[Allyson Devereaux.]
“Um, this is Nick. Nick Carter.”
[Hi, Nick. Run into anyone else lately?]
He could clearly hear the smile in her voice, and he couldn’t help smiling himself. “Nope. Just you.”
[Then I feel honored.]
He paused for a moment, and silence stretched between them. “Do you wanna have lunch this week?”
He could hear paper shuffling in the background.
[Let me check and see what my class schedule is.] Allyson ran her finger over her planner. [I’m free on Friday. Is that good for you?]
He looked at his planner. Could he wait two days? “Yeah, that’s good. Any place in particular you like? I’m pretty flexible when it comes to food.”
[How about Don Pablo’s near the campus? Around one?]
“Sounds good.”
Pencil scratches could be heard on both sides of the phone. [I’ll see you then, Nick.]
“Bye, Allyson.”
He put the phone down and ran his fingers through his hair. %I can do this. I can do this.%
The next two days passed slowly and quickly, alternating their speeds to drive Nick crazy. After dragging Meredith to the mall and making her sit through an hour of clothes shopping, she finally threw some shirts at Nick and stalked out of the store to sit on a bench outside. He purchased the shirts she had thrown at him and the jeans he had picked out, sheepishly sitting down beside Meredith when he finished.
“Sorry.” He twisted the bag in his fingers.
Her hand settled on his, stopping his movements. “Relax, Munchkin. You’re not getting married. It’s just lunch. You can leave any time you like.”
“I think that I could really, really like her.”
“I can tell.”
“And I want her to like me.”
“I know. And if she’s as smart as you think she is, she will.”
Nick couldn’t help hugging the older woman. She had done so much for him in the way of showing him that Nick Carter was just as important as Nick Backstreet.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Let’s go eat now. I told AJ we’d meet him at one for lunch. If we don’t hurry, there’s no telling what he’ll color, pierce, or tattoo.”
Nick laughed and followed her to the car.
On Friday, he carefully laid his clothes out on the bed, making sure his dogs didn’t get any hair on them. He took a shower, relishing the hot water as it relaxed him. He shaved carefully then ran some gel through his hair to give it a messy look. Last, he brushed his teeth twice and gargled with mouthwash.
Walking into the bedroom, he stared at his t-shirt and jeans, worried that it wouldn’t look right. With a chuckle, he realized that he was acting like a spaz. He pulled on some boxer-briefs, donned his jeans, and pulled on his shirt. He slipped on some sandals and headed downstairs. After making sure he had fed and watered the dogs, he realized it was time to head out. He took his time, playing a Journey CD to calm his nerves as he headed for the restaurant.
Pulling into the parking lot, he saw he was a few minutes early and decided to wait in the car so he could avoid any hassles in the restaurant. Within a couple of minutes, he saw Allyson get out of a car that had pulled up. He stepped out of his Durango and called out to her.
“Allyson!”
She turned and smiled when she saw him, waiting for him to meet her at the door. “Hi, Nick. How are you today?”
“Good. How about you? How’s class?”
“I’m good, and some days are better than others.”
They walked in and were seated quickly since the lunch hour was on the downhill slide towards dinner. Their waitress brought out chips and salsa, taking their drink orders before she left. There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other.
“Um.” “Well.”
Trying to talk at the same time kind of eased the tension as they chuckled. He motioned towards her. “Please, you go first.”
Allyson smiled at him, a bit shy. “I was just going to say I hate these first date things where you’re never sure what to say or do.”
He smiled back at her. “Me, too. Can’t we just skip to the third date and be done with it?”
She laughed, and he liked listening to her. “Wouldn’t that be nice.”
The waitress returned with their drinks and took their orders. As they sipped their tea, they each tried to figure out how to broach the subject of their lives.
“Tell me, what brings Allyson Devereaux to UCF?”
