Making Waves

By: Lara

Coral picked her way over the sand dunes carefully, not wanting to sprain an ankle or anything before she did what she had come to the beach to do. Once she was over the hill, she was grateful to see that the beach was practically deserted. There was no lifeguard on duty this late in the evening, but three or four families still remained, as well as a group of five men a short distance to her left.

She picked a spot and set out her towel and slowly kicked off her sandals. She pulled her tshirt up over her head and stepped out of her shorts. She finally took a long look at the ocean and swallowed deeply. It was huge…larger then she remembered. She took two steps towards it, then a step back. She wondered if anyone had noticed. She turned her back on the crashing waves and began to tie her light brown hair up into a ponytail.

“Nick, it’s almost four. Can we go home now?” Howie Dorough whined.

“Go ahead,” Nick Carter said absentmindedly.

“Um…Nick? You have the keys,” his best friend Brian Littrell reminded him.

“Oh…right.” Nick finally turned his blue eyes onto his five friends. “I’m sorry, guys. I just missed the ocean so much! We saw it other places, but there’s nothing like the Florida ocean.” Nick sighed.

“Was there any reason all four of us had to come along?” Alexander McLean, or AJ, as he preferred to be called, slid his sunglasses down his nose to glare at Nick. “I’ve seen the beach before.”

“If I remember, AJ, you were the one that wanted to come check out the women,” Kevin Richardson, the oldest of the five, reminded him.

“Well, now all the women are gone and I am ready for dinner,” AJ announced.

“No…there’s one,” Nick said, pointing to a lone figure standing at her towel uncertainly.

AJ looked her over. “Nope. Hair’s too short. I like long hair.”

“AJ, you are the pickiest person I have ever met,” Brian vowed. “Why don’t you go talk to her, Nick? She looks lonely.”

“And desperate enough to talk to Baby, here,” Howie teased. Nick glared at him.

“Go ahead, Nick. We’ll wait,” Kevin said. He knew that Nick had been lonely for a while, and that he was usually too shy to talk to girls he didn’t know. AJ started to protest but Kevin shoved him.

“Um…okay…” Nick brushed the sand off of his suit and started to walk towards the girl.

I can do this, Coral told herself. It is just water…I’ll only get wet and I’ll be fine. Everyone swims…some children swim as soon as they’re born…I can do it…

“Hi,” a voice said. She whirled around.

“Oh…hello.”

“I’m Nick.” The tall blond man held out his hand and Coral took it.

“Coral.”

“That’s a gorgeous name,” Nick said. She blushed slightly, then turned her gaze back to the water. “You thinking of going in? It’s kinda late, don’t you think?”

“You can say that again,” Coral murmured. When Nick looked at her strangely, she finally smiled. “I can’t swim.” Nick gaped at her. “I know…I know…I have lived in at least a coastal state if not a coastal town nearly all my life, and I never learned to swim. I’ve always been entranced by the water, but too afraid to go in.”

“That’s a shame,” Nick said, wondering how anyone could not love the water.

“And with a name like Coral, I’ve become the butt of many jokes, let me tell you,” the girl confided.

“Why are you starting now?” Nick asked. She blushed slightly.

“My…uh…my boyfriend doesn’t know I can’t swim. He hasn’t quite asked yet, but I know he’s going to propose sometime soon, and his dream honeymoon is a yacht cruise in the Cayman Islands, with a long scuba expedition.”

“Ah…I see…” Nick said, trying not to sound TOO disappointed. “Is he from the area? I might know him.”

“Alan Sharp,” she said. Nick’s mouth dropped open. Everyone in town knew Alan Sharp. His father owned one of the largest boat manufacturing corporations in the country.

“Yes, I do know him,” Nick said. “I’ve been out of town for a while, so I didn’t realize he had such a lovely girlfriend.” Coral blushed again. “Listen, Coral, I have an idea. If you have free time every afternoon, I could come out here and help teach you to swim, and even snorkel, if you want. I’m like a fish in the water.”

“Really? I mean…you don’t even know me! Don’t you have a job or something?”

“Let’s just say I’m on vacation,” Nick told her. “What do you say?”

“Um…okay!” Coral said, smiling broadly. She began to pack up her things. “How about two tomorrow afternoon?”

“Perfect. Hey, come meet my friends before you go. They dared me to talk to you…and I’m really glad they did.”

“Look! Here comes Nicky and his new friend.” AJ looked over his sunglasses. The guys jumped to their feet as the couple approached.

“Guys, this is Coral…Coral…” Nick hesitated.

“Landis,” she added.

“Coral Landis,” Nick repeated. “Coral, these are my best friends Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, AJ McLean, and Howie Dorough.” The men smiled and said hello. Coral glared at Nick.

“Please, why don’t you let me stick my foot in my mouth even FURTHER?” When Nick looked at her in confusion, she said to his friends, “I asked him if he had a job and he said he was on vacation. I guess you’re on vacation…from being a Backstreet Boy!” The others laughed.

Howie and Nick helped Coral up the dunes to her car as the others straggled along behind. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” Nick said to her. She nodded and smiled.

“I can’t wait!” Coral gave one last wave and jumped into her BMW convertible. She honked her horn as she sped off.

