Chapter One | Nick

She's relentless.

This is my first day back in town, and even though I haven't been successful in dodging her previous attempts, I don't know why I thought today would be any different. Would she ever stop trying to get me down the aisle?

I heave a sigh and glance down at the time on my phone that sits on top of the table, seeing a whole five minutes passed before my mother brought up the topic of my singleness.

And here I thought she'd at least wait until the appetizers were served before she blind-sided me.

Fuck.

The smell of the ocean fills the air around me, my sister is chatting with her husband to my right and one of the servers is filling my mother's glass with ice to my left.

Frustration boils in the pit of my stomach. If she was armed and ready on my first day, then only the Lord knows how many women would be thrown in my path the next few months. You'd think she'd be subtler or that the women would have more pride.

But no. Unfortunately my love life is a game and I'm the prize.

I grab my jacket out of the coat closet near the foyer and slide my phone into my pocket. I slip my arms through the jacket and adjust it over my blue button up. Brunch with my mother is an event, so God forbid I show up in something as casual as jeans and a T-shirt.

"And where do you think you're off to Nicholas?" Ruth Cross asks, standing in the middle of the foyer with a glass of scotch in one hand.

I glance over at my mother, her blonde hair stops below her ears and her gold chiffon blouse is tucked neatly inside a matching pencil skirt.

"I'm not going to sit here and let you offer me up like I'm some prized bull." I tell her as I finish buttoning the last of the buttons on my jacket. "I'm sure I can find some place to eat breakfast where I'm not the one being served on a platter."

She finishes swirling the scotch in her glass and looks at me like she wishes she could go back in time so that I was never born.

What's new?

I wish I could say that's the first time I've seen that look in my mother's eyes, but that wouldn't be the truth.

There's a good chance that the beautiful brunette woman in the living room is a friend of my mother who just happens to be visiting for brunch on my first day back in town. A small chance. She could be an amazing woman that will make any man very happy. Or she could just be a willing participant in my mother's quest to get me to settle down.

I've gotta get out of here. I've got to get out of here now.

Besides, she's not my type, and I would be a bigger dick than my mother already thanks I am if I lead her on. Caitlin is happily married so that just leaves me as the remaining Cross left for grabs whether I liked it or not.

I fold the lapels on my jacket feeling like the family's black sheep.

I exhale deeply, shoving down my frustration for the moment. She's like any mother who wants to see their child married and happy, but I'm not looking to walk down the aisle anytime soon. Or ever.

I can't blame the brunette either. She's probably only doing what she was raised to do— be perfect and land a husband. Maybe that's the problem, they're all just carbon copies of my mother.

Turning around, Ruth sends an apologetic smile towards Kay— the brunette— and downs her scotch while glaring at me over the brim of her glass.

"You're thirty Nicholas," She reminds me. "How much longer do you think you can keep coasting through life with your charm and good looks?"

I grin. "I guess that's the closest thing to a compliment I'll get from you, isn't mother?"

We may just be a small town, and Miami is just a few hours away, but the Cross family owns everything in this small, sleepy city.

I smooth my hands over my suit jacket and make my way towards the front door. "Nicholas, wait!" She calls out to me before I can open the door.

I watch as she hands her now empty glass to a passing server and erases the distance between us.

"You're my only son," she says, gazing at me as if she knew anything about being a loving mother. "I just want you to be happy."

"I know. Just as long as you're the orchestrator right?"

I don't give her time to respond, turning the knob and letting myself out of the mansion that was never my home.

The distance grows between me and the house, and my fingers relax, uncurling from the fist I didn't realize I made.

The fresh air washes over me, the early-morning chill raises the hair on the back of my neck, and I inhale the crisp scent of fresh flowers. I close my eyes and breathe in a lungful.

Spring is here.

Climbing into my car, I pull away from my parent's house, my childhood home, putting as much distance between us until I can no longer see it from my rearview mirror.

