"I don't know if it's us, page thirty-seven, or just Tamales Bay, but our
timing is terrible." Nick quipped with a smirk as they loaded the kayaks
to return to Nick's Cove.
Sara still looked a little embarrassed. "How was I supposed to know that you're supposed to put something out to let other people know the area is occupied? I never came here in high school."
Nick chuckled. "I definitely have to say that the look on your face was priceless."
She laughed deeply. "I would never have guessed that Jake and Jenny had a 'thing' going on."
As Sara moved a little gingerly getting into her kayak and Nick winced. "How's your ass?"
She smirked at him. "Maybe the next time you try and shove me into the bushes, you can make sure that they're not stinging nettles first."
He looked sheepish as he carefully climbed into his kayak. "I meant the part the tree trunk scraped."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sure it'll be fine with a little Neosporin and a Band-aid." She wiggled uncomfortably as she sat in the kayak.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Itchy?"
She deadpanned. "What do you think?"
"Ok, then, why don't we head back." Nick wasn't sure what else to say at that moment.
Sara dipped her paddle into the water and Nick followed along behind as they skimmed over the water. Neither one of them spent much time taking in the scenery. Sara's mind was on getting out of a seated position as quickly as possible and getting some anti-itch cream where she'd been stung by nettles. Nick felt badly that he'd shoved her into the nettles in an attempt to hide from a half clothed Jake and Jenny who had stumbled into the spot where he and Sara had been. Not that it didn't attract even more attention when she jumped up grabbed him and backed into a tree, scraping her butt in the process. A very startled Jake and Jenny had dived behind a boulder. Jake being the most clothed of all of them, was kind enough to pick up Nick and Sara's clothes so they could get dressed. Needless to say, Sara was completely mortified at the entire situation and at the same time relieved that Jenny had found someone else to sink her claws into. All Nick wanted to do was make her happy, so he wisely kept his mouth shut as they paddled back to the cove where the car was parked.
They finally arrived back at Nick's cove, and this time Nick waited for Sara to hold his kayak steady as he extricated himself from it. They loaded the kayaks onto the rack on top of the car and as Nick finished securing them he felt Sara's arms slide around his waist.
"Hey, I know you were only trying to save my dignity." She offered as she rested her cheek against his shoulder.
Nick lifted his arm over her head and turned to pull her into a hug. "I really do feel bad."
"I know." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Now let's get out of here, I'm dying right now."
"Yes, ma'am." Nick winked.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sara lounged in the bathtub. This was one time that she was thankful that her parents had never replaced the claw-footed bathtub in the bathroom. Her mom had put together some sort of herbal concoction that eased the itching and made her scrape sting a little bit, but overall, it felt heavenly compared to what it had felt like before. Of course trying to explain to her mom why she needed it in the first place was completely embarrassing, especially when her mom asked her why she didn't put something out to warn people away. Sara had glanced over at Nick with a mortified expression as if to say that if she'd known her parents had been there together she would never have taken Nick.
The water was still warm and as Sara soaked she silently wondered how Nick was surviving alone with her parents.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rick sat down next to Nick on the front porch and handed him a cup of coffee.
Nick glanced up and smiled gratefully as he took the cup. "Thanks." He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the coffee mingled with the smell of salt water in the air before taking a sip. "Mm. This is good."
Rick was quiet for a few minutes as he took a long sip from his coffee before cradling the cup in his hands and looking over at Nick. "So, Nick, what are your intentions with my daughter."
Nick swallowed hard, burning his tongue in the process on the coffee. "Uh, I care about her a lot."
Rick chuckled softly. "Don't get me wrong, Helen and I like you. We just want to know how serious you are about Sara. We don't want to see her get hurt. That's happened to her a few times already and she took it really hard."
Nick nodded. "I would never intentionally hurt her, Rick. She's been my friend for a long time and I wouldn't date her if I didn't think we had a shot at something long term."
"How long term are you thinking?" Rick had a serious expression on his face.