“Not bad, Carter. Not bad at all,” AJ observed as they climbed into Nick’s car.

“Forget it, AJ. She has a boyfriend.” Nick started the ignition. “Alan Sharp.”

Howie groaned. “Sorry, bro. That’s harsh.”

“What’s wrong with Alan Sharp?” Brian wondered.

“Oh, that’s right. You’re not from around her, Rok,” AJ said. “Alan Sharp is like the multimillionairist multimillionaire in the area. His dad is Sharp Yachting.”

“Oh…I see,” Brian said. “Sorry, Nick.”

“Not a problem,” Nick said, trying to push Coral Landis from his mind as he sped down the highway back to Orlando.

“No…Alan…I can’t. I won’t be in this afternoon.” Coral dug through her drawers in search of her most sensible bathing suit. “I have plans.”

“But you’ll be there for dinner, right?” Alan replied in an exasperated tone.

“Yes, I promise. I haven’t seen you for two weeks! I miss you!” Coral said, triumphantly pulling out a dark green one-piece.

“All right. I’ll make reservations and pick you up at seven.”

“Sounds wonderful. Love you.”

Coral hung up and glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even noon yet, but she was on pins and needles already. She couldn’t wait to conquer this fear of hers. She told herself that conquering her phobia was the ONLY reason she was excited. It had NOTHING to do with Nick Carter.

“Yeah?” Nick mumbled half into the phone and half into the pillow.

“Hey, Nick, get your ass out of bed!” AJ yelled cheerfully.

Nick opened one eye and glanced at the clock. “AJ, it’s eleven o’clock. It’s vacation. Why the HELL are you calling me?”

“Me and Howie are going shopping this afternoon and I want to know if you are gonna come along.”

“AJ, I have plans this afternoon, remember?” Nick growled.

“Oh…yeah…right…sorry for waking you!” AJ hung up and Nick buried his head under the pillow.

About ten minutes later he resurfaced. There was no way he was going back to sleep now. He slowly dragged himself out of bed and into the shower.

Coral was early. An hour early. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to look like a total freak in front of Nick, so she decided to at least get used to the idea of the ocean before he got there. She kept everything on but her sandals and slowly made her way down to the water. She liked the way the wet sand squished between her toes. She stopped at the very edge, letting the water occasionally lap over her toes. After about five minutes, she bravely took three steps forward. No problem, just up to her ankles now. She took three more brave steps and a furious wave suddenly crashed up to her thighs, making her shriek. She quickly ran out of the water and back to her towel. She fell to the ground panting. She told herself to relax as she lay back onto the sand.

“Hey,” a voice said about ten minutes later. She opened her eyes and saw Nick standing above her, smiling.

“Hey.” She struggled to her feet. Nick glanced at her wet shorts.

“Were you already in?”

“I was trying to at least take a few steps in, but this monster wave got me.”

“They’re kinda unpredictable,” he teased. He pulled off his tshirt and slipped off his sneakers. “Ready?”

“Um…I guess.” Coral pulled off her tshirt and shorts and followed Nick towards the water’s edge. “Nick? I have a dumb question.” Her face turned scarlet.

“What?”

“How far can sharks come in?”

He started to smile, then saw the sincere look of fear in her green eyes. “Not this far, I promise. You’d have to be way out and dripping blood for them to even notice you. And don’t worry…I’m petrified of them, too. That’s why I got this…to kinda help overcome the fear.” He pointed to the shark tattoo on his arm. “Ready?”

She nodded and they walked even closer. “What about jellyfish?”

He took her hand and pulled her along. “You can’t predict those, but I’ve never been stung.” He continued to pull her until they were knee-deep into the water. She clung to his hand, unwilling to let go. He looked at her as she swallowed deeply. She had said she couldn’t swim. She didn’t say anything about her fear of the water. “Maybe we should start in a pool,” he suggested. She shook her head.

“No. If we’re out in the middle of the ocean a swimming pool isn’t going to help me.”

“Okay. I’m going to let go of your hand, all right? Just let the water hit you, and if it looks like a big one is coming in, just turn around.” Nick slowly let go of Coral’s hand and she shivered. She stood her ground, however, and took the waves calmly for about ten minutes. “Okay…let’s go out further.” Coral whimpered but Nick was already taking long strides into the ocean. She dutifully followed him, trying not to wonder what was squirming around her legs. Before she knew it, they were in water up to her chest. “You’re doing really good,” Nick said encouragingly. “Okay…the waves may start to go over your head here. If they do…”

Coral’s eyes widened as a giant wave loomed over Nick’s head. She shut her eyes and mouth immediately and tried her best to stand her ground. The wave took her and carried her closer to shore. She tumbled about and tried to get her footing. When the water was about knee high, she finally was able to stand. She coughed and sputtered as the water streamed off of her.

“Are you okay?” Nick came hurrying towards her. She nodded as she caught her breath. He laughed. “You learned the lesson before I could even teach it. Lesson one…if the waves catch you, try to regain your footing as soon as possible and simply stand up.”

“Don’t laugh at me!” Coral snapped, trying to calm her beating heart.

