The Secret.

The Date.

Nicole quietly closed the door, trying not wake her dad, she sat on the front steps and put on her snow boots, she stood up looked down the road both ways, and headed for the docks, she kept rehearsing what she would say when she saw him, she sounded like a little school girl who had a crush, she giggled to herself at the thought.

When she got to the docks she anxiously waited for Matt, she kept pacing up and down the pier, hoping to see him in that beat up ole brown coat she first saw him in, she looked down the far side of the pier, and saw Matt tying off his skiff. Her stomach came up in her throat, she would rather take a knife to side than to see Matt, she had never felt that way about anyone, she was so nervous, he seemed perfect, and she didn't want to ruin him with her secret, she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. She nervously walked towards Matt as he was still securing his skiff to the pier, he was in such deep thought about tying that rope, it seemed as if nothing else mattered, Nicole walked up quietly behind him and said "uhh...Matt?" Matt looked away from what he was doing and stood up straight. "Nicole!" He looked back at his crappy knot job and said "oh, I was just trying to keep it from floating away." Nicole laughed a bit but covered her mouth trying not to laugh at him, "that's some knot there? What do you call that?" He briefly glanced at Nicole and back at the knot, "haha, I call that the I never joined the Boy Scouts knot!" Nicole giggled and said "I'll definitely have to try that sometime." Matt chuckled and said "well Miss Nicole, are you ready for our date?" Nicole smirked and said "ready as I'll ever be Mr. Brown." He held out his arm and she slipped hers underneath his. They walked up the pier and to the pizza joint, Matt held the door open for her and helped her in her chair, Nicole liked Matt for being such a gentleman to her, she leaned forward on the table and said "your quite the gentleman Mr. Matt brown." He raised his eyebrows and said "well I still believe in chivalry." Nicole giggled and looked down at the table and said "so...tell me about Matt brown, who is he? Where does he live?" 
"Well my full name is Matthew Jeremiah Brown, I'm 35 years old, and I live with my family on Chichigof Island." Matt said
"Really, that's cool!" Nicole said
Matt laughed and said "yeah I guess so, I have 7 siblings including myself, and of course my mom, and Da."
"Wow, so you never got married, are any of your siblings married?"
"No...no... we just...well you know, we don't really come across any pretty ladies just wandering around the island, unlike yourself that is." Matt exclaimed
Nicole giggled "yeah sorry for almost killing you!" Matt chuckled and said "don't sweat it, my brothers have done much worse to me, so how about you, who is Nicole...uhh... I'm sorry I never caught your last name." Nicole readjusted her seating as she didn't really like to talk about herself.
"My full name is Nicole Dale Reed, and I know what you're thinking what kind of middle name is "Dale" for a girl, my dads name is Dale, so he decided it would be a good idea to name me Nicole Dale." Matt bit his lip trying not laugh, Nicole looked up and said "go head laugh!" Matt shook his head and said "no...no...I think Dale is a great name for a girl!" She rolled her eyes and said "whatever! Anyway... where was I? Oh right, I'm 29 years old, I'm currently living here in Hoonah taking care of my ill father, I don't have siblings like you, so I kinda have to be here for him." Matt had a concerned look on his face and said "he's ill?" Nicole looked down at her hands and said "cancer... stage four lung cancer..." Matt cleared his throat and said "wow, sorry to hear that." Nicole gave him a friendly smile and said "yeah, my mom isn't around anymore, so I had to leave everything behind in Texas and come here to care for him. I left my job, my house..." she stopped herself, she almost told Matt the secret, the secret that was like a monkey on her back. Always there. She put her hands in her lap and said in attempt to lighten the mood, "well I'm hungry, you ready to order?" Matt picked up his menu and said "oh yeah, I hear the all meat pizza is to die for here." Nicole closed her menu and said "well I know what I want, all meat it is!"

(Through out the whole night they made small talk just getting to know each other)

After they had eaten, and talked for hours on end, Matt decided it was time to head back to the island, they walked out the pizza place together holding hands, Nicole liked Matts company, it felt right being with him. They walked down to Matts skiff and he untied it off the pier, before he stepped in he turned toward Nicole facing her with his hands in his pockets, he seemed nervous, he looked into her eyes and said "Nicole...I really enjoyed our date tonight...I was wondering if you wanted to do this again?" She tried to hid her smile that was as big as the moon, "I think I'd really like that, Matt brown." She leaned into him and grabbed his collar and he cupped his hands around her face and gently placed his warm lips on hers. It was like it was meant to happen, it felt so right, he felt right. Nicole pulled away smiling, and said "good night Matt." He let her go reluctantly, he wished he could hold her forever. She felt right to him. He took a step back still a little dazed that he got to kiss her and said "goodnight Nicole..." he jumped in his skiff and sailed away into the dark Alaskan cold. Nicole saw him out till she couldn't see anymore, she turned around and started walking back up the pier 'what a man, what a night!' she thought. She unlocked the front door to her dads house and walked in, he was in the kitchen making a glass of chocolate milk, she waltzed in the kitchen with a big smile on her face, her father looked up at her said "where have you been? You missed wheel of fortune!" She stopped what she was doing and collected her self, "oh, I was just.. you know...I was around." He gave her weird look and said "okay Nicole, I'm off to bed." He walked to her and kissed her cheek" he held her face in his hand and said "goodnight my dear." She smirked and said "goodnight daddy." She waited till he closed his door, and she ran and jumped on her bed and screamed in her pillow, she was so happy that he kissed her.