01. Chasing Nikki (7 page)

I sent a
message to Nikki.  “Umm … sitting in the parking lot of a rest home.  Think you
gave me the wrong address.”

My phone
buzzed.  “No.  You’re in the right place.  Meet me in room 120.”

This was an
awful strange place for a first date.

What the
heck was she doing? 

I stared at
the text for a moment longer before I shook my head, wondering what I was
getting into.  I grabbed the vase of flowers and went inside.

“Can I help
you?” a young man wearing a pair of scrubs asked me when I walked into the
large lobby.

“I’m meeting
someone in room 120.”

“Down that
hall to your left.”  He pointed.

“Thanks.”  I
went in the direction he’d indicated, passing several rooms with open doors
along the way.  There were a lot of people living here. 

I found the
room number with the name Mildred Wagner etched into a little bronze plate underneath.

“Hello?” I
called, knocking on the door, which was slightly ajar.

“Come in,
Chase,” Nikki’s voice replied.

I entered
and found her curled up in a chair next to a bed that held a tiny, frail
looking, elderly woman.

“Oh! You
brought flowers!” Nikki exclaimed, getting up to come over to me.

“I told you
I would.” I smiled a little uncomfortably, still not sure why she was having me
meet her here.

She took the
vase.  “Look, Grandma.  Chase brought you flowers!  Wasn’t that sweet?”

I sighed and
smiled, determined to play along with whatever she had going on.

“Chase, this
is my Grandma Wagner.  She’s my dad’s mom.  He used to come and visit her every
Sunday before he died.  I’ve tried to keep up the tradition since he passed
on.  Grandma had a bad stroke several years ago and lost some of her motor and
speech skills, so she’s unable to take care of herself.”

“Nice to
meet you, Mrs. Wagner,” I said, nodding toward the lady.

She gave me
a half smile and slightly raised her trembling arm.

“She wants
to shake your hand,” Nikki said, placing the flowers on the bedside stand and
turning to sit back down.

I walked
over and took Mrs. Wagner’s small hand in mine, giving it a slight squeeze.  I
was surprised by the strength with which she responded and continued to grasp
me, not letting go.

Nikki
laughed.  “I think someone has a crush.  I told you he was very handsome,
didn’t I, Grandma?”

Mrs. Wagner
visibly blushed at this remark, and I chuckled.

“I don’t
know what lies she’s been telling you about me.” I cast a glance in Nikki’s
direction.  “But they’re probably all true.”

Nikki smiled
wider.  “Let go of him now, Grandma, so he can come sit by me.”

Her grandma
obliged, and I made my way around to the other side of the bed, pulling up a
chair next to her.

“Every time
I come here I make sure my grandma gets to eat her favorite pudding, which is
butterscotch, by the way.  She can’t feed herself very well, so I like to help
her enjoy her treat.  Do you mind waiting while I do that first?  Then we can
go on the rest of our date.”

“Sure.  Do
whatever you need to.  I’m at your mercy for the entire day.”

“I like the
sound of that,” Nikki said with a grin.

An orderly
entered the room carrying, what I assumed was pudding, in a small parfait glass
with a spoon.

“Here’s your
dish, Mrs. Wagner.  Straight from the kitchen, just like you like it.” The
young man smiled and served the dish toward her with a flourish, as if he were
the best waiter in a fancy restaurant.

Mrs. Wagner
gave her same half smile back to him.

Nikki took
the dessert and sat on the edge of the bed and began to carefully feed her
grandma.  She had to pause every now and then to take a napkin and wipe the
woman’s face, but eventually she managed to patiently serve her every bite.

“Did you
enjoy that?” Nikki asked her, and she nodded.  “Good.  Would you like me to
read to you a little before I go?”

Mrs. Wagner
shook her head and pointed at me.

“You want
Chase to read to you?” She giggled.

Her grandma
denied her again and smiled even wider, loosely gesturing toward the door.

“Oh.  You
want me to leave with him, don’t you?”

Her grandma
nodded and dropped her hand back into her lap.

