“This.”
Nicole uncovered her eyes and peaked out at Roni.
“You think?” She asked.
“Yes. I love the tiny flowers and the neckline. I bet it looks great on you.” Roni held it out to her and nodded, encouraging Nicole to put it on.
Once she put the dress on, it was easy to accessorize and finish getting ready. She just finished putting her makeup on when she heard Roni letting Kent in the apartment.
Her stomach started to jump and dance at the sound of his voice on the other side of the wall.
Nicole took one last look in the mirror and smiled. She couldn’t believe she was actually going on a date with Kent.
She took a deep breath and opened her door. Kent and Roni were talking in the kitchen; he turned at the sound of her approach, and smiled broadly at her.
“Wow,” he exclaimed, looking her up and down with appreciation. “You look beautiful.”
He walked out of the kitchen to take her hand. She couldn’t help but melt a bit when he brought it to his lips.
“Thank you,” Nicole replied softly.
“Oh, Lordy.” Roni stated.
They both ignored her as Kent guided Nicole to the door, by placing his hand at the small of her back.
“See you later,” Kent said to his sister as they left.
“Don’t stay out too late,” Roni called after them with a chuckle.
As they slid into Kent’s truck he said, “I hope you like barbecue.”
Nicole turned to look at his handsome profile with a smile.
“I am from Texas.”
Kent chuckled at that and pulled away from the apartment.
Nicole realized that neither Roni nor Kent had ever mentioned where they were from, so she figured it was the perfect time to ask.
“I grew up in Dallas, where are you from?” She prompted.
Kent didn’t reply right away, but debated with himself about how much he was willing to reveal. He didn’t usually talk to people about his family. Not even Bree knew about his upbringing that was knowledge shared by him and Roni alone.
“Detroit,” he said finally.
“Really?” She asked, surprised. “I never would have guessed. I’ve never been, do you miss it?”
Kent bit back a bitter laugh, instead shaking his head.
“No.” He realized how abrupt he must sound, so he tried to shift the conversation to Nicole. “How about you? Do you miss Dallas?”
Nicole looked out the window, realizing that Kent didn’t know anything about her. She had discussed her past with Briana and with Roni, but this was her first real conversation with Kent. She knew she would have to tell him everything eventually, if she hoped to have any sort of a real relationship, but she wanted to keep it light tonight.
“No, I’m happy here,” she replied.
“Me too,” he admitted. “I never planned to settle down here, and have been putting my resume out, but I have to admit this town is growing on me.”
“Are you applying at newspapers, or are you looking for a different line of work?”
“Newspapers. I ‘ve applied to all of the big city papers, but it’s a rough time to get hired in journalism right now.”
Nicole’s stomach dropped at the thought of Kent getting hired on somewhere else
Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child