nick looked at her with a sheepish expression. "Probably because I never told you." He let out a sigh and smiled at her. "Sara, when I lived in Texas I was always someone's son or brother or the youngest member of the Stokes' clan. I was never just Nick. Don't get me wrong; I love my family, but in Vegas people know me for who I am, not where I came from."
"That wasn't a criticism; I'm just surprised that's all. I think all of us have a secret or two." She smiled back at him.
They continued walking back towards the house. He glanced over at her with a mischievous smile. "So, Sara, what secrets are you hiding?"
She raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Nick watched Sara with interest as a smile spread over her face at seeing her parents. They swept her up into a flurry of hugs and smiles and after a moment they turned their attention to Nick as Sara gestured towards him. "Mom and Dad this is my friend Nick Stokes."
Nick extended his hand with a grin on his face as Sara's dad shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."
Sara's dad glanced over at her with a hint of amusement on his face before he looked Nick in the eye. "Just call me Rick. We're not that formal here."
Nick chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Rick."
Sara's mom kept glancing between Nick and Sara, a smile spreading across her face. "Nick, I'm Helen." She glanced over at Sara for a moment with a knowing smile before looking at Nick again. "Sara didn't say that her friend was so good looking." Sara's mom was a mirror image of Sara herself, just an older version.
Nick glanced over at Sara for a moment; she was doing her best to keep a smile pasted on her face but her expression clearly indicated that she wanted to bolt. He turned his attention back to her mom and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Helen."
"We're just going to get settled and then I think Nick wanted to go rent kayaks." Sara clearly wanted to get him away from her parents before they said something that would embarrass her.
Rick interjected. "Sara, honey, you don't need to rent kayaks. We bought several kayaks and canoes a few months ago to have around for the guests. You can use a couple of those."
Nick was amused. "Hey, Sar, I thought you said you were dying for a piece of your mom's quiche."
Sara shot him a feigned smile and the look in her eye clearly told him that he would be getting an earful later.
"Honey, why don't you two get settled and then we can have some lunch." Helen suggested.
"Ok." Sara relented with a deep sigh.
Her dad smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek. "It's good to have my girl home."
"Thanks, Dad." Sara smiled as she leaned against her dad for a moment.
Rick gave her one last squeeze before he stepped away and picked up a couple of the bags by the car.
Sara reached for her suitcase and glanced up a little surprised as Nick beat her to it.
"I got it." He smiled at her and gave her a friendly wink.
"Nick, I can carry my own suitcase." She rolled her eyes at him slightly as she tried to restrain an embarrassed smile.
"I know." He chuckled in amusement as he lifted his suitcase and hers and followed her dad into the house.
"He seems very nice." Helen's tone was conspiratorial as she put her arm around Sara's waist clearly implying that she thought Nick would make more than just a nice friend.
Sara stiffened slightly and her voice was a bit defensive. "Mom, Nick and I are just friends."
"You say that now, baby, but he doesn't look at you the way a man who's just your friend does." Helen said knowingly as she and Sara made their way into the house.
Sara began to wonder to herself if bringing Nick home with her had really been such a good idea.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick and Sara were taking a walk around the 50 acres that the bed and breakfast was built on. By the end of lunch, Sara had been ready to bolt, and Nick had smiled and suggested that she show him around. With a grin pasted on her face she readily agreed.
He glanced over at her as they walked. "Your parents seem nice."
Sara looked at him with disbelief. "You mean weird."
Nick chuckled. "Why? Just because they used to be hippies and went to Woodstock? I think it's pretty cool that they met at a Grateful Dead concert."
She smirked at him. "You would think that's cool, especially since you said your parents met in college."
"Law school actually." Nick smiled. "Sara, if you met my parents you'd think they were normal and I'd be the one wanting to get outside. I think your parents just seem curious about your life."
"Nosey would be a more descriptive word I think." Sara replied wryly.
Nick laughed and slung his arm over her shoulder, pulling her into a friendly hug. "Why wouldn't you want them to know about your life? They're your family."
Sara smirked at him as he let her go. "Nick, when I tell them what's going on in my life, all they seem to do is criticize. They never understood why I wanted to study physics or go to Harvard and my becoming a criminalist really threw them off."
"So you think they don't get you." Nick clarified.
Sara nodded. "They don't get me at all. I have more in common with my grandparents than I do with them or most anyone else in this area, which if you hadn't noticed isn't all that heavily populated."
"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think my family gets me either. Why do you think all of them live in the Dallas area and I live in Vegas?" Nick elbowed her with a smile.
"I wondered about that." Sara replied in amusement.
"Let's just say that as the youngest of seven it's hard to make people see you as your own person, especially when your dad is a judge and your mom is a public defender." Nick confessed.
Sara's jaw dropped slightly and her eyebrows curved upward. "Your dad is a judge and your mom is a public defender?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah."
Sara just shook her head in disbelief. "How did I not know that about you?"
Nick looked at her with a sheepish expression. "Probably because I never told you." He let out a sigh and smiled at her. "Sara, when I lived in Texas I was always someone's son or brother or the youngest member of the Stokes' clan. I was never just Nick. Don't get me wrong; I love my family, but in Vegas people know me for who I am, not where I came from."
"That wasn't a criticism; I'm just surprised that's all. I think all of us have a secret or two." She smiled back at him.
They continued walking back towards the house. He glanced over at her with a mischievous smile. "So, Sara, what secrets are you hiding?"
She raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"