Section 13
Paige looked at the telephone for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. She couldn't remember a time she had ever felt so frustrated in her entire life. She'd thought she and Nick had really hit it off over the weekend they had spent together, and in the time preceding. Why hadn't he called? Four days had passed since their return from Los Angeles. Four days and not one word from Nick. But what was frustrating Paige even more than Nick's silence was the fact that she cared. She had a daughter to think of and care for, not to mention a booming music career; she did not have time for a relationship now or any time in the near future. And yet, the thought of making time for Nick was incredibly enticing.
The phone rang. Her heart pounded against her chest. The phone rang again. Paige reached for the telephone, knowing if she didn't now she would chicken out and refuse to answer at all. "Hello?"
"Hey."
It was her neighbor. All of that stressing and, once again, it wasn't him. She had to stop expecting a call from him. If she kept assuming he would eventually call, she would freak out every time the phone rang for the rest of her life. Not to mention the fact that a watched pot never boils.
"Hi, Margie. What can I do for ya?"
"Well, I came home and found a package for you on my front porch. Apparently they got the wrong house."
"Oh." Paige wracked her brain for anything she'd ordered recently and couldn't think of a thing. "Well, I'll come pick it up when I get home. I'm in my car, on my way right now."
"I can run it over for you, if you want. I would have brought it over but I noticed you weren't home and didn't want to leave it outside on your doorstep. It could be something expensive."
"Yeah... I guess. I really don't know what it could be; I didn't order anything."
"Well, dear," Margie laughed and took on a maternal tone that made her sound as old as her years, "I'm sure it's just a nice gift from one of your many admirers."
"Sure." Paige rolled her eyes but made sure her tone of voice remained friendly. "Well, thanks for calling, Margie. Don't worry about bringing it by. I'll go over and get it."
"I can't believe he sent you flowers... and in such a beautiful vase. That vase itself must have cost him a lot of money."
Paige sighed and turned to look at her sister, Dylan. "I'm not."
"You're not surprised in the least?"
"Oh, no, I'm surprised. Pleasantly surprised. I mean, it's not like I knew the flowers were coming. It's just... this is so like him, Dylan. He's just this sweet and thoughtful and..."
Dylan smiled at her sister's apparent lack of words. "And you need to call him."
"I know," Paige sighed and closed her eyes tiredly. "I just wish he would call me... it would be so much easier."
"For you. But if he had to call you, I'm sure his palms would get all sweaty and his hands would start to shake and--"
"Okay, I get it."
"He sent you flowers, Paige," Dylan grinned. "Really expensive ones. You should call him."
"I will."
"Pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up. No, don't pick up. No, pick up. No, don't."
"Hello?"
"Sh*t."
"Excuse me?"
Paige cringed at her poorly worded greeting. "I mean... um... Hi, Nick."
A smile quickly formed across Nick's face. He'd known immediately who it was. "Hey, Paige. How's it going?"
"It's going good. I don't mean to bother you; if this is a bad time, I can call back, or not even..."
Nick suddenly felt very bad for not having called her since the awards ceremony. He'd never meant to give her the impression that she was a bother. "No... Paige, I'm not busy. It's fine--you can call me whenever you want to." He waited for her to answer but she didn't respond. "I'm sorry I haven't called you. I guess I didn't want to come off as pushy."
"Pushy how?"
Nick glanced around the room, not knowing whether or not to answer the question or ignore it by changing the subject. "So how's it going?"
It couldn't have been more obvious he was avoiding her question, plus he'd already asked her how things were going, but Paige let it slide. "Good. I've been busy recording in the studio and my baby-sitter just moved so that's made things all the more hectic."
"Well, why don't you call Emma sometime? I know she'd love to watch little Nat."
"Yeah, maybe I should. I just don't wanna steal your baby-sitter."
Nick laughed. "You worry too much. It's no big deal. Plus, Em has no problem watching them at the same time."
"Okay," Paige sighed, "I'll give her a call sometime. Anyway, I didn't call to get permission to steal Emma from you."
"Yeah, right. You've been planning this for a long time, haven't you?" He couldn't help but smile when Paige laughed. "Why'd ya call then, dear Miss Alexis?"
"I wanted to check and see how you were doin'. I had a lot of fun with you the other weekend."
"Yeah... I did, too. A lot more than I've ever had at an award ceremony."
"And I also wanted to thank you for the flowers. They're gorgeous."
"No problem, Paige. They were my way of saying thank you for being my date to the show."
They were silent for a few minutes but, oddly enough, their silence was comfortable.
"You, um, free tonight?"
Paige smiled. It wasn't often Nick Carter had sounded nervous in the short time she'd known him. "Yeah, actually, I am."
"You want to do something with me?"
"I'd need to find a baby-sitter," she teased.
"Don't worry," Nick laughed. "I'll take care of that."