Allyson paused in mid sip then finished swallowing. She always hated to start because when she told guys what her life was like, they immediately backed away and couldn’t wait to get away from a woman whose IQ was probably higher than theirs. Allyson decided she would just tell him everything and see how long it took for him to try and end their lunch date. Shifting her glass on the table, she stared down into the liquid.
“Well, I’m originally from New Orleans. My parents moved here when I was three. They discovered I was a pretty bright kid, so I got put in advanced classes. I graduated high school at 16, got my bachelor’s at 19, master’s at 20, and my doctorate at 22. I bummed around Europe for about nine months, then came back here and joined the staff at UCF about two years ago. I’m a math teacher.”
He stared at her, amazed at everything she had accomplished. He quickly added up her age then looked at her. “You don’t look 25.”
She smiled. “I think that’s what makes me so popular with the kids. I can relate to them better than some of the other professors.”
“Well, I never had a math teacher like you. I’m sure I would have paid more attention if I had.”
Allyson couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. “So, tell me about you.”
“I spent most of my school life being tutored, then ended up getting my GED because I spent so much time traveling.” Nick looked down at the table, too, as he gave her a bit of history.
“Must be hard to study when you’re on stage.”
His head popped up when she spoke. “You know who I am?”
“One of my students saw us talking and couldn’t wait to find out what Nick Carter’s really like. I have heard your music, and I like it, but I don’t think I’ve seen any of your videos. I like Millennium better than the other one, I have to tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because it sounds like it’s meant for an adult. Not that the first one was bad or anything, but you guys sound like you’ve grown up some. If I want kiddie music, I’ll listen to Barney.”
Their food arrived, and they took a few moments to get situated. Their conversation drifted to other topics, and Nick discovered she loved football, but her favorite team was the Saints.
“How can you like the Saints?”
“Hometown loyalty. Besides, I like rooting for the underdog.”
“But you spent most of your life here.” He gestured in the air with his fork as he talked.
She found the movements adorable, and strangely sexy. “Yeah, well, I’ve still got family there, so I get to go to the games whenever I’m down there and the team is home.”
“I’ll have to take you to a Bucs game, then. Just so you can see what you’re missing.”
Realizing the implication, but wondering if he did, she nodded. “It’s a date.”
Nick gave her a huge grin.
When they finished their meal and most of the first-date conversation, he paid for lunch. They walked out into the sunshine, and he escorted her to her car. As they stood there, he shuffled his feet and looked down for a moment. When he looked back at her, there was a little bit of worry in his eyes.
“Will you go out with me tonight?”
Allyson breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t left skid marks in his haste to escape. “I’d like that. What are we going to do?”
“How about a movie?”
“I haven’t seen the new Highlander. Want to see that?” Her face lit up at the thought.
He was a little surprised that she would be interested in something like that. He expected a foreign movie with lots of subtitles, which he was prepared to suffer through just to see her again. He nodded quickly.
“Sounds good. Do you want me to pick you up, or do you want to meet somewhere?” He didn’t want Allyson to feel uncomfortable with him knowing where she lived.
She pulled another card out of her purse and wrote her address on it. “How about sevenish? There’s a theater down from my house, and it’s pretty quiet for the most part.”
Nick took the card and slid it into his back pocket. “I’ll be there.”
He snapped his fingers as a thought occurred to him. He pulled out a card from his wallet and wrote his home and cell phone numbers on it. He handed it to her.
“Just in case you need to get in touch with me for anything.” Allyson took the card and slid it into her jeans, then held out her hand.
He just stared at her.
“If you’ll hand me my card back, I’ll write my home phone number on there.”
“Oh, okay.” He handed it back to her, and she added her number to the back.
He placed it back into his pocket.
“Well.”
“Well.”
She unlocked her car, he opened the door for her. “I’ll see you tonight.”
She nodded and smiled at him, glad that he hadn’t run. “I look forward to it.”
“Bye, Allyson.”
She touched his hand before she got into the car. He shut the door, and she started it, rolling down the window. “Bye, Nick.”
