Back to the Beach (Hunt Family Book 4) (6 page)

Chapter 7

Nico

Evan and Cody went inside the house as soon as they finished their little talk, but Nico opted to stay on the deck to give himself the chance to cool down. Dee-dee and Christy sat down at one of the tables closer to the back door of the house, leaving Nico on the far side of the deck by himself, a fact for which he was grateful.

He sat on the edge of one of the chairs that was positioned looking out at the ocean. The view of the water was partially obstructed by trees and bushes that lie in between the house and the ocean, but he could still see and hear the waves rolling in. He finished what was left of his coffee in one swig, and set the mug on one of the nearby tables.

The weather was beautiful. He was able to work from his phone while he spent the week at an exquisite beach house on the east coast. He was healthy, he had lots of friends, and he had enough money in his bank account to last him the rest of his life if it came to it. By all accounts, Nico Torres had the world on a string, so why did he feel like it was crashing in on him?

Being a reasonable guy, he sat there and evaluated his feelings as he stared out at the ocean. He experienced an overwhelming feeling of sadness at the idea that he wouldn't be pursuing Mia Hunt. At that very moment, he felt like the woman of his dreams had been ripped away from him. He felt sick about it. He told himself that the only reason he was so torn up about abandoning his pursuits was that it wasn't
his
decision. Logically, this was exactly what was happening. Cody and Evan had forbid him from making any advances on her, so it was suddenly what seemed most important. He told himself this was the case while he sat staring blankly at the ocean.

"What you doing over there all by yourself," Dee-dee called once she saw that Nico wasn't planning on going inside with Cody and Evan. He glanced over his shoulder at the two women who were sitting together, and did his best imitation of a smile.

He didn't trust his voice, so he cleared his throat before he spoke. "I'm just taking in the scenery, I guess," he said.

"You're welcome to come join us, if you want," Dee-dee said.

He didn't want to, and he knew they were just offering to be nice, but he stood up and walked over to them just to avoid declining their offer. Dee-dee patted at the chair next to her as he approached, and Nico sat in it without hesitation. Christy Hunt was sitting in the chair directly across from Nico, and he smiled at her as he sat back. She returned his smile, and the first thing that crossed his mind was that Mia smiled just like her mother. He switched his focus to Dee-dee to avoid having such thoughts.

"Logan told me you're gonna help him open a restaurant in a few years," Christy said, making polite conversation.

Nico reluctantly made eye contact with her. "Yes ma'am," he said. "Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with restaurants, but we'll figure it out as we go."

"You're in retail, though, aren't you?" Dee-dee asked.

"I'm learning the ropes, but that's my dad's expertise. Most of my business so far is real estate—both commercial and residential." Nico was still agitated by the conversation he had with Cody and Evan, and he hoped it didn't show. He smiled again, just in case.

"Denise said you're really successful," Christy said.

He smiled and bowed humbly. "I'm lucky to have my dad to teach me what he knows," he said. "I was able to avoid a lot of the struggle most newbies face."

"Blessed," Dee-dee said.

Nico smiled and nodded at her, even though he wasn't feeling very "blessed" at the moment.

"There's no such thing as luck," she continued.

Nico nodded, but didn't say anything.

"My grandchildren are blessed, too," she said. "They don't face the same hardships their grandfather encountered when he was building the family business. My husband went through a time when he didn’t know where his next meal would come from."

Nico didn't really feel like talking, but he knew he should engage in the conversation in spite of his mood. "I'll bet it was hard to stay positive during times like that," he said.

"David didn't think so," she said. "Even when times were rough, he would whistle, and laugh like he didn't have a care in the world."

"He did love to whistle," Christy said nostalgically.

"He always had a song in his heart," Dee-dee said.

Christy smiled. "I remember one time when we were out to eat, and a man he knew from church came up to our table. Gramps asked how he was doing, and the man went on and on about his aches and pains. We only talked to him for a minute, but he grumbled and complained the whole time."

