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old man asked.
    Nick rested his hand on the small of my back. “Samantha Kidd, I’d like you to meet my new roommate. Nick Taylor, Senior.”
    Nick hadn’t invited me over for hanky panky. He’d invited me over to formally meet his dad.
     

Chapter 5
    WEDNESDAYNIGHT
    I’d first seen Nick’s dad a little over a decade ago. I didn’t know if Nick Senior knew I was the same girl who had walked into Nick’s showroom and slipped my sample-sized foot into one of the shoes on display. Truthfully? It didn’t matter. You gotta love the universe. Just when you think you know where your life is headed, you learn that your coworker has an alias and your possible love interest has moved in with his dad.
    Ah, life’s little curveballs.
    “Mr. Taylor, nice to meet you,” I said.
    “I know you,” he said. “When was it—ten years ago? You were a buyer from Bentley’s. Didn’t want me to see you trying on the samples in Junior’s showroom. I always wondered what happened to you. Did you know your pants are torn?”
    “I-um-”
    He looked at Nick. “Real conversationalist, this one.” He turned back to me. “Call me Nick.” He held out his hand.
    I shook his hand. “I can’t call you Nick. I call him Nick.”
    “You can call him Junior like I do.”
    Nick’s eyebrows went up. “She’s not going to call me Junior.”
    “Suit yourself. Anybody want a beer?” Nick Senior turned around and went to the kitchen.
    I started to follow him, but Nick put his hands on my waist and pulled me backward. “From that kiss in the elevator, I don’t think hanging out with my dad is what you had in mind.” Now that was an understatement. “And it’s not exactly what I have in mind either.” He turned me around and stared directly into my eyes. “This is my life now, Kidd, and I want you to be a part of it. Is that okay?”
    “Sure,” I said. Nick put his hands on my upper arms and studied my face. I hoped for another whammy of a kiss before his dad returned. Instead, he pulled me in for a hug.
    More than anybody else, I knew that it’s better to be involved in life than to sit on the sidelines. Nick’s invitation to his new residence spoke volumes about how he felt. While I was unsure of a lot of things, I knew he wouldn’t have brought me here if he didn’t want me to be here. I was an adult. I could learn to act like one. Plus, I was curiously optimistic that Nick’s dad would retire to his bedroom for an early night and we’d have a chance to spend some time alone together.
    Behind me I heard a beer can open. I pulled away from Nick and turned around again. “There’s a documentary on about the Son of Sam. You two want to watch?” Nick Senior asked.
    “Sure,” I said again, feeling the optimism slide away.
    The documentary outlasted Nick Senior. Nick and I maintained our first-date-with-the-parents position, side by side, holding hands. When the credits rolled, he turned to me. “You probably have a full day tomorrow. How about I take you home?”
    “Sure.”
    We covered the four miles in a matter of minutes. Nick pulled into my driveway and threw the car into park. “Thanks for being a good sport, Kidd,” Nick said. “Sorry the Son of Sam monopolized our evening. You never got to tell me about this work project.”
    I had hit overload on the amount of information to process in one night. “It can wait,” I said.
    We sat like that for a few moments, just watching each other, saying nothing. I wondered what he was thinking. If he’d ask me about my own thoughts, I don’t think I could have articulated them. Finally, I reached over and put my hand on his. “Good night, Junior,” I said. I got out of the car and went inside. He didn’t drive away until the door was locked behind me.
    I woke the next morning with Logan chewing on my hair. Two swats and one attempt to bury my head under the pillowcase proved ineffective against his feline determination. I pushed back the covers and went downstairs to