He watched her drive away, then kind of bounced back to his Durango. Climbing in, he started it and switched CDs to something a little more lively. Cranking up the volume, he sang along with Kid Rock as he drove home.
***Backstreet Boys****Backstreet Boys*****Backstreet Boys****Backstreet Boys******Backstreet Boys***
Allyson called later that afternoon.
[Hi, Nick. It’s Allyson.]
For a moment, he panicked, wondering if she was going to cancel. “Hi. What’s up?”
[Just wanted to let you know the first movie starts at 7:30. Is that okay? Maybe we can do some dinner afterwards.]
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, sounds good. I’ll be at your place by seven.”
[I’ll see you then. Bye.]
“Bye.” Nick carefully laid the receiver back in the cradle then began to dance around the living room. His dogs just stared at him.
Since the nights were starting to get a little cooler, he changed into a long-sleeve Journey t-shirt and put on sneakers. At 7:02, he knocked on Allyson’s front door.
A feminine voice could be heard on the other side of the door, but it didn’t sound familiar. A young woman answered the door and just stood there, staring in shock.
“Oh my God, you’re Nick Carter.” She pressed a hand to her chest.
He smiled at her. “Is Allyson here?”
The girl looked over her shoulder and yelled toward the back of the house. “Ally, he’s here.”
She opened the door wider, inviting him in. “I’m sorry. You surprised me. I’m Nina Devereaux, Allyson’s cousin. Please come in.”
Nick shook her hand before stepping into the hall. He was immediately struck with a sense of family. There were pictures lining the hall leading toward the living room, different sizes and frames giving the entire wall the feel of a mural. He stopped and looked at them, smiling when he recognized Allyson in her Saints jersey.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Nina watched him, still a little surprised, but getting over it quickly.
“Yeah, it is.”
“And if you measured them, you’d see they’re all exactly one and a quarter inches apart.”
He turned around in amazement, raising an eyebrow.
“She’s a math freak, remember.”
Nick just nodded slowly, unsure of how to respond to Nina’s assessment.
“I’m not a freak, I’m just particular.” Allyson stood in the doorway to the living room.
Nick spun around, a huge grin filling his face when he saw her. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She came to greet him, giving her cousin a mock glare. “Don’t you have homework to do?”
Nina rolled her eyes then smiled. “Y’all have a good time at the movies.” She turned to face Nick. “Don’t keep her out too late.”
Allyson swatted the back of Nina’s head as she laughed. The pair watched the young woman disappear into the back of the house, leaving them alone.
“Well.”
“Well.” Folding her hands behind her back, Allyson rocked on her toes a bit.
“Are you ready to go?” Nick pushed his glasses farther up his nose with his finger.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Bye, Nina.” Allyson yelled towards the back of the house, smiling at Nina’s “Bye.”
They two walked out of the house, and Allyson locked the door behind them. Nick escorted her to his SUV, opening the door for her when they got to the passenger side.
Allyson directed him to the theater, and the ride was hardly long enough to do more than smile at each other. He parked, and she waited for him to open her door, nodding her head in thanks.
They stood in front of the ticket booth, and Nick bought the tickets. Allyson began to protest, but stopped when Nick cocked an eyebrow at her. She waited until they got inside before she spoke.
“I’m buying the snacks.”
He grinned. “Fair enough.”
“Butter or no?”
“Sure, let’s be adventurous.”
“Is Coke okay?”
“Cherry would be better.”
She smiled at his answer, ordering two medium Cherry Cokes to complement the popcorn. They made their way into the theater, picked out seats in the middle of the aisle near the back, and sat down to get comfortable. Allyson passed out the napkins, and they settled down to watch the movie.
When they exited after it was over, Nick tried not to smile as Allyson sniffled. She saw his grin and smacked him lightly on the arm.
“Don’t laugh at me. I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“It was bound to happen. Kind of like Picard taking over for Kirk.”
She sighed. “I suppose. It was still good. So, where to now?”