"I remember that," Dee-dee said, smiling. "Richard Mills."

"Yep," Christy said, pointing at her as if she was glad to have a name to go with the memory. "Anyway, after he walked away, Gramps looked at all of us, shaking his head sadly. 'That's a crying shame', he said. 'It makes me sad to see a Christian man out in the world, selling God short like that. I don't care how bad your situation is. If you so readily complain about it, you're basically telling the world that the God you serve isn't doing a good job taking care of you.'" Christy paused as she smiled and sighed. "It was years ago that he said that, but it was something that really stuck with me."

Dee-dee smiled and reached out to cup her hand over Christy's. She smiled thoughtfully as if missing her husband. "He was a good man."

"He sure was," Christy agreed.

"It's no wonder your whole family turned out so positive," Nico said, feeling like he should add something to the conversation. "Logan and Charlotte could be neck-deep in a big pile of terrible, and they'd still smile and say everything was hunky-dory if you asked them how they were doing."

"Positivity was one of Gramp's finest attributes, and we did our best to pass it to our children."

"I think it worked," Nico said.

He hadn't been raised in a Christian family, but he had been around Logan and Charlotte enough to be exposed to their beliefs. It hadn't occurred to him that their family's positivity had anything to do with their religious beliefs, but it made sense now that Christy explained it that way. He wondered if Cody and Evan's threat had anything to do with the fact that he didn't go to church. He remembered back to them saying that he didn't have the same "values" as Mia, and he thought maybe that's what they were talking about. He felt annoyed and agitated, which was pretty ironic in light of the whole conversation they were just having about positivity. He ran his hand through his dark hair and did his best to smile.

"Have any of y'all seen Mia?" Paige asked, opening the sliding glass door that led onto the deck.

Nico's feeling of agitation intensified at the mention of Mia's name.

"She's sleeping on the third floor," Christy said.

"We've already been up there," Paige said.

"She probably went for a run," Christy said. "She likes to do that first thing in the morning."

Paige scrunched up her face. "Even on vacation?" she asked.

"Who are you looking for?" Denise asked, walking around Paige to get out the door.

"Mia."

"She went jogging," Denise confirmed. "She came down about ten minutes ago and said she'd be back in an hour."

"I didn't even see her," Paige said.

"Did you need anything, sweetheart?" Christy asked.

Paige shook her head. "I just needed to ask Mia something about the salon. One of our suppliers left me a message, and I didn't know how to answer his question."

"She might have her phone with her, if you need to give her a call," Christy said.

Paige shook her head. "I tried already when we couldn't find her upstairs. It's no big deal, I'll just ask her when she gets back."

Nico was trying to keep his cool, but the whole conversation was making him more and more irritated by the second. He told himself, once again, that the reason he wanted her so bad was because someone told him he couldn't have her, but that didn't seem to help.

"It was nice talking to you ladies," Nico said, standing up at the same exact time that Denise sat down.

"I didn't mean to run you off," Denise said, winking at him. "Do I stink or something?"

Logan's mother was like a second mom to Nico, so he knew she was just giving him a hard time.

"It's me who stinks," he said, smiling at her as he slid his chair back under the table. "I think the ocean will take care of it, though."

"You going for a swim?" Dee-dee asked.

"Yes ma'am, I think I will."

She pointed toward the house. "There's some towels right there in the mudroom."

Nico smiled and thanked her before going into the house to put up his mug and grab one of the towels she was talking about.

Dan was in the kitchen cooking eggs when he walked inside, and most of the people in there were sitting around eating. "You hungry?" Dan asked, looking at Nico from over his shoulder.

"No thanks," Nico said, having no appetite whatsoever.

"We'll leave some leftovers in the fridge if you change your mind," Dan said.

"And there's lots of stuff in the pantry," Charlotte added. "Pop-tarts and whatever."

Nico hadn't really noticed Charlotte sitting there until she spoke, and he smiled and waved at her. "Morning," he said.

