A comfortable silence stretched between Nicki and Matt and she couldn't help but smile. She probably looked completely goofy but she didn't care. Her lips still tingled from his kiss, and she got the feeling by the way he was looking at her that he felt it, too.
"So..." Matt said, eyeing her.
Nicki looked at him from under a thick blanket of black eyelashes and licked her lips. "Weren't you supposed to be making sure I get home safe?"
Matt was on his feet so fast it looked as if his chair had shocked him. Nicki grinned and stood, too, letting him take her hand and lead her out the door into the cool night air. Well, cold night air. She could see their breath and she reflexively crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you forget your coat inside? Do you want me to go get it?"
"I wasn't wearing a coat. Quick, where's your car?"
Matt shook his head and laughed, then removed his own coat and placed it on her shoulders. She was instantly warmed. And it smelled like him.
"So if I never told you my name was Nicki, how did Adam ever find out you 'knew' me from the dog park."
"It's too cold outside to stand here talking about Adam," Matt said, grabbing her and pulling her down the sidewalk. They weaved in and out of people spilling out of bars or waiting in line to get into bars.
They walked in silence for awhile, his hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her. She wished his stupid coat wasn't so bulky so she could feel the warmth of his skin. When he spoke again his voice was soft. "I described you. Every detail about this magical woman I'd met. He must have recognized something in the description. The next time I saw him he had a picture with him. It was you. I wanted to punch him in the face. This one is mineβ" he pointed to a Ford Explorer. "And I guess when he got home, he called you to tell you, and I never saw you at the dog park again, you know, cause you suddenly needed to go in the mornings instead."
Nicki could help but blush, feeling silly all of a sudden to her decision that avoidance was the best way to respond to the potentially sticky situation. Matt opened the door for her and Nicki slid into the passenger seat. His car smelled of leather and man and, inexplicably, there was a football on the floor next to her feet. Once he was in the SUV she picked up the ball and held it up between them. "You play?"
Matt took the ball and tossed it in the back. She watched its progress and realized there was at least three other footballs floating about.
"No, I coach high school ball."
"I thought they only let high school teachers coach ball."
"I'm a high school teacher."
"No way!" Nicki grinned. "The girls must love your class."
It was Matt's turn to blush. "I'm not allowed to notice."