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Sydney wanted to scream.  Her parents were acting like such children with all their name-calling and accusing.  They were nearly fifty years old, and the two of them still acted like they were ten.  She just wanted to knock their heads together and see how they liked that.  Maybe it would knock some sense into them.

Her plan wasn’t going exactly the way she’d expected it to go.  She had hoped that, by putting the two of them in the same house for a week, they would be forced to talk, instead of shout.  Her hopes were that, if they started talking to each other, maybe, just maybe, they could find that spark that had once flared between them.  And then, of course, they’d fall in love again and end up getting married.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Cara.  She did.  But she loved her mother, and she truly believed her parents belonged together.  When Spencer had talked about conceiving Sydney in love, it had given Sydney hope.

But, after spending two days together, her parents were nowhere close to even spending time in the same room.  If Spencer was in the house, Nick was out somewhere, usually with Cara.  If Nick was in the house, Spencer escaped to the beach for sunbathing and relaxation, as she told Sydney.  The only time they were ever in the house at the same time was when they were sleeping.

“Something has to be done,” Sydney declared as she paced her room.  She glanced over her shoulder to where Mason lounged on her bed.  The guy looked like a GQ cover model, she thought, amused.  If she told him he looked pretty terrific, he’d turn ten different shades of red.  Adorable.  “So, Mason, any suggestions?”

Mason shrugged and flipped, bored, through an old issue of Cosmo Girl.  “Do girls really think that these stupid quizzes can tell them who they’re going to marry or what a guy is really thinking?” he wondered.

Sydney sighed, frustrated, and clapped her hands in front of his face.  “Hello! Earth to Mason! I am having an emergency here!”

He tried not to roll his eyes.  Sydney had an emergency every hour, and he was too used to them by now to care.  “I know, I heard.  Uncle Nick and Aunt Spencer aren’t spending any time around each other, which means that they’ll never fall in love and give you the family you’ve always dreamed of having.  I’ve heard this a billion times, Syd.”

“No, Mason. They’re already in love, but they just don’t know it.  I just have to give them a little push.” She sighed and twirled her hair on her finger as she thought.  “It’s already Sunday, and I only have until Saturday, the day of the wedding, to get them together again.  The thing is, every time Mom’s at home, Dad’s out the door in a flash.  And vice versa.”

“So, you have to strand them together somehow,” Mason suggested.

She thought for a moment, and then her eyes widened.  “Mason!” She threw her arms around his neck.  “You’re a genius!”

He blushed a little.  It felt nice, he decided, to hold her like this.  And then he froze.  This was Sydney, he told himself.  He couldn’t go around having thoughts about her like that.  He cleared his throat nervously.  “So, um, do you have something in mind?”

Her nose wrinkled as she pondered for a moment.  “Yes!” She smiled widely.  “You’re taking me out for dinner and a movie.”

Great, Mason thought.  Sydney’s idea, and he was going to have to pay for it.  “Sure, why not?”

***

Spencer dusted the sand off her feet before she opened the back door.  The last thing she needed was for Nick to get annoyed at the sand she’d tracked into his home.  Then, she thought again and decided Nick probably wouldn’t even notice that there was sand in the house.  It was amazing how clean his house was, but she figured Sydney may have had a hand in that.  She doubted Nick Carter had learned to clean up after himself in the last twenty years.

As she passed his kitchen, she stopped in the doorway and gazed longingly at all the pretty, top of the line appliances he had.  She wondered if he’d learned to cook but figured that he’d bought them for whenever Cara came over and cooked.  Cooking was Spencer’s hobby, except that she was obsessive about it.  She loved experimenting and adding a new twist to old recipes.  Closing her eyes, she imagined her all-time favorite linguine with red sauce with just a…mmm…hint of lemon.  

“What are you doing?”

Her daydream was broken by Nick’s voice.  She opened her eyes and found herself looking into his bright blue eyes.  For a second—just a second—the sight took her breath away.  She looked away quickly to rid herself of the feeling.  “N-nothing.  Just thinking.”

