Chapter Text
“Oooh, Nancy, how about this guy?”
Nancy closed her eyes and sighed. She’d lost count now of how many times she’d heard those exact words spoken by Bess. This had to have been at least the twentieth iteration of the same question. If she had known how annoying the English rose with pretty eyes would be about this whole online dating thing, she never would have let her set up a profile for her on that stupid dating app.
“Open your eyes,” Bess instructed. “Trust me. I think you’ll like this one.”
With a groan, Nancy slowly reopened her eyes to see her own phone being held up to her face only a couple of inches away. Backing away so she wasn’t looking cross-eyed at it, she took the phone from Bess and examined the photo staring back at her.
The guy in the picture was good-looking. He had a nice smile. And kind eyes. But his hair was a bit too short for her taste, cropped close to the scalp. Nothing to run her fingers through. Not that it was a big deal. Nancy certainly wasn’t going to dismiss a possible love interest just for that. Besides, hair could always be grown out—
“His name is Josh,” Bess said. “He’s twenty-one, just graduated from college. Don’t know which one, though; his profile doesn’t say. But he’s cute, right?”
Yes. He was very cute. And he was the first hit on her profile that didn’t automatically make her skin crawl. So far, she seemed to only be attracting older men in their mid-to-late thirties, which made her think Bess must have forgotten to set the age range of what Nancy found to be acceptable, which was no older than twenty-five.
But she hadn’t cared enough to change it, or to ask Bess to. She wasn’t really planning on going on a date with any of these guys. She’d only allowed Bess to create her profile to humor her. Everyone thought she was mourning her relationship with Gil—even though she had been the one to dump him, and even though he’d been a toxic influence in her life. They were concerned about her. They thought maybe she just needed to have a little fun. They weren’t wrong. She just didn’t think she was going to find what she was looking for with some random guy she met on a dating app.
“What do you think?” Bess asked, eyebrows raised. A hopeful smile on her face.
“Did Nancy get another hit?” George asked, entering the kitchen. She set down an armful of dirty plates next to the sink before making her way over to glance down at Nancy’s phone. “How many grandchildren does this one have?” She gave Nancy a smirk, but it quickly disappeared as soon as she saw the photo. “Oh, wait, never mind. Hel-lo, hottie.”
Nancy rolled her eyes and turned off her phone. “I’m going to go put this away in my locker, so you people will stop harassing me about this.”
George crossed her arms over her chest. “Aw, c’mon, Drew, we’re only trying to help.”
“Yeah, Nancy,” Bess agreed.
“I know. But I’m just not in the mood right now to even think about going on a date with somebody.”
Bess twisted her face in confusion. “Then why did you have me set up your dating profile?”
“Because you were insisting on doing it whether you had my blessing or not, and I figured it would just be easier if I caved and let you do it.”
“Oh.” Bess pouted in disappointment. “Very well, then. We’ll stop harassing you about it.”
George snorted. “Speak for yourself.” She turned to Bess. “By the way, table five wants to order dessert. Would you mind maybe, I don’t know, getting back to work?”
“Right. Work.” Bess nodded. “On it.”
She rushed out of the kitchen with George trailing behind and Nancy just shook her head and chuckled.
She loved her friends, even when they were being obnoxious.
As she headed into the back room to put her phone in her locker, it rang in her hand, startling her. When she glanced down to see who was calling, a small smile pulled at her lips.
“Hi, Ryan,” she answered as the descended the steps. “What’s up?”
“Hey, Nance,” her father said, his voice sounding slightly frazzled. “I tried calling Carson first, but he didn’t answer. I’m attempting to cook dinner tonight, but the recipe I’m following is calling for broiling, but I—Nancy, I don’t know what that means.”
Doing her best to keep herself from laughing at his ineptness, she said, “Calm down, Ryan. It’s a setting on the oven. You just have to hit a button.”
“Yeah, I saw that, but what do I do after I hit the button?”
Nancy’s smile grew wider as she began to explain broiling to a man who, up until just about a month ago, was used to having other people do everything for him. He’d been living with her and Carson now for weeks, and things had been going surprisingly well. He and Carson rarely bickered anymore, he was learning how to cook, clean and do his own laundry, and he and Nancy had finally had a chance to start bonding with each other. Every Friday was family game night with her two dads, and she’d always end up beating them both at whatever game they played.
Although a part of her had to wonder if they were both letting her win.
She was just finishing up her broiling instructions when she heard a commotion coming from the dining area. Must be somebody’s birthday, she thought, and was suddenly relieved Ryan had chosen to call her when he did. She absolutely hated having to sing to customers celebrating their birthdays, but the last time she’d skipped out on it, George had proceeded to bitch her out for a full sixty seconds about how she needed to be more of a team player and blah, blah, blah.
Not wanting to experience that again, Nancy cut herself off and say, “Ryan, I’ve gotta let you go. I’m at work. If you still can’t figure out broiling, just…look up a how-to video on YouTube video or something.”
“Wait, but—” Ryan began to say, but she ended the call before he could finish.