Nick wasn't really prepared for the questions he was getting. He thought about it for a moment and then turned to Rick. "I guess that's something that Sara and I need to talk about. I don't know if she told you this or not, but we weren't dating before we came up here."
Rick let out a low chuckle. "That explains a few things."
Nick suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"Helen and I haven't exactly been too easy on you kids. If we'd known this was a new thing between you two, we would have been a little more thoughtful about knocking before opening bedroom doors. And we would have made sure that there was a fold out bed for you to sleep in rather than push you if you weren't ready." Rick confessed.
Nick couldn't help but smile. "I think Sara's more embarrassed than I am. With seven kids in my family, privacy is not something that you got a lot of."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wrapped in her robe, Sara stood in her room reading the directions on the tube of anti-itch cream when a soft knock sounded at the door. Without glancing up, she called out. "Come in."
"Hey." Nick's voice was soft and his expression was inquisitive as he closed the door behind him. "Did the bath help?"
She glanced up at him and smiled. "Yeah, but I still think I should put some of this stuff on."
Nick leaned against the closed door and studied her.
Sara looked at him quizzically. "What have you been up to?"
He smiled. "Talking to your dad."
The calm expression on his face and the way that he was studying her made her nervous. "What have you been talking about?"
He chuckled softly. "You."
"What about?" Sara certainly hoped her dad wasn't embellishing stories about her awkward teenage years.
Nick walked over towards her and took the tube out of her hand setting it on the dresser. "He wanted to know what my intentions towards you were."
Sara looked nervous. "And what did you say?"
He slid his fingers into her hair and looked into her eyes. "That I wouldn't be dating you if I didn't think we had a shot at something long term."
There was a squeak in Sara's voice. "Oh."
He leaned in and kissed her softly before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers. "I think maybe we need to talk about where this is going, especially before we head back to Vegas on Friday."
She nodded and her voice came out in a whisper. "Yeah, I think you're right."
He whispered back. "How's your ass doing?"
Sara looked at him for a moment and then started laughing. "Well, if you'll help me put that stuff on it, it'll be doing a lot better."
Sara still looked a little embarrassed. "How was I supposed to know that you're supposed to put something out to let other people know the area is occupied? I never came here in high school."
Nick chuckled. "I definitely have to say that the look on your face was priceless."
She laughed deeply. "I would never have guessed that Jake and Jenny had a 'thing' going on."
As Sara moved a little gingerly getting into her kayak and Nick winced. "How's your ass?"
She smirked at him. "Maybe the next time you try and shove me into the bushes, you can make sure that they're not stinging nettles first."
He looked sheepish as he carefully climbed into his kayak. "I meant the part the tree trunk scraped."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sure it'll be fine with a little Neosporin and a Band-aid." She wiggled uncomfortably as she sat in the kayak.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Itchy?"
She deadpanned. "What do you think?"
"Ok, then, why don't we head back." Nick wasn't sure what else to say at that moment.
Sara dipped her paddle into the water and Nick followed along behind as they skimmed over the water. Neither one of them spent much time taking in the scenery. Sara's mind was on getting out of a seated position as quickly as possible and getting some anti-itch cream where she'd been stung by nettles. Nick felt badly that he'd shoved her into the nettles in an attempt to hide from a half clothed Jake and Jenny who had stumbled into the spot where he and Sara had been. Not that it didn't attract even more attention when she jumped up grabbed him and backed into a tree, scraping her butt in the process. A very startled Jake and Jenny had dived behind a boulder. Jake being the most clothed of all of them, was kind enough to pick up Nick and Sara's clothes so they could get dressed. Needless to say, Sara was completely mortified at the entire situation and at the same time relieved that Jenny had found someone else to sink her claws into. All Nick wanted to do was make her happy, so he wisely kept his mouth shut as they paddled back to the cove where the car was parked.
They finally arrived back at Nick's cove, and this time Nick waited for Sara to hold his kayak steady as he extricated himself from it. They loaded the kayaks onto the rack on top of the car and as Nick finished securing them he felt Sara's arms slide around his waist.
