Ch. 9 – Nicholas Brownstein
The rest of the month, we were very busy. Zack had online assessments and testing, followed by preparations for State exams. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson had both been working longer hours lately, so I didn’t mind giving Zack some extra time. He had joined a few extracurricular after school online clubs that he really liked.
One late afternoon, Samantha Richardson walked in with a sharp looking young man dressed in a steel gray suit. I looked up in surprise as Zack ran over to the guy and gave him a high-five. They all smiled and greeted one another. Finally, Samantha turned to me and said, “Jessica, I want you to meet Nicholas Brownstein, the youngest Partner at my law firm.” She beamed at him proudly. “Whenever we have an extra lengthy case load at the office, I always tell Nick to come over so we can finish up at home. And Zack loves seeing his pal Nick, don’t you Zack?” Zack nodded vigorously. We shook hands politely. I suddenly felt self conscious under Nick’s gaze. He had eyes the same color as his suit and was nearly half a foot taller than me.
I still had some homework to complete with Zack while Samantha and Nick continued to work on their files at the dining table. Just as we all completed our tasks, Michael came home too. He looked just as happy to see Nick.
Lucy had been cooking and housekeeping that day, so she served us all dinner. After eating, we all went out on to the porch. Nick took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. He, Michael, and Zack started shooting hoops in the driveway. Zack was tall for his age but no where near as tall as his dad or friend. He just couldn’t manage to get enough shots. Suddenly, Nick picked him up and placed him on his shoulders, giving him easy access to the hoop. This made him shriek in delight. We all had a hearty laugh.
Samantha and I jumped up and took a few turns ourselves. Luckily I had some experience with basketball from my high school gym class, so I didn’t make a complete fool of myself.
When it got dark outside, we decided to call it a night. The adults had work the next morning and Zack had school. We bid one other goodnight. Nick walked me to my car parked out on the street. He held the car door open for me as I sat inside. “Thanks,” I said smiling shyly, “it was nice meeting you.” “It was really nice meeting you, Jessica,” he smiled back closing my door. “Drive safe!,” he called out waving. I waved back.
Once I was a little ways away from their house, I let out a deep sigh. It just dawned on me that I had butterflies in my stomach.