After quickly tossing her phone into her locker, Nancy rushed up the stairs and out of the kitchen. As soon as she stepped into the dining room, where the loud and excited voices could still be heard, she froze.
She stopped breathing.
And maybe her heart stopped beating, too.
Because all the commotion she’d heard wasn’t from some customer’s birthday celebration.
It was from a welcome home celebration.
For Ace.
She hadn’t seen him in nearly a month. Hadn’t spoken to him, either. Or texted with him. There’d been nothing but radio silence between them for twenty-eight days. The longest they’d gone without talking since the day they met. Hell, even that first day after he left was the longest they’d ever gone without at least a text message.
He looked the same but different. Different because his skin had a little more color and his hair was a little longer, but his smile was still the same. He looked happy as he held a very excited Bess in his arms. She was talking a mile minute, probably telling him about every little thing that had happened in her life since he’d left, while George and Nick just looked on in amusement. Once Bess finally quieted down, Ace let her go and said something to the three of them before finally turning his head in Nancy’s direction.
And looking directly at her.
Her breath hitched in her throat as his eyes met hers. And suddenly, he didn’t look as happy anymore. His smile waned, and an emotion she couldn’t quite place flashed across his features.
She didn’t know he was coming home today. According to what Bess had told her just this morning, he was still supposed to be gone for two more days. She thought she’d had more time to prepare. More time to convince herself that she wasn’t nervous about his return. More time to convince herself that she’d gotten over whatever feelings she thought she might have had for him after their moment on the bluffs in her dreamscape. More time to remind herself that what happened there hadn’t been real. And that dreams didn’t always have to mean something.
Panicking, Nancy immediately tore her gaze away from his and turned, pushing open the door to the kitchen and disappearing back inside it.
Heart pounding in her chest, Nancy closed her eyes tightly and held her breath. You idiot. Why did you just do that?
Because she wasn’t ready to see him. She thought she would be. After twenty-eight days, why wouldn’t she be? A near-month was a significant amount of time. Her relationship with Gil hadn’t even lasted that long. That was more than enough time to get over—
“Nancy?”
At the sound of his voice behind her, Nancy’s eyes flew back open, and she spun around on her heel so quickly, she almost toppled over sideways. Clearing her throat, she quickly regained her composure and smiled up at him.
The smile felt too big for her face.
“Oh. Hi, Ace.” She sounded surprised. Like she had no idea that he was back. Like they hadn’t just had a mini staring contest with each other out in the dining room.
“Hi, Nancy.” His voice was soft, like it always was. And he was standing close. So close that she could smell his aftershave. The scent was intoxicating. She’d always been particularly fond of it. Even before she—
“Welcome back,” she somehow managed to say.
Ace returned her smile. His looked more sincere than hers had felt. “Thanks.”
Once again, their gazes locked as a moment of silence passed between them. Quiet moments like that used to feel so normal for them. Comfortable. Now, they felt excruciating. And the silence was deafening.
“How was your—” she began, at the exact same time he started with, “How are y—” and they shared a small chuckle.
“You go first,” Nancy said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She subtly took a small step back to distance herself from him. She wondered if he noticed.
“Okay,” he said with another smile. “I was just going to ask how you’re doing. The last time I saw you, you were…well, you know.”
The last time he saw her, she was still covered in cuts and bruises and weak from massive blood loss. It made sense he’d want to know how she was doing.
“I’m doing okay,” she said. “I’m all healed.” She held up her arms to show him. “On the outside, anyway. Still working on the inside.”
Ace nodded. “Bess said you started going to therapy?”
“Yep. Once a week.” It had been highly suggested by Carson and Ryan that Nancy go talk to someone. A professional. Normally, she would have been against the idea of going to see a shrink. But she knew she needed it. This wasn’t the time for her to be stubborn, or to let pride get in her way.
Admitting she needed help was the first step to getting better.
“That’s great, Nancy. Really.” Ace lifted a hand and placed it gently on the side of her arm, but just as quickly as he’d put it there, he took it away. As if realizing he wasn’t supposed to do that.
The contact was brief, but it was just long enough to make her heart skip beats and to make her breath catch in her throat.
Dammit.
She’d hoped this wouldn’t happen. She’d hoped that by the time Ace had returned from his trip, she’d be over whatever feelings she thought she might have had for him. He’d even been kind enough to call up Nick on the thirteenth day of his trip and extend it by a couple of weeks, giving Nancy more time to get over it. To get over him.
But it hadn’t been long enough, apparently. She needed more time.
But now that time was going to be spent with him here. She would have to see him every day. Hear his voice. Smell his aftershave. How was that going to help anything?
“S-so,” Nancy stuttered. She took yet another step back. “How was your vacation? Tell me everything.”
Please tell me nothing, she silently urged him. I don’t want to hear about your romantic trip with your girlfriend. I can’t handle that right now.
“It was…good.” Ace leaned against the prep table and stared down at its surface. “We went a lot of places. Saw a lot of things.”
And made a lot of love—
Nancy swallowed hard, trying to force that thought out of her head.