Nick grew serious. “Coral, I wasn’t laughing at you, honest. I was trying to laugh with you. You’re really scared. I would never make fun of that.”

She pushed her sopping hair aside and saw that he really was serious. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I’m just so used to people making fun of this.”

“I’m not making fun of it, I promise. Let’s go out there again, and this time I won’t let go of you. You did a really good job of not swallowing any water.”

He took her hand and led her back into the waves. Within a few hours time she was brave enough to let go of his hand and let the waves lift her up and down. She tumbled into shore a few times, but found it less and less terrifying. Nick also taught her about the undertow and how to quickly avoid it.

“I wonder what time it is?” Coral asked.

“Um…” Nick checked his waterproof watch. “Almost five-thirty.”

Coral gasped. “Oh shit! I have to get back…Alan is picking me up at seven and I have to get ready!” She started thrashing her way towards shore. Nick grabbed her hand.

“Wait!”

“I need to go!”

“No…this is faster and a lot more fun.” He held her hand and instructed her to make her body straight as an arrow. “When I tell you, left your feet off the bottom, okay?” She looked at him strangely, but nodded. Nick continued to look over his shoulder and finally said, “Okay…go!” The water lifted them and they were carried on a wave into the shallow water. Coral bounced to her feet, gasping with laughter. Nick, thinking she was crying, was instantly concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Yes…oh yes…that was wonderful!” Coral gasped as she tried to catch her breath. “It was like flying!”

“If you think body surfing is good, wait until you get underwater to scuba dive,” Nick said enthusiastically. “It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.”

Coral impulsively reached up and hugged him. “Thank you, Nick. Thank you so much! I’ll see you later!” She hurried to her car. Nick remained where he stood, still feeling her body pressed against his.

Alan gasped when Coral opened the door. “What happened to you?”

“What do you mean?” Coral asked as she locked the door behind her.

“You’re red as a beet!” Alan exclaimed, holding the car door open for her.

“Oh…that…I went to the beach with a friend today. I guess I forgot to put on sunscreen,” she said absentmindedly.

“I’d say you did!” Alan was still astonished.

“What, are you ashamed to be seen with me?” Coral teased.

“No…of course not,” he replied. Coral frowned. The way he answered made it sound just the opposite.

“So, where are we going?”

“I thought we’d go to Victor’s for dinner, and then we’d stop by Samantha and Erik’s. They’re having a party tonight for a friend, and they want us to drop by.”

“Do we have to?” Coral almost whined. She wasn’t fond of some of Alan’s closer friends. She thought Samantha and Erik were rude and egotistical.

“Coral, Erik just ordered five boats last week. If he wants me to drop by his house, I’ll drop by his house,” Alan said. “They’re my friends. Don’t you like them?”

“Of course I do,” she replied quickly. She sighed and looked out the window.

“We’ll stay five minutes,” Alan promised as they went up the sidewalk of Erik and Samantha’s large home.

“Right,” Coral muttered under her breath. Once Alan got to hobnobbing with his friends the evening was gone entirely.

“Alan!” Samantha Baker cooed, rushing over to kiss his cheek. “So glad you could make it. Hello, Coral, dear.”

“Hello, Samantha,” Coral said through clenched teeth. Samantha had dated Alan in high school, and she still acted as if they had some kind of relationship.

“Erik’s over here. I’m SO excited about the new boats.” Samantha wove her arm through Alan’s and led him towards her husband. Coral sighed and headed for the bar. Someone bumped into her and almost sent her sprawling.

“Excuse me!” She snapped, and grabbed onto the person to keep from falling.

“God, I’m so sorry, I…Coral?” Nick Carter gasped.

Coral’s face lit up. “Nick! What are you doing here?”

“My dad is friends with Erik’s dad, so they cooked up this dumb thing to welcome us all back to Orlando. What are YOU doing here?”

“YOU’RE the friend?” Coral gasped, then burst out laughing. “And to think I was dreading coming along tonight! Erik is a customer and friend of Alan’s, so we HAD to drop by.” Her eyes scanned the room. “I’d love for you to meet him, but Samantha has her claws…I mean…has monopolized his time, so I guess it will have to wait.”

“I don’t like her much either,” Nick confided. “She scares me.” Coral giggled. “Brian and AJ are here with me…wanna say hi?”

“I’d love to,” she replied. They went over to the side of the room, where Brian was standing alone.

“Brian, remember Coral?”

“Yes, of course,” Brian flashed a friendly smile. “How are you?”

“Good. I thought AJ was here too.”

“He is…somewhere. I think he saw a tasty dish he was interested in, and he followed her,” Brian said. Coral and Nick laughed.

“Sweetheart.” Coral whirled around to see Alan behind her. His grey eyes smoldered as he looked at Nick and Brian.

“Alan! I was hoping you’d come over! These are two new friends of mine…Nick Carter and Brian Littrell. Nick is the friend that Erik threw the party for!”

“How do you do.” Alan shook their hands but didn’t seem too thrilled to be doing it. “I want you to meet some people, Coral.”

“Oh, but…” Coral began, but was interrupted by AJ.

“Dammit…she’s married,” he grumbled. “Hey, it’s the mermaid!”

