Nic's Devotion: An Endless Series: Book One by Sara Hess

business
degree?” I asked when I got the first mouthful down.
         He finished swallowing and a slight frown appeared
between his eyes. “My dad expects me to go into the family business. Ever heard
of Stanford tools?”
         I wasn’t a big tool girl, but I knew a few top of the
line brands. “Yeah.”
         “Well, my grandfather founded the company, and now it’s
split between my dad, his two brothers, and a sister.”
        Wow! No wonder he had such a nice truck. Inadequacy I
didn’t want to feel began to creep in. I wasn’t ashamed of being broke, but
sitting next to someone who probably came from millions was daunting. It was
mighty hard to keep self-esteem issues from rising.
         Nic had been watching me and must have read my
expression. “Hey, whatever you’re thinking, don’t. I’m the son of someone who
has money, but I’m in school to make my own way just as you are. Let’s forget
about the rest of it and keep our interactions between us.” He reached out and
squeezed my hand.
         “Have you been taking philosophy classes along the
way?” I slipped my hand away making a show of using it to eat. When he touched
me I had a hard time concentrating on other things.
         He picked his burger up. “I’m a student of life.” He
quipped taking a bite.
         I chuckled and teased. “I bet.” My inadequacy didn’t
automatically disappear, but what he said made sense. We were all trying to
find our way in the world.
         After eating a couple more bites I asked him, “You said
your dad expects you to go into the family business; is that not what
you want to do?”
         He slathered a fry in ketchup his face fixed and his
eyes introspective. “I’m not sure. I know I want to continue playing lacrosse.
It’s not something that I can really make a living at, but I do love it.” 
         I watched him thoughtfully wondering what was going on
in his head. “I hate to say this, but I really don’t know anything about lacrosse
except what I learned today.”
         His brooding expression disappeared and he grinned.
“And what was that?”
         God, he was really handsome when he smiled. I had to
shake myself out of a hypnotic daze to answer his question. “That you attach a
lacrosse head to a shaft. The head has a net that catches a ball. You try to
get the ball into a goal net. You wear gloves, arm and chest guards, and a
helmet. And you have groupies that come up to you arbitrarily and glare daggers
at other girls that you’re with.”
         He frowned. “She glared at you?”
         I grinned. “Daggers,” I teased sticking a fry in my
mouth.
         His frown twitched into a grin. “I’m kind of
disappointed. After learning I was a lacrosse player I thought you’d hunt down
all my stats, and know one end of the field to other. I think I’m hurt at the
disinterest.”
         I tapped my lips with a fry. His eyes zinged to the
movement instantly and heated. I ate the fry hastily and cleared my throat.
“Well, I also learned that you are the team captain, you’ve been MVP for the
last two years, and the team has won the championship the last two years. And
you have good character. John reeled it off like rote. It was scary impressive,
especially when he said he could do it for all the big players on campus.”
         “You’re impressed with John’s memory, but I’m not
hearing any gushing about me. Again, I’m hurt. MVP…team
captain…championships…good character over here. Show some love, woman.” Nic
wore a mock affronted expression.
         I rotated my hand back and forth. “Eehh,” I commented
apathetically. 
         His head dropped into his hands. “I’m going to need
therapy after this.”
         I giggled, and thought how glad I was at taking a
chance with him.

Chapter Seven
    NIC
     
         I was having an amazingly good time. I’d never had
feelings like this for a girl before.