Nick looked around and realized they were close to a good Italian restaurant. “How about Primo’s?”
Allyson nodded as he opened the door and helped her into the Durango. Within twenty minutes, they were standing in line, waiting for a table. Nick looked around and spotted familiar curls. He sighed, and she looked at him with a question in her eyes.
“Friends of mine are here. Do you mind if we say hello?”
Allyson shook her head. “Not at all.”
He escorted her towards the wall, stopping in front of a couple engrossed in their conversation. “Bone, Merry.”
Two heads raised and looked at him in surprise. Meredith smiled at the couple. “Munchkin, what are you doing here?”
Nick winced a little at the nickname, but Meredith ignored him, focusing her attention on the woman beside him. So this is the infamous doctor.
Nick looked at Allyson. “This is AJ McLean and Meredith Davenport. Guys, this is Allyson Devereaux.”
AJ and Meredith held out their hands, and Allyson shook them both. She stared at Meredith for several moments. “I know you from somewhere.”
“If you’ve been hitting any of our sites, you know her.” AJ shook his head at how quickly his girlfriend had appeared on the Backstreet web sites.
Allyson shook her head. “That’s not it. Give me time, it’ll come to me.”
“Davenport.” Meredith looked toward the maitre d’.
“Do you want to join us?”
Nick looked at Allyson, who shrugged and looked back at him with a smile.
“Sure.”
The four of them made their way to the podium, changing the number in their party and hoping it wouldn’t be a problem. The hostess smiled and escorted them to a table towards the back of the restaurant. They settled into their seats and opened the menus, perusing appetizers and entrees.
“What are you in the mood for, love?” AJ looked at Meredith.
“Hmm. Since you’re not on the menu, I guess I’ll settle for the spaghetti with meat sauce and a salad. Want an appetizer?” She looked back at him.
AJ grinned and leaned over to whisper in her ear, and she laughed. “Later, mine. Let’s focus on dinner for now and stop embarrassing Nick.”
AJ looked at his band mate, who had begun to blush. He chuckled as he looked at Allyson. “Don’t mind us. Sometimes we forget that we’re in front of strangers.”
Allyson smiled. “As long as you don’t start pulling off clothes, everything will be fine.”
AJ and Meredith laughed, and Nick turned to face his date. He smiled at her, glad she was taking the other couple’s behavior so well.
“What are you having, Allyson?”
She looked over the menu. “I think I’ll take the angel hair pasta and tomato/basil sauce. What about you?”
“Lasagna looks good. Want an appetizer?” He looked at the menu.
“Hmm.”
“I’m ordering bruschetta.” Meredith folded her menu and set it on top of AJ’s.
“That sounds pretty good. Think one order will be enough?” Nick laid his and Allyson’s menus on the pile.
AJ looked around the table. “That depends. Are you guys planning on sharing?”
Meredith shook her head. “Maybe. If you’re good.”
“I’m always good.” He stared at her.
“Okay, then, if you’re really good.” Meredith leaned close to AJ, draping an arm across the back of his chair.
“Oh, come on, you know you’re going to share. You always share.”
“I’m going to have to change the way I operate. You’re getting to know me entirely too well.” She leaned back and let the waiter take the menus from them before he took their orders.
“Good evening. My name is Chris, and I’ll be your waiter. What can I get for you this evening?” The young man stood, poised and waiting.
Nick looked at Allyson, nodding for her to go first. “I’ll have the angel hair pasta with tomato/basil and the house Italian dressing. Iced tea to drink.”
Chris looked at Nick. “I’ll have the lasagna, Thousand Island, a coke, and bruschetta as an appetizer.”
“Very good, sir. And you?” He turned to Meredith.
“Spaghetti with meat sauce, Ranch, iced tea, and bruschetta as well.”
“Sir?”
“Fettucini Alfredo, Italian dressing, a glass of Chianti.”
“I’ll get your drinks, and put in the order for your appetizers and dinner. It shouldn’t be too long.”