Coral’s eyes grew wide and she glared at AJ, hoping he would say nothing more. “The mermaid? What’s he talking about, Coral?” Alan asked, glowering at AJ.

“I’m sorry…I thought you were someone else,” AJ said quickly. “I’m AJ McLean.” He held out his hand to Coral, who quickly shook it. She smiled at him gratefully.

“Come along, Coral.” Alan took Coral by the elbow and quickly guided her away from the three Backstreet Boys.

“See you later,” she called over her shoulder sadly.

“No wonder you guys don’t like him,” Brian said. “He’s a real jerk.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Nick sighed. “Let’s get out of here.”

When Coral arrived at the beach the next afternoon, Nick was already there. He was sitting on his towel, staring out at the waves. Coral stood quietly for a moment, a few feet behind him. She watched the way the sun danced off of his short blond hair and let out an unconscious sigh. After a few moments, she shook herself out of her trance and walked towards him. “Nick,” she said. “Am I late?”

“Nah…I didn’t have anything to do this morning. I’ve been here for a couple of hours, I guess.”

“Wow…must be nice to not have anything to do but sit on the beach.” She plopped down beside him.

“What do you do? I mean, do you have a job?”

“Well…not really,” Coral said, blushing slightly. “I’m fortunate enough to have a wealthy family. My father owns an advertising agency that is based out of Tampa.” She named the agency and Nick’s eyes widened.

“That’s your dad? Wow…even I know that company. I think Jive even works with them sometimes.”

“Yep…that’s him.”

“So…from that to Sharp. Impressive,” Nick mused. Coral glanced at him quickly, wondering if he was making fun of her. His blue eyes showed only sincerity, so she said nothing. “Ready to go in?” Nick stood and she followed him.

A few hours later she fell onto her towel, exhausted. “Well, if nothing else, I’m getting a good workout,” Coral panted.

“Going out with Alan tonight?” Nick asked. She shook her head and frowned.

“He’s in Charleston on business. I’m on my own for the next few days.”

“Would it be totally wrong of me to ask if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight?” Nick said suddenly. She stared at him. He blushed as red as her sunburn. “Never mind. It WAS wrong. I apologize.”

“No,” Coral said suddenly. “It wasn’t wrong at all. I would love to go to dinner with you, Nick.”

“Really?” His face lit up. “Wow…that would be great!”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I guess you’re used to going out really fancy, so I thought…”

“No…I don’t want really fancy. If you were taking a special girl out on a fun date, where would you take her?” Coral interrupted.

“Well…I’d probably take her to Roberto’s for sandwiches or pizza, and then go do something silly like miniature golf, or a movie, or something like that. I guess that doesn’t sound very special, does it?”

“That sounds wonderful,” Coral said enviously. “I never get to do stuff like that. Can we do that?”

“Sure,” Nick said, slightly amazed at her eagerness. He thought about it a moment, then smiled. He could NOT see Alan Sharp at a video arcade or a miniature golf course. “Well, why don’t we get home, and I’ll come pick you up in about ninety minutes.”

Coral gave him directions and they hopped into their cars.

An hour and a half later, she was anxiously pacing in her living room. She had on a flowered-print mini sundress, and her hair was pulled back in a tiny ponytail. She hoped this was appropriate. It was so long since she had gone out on a date where she hadn’t needed to dress up, and…she gasped and caught herself. This wasn’t a date. She HAD a boyfriend. This was two friends going out to have a nice evening.

Her doorbell rang and she jumped. She slowly made her way to the door, wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt. “Nick,” she said with a smile. She quickly took in his long black shorts and white tank top. He had on a white oxford shirt over the tank, but the buttons were unbuttoned and the sleeves were cuffed at his elbows.

“Wow, Coral, you look so pretty,” Nick said. He tried not to let his eyes linger on her long legs. Sure, he had seen her in a bathing suit, but her legs looked very sexy sticking out from under the hem of her short skirt. “Ready?”

He led her to his car and held the door for her. When he climbed in behind the wheel, he asked where she wanted to go.

“I told you, Nick…act like you’re taking that special someone out,” she reminded him.

“I AM taking out someone special,” he told her. She blushed furiously.

Coral was very proud of the fact that she didn’t drop any pizza on her dress. Not that she got much…Nick ate six pieces to her two. “I’m a growing boy!” He protested.

“Yeah…growing OUT,” she teased, feeling very comfortable with him.

As they left the pizza place, Nick caught Coral’s hand in his and swung it between them. “Now what? What lowlife entertainment would you like to do next?”

“I don’t think it’s lowlife entertainment, Nick,” she said, feeling as if he were calling her a snob.

He stopped walking. “I didn’t mean that you did, Coral. I have done it all. I’ve gone bowling for hours, and then the next night spent hours at some boring black tie thing for the record company. The ‘lowlife entertainment’ is what I really like, though.”

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“No problem.” He started walking again. “So…what next?”

“Well…I’ve never bowled before…and I don’t feel like embarrassing myself tonight,” she told him, laughing at the look of shock on his face. “Sorry…the mansion didn’t have a bowling alley in it.” Nick roared with laughter. “Would you mind if we drove out to the beach? I’d love to walk as the sun was setting. I’ve never done that before either…I was always too afraid.”