Well, it’s probably true. Alone together in a different motel room every night with nothing else to do…
“Are you feeling okay?”
The sound of Ace’s voice derailed her train of thought—thank God—and she looked up to see his brow furrowed as his concern-filled eyes scanned her from head to toe.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” Nancy crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “I’m just…tired. I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
Ace frowned. “Is everything okay? Are you—” His question was cut off by the sudden dinging of his phone. He was getting a text. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he looked down at the screen and frowned. “Um…sorry to cut this conversation short, but it’s Amanda. She—”
“It’s fine,” Nancy cut him off with a dismissive wave. She didn’t care to hear any more. “Go. We can catch up later.”
He smiled. “We can talk tonight. Bess is throwing me a welcome-home party here after you guys close.”
Nancy arched an eyebrow. “If it’s a surprise, how do you know about it?”
Ace’s smile turned into a grin. “C’mon. It’s Bess. She’s terrible at keeping secrets. It was the first thing she told me as I walked through the door.”
Nancy laughed. Bess really was terrible at keeping secrets. “Okay. We’ll talk tonight, then.”
“Okay,” Ace said. “See you then.” He turned to leave the kitchen, but as soon as his hand was on the door, he stopped and turned back around. “Oh, by the way, when I stopped at home, my mom mentioned you came by looking for me the day I left on my trip. Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”
Nancy held her breath as her heart began to pound against her rib cage. She’d been hoping Rebecca would forget all about her visit to his house that day. Or, at the very least, just not mention it to him. What was she supposed to say to that? Yes, Ace, I wanted to talk to you about how I think I might be falling in love with you. No big deal or anything. You know—just normal best friend stuff.
She’d had a momentary lapse in judgement that day. She had spent the entire drive home from Ace’s house—with the Tupperware container of his mom’s cookies riding shotgun—wanting to bash her forehead repeatedly against the steering wheel for being so damn stupid. Would she have actually confessed her feelings to him had he been there? While knowing he had a girlfriend? That would have made her a terrible person. And a terrible friend. Ace probably would have gotten mad at her for it, right after telling her he could never possibly feel the same way about her. Her confession would have ruined their friendship. Their partnership. Their work relationship. It would have ruined everything.
Nancy had spent the last twenty-eight days counting her lucky stars that he had already left that day. So, she certainly wasn’t going to tell him anything now. She was never going to tell him. He was never going to find out.
“You know,” Nancy said finally with a shrug, “it was so long ago, I don’t even remember why I stopped by. I think it was maybe just to say goodbye and to tell you to have fun on your trip.”
Ace didn’t look like he believed her as his eyes danced across her face. Like he was searching for more. Searching for the truth. But he wasn’t going to find it. Because she was currently in the process of burying that truth. Repressing it so far down that eventually even she wouldn’t be able to find it.
He opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted when Bess suddenly came barging through the door, pushing him back and nearly knocking him over.
“Oh, whoops!” Bess exclaimed. “Sorry, Ace!”
“Watch it, Bess,” he said lightheartedly. He glanced back at Nancy and gave her another smile, but this one didn’t seem as genuine. “I’ll catch you guys later,” he said before disappearing out of the kitchen.
“Where’s he off to?” Bess asked Nancy.
“To see Amanda,” Nancy replied dryly.
Bess giggled. “Didn’t he just see her enough for the last month?”
Nancy could feel a wave of bile making its way to her throat. “Apparently not,” she muttered, making her way to the door to head back out into the dining room. At the last second, she stopped. Before she knew what she was doing, she turned back around. “Hey, Bess?”
“Yes?” Bess asked as she grabbed her tray from the counter.
Nancy shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot. “Um, so I’ve been giving it some thought, and I decided that maybe meeting that Josh guy for coffee or something wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.”
Bess gasped and tossed her tray onto the prep table, earning a glare from one of the line cooks. “Omigosh! Nancy! You’re really going for it?”
“Yeah, I really am.” She threw her hands up in defeat. “Why not?”
Squealing, Bess rushed over to Nancy and threw her arms around her. “Nancy! I’m so happy to hear this! This is so great!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Nancy let Bess hug her tightly for a few seconds before finally prying her off. “Just…tell me what I need to do to make it happen.”
“Absolutely! Where’s your phone?”
“In my locker. I’ll go get it.”
Nancy wasn’t happy with her decision. She hadn’t even been aware that she’d made the decision before she said it out loud to Bess. She wasn’t in the mood to date anyone right now. She wasn’t even sure she knew how to date anymore. She and Gil had never gone on a date. Neither had she and Owen. She never even went on an official date with Nick.
But it didn’t matter. It had to be done. She had to get herself back out there. Even her therapist had said it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to seek some human companionship with someone outside of her normal group of friends. Somebody normal. Somebody who had no idea what a wraith was, or who had never seen a ghost. Or who had never been accused of murder.
This would be a good thing for her. A healthy thing.
Besides, Nancy was now on a mission to get over Ace. And the only way to do that was to fall for somebody else.