She smiled. "Morning."

"Where's your brother?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes and pointed upward. "Still upstairs, honking it on like a lazy bum."

"Tell him I went for a swim if he's looking for me when he gets up," Nico said.

Charlotte nodded and gave him a thumbs up as she continued to eat her breakfast.

Nico smiled and greeted a few other family members on his way to the mudroom to get a towel, but he kept all conversation to a minimum. Several others were on their way out to the beach with plans to build a sandcastle, or swim, or whatever they did out there. Nico didn't really care what everyone else was doing as long as they left him alone. He needed some time to think.

The water was fairly calm for a breezy day, and Nico walked out till he was chest deep in it. He swam down the shoreline until Dee-dee's house was a tiny speck in the distance, at which point he stopped, took a break, and started swimming back.

He had always been a strong swimmer, and the physical exertion was just what he needed to clear his mind of all the frustration he was feeling. He wasn't even sure how long he'd been gone, but he was good and exhausted by the time he got back to the Hunt family's stretch of the beach.

There were at least ten people standing around looking at the sandcastle, and a few were in the water. He walked onto the shore feeling slightly better than he did when he left.

"Where did you swim to?" Ryan yelled from where she was standing, which was in knee-deep water.

"I think I went to North Carolina," Nico said, making her giggle.

"That's funny, cause Aunt Mia ran to Georgia." The little girl was pointing down the shoreline in the opposite direction of where Nico had just come.

"That's really hilarious," Paige said. "Mia ran up a few minutes ago, and when Ryan asked where she'd been, she said she ran to Georgia."

"Uh-huh," Ryan agreed, laughing and nodding as she continued to point. "She went that way what leads to Georgia, and you went that way what leads to…" She trailed off and looked at Paige.

"North Carolina," Paige said, smiling. "It's so funny that you both said you went to a different state!" Paige smiled like she was still unable to get over the coincidence.

"Not really. If you go
that
way, you hit Georgia, and if you go
that
way you hit North Carolina," Cody said dryly as he came to stand with the group.

"Yeah, but it's still funny that they both said the same thing," Paige said.

Cody reached down and picked up his daughter, throwing her into the air and catching her as she plunged into the water in a fit of giggles.

This ended the conversation about meaningless coincidences, and gave Nico the chance to walk away without having to figure out what else to say.

Logan and Rachel were on the beach near the place where Nico went to pick up his towel, and he talked to them for a few minutes before heading to the house to take a shower.

He was on the sandy path halfway between the beach and the house when he looked up and saw Mia coming down the stairs with Charlotte and Cub right behind her. He thought the physical exertion had been enough to calm him down, but the sight of her had his heart racing again. He felt angry that he had been forbidden to pursue her, but quickly reminded himself that her brothers had been justified in their concern. He wasn't good enough for her, and he kept reminding himself of that fact as the space closed between them.

Chapter 8

I hadn't seen Nico all morning, and my heart skipped a beat when I realized he was the figure approaching from the distance as I was headed to the beach with Charlotte and Cub. I had the urge to make an excuse to turn back toward the house since I knew that's where Nico was headed, but I knew my intentions would be obvious, so I opted to stay on the path.

I could see from far off that he didn't have on a shirt, and I reminded myself not to stare (or even look for that matter) when we got closer.

"Where'd you go?" Charlotte called from behind me, obviously talking to Nico.

He held up a hand to his ear, indicating that he hadn't heard her over the sounds of the waves.

"Where'd you go?" she repeated once he got a little closer. "You were gone forever."

He smiled, and my heart melted. His face totally changed when he smiled, and the sight of it was irresistible. I glanced at the ground since looking at his shirtless body or his face were both out of the question at the moment.

"I went for a swim," he said once we were close enough to hear each other without yelling.

"We were about to send the coast guard out, you were gone so long," she said.