“The beach it is,” he said, turning back towards his car.

“So…how in the world did you meet Alan?” Nick asked as they slowly strolled down the beach. He carried a blanket in one hand and held her hand with the other.

“My father introduced us, actually. I had seen Alan at different events but never talked t him. Then, all of a sudden, my father was pushing us to spend time together.”

“Are you close to your family?”

“Not really. My mother died when I was young, and I’m an only child. My father was always pretty distant…I think with my mother gone he was only comfortable viewing me as another commodity instead of a daughter.”

“I’m sorry,” Nick said softly, picturing his own rambunctious family.

“It’s okay.” Coral shrugged. “I’m going to have a big happy family with Alan, and that will MORE than make up for what I didn’t have.”

“So…when’s he gonna pop the question?” Nick asked, though he hated thinking of it.

“I don’t know…he talks about it a lot but keeps putting it off. It’s like he’s afraid to take the step.”

“Does he love you?” Nick asked nonchalantly. Coral stopped and stared at him.

“That’s an odd question.”

“Well…I mean…you should be sure. Do you love him enough to share the rest of your life with him?”

“Of course,” she said, though her voice was not entirely strong.

Then why are you here with me, he thought, but didn’t say anything.

“Let’s sit for a moment,” she said. He unfolded the blanket and she helped him spread it out on the sand. They plopped down next to each other. “This is so beautiful,” she sighed, staring at the rose colored streaks the sun was sending across the sky.

“Yes,” he said, staring only at her. She looked back at him and swallowed deeply. She couldn’t control her hand as it moved over to intertwine her fingers with his. “You know,” Nick said, his voice shaking slightly, “I never taught you about CPR?”

“CPR?” Coral whispered.

“You know…when someone’s choking or drowning and you have to save them…”

“Like mouth to mouth?” She whispered again. Nick nodded. Without a word he leaned towards her and gently put his mouth on hers. Coral couldn’t help but wrap her arms around his neck and press her lips tight against his. Before she knew it, they were laying back on the blanket and her fingers were running through his silky hair. She was the first to pull away. “I thought CPR was supposed to GIVE people breath…I feel like I can’t catch mine,” she panted.

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have done that,” Nick apologized, though his hand continued to trace little designs on the outside of her thigh. Coral shivered.

“No. Don’t apologize…I wanted you to.” Before he could say anything she pressed herself against him, kissing him passionately. Her hands went under the shirt and pushed it from his shoulders. He wriggled out of it and she began to kiss his shoulders and neck.

Nick found his hand slowly sliding up her inner thigh, and he made himself pull away. “NO. I can’t do this.” He sat up. “I really really like you, Coral, and I am so damn attracted to you…but I can’t do this. Not when you belong to someone else.”

“Right,” Coral said sadly. She had forgotten all about Alan.

Nick stood. “Let me take you home, Coral. We’ll stay away from each other for a few days, and let time work things out.” She nodded slowly. She helped him fold the blanket, and they walked back down the beach.

For the next few days, Nick took his own advice. He made no attempt to contact Coral Landis in any way. Of course, if psychic begging and pleading for her to leave her boyfriend and be with him meant anything, he was contacting her on an hourly basis.

He moped around the house so he wouldn’t miss her call, and then he mentally kicked himself for sitting around and waiting. He was on his deck staring at the ocean when AJ and Howie showed up.

“It’s been four days…will you just CALL her? Please?” AJ snapped, flopping down on a deck chair.

“Do you always let yourselves in to other people’s homes?” Nick asked, his eyes never leaving the crashing waves.

“Nope. Just yours,” Howie said cheerfully. “Nick, Bone’s right. You need to stop moping around like this. Either call her or let her go.”

“Thank you, Ann Landers, I’ll do that,” Nick said sarcastically. “Besides, I have no idea who you’re even talking about.”

Howie and AJ exchanged glances. “SURE you don’t, Nicky,” Howie replied.

“Look, forget about Coral Landis, okay? Howie and I are going downtown. Come with us.”

“You’re shopping AGAIN?” Nick stared at AJ.

“I need new sneakers. And I saw some kicking pants in a display yesterday.”

“You do NOT need new sneakers,” Nick said, but he stood, sighing. “Let me grab my shoes.”

“I have something to talk to you about,” Alan said to Coral as they strolled on the pier. “Something serious. I thought we could take the boat out this weekend…just the two of us…maybe do some snorkeling.”

“Snorkeling?” Coral whispered.

“Yes.” Alan stopped walking. “Do you have a problem with snorkeling?”

“N-no, Alan, of course not,” Coral replied quickly, her mind racing. She just KNEW he was going to propose. “I’d love to go out on the boat!”

“Okay, AJ? ENOUGH!” Nick growled after they hit the sixth shoe store in an hour. “Either pick a pair of damn shoes or I’LL pick them for you!”

“You knew it was going to be like this, Nicky,” Howie pointed out. AJ stared at them.

“You guys are such babies. Come on. Let’s get something to eat so you can rest.”