I press my foot harder on the gas, excited to get away from this town for a little while. Normally, I'd find a breakfast spot nearby, but now that my mother seems to be on a rampage to marry me off, I need a change of scenery.

A few minutes later, I spot a breakfast diner just twenty minutes outside of town. Parking in the front and making my way inside the diner, I see that it's busy for a Sunday morning, which is great. I need the distraction from my thoughts and the morning I've had so far.

Walking inside, I bypass the counter and head for an empty booth. Some music plays, but no one seems to know the song or care, and I quickly scan the room seeing all kinds of people spread out. There's a family who sits in a booth with their young daughter in her stroller and next to them a few booths behind me is a small group of guys- college pricks from the looks of them. With no other booth available, I walk over and slide in so that my back is facing them.

I sit my phone on the table and pick up the red and white menu, reading the options listed.

I scan the menu and order a black coffee just to start off. I need a little pick me up after the morning I had and they don't serve alcohol-- that was the first thing I scanned the menu for.

I sip my coffee slowly and read through a few emails as I try my best to ignore the conversation the group of college kids is having, but some of it creeps in anyways. I learned that one of them is setting up a bet that says he can get a certain waitress to sleep with him and if he does his buddies owe him a hundred bucks.

Curious to see who their target is, I glance over my shoulder to see a girl with a pencil behind her right ear and a small notepad clutched in her left hand. She's smiling at the guys but it's obvious it's a professional one.

I turn my attention back to my coffee. This is none of my business.

"Four times in one week? Come on guys, the food isn't that good." She teases.

"But the service here is pretty damn impressive." One of the guys replies-- I'm not sure which one though. "Go out with me." He insists.

"I don't date the customers." She replies.

"Oh, come on, I think you can make an exception." The guy tries again.

I do a quick glance over my shoulder to see that the guy grab her by her wrist and she looks frightened.

"Everything okay over here?" I give them all my complete attention.

"Everything is fine old man. Mind your business."

"Actually everything is not fine because I heard the girl tell you she's not interested. And I'll mind my business when she tells me to."

"I think it's time for you guys to go." She replies, sounding angry herself.

Ring Leader is at a loss for words but his eyes burn bright with agitation. Clearly I messed up his plans for the day.

I haven't looked at her though, not wanting to give the Ring Leader a chance to think I won't lay his ass out on the ground if he tries to lie to my face. He seems to think about it then changes his mind and stands up from the booth. "I don't like black girls anyways."

Mother-fucker...

I stand up, easily towering over this kid by a few inches, and glare him and his buddies down. There's three of them and one of me. But I like my odds.

"Don't come back here again. Ever." I warn them and they walk off without a fight, probably too concerned about messing up their pretty faces rather than face me.

I watch the three of them walk away until the last one is out the door before turning back to the waitress. She stares at me as if I suddenly grew two heads.

"I'm sorry," I shove my hands in my back pocket. "I shouldn't have stepped into your business like that."

She hesitates a moment then blinks, clenching and unclenching the notepad in her hand. "Thank you." She continues to stare at me as if I'm a new species. "Most guys wouldn't have stepped in."

Most guys are assholes. "I would've felt bad if I didn't say anything."

"Thanks again." The girl who I saved from the douchebag gives me a small smile. "I should go home."

The look in her eyes tells me that's the last place she wants to go.

"Or you can sit and save me from eating alone." I offer.

She shoots me a look, and temporarily the haunted look in her eyes disappears only to be replaced by skepticism. I take in her five feet-and-three inches frame, the outline of curves evident through her uniform and rich mahogany complexion. I've had my share of women in the last thirty years but there was no mistaking the youth on her face. She had to be at least nineteen. Twenty?

I hold my hand up in surrender. "Feel free to turn me down." I say. "If you want free breakfast and mediocre conversation then I'm your guy."

She slides into the booth and eyes me skeptically. "Only mediocre huh?"