“Well, I
guess we’ve been kicked out, Chase.  Let’s go.”  Nikki picked her bag up off
the nightstand before bending to kiss her grandma on the cheek.  “Love you. 
I’ll tell you all about it later, okay?”

“It was nice
to meet you,” I said again, reaching out to pat the woman’s hand, and she
turned hers so she could clasp mine once more.  She released me quickly this
time, and I smiled at her before I followed Nikki through the door.

“She likes
you,” Nikki said with a grin.

“I think I
might like her too.  Of course, I don’t really know her, but she seemed as
though she’s a nice enough lady.”

“She’s
wonderful.  She also happens to be an incurable romantic.  That’s why she was
so eager to rush us out of there.”

“Really?
Does that mean I should be expecting romance on this date you’ve planned?” I
teased.

“You haven’t
qualified for that kind of attention yet, but you’re getting closer,” she
replied.

“I haven’t
qualified?  What is this, some sort of test or something?”

“Yep, and
you’re passing so far, so just chill and roll with it.” She elbowed me in the
ribs.

“It’s a good
thing I like you.”

“Why’s
that?” she asked sincerely.

“Because
I’ve never worked this hard to get a date before,” I answered honestly.

She sidled
up close to me and placed her hand on my chest.  “Well, you know what they
say.  The best things come to those who wait.”  She bit her bottom lip and
traced down with her finger.

My heart
rate notched up just a bit at that slight touch.  “Is that what they say?”

“It is.” She
nodded.

“Well, then
I guess I’ll have to keep waiting.”

She laughed,
moving away from me, and I was sorry to see her go.

“So, where
are we going now?” I asked.

“To the
theater.”

“Cool.  What
are we watching?” I could do a movie easily enough.

“Today is
the Silver Screen Sunday Classic.  We’re going to watch
Gone with the Wind
. 
It’s four hours of complete heaven.”

I actually
had to clench my teeth to keep the groan from escaping my mouth.  “Sounds
awesome,” I said tightly, and she giggled even harder.

“There you
go, breaking that whole lying promise again.”

“I’m not
lying—you and me, practically alone in a dark theater?  That’s right up my
alley, I’d say.”

She halted
in the middle of the hallway.  “Oh.  I didn’t think about that.”

“I bet you
didn’t.”  I grinned, brushing past her.  “But this was your idea so you can’t
back out now.”

We stepped
outside into the bright sunshine.

“Where’s
your car?” I asked, looking around for the little red convertible VW bug she
drove.

“I don’t
have it.  My mom dropped me off today so I could ride with you later.”

“Good
thinking.” I walked over to the passenger side of my truck and opened the door
for her.

“Thanks,”
she replied softly, suddenly seeming kind of shy.

“You’re
welcome,” I answered, closing it once she was settled in.

She didn’t
speak while I drove, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable, so I didn’t try to break
the silence.  We soon had our tickets and were seated in the middle of the
empty theater.

“Wow.  I was
kidding when I said it would be mostly empty.”  I handed her the popcorn.

“Sometimes
I’m the only one here, but there are days when several others show up.  I guess
it just depends on what mood people are in.”

“How often
do they do this?” I asked.

“Only once a
month.  But I try to come every time.  My grandma was the one who got me hooked
on these old movies.  She used to bring me when I was younger.”

“So in a
way, this is your tribute to her.”

“Exactly.”
She smiled.

“Well, I’m
glad you invited me then.”

“Me too.  
Have you ever seen this movie before?”

“Can’t say I
have.  I’m more of an action-packed kind of guy.”

“Just try to
give it a chance.  Let it speak to you.  They don’t make movies like this
anymore.”

“I’ll do my
best,” I replied.  I was pretty sure I was set for four hours of agony.  I was
already bored just waiting for the opening credits to finish, but the picture
finally started rolling, and the lead actress filled up the screen in her big
white dress. 

I leaned over
to Nikki.  “You’re right.  This movie is going to be awesome.  She’s hot.  I’d
totally date her.”