“Alan…I’m STARVING. Can’t we stop and eat something?” Coral said, trying not to whine. They had been to three different aquatic stores, getting her new snorkeling equipment. She had told Alan that whatever he had around was fine, but he insisted that she needed her own new equipment.

“Yes, of course,” Alan sighed. “Let’s stop here.”

They stopped at a sidewalk café, and the maitre’d recognized Alan. He led them to a table in the back. Coral caught sight of someone and froze. “Alan, I see someone I know. Excuse me, please.”

She hurried over to the table where Nick, AJ, and Howie were having sandwiches.

“Coral!” Nick said in amazement. “Hi! Um…you remember Howie and AJ.”

“Hi,” Coral said breathlessly. She made herself ignore how nice Nick looked in simple jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. “Nick…I need to ask you the BIGGEST favor.”

“Um…what is it?” Nick replied, trying to remain cool.

“Alan wants to take me out on the boat this weekend, and I KNOW he’s going to propose!” Coral answered excitedly. “He wants to snorkel. Nothing serious like scuba diving…just snorkeling. I need you to give me the basics, though. Do you have any free time tomorrow and the next day?”

Nick’s heart sank. “Um…sure…of course. Same time same place?”

“Yes, that would be wonderful. Thanks so much, Nick. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Coral went off in search of Alan. AJ and Howie said nothing. Howie continued to eat while AJ stared over his sunglasses at a brunette sitting alone in the corner.

“Not a word…” Nick said softly. “Not a DAMN word.”

“Hello?” Coral said when the phone rang at noon the next day.

“Coral? This is Nick. I wasn’t paying much attention yesterday when I saw you, and I forgot the fact that we’d need a boat to go out deep enough to snorkel. Can you meet me at the marina instead of our normal spot?”

“Um…sure,” Coral answered, surprised by the coldness in Nick’s voice. “Which dock?”

“Six A,” he replied. “I’ll see you at two.” Nick hung up without another word.

Coral walked carefully down the wooden sidewalk to dock Six A, carrying her new equipment. She found Nick’s boat and saw his blond hair shining in the sun. “Nick?” She called. His eyes met hers but he didn’t smile.

“Right on time,” he said simply, reaching a hand out to take her bag. His eyes raked over her things. “Wow…this is the best stuff money can buy.”

“Well, Alan always says only the best for me,” she said, trying to make him smile. He reached out his hand again to help her aboard. As soon as her feet hit the deck of his boat, he let her hand go and went to start the engine. Coral frowned, but put on the life jacket she saw on a seat, and sat down.

“You’re going to have to really pay attention,” Nick shouted over the engine. “We have a lot to cover in two days.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t expect me to be an Olympic snorkeler or anything,” Coral shouted back. “He knows I haven’t done it before. He just doesn’t know I never swam before this week.”

“There’s no such thing as an Olympic snorkeler,” Nick snapped. “It’s not a sport.”

Coral’s breath caught in her throat. She had no idea what she had done to make Nick hate her so much, and she was surprised at how miserable his attitude made her feel. She sighed and looked out at the water.

Nick hated himself. He could think of no slug that was lower than he was acting at that moment. He couldn’t help it. She looked so pretty in her pink tank top and shorts, and her eyes were filled with an eagerness that made her face even more beautiful. But the only reason they were out here on the boat was for ALAN…Alan the jerk…Alan the snob…Alan who wanted to marry her. Nick frowned, determined to get through the next two days as quickly as possible.

“That was so amazing!” Coral gushed a few hours later when they were on their way back inland. “I didn’t know the ocean could be so peaceful. It has always scared me so much.”

“You did really well,” Nick admitted grudgingly. She had carefully obeyed his every instruction, and she was one of the quickest learners he had ever seen.

“Um, Nick?” Coral asked timidly.

“What?” Nick answered absentmindedly, carefully guiding the boat back into its space at the dock.

“Should I be paying you? I mean, you are like my instructor, and I feel bad that I’m taking your time,” she said hesitantly.

Nick glared at her. “I don’t know if you remembered this, but I’m one of the Backstreet Boys. I have more money then I know what to do with…and I don’t need any of yours…OR your little boyfriend’s.”

“Nick, I didn’t mean that. I just…” Coral stammered, her eyes filling with tears.

“Look, Coral, I think it’s best if you and I just don’t see each other any more, okay? I’m sure if Alan knew you were seeing me, even though it’s totally innocent, he would be furious. You totally know enough to get by tomorrow, and you’ll just have to be honest with him when it comes to the scuba diving, okay?” Nick looked away, afraid his eyes would betray how much he cared for her.

“Nick…I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Thank you…for everything. For teaching me to swim, for teaching me to snorkel…for helping me get over my fear of the ocean…and for that wonderful evening a few days ago.” Coral grabbed her things and practically ran from the boat.

Nick wished it were possible to physically beat the living shit out of yourself. He wanted to yell and scream at himself…to beat himself until he felt he had paid for the way he was acting. Suddenly, he knew exactly where to go. He grabbed his things and went to get his cellphone out of his car.

“You want to WHAT?” Howie asked in amazement.

“I want to come over and use your gym. Do you mind?” Nick carefully negotiated the turn from the marina onto the highway. “I’m at the marina now and I can be there in about forty minutes. Is it a problem?”