He let out a quiet laugh that made me look at him. I sort of expected that he would be looking at me when I made eye contact with him, but he wasn't. He was smiling right at Charlotte, who had come to stand next to me. His hair was wet, which made it appear even darker than it already was. It was basically black when it was wet. I couldn't help myself; I just stared at him.

He was smiling, but it was somewhat guarded. "I swam for a while, and then I got out and took a breather before heading back," he said, never taking his eyes off of Charlotte.

"You two are making me feel like a lazy bum," Cub said.

"Mia went for a run," Charlotte explained.

Even at the mention of my name, he still did not look at me.

"I've never been much of a runner," Nico said.

"Aww, bull," Charlotte said. "You and Logan have been racing each other since you were little kids." She laughed and looked at Cub and me. "You'd think they were still thirteen," she said. "They raced each other just last week; I saw them." She paused and reached out to fake a punch at Nico's shoulder even though she couldn't quite reach him from where she was standing. "I won't tell them who always wins because my brother will get mad at me."

Nico let out another little laugh that seemed like a gesture of courtesy. "He beat me the other day," he said.

She laughed. "You weren't happy about it, either. It's because he's preparing for a movie, and his trainer has him doing sprints."

Nico took the towel that was thrown over his shoulder and used it to dry his face and hair. "I'm heading up for a shower," he said. It was clear by the way he phrased it that those were his parting words.

My stomach dropped as I realized that the conversation was over, and he would be walking away without even looking at me once! He had glanced back-and-forth from Charlotte to Cub during the entire conversation, but he never laid eyes on me. I felt like I wanted to cry. I knew this would happen. He regretted kissing me last night, and now things were going to be awkward between us.

He started to step around us in order to continue up to the house, but I was just too stubborn to let him do that. "Are you coming back down to the beach once you finish your shower?" I asked.

He had already begun to walk off by the time the words got out of my mouth, but he turned with a smile when I finished. "I haven't eaten yet, but I might come down in a little while," he called in a cheerful but non-committal tone as he walked away. He glanced in my general direction, but he did it with such swiftness that I wasn't even sure if he was looking at me.

A stabbing sensation went through my heart as my hunch about us being in an awkward situation was confirmed. He could barely even look at me, even when I spoke to him directly.

I was so hurt and angry that I felt like I wanted to pick up the phone and call Travis or any other eligible guy that very instant. I wanted to show Nico Torres just how much I
didn't
care about him. I tried not to watch as he walked away, but it was hard because of the defined muscles in his back.
His back of all places. What sort of person has muscles on their back?
I only allowed myself a couple of seconds to stare at him before turning the other way to head to the beach with Charlotte and Cub.

"What time are we going to the spa tomorrow?" I asked Charlotte since I was desperate to get my mind off of back muscles and lack of eye contact.

I worked at a salon now, so our tradition of having a girls' spa day wasn't as exciting to me as it used to be, but it would still be fun (assuming I could forget about Nico long enough to enjoy it).

Before she even had the chance to answer my question, my thoughts turned to Nico again. I smiled sarcastically when I remembered him saying we should
get it out of our system
last night before we kissed. Apparently, he was completely serious when he said that, and I was, indeed, out of his system. I wished the same were true for me.

"Our appointment's at 2 o'clock, but I thought we would go early and eat lunch like we usually do," Charlotte said, answering my question.

"That sounds good," I said, doing my best to seem like I was in a good mood.

"I wonder what was wrong with Nico," she said, glancing back to make sure he was far enough away not to overhear.

I glanced back as well, but he was already at the top of the stairs with no chance of hearing.

"Why do you say that?" Cub asked.

"He looked mad," she said.

Cub laughed. "He was smiling the whole time," he said.

I kept my mouth shut and my eyes on the path before us, but I could see out of the corner of my eye that Charlotte was shaking her head. "He was smiling, but something was wrong," she said. "I've known Nico long enough to be able to tell when something is bothering him."