Nick frowned.  For just a moment, he could’ve sworn he saw something in her eyes and felt it within him, too.  He shook it off as momentary insanity on his part and, folding his arms, he continued to frown down at her.  “So why are you staring at my kitchen like you’re lusting after it?”

“Because I am.” She smiled a little.  “If you tell me, right now, that all those fabulous appliances in there are for you to cook with, I will drop dead from surprise.”

“Uhhh…They’re not mine.  They’re actually for whenever Cara comes over.  She likes to cook.” He shrugged.  “Instead of having her haul over all her stuff, I just got new stuff for her.”

“Wow.” Spencer nodded, approvingly.  “That’s very sweet of you.”

Nick shrugged.  “I love her.  I wanted to make her happy.”

Yeah, you used to want my happiness, too, Spencer thought bitterly, but, outwardly, she smiled.  “Well, Cara is a very lucky woman.  When do I get to meet her?”

“Tomorrow night.  We’re having a barbecue out on the beach,” he told her.  “Kevin, Howie, and their families, AJ and Libby, and Brian and Baylee are coming over.  Kind of a celebratory deal.”

“That’s nice.  Where’s Leighanne?” Spencer noticed he hadn’t mentioned his least favorite of his bandmates’ wives.

Nick’s expression turned somber.  “She, uh, she died last year.  I thought you knew.”

“What?!” This was huge news for Spencer as she’d always enjoyed spending time with Leighanne.  “How? Why? Why was I never told?”

He sighed.  “They found an inoperable tumor in her brain a couple years ago.  She and Brian lived with it for two years before she passed away.  It was pretty hard for Brian, but he’s slowly starting to bounce back.”

“Oh, my.  Wow.” Spencer rubbed her hands over her face, still not able to believe it.  “Leighanne? Brain tumor? God, I just can’t believe…”

“Yeah, well…” He trailed off, and they both heard Sydney’s footsteps on the stairs before she bounced into the kitchen.

“Hey, Mom! Hi Dad!” She beamed at them.  “How’s it going?”

“Uh, it’s going okay.” Spencer sighed a little at the thought of Leighanne.  “You look really excited.”

Sydney nodded excitedly.  “I am! Mason and I are going out for dinner and a movie tonight.”

“Mason?” Nick frowned.  “This isn’t a date, is it?”

Sydney shrugged.  “I don’t know, but, hey, he’s paying.  So why not, right?”

Spencer rolled her eyes.  “Don’t hose your friend, Syd.  It’s not nice.”

“But he offered.”

Nick held up a hand before Spencer could reply.  “He’s your friend, so you gotta be fair to him, okay? Pay for the movie tickets.”

“But Dad-” But one look from Nick stopped her.  Sydney shrugged.  “Okay, fine.  So, what are the two of you doing tonight?”

Nick and Spencer exchanged glances before Spencer spoke.  “Well, I was about to ask your father if I could use his kitchen tonight.”

“Really?” Nick lifted a brow.  “Why?”

“Why else? To cook, of course.” Spencer remembered her daydream.  “I was going to make the Spencer Wilde special actually.” She glanced over at Sydney.  “I was going to make it for the two of us, but, if you’re going out, there’s really no point in me spending so much time making it.  I’ll just order something and watch a movie, I guess.”

A light bulb went off in Sydney’s brain.  “Aww, don’t do that, Mom.  You should make it anyway for you and…” She looked over at Nick speculatively.  “Dad, do you have plans for tonight?”

“Well, uh, actually-”

“Great! Mom, you can make it for you and Dad! Dad, the Spencer Wilde special is so, so good! I bet you’ve never had any pasta like it,” Sydney gushed.

“As a matter of fact, I have,” Nick told her and looked over his daughter’s head to where Spencer stood.  “Linguine in red sauce? The lemony one?” The memory was crystal clear in his head.

Spencer’s eyes widened in surprise.  “You remember that?”

He shrugged.  “Syd’s right.  It’s one of the best I’ve ever had.”