“Um…no…of course not,” Howie stammered. “Kev’s already here, and we were gonna do some stuff down there anyway.”

“Cool. See you in a few.” Nick hit “end” and then concentrated on getting Coral Landis out of his head forever.

“Nick…wait…you’re going at it all wrong,” Kevin said gently, backing Nick away from the punching bag.

“Are you sure you just don’t want to lift weights or something?” Howie asked.

“No…I feel aggressive today. I want to hit something,” Nick growled. Kevin instructed Nick on better form, then stepped out of the younger man’s way.

“Do you have any clue what the hell is up with him?” Kevin asked Howie in a low voice. Howie shook his head.

“Not one clue. But I MIGHT know. I’ll be right back.” Howie left to make a phone call.

“You’re right, D. This IS serious,” AJ teased. “You pulled me away from Road Rules for THIS?”

“AJ…he voluntarily asked to come over and work out. Doesn’t that say something to you?” Howie pointed out.

“Right, right,” AJ sighed. “I’ll be there in five.”

“Damn…Howie told me but I had to see it to believe it,” AJ said as soon as he entered Howie’s large private gym. He slowly slid his glasses down and watched Nick beating the hell out of a punching bag. He had his blond hair pulled back by a bandana, and he had discarded his soaking wet tank top.

“And this is the second time he’s been on the punching bag,” Kevin told him. “Since Howie called you he did a bunch of reps on the fly machine, about thirty sit-ups, and he’s now back to the bag.”

“Nicky…hey, Nicky!” AJ shouted. “Take a break, man. Drink some water. You don’t want to hurt yourself.”

“Yes…actually…I do,” Nick panted, but he sat down on a bench. Howie quickly got him a glass of water, which Nick promptly dumped on his head. Howie glared at the puddle that formed at Nick’s feet, but silently got another glass of water.

“Okay, you NEED to tell us what the hell is wrong with you,” Kevin snapped. “This isn’t like you, and you’re going to really hurt yourself if you don’t calm down.”

“I’m an asshole,” Nick said finally. “I’m an asshole and I deserve to have the living crap beat out of me.” He turned to Howie. “You wouldn’t want to box, would you?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Howie said. “What happened?”

“I like Coral,” Nick began.

“No shit,” AJ interrupted. Kevin smacked him and told him to shut up.

“I like her a lot. You know how I’ve been teaching her to swim, well, the other night we went out for dinner and a walk on the beach, and we kissed. And it was amazing. And it was awesome. And…”

“We get the picture,” AJ said impatiently.

“So, we both realize it’s wrong, and decide not to talk for a few days. Yesterday at lunch, she comes up to me and asks if I can quickly give her pointers on snorkeling since Alan wants to take her out on his boat and propose.”

“I see,” Kevin said. “So, why are you an asshole again? I missed that part.”

“I was a total prick to her today on my boat, Kev. I was rude, and snippy, and just a prick.”

“You’re in love with her, Nicky,” Howie said kindly. “You’re insanely jealous, and totally in love with her. You’re only human. I wouldn’t be able to be generous and kind to her, either.”

“Yeah, you would,” AJ and Kevin said at the same time. Nick almost cracked a smile.

“I just feel really bad about it,” Nick said.

“Well, if you ever see her again, you apologize,” Kevin said. “And stop beating yourself up in here. If you want to work out the RIGHT way, we’ll help you, but otherwise stay the hell out of the gym.”

“Yes, Dad,” Nick said. Kevin pretended to punch him. “Thanks guys.”

“No problem,” AJ said, even though he hadn’t really done anything.

“Hey. I feel like spending some money. Let’s go downtown or something,” Nick said.

“You want to SHOP?” AJ gasped in mock horror.

“Not necessarily. I just want to spend money,” Nick corrected him.

“Hey, let’s wait and go out tonight. We’ll grab Rok and go hit the clubs,” Howie suggested.

“Good idea. Meet at my house at nine,” Nick said. “I’m gonna head home and take a shower.”

That night they hit the clubs…and the next night as well. By Saturday morning, Nick was suffering from a hangover that kept him in bed. He ignored the phone, for he knew it was AJ calling to tease him. He snuggled under his covers, willing himself to die and get out of his misery. He was thankful for the nausea and pain; it kept him from remembering that this was the day that Alan and Coral were going out on their boat.

Coral smoothed down her navy blue skorts as she paced on the dock. Alan was ten minutes late, and she was getting more nervous by the minute. She knew she looked good in her cute little sailing outfit, but she still felt as if she was totally going to make an ass of herself. She finally saw his beige Mercedes pull into the marina parking area. Alan came hurrying towards her, looking handsome and tan in his khaki shorts and green polo shirt.

“Darling, I’m sorry. I got caught up at the office.” He kissed her forehead. “You look very nice. Did you bring your equipment?”

“Yes, and a new bathing suit, too!”

He helped her onto his yacht, and they were soon putting out into the harbor. “I’ve hardly been able to keep this secret I have to tell you,” Alan said. “I’ve been going crazy for a while, but I wanted to wait until the time was right…until everything was definite.”