Chris left and returned in a few minutes with their drinks, setting them on the table. When he left, their conversation picked up again.
Meredith looked at Allyson. “So, you teach math?”
Allyson nodded. “Yeah, been doing it for a couple of years. I love it. What do you do?”
“Besides keep AJ on a leash?” Nick took a sip of his coke, ignoring AJ’s disgusted “hey!”
Meredith smiled. “Actually, I keep both of them on a leash, as well as the other guys.”
Allyson turned confused eyes to Nick, and he grinned. “She manages our security.”
“Oh. Sounds like a tough job.” Allyson took a sip of tea as she looked at Meredith.
“It has its moments. I’ve only been with them for a couple of months. I was in the Navy before that.”
Allyson stared at the other woman for a moment before snapping her fingers. “That’s where I know you. I saw the article People did on you after Desert Storm.”
Meredith rolled her eyes. “Oh, that was a stellar piece of reporting.”
Allyson laughed. “Yeah, it was pretty stupid, but there were good parts. I was very proud of you; proud to see that a woman had stood up and made a difference. Certainly gave me something to think about when I was trying to figure out where I was going with my life.”
“How so?” AJ swallowed some of his wine, twirling his glass in his fingers.
“Well, I’d graduated from school early, and I was really nervous about starting college. Seeing what Meredith survived kind of helped me realize that my life was fairly easy, and that school was a far cry from a battlefield. It put things in perspective, I guess.”
Meredith smiled at the young woman. “Seeing what other people go through does tend to do that, doesn’t it?”
Allyson smiled and nodded before turning to AJ. “So, you’re in the group, too.”
AJ looked at her, then looked at Nick. “Don’t tell me you’re not a fan.”
“I didn’t say that. I don’t watch much television, but I have listened to your music. I really liked %Millennium%.”
“Tell them why.” Nick grinned.
Allyson blushed slightly as AJ refocused on her. “Well, I told Nick that I liked your second album better because it sounded like you’d grown up.”
“And that was cause to make you blush?” He didn’t understand what was so wrong with her reasoning.
Allyson rolled her eyes as Nick laughed. “She told me %Backstreet’s Back% was okay, but that if she wanted kiddie music, she’d listen to Barney.”
“Ouch.”
“Score one for the prof.” Meredith laughed as she pulled AJ close and kissed his cheek.
The bruschetta arrived, and Chris set out four plates. AJ looked at Allyson.
“Better get what you want now, ‘cause when they get started, there won’t be much left.”
Nick just stared at his friend. Meredith rolled her eyes and grabbed some bread. The four of them enjoyed the appetizer as Allyson got to know the other three. They continued the “getting to know you” conversation during dinner, with AJ and Nick telling hilarious stories of life on the road and the time they spent with Meredith during their training. Allyson laughed more that night than she had in a long time, and she was glad she had accepted Nick’s offer.
When they finished the meal, and AJ and Nick had picked up the checks for their respective dates, the group headed out to the parking lot. They reached the Durango first, and the two couples faced each other.
Meredith held out her hand, and the young woman shook it. “Allyson, it was a pleasure.”
AJ shook her hand, too, reiterating Meredith’s words.
Allyson smiled at the other two. “I had a really great time meeting you.”
Nick hugged Meredith and gently punched AJ on the arm. “I’ll see y’all tomorrow. It’s still on for two, right?”
Meredith nodded. “Yes, and don’t forget the cookies.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mom.”
“Night, Allyson. Night, Munchkin.”
Nick watched them walk towards AJ’s Expedition before opening Allyson’s door and helping her into the vehicle. She waited until Nick got in and started the engine before smiling.
“Munchkin?”
He shrugged. “It’s a really long story.”
Sitting back as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, she nodded. “I’d like to hear it some time.”
Keeping his eyes on the road, he smiled. “I’ll tell it to you some time.”
