Nicki Night - Her Chance At Love

What he really wanted to know, but didn’t dare ask Alana during their phone conversation, was if her friend Cadence would be coming along. He still hadn’t had a chance to work his charm on her but couldn’t seem to get her off his mind. Despite the fact that this volunteer effort would offer him little time to focus on wooing Cadence, he was determined to make some kind of move. He refused to let her get away again without at least getting her number.

“Blake!” Sandy Grove, one of the other volunteers, yelled. “This thing is not printing.”

Blake trotted over to the station where they had set up several printers. “Let me see,” he said, checking all the connections. “Everything looks good over here, Sandy. Did you make sure that you selected the right printer?”

“What?”

Blake shook his head at the sheepish grin she flashed at him. “You have to go into the control panel and add the one you want. Did you do that?”

“No! I figured after all of that tinkering you did, it would just happen.” She snickered.

Blake chuckled. “Scoot over,” he said, gently shoving her to the side.” Blake tapped on the keys for a few seconds. The copier clicked and the document came sliding out. “There you go.”

“Blake, you’re cute and smart!” Sandy giggled.

“Gee. Thanks, Sandy,” Blake said sarcastically and shook his head at her.

“Now, don’t get a big ego,” she said, nudging him on the arm.

“Blake!” someone else called from across the room. He dropped his head.

“You’re being summoned again.” Sandy sang and laughed once more.

“Coming.” Blake jogged in the direction of the call. This time, the organizer needed him to help another vendor set up.

When Blake was done, he looked across the room, hoping the backup volunteers had arrived. The fair would be opening in minutes and the lines were now snaking around the corner, as he was told. The vendor thanked him and he shot back across the university’s gymnasium to the other side.

Alana had arrived, and as she’d said, she had seriously rallied the troops. She had at least ten more volunteers with her.

“Alana!” Blake leaned in and wrapped her in a grateful hug.

“Did I do well?” she asked, presenting the folks she brought along with a sweeping gesture.

“You did very well.” Blake was especially appreciative of the fact that she’d brought Cadence along. Blake waved a general greeting to the group but kept his eye on Cadence, flashing his most brilliant smile. “Welcome and thanks, everyone. Just give me a moment and we will get you all set up as fast as we can. Did you all bring laptops?” The crowd collectively affirmed by nodding their heads. Some lifted their laptops in the air. “Great.” Blake clapped his hands together, but before he could show them where they needed to be, he heard his name being called again through the PA system.

The frenzy had heightened. With minutes left, representatives from recruitment companies, other businesses and vendors lined the perimeter of the gymnasium, scurrying to prepare their tables for the throngs of students outside of the double doors.

Blake helped yet another vendor gain access to the university’s Wi-Fi, showed the organizer how to do it for the umpteenth time and headed back to make sure his group was ready to go.

While he was gone, Alana had taken charge finalizing the setup. She had the custodians pull out a few more tables. A total of five six-foot-long tables were lined up in two rows with three volunteers set up at each table. She had also set up table signs that said, Résumé Services Sponsored by the NYAA.

“Let’s do a test run to make sure all of you are connected to the printer correctly.” Alana stood addressing their group as if she were conducting a symphony.

“Thanks, Alana!” Blake pulled her into another friendly hug.

“You know I’ve got your back. Everybody printing okay?” Alana asked.

“I’m getting an error message.” Cadence said.

Before Alana could respond, Blake had run to her side. “Let me help you out.” Once again, with a few clicks, he had her all set up and her test page was sliding out of one of the printers set up behind them.

Blake trotted over to retrieve the printed page and brought it back to her. “There you go,” he said, making a point to graze her hand as he handed it to her. The slight touch sent heat surging through him. He seized her with his eyes and allowed his gaze to linger. Cadence turned away first, but not before Blake made his point. He could tell by the slow way she dipped her eyes that he’d affected her, too.

As Blake walked away, he couldn’t help the quick groan that escaped his throat. He had to remind himself to remain focused, though it would be hard, since he still smelled the sweet scent of her perfume, which now permeated his nostrils. He wished he could capture the way it mixed with her scent and recall it at his will.

Blake looked at his watch. The doors would be opening in less than a minute. “Okay. Is everyone up and running?” The group responded with a collective yes. “Great! We are ready to go.”

Seconds later, the doors opened and students from all backgrounds poured into the gym, filling the space with their wide-eyed excitement. Immediately, all fifteen volunteers were busy helping to proofread, evaluate and rewrite résumés and offer career advice in response to the many questions the eager students asked.

It was quickly determined who served best in certain capacities, and the group made the necessary adjustments to keep the flow of traffic moving. Alana’s hands moved like lightning across the keyboard. She and a few others who typed fast focused on retyping résumés that required major editing. Cadence and Blake were really good at helping the students put their skills into words. They began to help those students who needed assistance with sprucing up their job descriptions.

With so many people seeking their help, the morning blazed by. Blake hadn’t realized how hungry he was until his stomach growled right in the middle of telling a young woman how to reword her administrative skills. Her endearing eyes bore into him the entire time he spoke and she smiled sheepishly when it was time for her to speak. When they were done, he typed in the last of her changes, printed the résumé and bid her good luck with a professional handshake.

As much as he loved the attention from women, he was never one to take advantage of a young starry-eyed girl. Politely he sent her on her way. As she made her way around to the vendors’ tables, she kept looking back at him.

His stomach growled again, reminding him that it was time to eat. He stood before another student took the seat in front of him. “You guys hungry?”

“Yes” rang out at various pitches.

“We can take turns going to get something to eat or I can just run and grab something for all of us.” Blake looked out over the line of folks that never seemed to cease. “Things don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. How about I go get something for all of us? I could use some fresh air.”

“That’s probably the best idea,” Alana confirmed.

“So what do you say? Pizza? Sandwiches?”

“Pizza is probably easiest,” Cadence said.

When she spoke, it was like music to Blake’s ears. He agreed just because she made the suggestion. “Pizza it is!” he said before anyone else could offer any other suggestion. “I’ll grab a couple of pies with a few different toppings.” Blake paused a moment, not wanting to seem too anxious. “Cadence, would you like to ride with me? I could use some help picking toppings.”

Cadence seemed to stiffen. It took a moment for her to respond. Alana’s back straightened and she turned to see how Cadence would answer. When she finally said yes, Blake realized that he’d been holding his breath.