"Hey, I know you were only trying to save my dignity." She offered as she rested her cheek against his shoulder.
Nick lifted his arm over her head and turned to pull her into a hug. "I really do feel bad."
"I know." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Now let's get out of here, I'm dying right now."
"Yes, ma'am." Nick winked.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sara lounged in the bathtub. This was one time that she was thankful that her parents had never replaced the claw-footed bathtub in the bathroom. Her mom had put together some sort of herbal concoction that eased the itching and made her scrape sting a little bit, but overall, it felt heavenly compared to what it had felt like before. Of course trying to explain to her mom why she needed it in the first place was completely embarrassing, especially when her mom asked her why she didn't put something out to warn people away. Sara had glanced over at Nick with a mortified expression as if to say that if she'd known her parents had been there together she would never have taken Nick.
The water was still warm and as Sara soaked she silently wondered how Nick was surviving alone with her parents.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rick sat down next to Nick on the front porch and handed him a cup of coffee.
Nick glanced up and smiled gratefully as he took the cup. "Thanks." He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the coffee mingled with the smell of salt water in the air before taking a sip. "Mm. This is good."
Rick was quiet for a few minutes as he took a long sip from his coffee before cradling the cup in his hands and looking over at Nick. "So, Nick, what are your intentions with my daughter."
Nick swallowed hard, burning his tongue in the process on the coffee. "Uh, I care about her a lot."
Rick chuckled softly. "Don't get me wrong, Helen and I like you. We just want to know how serious you are about Sara. We don't want to see her get hurt. That's happened to her a few times already and she took it really hard."
Nick nodded. "I would never intentionally hurt her, Rick. She's been my friend for a long time and I wouldn't date her if I didn't think we had a shot at something long term."
"How long term are you thinking?" Rick had a serious expression on his face.
Nick wasn't really prepared for the questions he was getting. He thought about it for a moment and then turned to Rick. "I guess that's something that Sara and I need to talk about. I don't know if she told you this or not, but we weren't dating before we came up here."
Rick let out a low chuckle. "That explains a few things."
Nick suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"Helen and I haven't exactly been too easy on you kids. If we'd known this was a new thing between you two, we would have been a little more thoughtful about knocking before opening bedroom doors. And we would have made sure that there was a fold out bed for you to sleep in rather than push you if you weren't ready." Rick confessed.
Nick couldn't help but smile. "I think Sara's more embarrassed than I am. With seven kids in my family, privacy is not something that you got a lot of."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wrapped in her robe, Sara stood in her room reading the directions on the tube of anti-itch cream when a soft knock sounded at the door. Without glancing up, she called out. "Come in."
"Hey." Nick's voice was soft and his expression was inquisitive as he closed the door behind him. "Did the bath help?"
She glanced up at him and smiled. "Yeah, but I still think I should put some of this stuff on."
Nick leaned against the closed door and studied her.
Sara looked at him quizzically. "What have you been up to?"
He smiled. "Talking to your dad."
The calm expression on his face and the way that he was studying her made her nervous. "What have you been talking about?"
He chuckled softly. "You."
"What about?" Sara certainly hoped her dad wasn't embellishing stories about her awkward teenage years.
Nick walked over towards her and took the tube out of her hand setting it on the dresser. "He wanted to know what my intentions towards you were."
Sara looked nervous. "And what did you say?"
He slid his fingers into her hair and looked into her eyes. "That I wouldn't be dating you if I didn't think we had a shot at something long term."
There was a squeak in Sara's voice. "Oh."
He leaned in and kissed her softly before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers. "I think maybe we need to talk about where this is going, especially before we head back to Vegas on Friday."
She nodded and her voice came out in a whisper. "Yeah, I think you're right."
He whispered back. "How's your ass doing?"
Sara looked at him for a moment and then started laughing. "Well, if you'll help me put that stuff on it, it'll be doing a lot better."