Sydney looked from one parent to the other as a smile slowly formed on her face.  “So, we’re set then.  Enjoy your night in, and save some for me.  I gotta go get ready because Mason will be here soon!” And, with that, she skipped off.

Nick watched her go.  “I feel like I’ve just been very skillfully maneuvered,” he muttered.

“Tell me about it.” Spencer looked around the kitchen again.  “I guess I should go shopping for ingredients.”

“Listen, Spence, you don’t have to do this,” Nick began, but she shook her head.

“It’s okay.  It’s been a while since I’ve cooked for anyone but me.” She picked up her towel and started out of the room.  “Meet me here at seven.”

He ran his fingers through his hair wearily.  Mother and daughter were equally talented at the maneuvering.  “Sure.  See ya.”

***

At six forty-five that evening, Nick sniffed the air and nearly drooled.  It may have been over two decades since he’d smelled Spencer’s amazing pasta special, but he’d never forgotten the scent of it and how incredibly good it was.  His stomach growled, and he decided he wasn’t going to get anything productive done in the next fifteen minutes.

Shutting down his editing system, he left his studio and made his way towards the kitchen.  Just inside the doorway, he stopped and studied the scene.  There was Spencer, an apron tied tidily around her waist, stirring a spoon in a pan.  He wasn’t sure if she’d heard him come in or not, but she turned to look at him and smiled.  And, suddenly, Nick was tossed back in time.

***

April 2007
Nashville, Tennessee

Nick was a little nervous, and his grip on the flowers he held was slightly sweaty.  It was the first time Spencer had invited him over to her apartment for dinner, and he wondered if this meant he was about to get lucky.  In their two-month relationship, he’d learned that she was far more conservative than he, and the idea of immediately jumping into a sexual relationship was offensive to her.  With any other woman, Nick knew he would’ve shrugged and walked out.  With Spencer, though, something made him want to try harder and wait longer.  Who knew? Maybe she was right in wanting to wait.

When she opened the door, he smiled foolishly and leaned in to kiss her.  “Hey.”

“Nick! You’re right on time.” She smiled back at him before her gaze shifted to the flowers he gripped in his hand.  “Oh, you’re so sweet.  You brought me flowers!”

He looked down at the blooms in his hand then over at her.  “Oh? Did you want some, too?”

“Oh, shut it.” She tugged him down for another kiss before slipping the bouquet out of his hand.  “I’ll go put these in water.”

Nick followed her in and was immediately hit with the fragrant scents floating through her home.  “Wow, what is that smell? It’s really great!”

“I cooked you my specialty.” She grinned over her shoulder.  “It’s pretty awesome.”

“I bet.” He continued to sniff the air and salivate as he followed her back into her kitchen.  She arranged the flowers in a pretty vase before turning back to stir something in one of the pots and pans on her stove.  He grinned at how cute she looked in her little apron, bending over to taste something on her wooden spoon.  

She smiled when his arms slid around her waist and his lips brushed over her neck.  “If you don’t stop that in the next, oh, ten minutes, your dinner’s going to burn.”

“Ten minutes, huh? Let’s see what I can do.” Nick shifted her to face him before leaning in to kiss her.  She was just too good to pass up, he thought as their lips met.  He’d never before been so glad he’d gone to a tedious appointment at a law firm.  If he hadn’t been there that day in February, he’d never have met her, never have gotten to know the great person that she was.  He wouldn’t know that her favorite color was peach, her favorite time of day was sunrise, and that her favorite movie, Gone With the Wind, made her weep.

When she nearly dropped the spoon she held in her now nerveless fingers, Spencer stepped back.  “Whoa, Nick.  Give me a second.” She took several deep breaths to steady herself before she checked on her simmering sauce.  It was amazing how Nick could make her feel so breathless, so out of control.  If it wasn’t for the fact that she wanted to be more than just another notch on his bedpost, she knew she would’ve slept with him by now, despite all of her moral objections.  She just wanted to be sure.  

