Sara felt like her head was spinning. Why she'd agreed to go on a date with Nick was a complete mystery to her. It was ironic really, how she'd had no problem propositioning him to help her get pregnant, but the idea of going on an actual date with him scared her half to death. She was seriously considering just telling him when she got to work that she'd changed her mind, but there was a part of her that just didn't want to. He had been right of course; she wanted everything that he'd said she did; she just had doubts that it would ever happen to her. But here he was offering the first step at a life she'd only dreamed of. The problem was that it came with no guarantees; the analytical side of her wanted to be able to quantify large amounts of data before she made a decision which was in direct opposition to her impulsive side; the side that she had blamed for all of her relational disasters. Wasn't going on a date with Nick impulsive and risky?
She let out a deep sigh as she scooped up her keys, slung her purse over her shoulder, and headed out of her apartment to go to work. She owed herself this chance at a date with Nick. He'd already made it pretty clear that he wasn't interested in becoming a father just because they were friends and she wanted a baby; but he'd also made it clear that it wasn't impossible either; she just had to be willing to take a chance and see if a romance between them would work. Was it too much to hope that everything she wanted would actually happen?
She was still lost in thought when she walked into the locker room to stow her purse. She had just opened her locker when Nick sauntered into the room. For a moment she felt a bolt of panic run through her as an irrational fear that Nick had only asked her out to make her feel better for making a complete fool out of herself until she saw his smile.
"Hey, Sar." Nick could not contain his grin. Despite the fact that after he'd left Sara's he was far too keyed up to get much sleep, he was full of energy and upon seeing her, his face seemed to have a mind of its own with that smile.
"Hey." Sara smiled back at him. There was something about Nick that she'd always appreciated; he tended to wear his heart on his sleeve and if he was faking it, she was pretty sure she could tell. The man was definitely glad to see her.
Nick cocked his head to the side a bit as he leaned his shoulder against his locker. "We still on for after shift?" He had made sure to solidify a time for their date; he knew that if he hadn't Sara would find some way to hem and haw to keep it from happening, stuck somewhere in the belief that he was only taking her out because he felt sorry for her; or worse, that he only wanted to take advantage of her. He knew that she knew him better than that; but a history with men that had helped reinforce her belief that she deserved to be treated like crap was something that was going to take time to change.
"Uh, yeah." She hoped that Nick wasn't having second thoughts; she wouldn't blame him if he was, especially after their last conversation.
If it was possible, Nick's grin got even wider. "Good. I've got just the thing then...and trust me, I think you're going to have a good time."
Sara eyed him for a long minute trying to decipher what this 'thing' was that Nick was referring to. She really hoped he didn't intend to take her out clubbing. That wasn't really her scene to begin with especially after her near DUI last year, and after what would most likely be a long shift, she didn't want to have to dress up to go wear herself out dancing and then drink enough to cloud her judgment further than it already had been in the last 24-hours.
As if reading her mind, Nick chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Sara, if it's safe enough for the average kindergartener, I'm pretty sure it's safe enough for you and I."
"Now you've really got me worried." Her smirk belied her words and she couldn't help but relax as she realized that of course Nick wouldn't drag her out to do something that he knew she'd hate. He knew her far better than that, and now she found that she really was looking forward to their date and was curious where he was taking her.
Nick found himself smirking back at her. "When was the last time you went to a pumpkin farm?" He had intended to surprise her with what they were going to do, but he was so excited to get to take her on a date that he couldn't contain himself, besides, they still had a long shift to get through and he wanted her to be thinking about how much fun they were going to have after the shift was over.
"A pumpkin farm?" Sara looked at him quizzically. Truth be told, she couldn't remember ever going to a pumpkin farm. Her childhood was less than idyllic and the last thing her parents had on their minds was hauling their bookish daughter off to a pumpkin farm just because that's what everyone else in Tamales Bay did with their children before Halloween.
Nick felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he pressed on, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I found out that there is actually one left in Vegas. It's an orchard really, but they grow pumpkins too and I thought we could go pick out a couple and take them over to my place and carve them." His expression was expectant as he waited for her to say something.
The look on his face made Sara giggle. "I can't say that I can remember the last time I carved a pumpkin." The idea of doing something so simple with Nick felt incredibly romantic and it just reinforced why she had thought that he would be a great father. Pushing that thought aside for the time being, she realized that regardless of how this date turned out, she would be more than willing to go on a second date with him.
"Well then it's settled." Nick reached over and touched the end of her nose in an affectionate gesture as an impish smile flitted across his face. "The first annual Nick versus Sara pumpkin carving contest is on." He was definitely baiting her, but he couldn't resist.
Sara scoffed. "First annual? You are so going to lose." She was up to the challenge, even though it had been a long time since she'd even picked up a pumpkin, she was sure that Nick couldn't do any better than she was going to do. In fact she was already coming up with ideas of just what she was going to carve into her pumpkin; she was not about to carve any ordinary jack-o'-lantern.
"Oh, you think so, huh? That's what my sisters used to say before I'd win our family pumpkin carving contest every year." He looked a little too smug. He failed to mention that he won every year because he was the youngest and his oldest sister felt sorry for him and made everyone else vote for his pumpkin. Still, he was confident that his carving skills had come pretty far since the third grade.
Sara snickered at how overly confident he seemed. "Well, you're going down, because I am so going to kick your ass."
"You'll have to put up or shut up, Sidle." A smile was dancing in Nick's eyes; he was definitely looking forward to going out on this date, and from her reaction to what he'd planned, he could tell that she was too.
Sara had a mischievous grin on her face as she quipped back. "Oh, I intend to."