Definite? Coral thought, but she said nothing. She smiled lovingly at him. She felt as if she had been waiting for this moment all her life. The butterflies in her stomach proved that Nick Carter was nothing more than…she shook her head. What did Nick Carter have to do with this?

Alan dropped anchor. “Let’s swim for a while, and then we’ll talk over the picnic lunch I brought.”

They suited up and jumped into the warm water. Coral was hesitant, but soon everything Nick had taught her came rushing back. For some reason, though, swimming with Alan wasn’t half as fun as swimming with Nick. Even with his strange attitude the time they had snorkeled, Nick seemed eager to show her things, to investigate the surprises the ocean had to offer. Alan seemed to only want to show her how fast he could swim or how long he could hold his breath. Coral finally went to the boat and climbed up the ladder. She was dried off and back into her regular clothing before Alan made his way up the ladder.

“Where’d you go?” He asked. “I was worried.”

“You were too far ahead of me. I couldn’t keep up,” she told him, blushing slightly. She refused to admit the fact that she hadn’t even been able to stick a toe in the water until recently.

“Okay, well, while I dry off why don’t you get lunch ready?”

She unpacked the sandwiches and snacks while he quickly dried off and threw on a pair of shorts.

“So,” she said lightly. “What’s the big news?”

Alan wiped his mouth with a paper napkin, his face wreathed in smiles. “Guess who’s been offered a partnership in Landis Incorporated?”

Coral’s smile fell from her face. “Landis, Inc.? That’s…that’s my father’s firm!”

“I KNOW! Isn’t this fantastic? I mean, I knew that once he got to know me he would love me, but I never thought I’d get to be a partner! Imagine…Sharp and Landis…two of the biggest companies in the country, totally connected!” Coral was speechless, not knowing what to think. “I mean, when you father introduced us and urged us to spend time together, I did it just to please him, you know. I assumed it was some kind of test, and I passed!” Alan beamed at her. “I never thought I would get such a lovely fringe benefit in the bargain.”

Coral’s mouth dropped open. “You mean…you only went out with me because my father asked you to? Because you wanted to get on his good side?”

“Darling, don’t say it like that. It sounds so…so…dirty.”

“Well it IS dirty, Alan!” Coral snapped. “And allow me to let you in on a little secret. My father doesn’t HAVE a good side, so don’t waste your time. Please take me back to my car.”

“Coral, what’s wrong?” Alan took one of her hands in his. “I’m very fond of you, and…”

She snatched her hand away. “Take…me…back.”

As Alan’s Mercedes sped away, Coral sat behind the wheel of her BMW, unable to put the key in the ignition. She had been a pawn…both her father and Alan Sharp had used her. Her father used her as some kind of test, and Alan had used her to please her father. Her mind was swimming. She didn’t know what to do…where to go…and at that moment there was only one person she wanted to see…if he was even talking to her.

Nick was just beginning to feel like a part of the human race when he heard his doorbell. I am going to kill AJ if he says even one more thing about hangovers, he griped to himself. He pulled himself off the living room couch and went to the door. He opened the door and was shocked to see a crying Coral Landis on his front step.

“N-Nick, I’m s-s-sorry to come here, but I-I-I don’t know wh-where else to go,” she sobbed.

Nick silently put a gentle hand on her shoulder and lightly tugged her in the door. He led her out onto the back deck, sitting her down on a chair. He returned to the house and dug around until he found teabags, and he microwaved a cup of water. As soon as the tea had steeped in the mug, he brought it out to her. “Howie says this stuff works on ANY ailment, so here you go.” He sat across from her on a long love seat and looked out at the ocean. He knew she’d talk when she was ready.

Coral sipped at her tea, grateful that he wasn’t interrogating her like her other friends would have. Finally she knew what she needed. “Nick? Could I come sit next to you?”

“Sure,” he said, moving over. As soon as her backside hit the cushion she was crying once more. He pulled her into his arms, whispering soothing words as she sobbed on his shoulder.

“Alan didn’t propose to me,” she said finally. Nick’s heart leapt but he said nothing. “The only reason he originally dated me was because he wanted to impress my father. And the only reason my father introduced him to me and encouraged Alan to spend time with me was to test him and get to know him better.”

“You’re kidding.” Nick was shocked that someone would do that to their own flesh and blood.
“No,” Coral said with a sigh. “I can imagine my father doing something like this, but Alan…I thought he really cared about me.”

“I’m sure he did,” Nick said generously. Coral shook her head.

“He says he’s ‘fond of me’, whatever that means, but I think he never saw me as anything more than a way to my father.” She took a deep breath and looked up into Nick’s eyes. “He never ever made me feel special. He never ever did something just to please me. But you did.”

“Me?” Nick blushed as the word came out as a squeak.

“Yes, you. You made me feel like the only woman in the world that night we went out. And you never made fun of my fear of the water. You treated me so very special.” Her hand reached out to touch his face. “And I was so dumb. Can you forgive me?”

“Only if you agree to go out with me again,” Nick said. “And I insist on the highlife entertainment this time. A real date, where we dress up and go to a fancy restaurant and all that.”

“Can it end with a walk on the beach?” Coral asked, smiling.

“Oh, you can plan on it,” Nick said as he kissed her.

The End

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