I feel my mouth spreading into a wide smile as I slide into the booth across from her. "I'm afraid so."

She smiles a little before holding out a hand toward me. "I'm Talia."

"Talia?" I repeat, taking her hand and shaking it."That's a beautiful name. I'm Nicholas, Nick for short."

"It's an unusual name," She argues. "But thank you. And it's nice to meet you, Nick."

"You're going to have to tell me what's good. I've never been here before." I told her, picking up my menu again.

"That much is obvious." She tells me. "Where are you from?"

"Up the road a ways," I tell her. It was best if she didn't know my last name and learn who my family is. People tend to act differently around me when they learn I'm a Cross.

"Well Nick, from up the road a ways- thanks again for speaking up for me." She says.

"So, is serving coffee to college pricks always what you wanted to do?" I ask, curious.

"Not even close." Talia answers. "I'm a fashion designer. Or at least I want to be. I can't wait to see people wearing my clothes one day."

"That's amazing. I'm a teacher."

She gives me a half-smile. "You don't look like a teacher."

"Is that your nice way of telling me I look bad?"

Talia shakes her head. "No, the complete opposite."

She looks at me through her lashes, piercing me with her chocolate eyes, but then my gaze drops to her mouth, noticing her cherry-stained lips and how plump they are, and I clear my throat, distracting me from my thoughts. I shouldn't be noticing anything about her.

"What made you decide to want to be a designer?" I ask her.

"I want to make people feel confident. If you're wearing the right outfit, you can fake just about any amount of confidence you want," she explains."What about you?"

I exhale loudly. No one's ever asked me that before.

"Well, if you ask my parents they'd say I did it to piss them off," I start. "But the reason I became a teacher is because I knew this woman who used to work for my family. She was the only person who actually gave a damn about me in that house. She would read me stories before bed any chance she got and the way she talked about books fascinated me. When I asked her why she loved reading so much she told me; reading is the thing you do when you're tired of being you." I said.

I had to be seven years old when she told me that and it stuck with me for the last twenty-three years.

Talia continues to look at me so I go on. "So ever since then, I read as many books I could get my hands on, and when I was old enough I wanted to be the one that got other kids interested in reading and literature and the power that words have and here I am." I finished.

She smiles. "I've never heard anyone speak so passionately before about what they do. It's refreshing."

I've never had anyone seem genuinely interested. That was also refreshing.

"You decided to hang with us a little longer." A new voice says, and Talia and I both turn our heads to the newcomer.

It's a woman who appears to be in her mid-thirties with brown skin, average built, with a no-nonsense attitude in her eyes.

"Nick, this is Rhonda, my manager. Rhonda, this is Nick. He saved me from the biggest mistake of my life."

"Maybe the biggest mistake for the next twenty minutes, let's be honest." I correct her, a teasing glint in my voice before turning my attention to Rhonda. "Hi. It's nice to meet you. The food here smells incredible." I stand up from my seat to shake Rhonda's manicured hand.

Rhonda shakes my hand with a warm smile. "Thank you. And how exactly did you save my Talia?"

Talia beats me to it before I can answer. "Turns out Eric? That guy that's been coming in here all week- him and his friends don't understand the word no."

"I knew I didn't like that boy." Rhonda shakes her head.

"I may have ruined them coming back for you." I admit.

Rhonda waves me off. "We were doing fine before them and we'll keep doing fine."

"That's right." Talia agrees.

"So what can I get you two?" Rhonda looks between me and Talia and I look at Talia to order.

"We'll have two Old Timer meals with," She looks at me. "Bacon or Sausage?"

"Bacon."

"With bacon please." She orders.

"Coming right up." Rhonda says before taking our menu from us and then walking away.

"So, what are you? Twenty?" I ask. Maybe she just had a young face.

"Sure... in two years." Talia answers. That put her at eighteen. Jesus.

"Wow." I whistle as I let out a low breath.

"What?" She places both her hands on the table. "Was that another lifetime for you?"