He pulled up in front of the house and escorted her to the door. She unlocked it, leaving it cracked open as she turned back to face him.
“Thank you for taking me to the movies and dinner. I had a really good time.” She twisted her fingers together behind her back, wondering if he was going to kiss her.
“Me, too. And I want to do it again, soon.” He folded his hands behind his back, trying desperately not to grab her and kiss her.
“Cool.”
“Well.” “Well.”
“Back to that awkwardness, aren’t we?” She grinned at him.
“Just a bit.” He looked down for a moment, gathering his courage, then looked at her. “May I kiss you goodnight?”
Surprised and pleased that he asked, she just nodded. He leaned forward, she leaned forward, and their lips met in a sweet, gentle kiss. When they parted, Allyson unconsciously raised her fingertips to her lips then smiled.
Nick returned the smile as he slowly backed away. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here.” She stepped halfway into the house and watched as he climbed into his truck.
He waved, and she waved back, then walked into the house and shut the door. Sighing, she leaned against the front door after she locked it, staring dreamily into space.
Nick grinned all the way home.
***Backstreet Boys******Backstreet Boys*****Backstreet Boys****Backstreet Boys****Backstreet Boys***
When he rolled over and opened his eyes, his first thought was of Allyson. This was his first clue that there was more to this relationship than all of his previous ones lumped together. Looking at the clock, he wondered if it was too early to call. Deciding that eight in the morning was a little early, he got up and went down to the kitchen to start making the cookies he had promised Meredith for the cookout that afternoon.
He cranked up his Journey CD and pulled out the ingredients to make butterscotch chocolate chip cookies. As he stirred the items together, the phone rang. Reaching over, he hit the speakerphone button with the edge of the spoon.
“Hello?”
[Good morning.]
“Hi, Mom.”
[Are you making my cookies?]
“Yes, I’m making your cookies.” He finished adding the candies to the mix, stirred it well, and began dropping rounded teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.
[I liked her.]
He stopped in mid-drop, letting the gooey mixture ooze onto the pan. He smiled. “Me, too.”
[So, are you going out again?]
“Yes.”
[When?]
“I don’t know. I haven’t called her this morning.” He continued dropping cookie dough on the other sheets so he could bake them.
[Think she’d be interested in coming to the cookout?]
“Perhaps you could call and ask her.” He put the first pan in the oven.
[Perhaps I’ll stop now.] Meredith chuckled.
“That would be a good idea.” Nick wiped his hands on a dishtowel.
[I’ll see you this afternoon, Munchkin.]
“Bye, Mom.”
When all of the cookies were done, he put them into a Tupperware container and set them next to his keys. Seeing that it was close to ten, he picked up the phone and dialed Allyson’s number.
[Hello?]
“Good morning.”
[Morning, Nick. You sound awfully chipper.]
“I’ve been making Meredith’s cookies. She’s already called to see if I’m following through.”
[Do you have a problem with following through?] When the words left her mouth, Allyson blushed all the way up to her hairline. She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head.
Nick was stunned speechless, but only for a moment. “Not with the important things.”
[That’s always good to know.] She was relieved that he didn’t make too big a deal out of her statement.
“I wanted to ask you if you’d like to go to the cookout with me.” He drummed his fingers on the countertop.
[Are you sure that’s okay? I don’t want to intrude.] She released a sigh of relief that he had asked her out again.
“It’s good. Meredith asked if you were coming.”
[She did, did she?]
“Yeah. She liked you, and she knows I like you.”
[You do, huh.] The smile in her voice was easily recognized.
“Yeah, I do. So will you come?”
[Sure. Would it be easier to meet there?]
“Naw. You’re on the way. I’ll stop by around noon. Oh, and bring a swimsuit, just in case.” He began to dance to the music that was playing on the radio as he held the phone close to his ear.
[I’ll be ready. Bye.]
“Bye.” Nick hung up the phone and pumped his arm. “YES!”
Table of Contents
Chapter Twenty-Six