“You okay?” he asked, resting his hand lightly on her shoulder.  

She didn’t look at him as she began scooping pasta onto plates.  “Yes and no.” Spencer looked him dead in the eyes. “Nick, I didn’t invite you over, so that I could sleep with you.  I’m sorry if that’s what you were expecting, but I’ve already told you why I want to take our time with that.”

Nick blinked, surprised.  “Spence, I don’t want to pressure you into something you don’t want to do.  I like being with you, so that’s why I’m here.  Trust me?”

How could she not? She passed him the loaded plates.  “Go sit down.  Dinner’s ready.”

“So, this is the Spencer special?” He twirled the first forkful of pasta on his fork when they were seated at her tiny table.  “It smells really good.”

“Tastes good, too.” Spencer smiled.  “It’s my great-grandmother’s recipe.”

“Was she Italian?” Nick chewed then closed his eyes and nearly moaned.  “Wow, wow.  Spencer, this is really good.  You should forget about being a lawyer and just open your own restaurant.”

She grinned.  “Oh, sure.  You can’t run a restaurant on just one dish, you know.”

“I bet you could.” He smiled at her and reached out to hold her hand.  “I’m glad you invited me over.”

“I’m glad you came.  Lucky us that you came on my one free weekend between spring break and graduation.” Spencer’s heart fluttered when he played with her fingers.  “It’s hard not seeing you every weekend.”

Nick nodded.  “I know.  Too bad I can’t fly out here all the time.” He laced their fingers together.  “I want to try, Spencer.  I don’t know why you’re different from everyone else for me, but you are.  You make me want to be better, be more.  I like that feeling.”

Now, her heart rolled over in her chest.  “I like that I can do that for you.”

“Me, too,” he murmured.  “Me, too.”

***

Nick shook off the melancholy he felt, knowing that those precious moments were gone forever and buried under a mountain of angry words and bitter feelings.  Instead, he focused on getting through dinner without arguing with Spencer.

“I know, I’m a little early,” he began, moving over to lean against the island counter.  “I could smell it all the way in my studio, and I couldn’t resist.”

Spencer smiled.  “It’s almost ready, so I hope you’re hungry.” When his stomach growled in response, Nick blushed and she grinned.  “I’ll take that as a yes.  It sounds serious.”

“Feeding my starving stomach is always serious,” he told her.  “So can I help with anything?”

“Nope.” She pulled out plates from a cabinet and set them on the counter before filling them with steaming pasta.  “Everything’s all set.  Maybe if you could just grab something to drink.”

“Okay.” Nick straightened and moved over to the cabinet where glasses were.  As he stepped up to the cabinet, Spencer turned to reach for something, and they collided.  He reached out to steady her before she tripped into her pasta.  His hands rested on her waist as hers gripped his shoulders for balance.  For several long seconds, he couldn’t take his eyes off hers.  Finally, when he realized that he was holding her close, he stepped back.  “Sorry.  I didn’t mean to, uh-”

“Totally my fault,” she said and stepped back as well.  “I just needed the salt.”

Nick grabbed it and handed it to her, careful not to touch her.  “Here.” Snatching two glasses out of the cabinet, he hurried over to the table to be as far away from her as possible.

For several minutes, neither of them said a word.  They sat down to eat, and, even then, all Nick said was, “Thank you,” and Spencer answered with a “You’re welcome”.  It was horribly awkward, and, yet, Nick had felt something when he’d held her, and he could now berate himself for it in his head.  This was what happened when he let himself remember the past beyond the fighting.  She was getting under his skin again, and he couldn’t afford to let her.

“Is something wrong with the pasta?”

“Huh?” Nick snapped to and looked over at her.  “What?”

Spencer gestured to his plate.  “You’re staring at it like you want to hurt something.  Is it that bad?”

He shook his head.  “No, of course not.  The day this is bad is the day pigs fly.  It’s great,” he assured her.  “I was just…thinking.”

“Oh.”

And, then, there was silence again.