"Yeah," I admit. "To be that young again..." I shake my head, just thinking about how much time has passed since then.

"What, you'd do things differently?"

I think of the past thirty years filled with experiences, memories, failures, and accomplishments. "No."

I noticed her eyes widen at the admission. "Really? Not one thing?" She doesn't look like she believes me.

"Not one. I mean, everything I've done- mistakes and all, they've made me who I am today. Am I perfect? No. Far from it. But I like who I am and I wouldn't change anything that made me who I am."

"I think you're the first person to tell me they wouldn't change anything."

"Those people are usually the ones who don't want to own up to the decisions they've made. I own up to mine."

"And you don't regret anything? Even chances not taken?"

"I don't regret anything," I told her. She seems to mull over my words and just when I'm about to ask her what she's thinking, Rhonda approaches the table.

"Two Old Timers with bacon." She announces, setting two plates of multigrain pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon in front of Talia and me. "I threw in a lemonade for you Tally."

"Thanks Rhonda." She smiles gratefully before Rhonda walks off to tend to other customers.

"This looks amazing," I say, looking over the food. No wonder this place was so packed.

"It's the best food in town." Talia tells me, picking up her fork. She's just about to dig in but then she pauses. "You don't like me do you?" She asks me, taking me off guard.

"Uh. Is this a trick question?"

"I'm just asking because I want to know if I can pig out or not." She says, and I can't help it, I laugh.

"Please, go ahead and pig out. Don't let me stop you." I tell her and she thinks about it for a second before doing just that, digging eagerly into her pancakes.

It's quiet for a few minutes while we both eat our breakfast and I can't help but sneak another look at her.

Her hair is the darkest shade of brown, her eyes remind me of pools of melted chocolate. Her cheekbones are obvious on her round-shaped face, a straight nose, and my gaze is drawn to the plumpness of her lips once again as she sips her drink. She's short, curvy, and stunning, and her eyes suddenly flash up from her food as if she senses my staring.

Get it together man. She's going to think you're a creep.

I mean, it's legal right? She's eighteen. As beautiful as she is though, I prefer my woman old enough to drink, with career and a steady income. She's got her whole life to figure out.

For the next twenty minutes, we eat and laugh, and I cover my mouth a few times to keep the food from flying out of my mouth and laugh when she does the same. After a while, I notice my coat jacket is off and her hair is out of its ponytail and we've relaxed with each other.

I don't spend much time with people other than my sister and her family. I'm not used to spending this much time with the opposite sex who wasn't sent by my mother or that I wasn't trying to take home. It's nice to talk to a woman who doesn't have an agenda or expects anything out of me.

By the time our plates are cleared, I forget all about my overbearing mother, the woman who waited for me this morning or the fact that I go back to work tomorrow.

A waitress comes over and takes away our plates and I slip a forty dollar bill in the waitress's hand to pay for our meal then I slide out from the booth and stand on my feet. I'm not ready to go home. She stands up too, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Thanks for keeping me company." I tell her, slipping my arms back into my suit jacket. "I promise to mind my own business from now on."

I follow behind Talia, watching her as she gives Rhonda a small wave before she lets herself out of the diner, the door shutting behind us.

She turns to face me. "It was nice meeting you Nick." She holds out her hand for me to shake.

I can't help but smile before I outstretched my arm and took her hand in mine.

I wouldn't call the feeling that overcame me butterflies but a warm feeling washed over me the second our hands touched, taking me completely off guard.

"It was nice meeting you Talia." I told her. And it was. I couldn't help but think if she was only ten years older- hell, three years older- I would've asked her out. But she's eighteen. Barely legal. She's off-limits.

"Oh and for the record, it's okay if you want to get in my business." Her eyes widen once she realizes how her words sounded and instantly her cheeks flush. "Not like that!"

I chuckle. Damn she's cute. "Bye Talia."

She smiles. "Bye Nick."