Read Online Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry - Free Book Online

not only for those attributes, but also because he had accomplished so much at such a young age. I wondered where I would be at twenty-two, and if I would be as proud of myself as I was of Nicholas.
    “My dad’s a builder, too,” he said. “I learned my love of it from him. He was always building something, and when I was about six, he let me help. Small jobs at first, just sanding and hammering a few nails, but it didn’t take long for him to trust me with bigger jobs. Mom hated it when Dad let me use the electric saw, but he knew I had a steady hand.” He looked past me, his eyes clouding slightly.
    “What is it?” I asked, drawing his attention back to me.
    He shook his head as if to clear it, and met my eyes steadily. “My mom died of cancer when I was eleven,” he said quietly. “I’m so used to everyone around here knowing, it just kinda hits me hard when I have to tell someone who doesn’t know.”
    “I’m so sorry, Nicholas,” I said. I felt awkward, unsure of what else to say, so I reached for his hand and held it between both of mine.
    The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and he squeezed my hands. “It was a long time ago, but sometimes it feels like yesterday.” He looked down at our entwined hands and a lock of hair fell over his forehead, making him look younger somehow. “Anyway, my dad and I still live together. A few years back he was offered a position as one of the heads of the building company we work for. The company builds homes and offices all over the province, but within a year of my dad being promoted, the company had grown so much they expanded and started branches all over Canada.”
    As Nicholas spoke, he turned my hand over in his and began idly tracing patterns in my palm with his fingers. It made sense now why his hands were so strong and why his fingers were calloused. At times, I found it hard to concentrate on what he was saying because of the oddly intimate gesture and the way his touch sent my stomach fluttering.
    “Dad’s gone a lot,” Nicholas continued, his fingers straying to my wrist. I wondered if he could feel my pulse throbbing under the skin. “I don’t mind living on my own most of the time, and we talk nearly every night when he’s away. After my mom died I learned never to take my dad for granted, and when he got this job it made me appreciate our time together even more. Probably sounds pretty cheesy.” He cringed slightly, looking apologetic. “And I just realized I’m talking way too much.”
    “No, not at all,” I said quickly. “I like learning about you and your family. I’ve never had friends to share things with or had anybody open up to me like this.” His eyes softened around the edges, crinkling in a small, warm smile. “And I don’t think it’s cheesy at all that you love your dad so much and get along so well. In fact, I’m a bit jealous. I’ve never had that kind of relationship with my parents.”
    “Never?” Nicholas asked, his brows drawing together.
    Just when I thought he couldn’t be any cuter, his look of concern made my heart melt. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t say never ,” I said slowly, thinking back to my childhood. “When I was much younger I was daddy’s little girl. But as I got older, and my mother got harder to deal with, I drifted away from my dad. My mother controlled him so tightly that I felt like he was her puppet, saying and doing the things he thought she wanted him to say and do. My mother and I are very different and I always knew some part of her resented me for that. I think she believed having a daughter would be like having a carbon copy of herself, and when I didn’t live up to those expectations, she was disappointed. It was obvious she wanted a daughter to do girly things with—shopping, manicures, pedicures—and there’s nothing wrong with those things, I just never had any interest in them. That’s when I tried to make it up to her by doing well in school. I’d hoped it