"I'm sure he'll work it out," Cub said, obviously not concerned with the other man's mental state.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell them we kissed the night before, and now he was being awkward. I was almost mad enough to say something stupid like that.

"Did
you
think he was acting funny?" she asked, glancing at me as we walked.

I came really close to blurting everything out, but instead, I shook my head and said, "No."

"You're reading too much into it," Cub added. "He's probably just tired from his swim." He paused and let out a little laugh. "Women always assume we are thinking something deeper than we really are," he said.

"All right," she conceded. "But something was bothering him, just so you know. Mark my word."

I was in a slightly vulnerable state as we made our way down to the beach, which was probably the reason why I agreed to let Ryan bury me in the sand. I had already taken a shower and would no doubt require another one afterwards, but I sort of just numbly agreed when she asked me. We spent fifteen or twenty minutes digging a trench deep enough to accommodate me before I climbed into it. Once I did, it only took them five minutes or so to cover me up to my neck.

"I'm so glad you let her do this," Paige said, laughing as she snapped pictures of me. "She needed to get it out of her system so she can stop asking Cody and me."

"I still want to bury you, too!" Ryan said, giggling with delight as she danced around her mom.

"I'll bet Uncle Evan wants to be buried," Paige said.

At least, I thought that was what she said. I couldn't comprehend a single thing they were saying because the phrase
get it out of her system
was on repeat in my brain since the second Paige said it. I would probably never utter that phrase again for the rest of my life.

"Smile, Aunt Mia!" Ryan said.

"She's probably suffocating under there," my mom chimed in.

"Are you?" Paige asked, dropping her camera with a concerned expression.

I smiled and shook my head. "I'm fine."

A few other people snapped photos of me before I freed myself of the heavy sand covering and got to my feet with the help of my brothers. I started to dust myself off but quickly realized that was a lost cause and took a dip in the ocean instead.

Ryan came with me into the water, and we ended up playing in the waves for a little while. We were out at the beach for an hour or two before everyone decided to go inside for lunch. All but a few of us had been out there, so a huge group came into the house all at once.

Nico was sitting at the kitchen island talking to my aunt Denise when we came inside. I was the first one in the door, so he was forced to make unintentional eye contact with me when I opened it.

"I thought you weren't swimming," Aunt Denise said, seeing that my outfit was wet.

"I wasn't planning on it," I said, "but Ryan had me up to my ears in sand, so I had to get rinsed off."

"We buried Aunt Mia, Uncle Evan,
and
my dad," Ryan said as she came into the kitchen behind me.

There were a lot of us down at the beach, so the kitchen went from empty to full in about three seconds.

"We buried you, too," Paige reminded her daughter.

"And we buried me!" Ryan added excitedly.

Nico got to his feet as if he was about to exit the room. There was so much commotion that no one really noticed what he was doing, but I noticed. Roughly ten conversations were going on at once, and most of them were about lunch. I watched as Nico snuck away, walking from the kitchen into the living room.

This was convenient for me because I was also headed in that direction. I had already planned on going upstairs to take a shower, and I had to go through the living room to get to the staircase. I was so aggravated by how he treated me earlier that I was looking forward to talking to him if for no other reason than to make him uncomfortable.

I followed Nico from the kitchen into the living room with no concern about who was watching. I reached out to tap on his shoulder as soon as I got close enough, and he turned to face me.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey."

"Where you going?" I asked, feeling brave.

"I was just gonna step outside and take care of a few work calls," he said.

Charlotte was right; there was an underlying seriousness to his expression in spite of his outward smile. I was staring at him, wondering what I could possibly say next when Evan came and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Can I borrow one of your rubber bands to keep my hair back?" Evan asked, running a hand through his long hair as if it was in his way.

"Sure," I said. "They're in my bag upstairs."

"I'll go with you," Evan said.

I glanced at Nico and was just about to say something about talking to him later, but apparently, he was already done talking to me. He smiled just a little as he lifted his chin toward Evan and me as if he'd see us later.