She elbowed
me in the ribs again, and snorted in an irritated fashion.

I chuckled. 
“What? I’m being completely serious.”

“You don’t
say things like that when you’re out with another girl.  It’s rude,” she
whispered.

“Oh. 
Sorry.  What should I say?  And why are we whispering?  We’re the only ones
here.”

“Quit
talking and watch the movie,” she hissed.  “You’re missing important stuff!”

“Yes ma’am.
Forgive me for interrupting.”  I sat up rigidly in my seat, and she lifted a
hand to her mouth trying to stifle a laugh.

I dutifully
paid attention to the show, and found myself being sucked into the story.  I
kept glancing over at Nikki occasionally, enjoying her mesmerized look as she
watched the movie.  She was really into this.  It was kind of cute.

Her hands
were neatly folded in her lap, and I suddenly wanted to touch her.  I boldly
reached over and took the one closest to me, lacing my fingers through hers, resting
them together on her thigh.

I didn’t
miss the small gasp she gave at my actions, or the fact her hand was now
trembling in mine.  I leaned in next to her ear.  “Relax, Nikki.  I like you.
Remember?”

She looked
up at me and nodded.  “I like you too.”

I couldn’t
help the smile that broke out across my face.  “Good.  Now that we have that
all settled, let’s finish this. Okay?”

“Okay,” she
replied.

We stayed
that way through the remainder of the show, with me occasionally rubbing the
back of her hand with my thumb, and once or twice she squeezed mine a little
tighter in return.  I didn’t really concentrate on the rest of the story, but I
was pretty sure
Gone with the Wind
was now my most favorite movie ever
by the time we left.

“Where to
now, boss?” I was still holding onto her as we left the theater and headed
toward my truck.

“I thought
we could go to Sonic and get some ice cream, if you’d like.”

“That sounds
great.” I helped her into the vehicle.

“Do you care
if I plug my iPod in to listen to?” she asked when I got in on the other side.

“Of course
not.  Go right ahead.”  I rolled down my window to enjoy the nice air outside.

She took it
out of her purse and hooked it up, getting it all situated as we turned into
the Sonic Drive In restaurant parking lot.  I hit the edge of the sidewalk
slightly when we entered and sent her bag flying to the floor, dumping its
contents everywhere.

“Curb
check,” I called out.  “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,”
she replied, bending over to pick up her stuff.

I pulled
into a spot near the front.  At that moment her iPod started blaring loudly
through my speakers, playing the song Barbie Girl, for everyone to hear.  I
looked out to see several of the guys I hung out with from school eating on the
patio with a bunch of girls, staring at me curiously.

“Something
you want to tell us, Walker?” Wes shouted out, and everyone laughed. 

I rolled my
eyes and pointed in Nikki’s direction, realizing then that no one could see her
since she was bent to gather her things.

“Sit up,” I
said abruptly to her, not wanting the guys to think I was jamming to sissy
tunes.

She leaned
over to grab a tube of lip-gloss that had rolled between my feet, and I saw we
were in a suggestive predicament. 

“Never
mind.  Don’t get up,” I amended quickly.

“What? 
Why?” She lifted her head to look at me.

I groaned as
everyone outside saw her, and all of a sudden a bunch of catcalls and whistle’s
filled the air.

“Whoa ho! 
Look who’s been lying in Walker’s lap!” someone shouted.

Her face
flushed red when she understood what everyone was thinking.

“Sorry,” I
apologized.  “I tried to warn you.”

“It’s not
your fault.” She moved to the other side of the truck.

“Don’t give
them the satisfaction of looking guilty.”  I put my arm on the back of the seat
and motioned for her to slide over.

She did so
without hesitation, surprising me when she gave me a peck on the cheek.

“Thanks for
trying to look out for my reputation,” she said sincerely.

“Anytime,
and I mean it.”  I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and hugged her tightly
against me.

Chapter Seven

I pulled up
in front of her small but well kept  home and jumped out of the truck to go
open her door.

“Wow.  I
would’ve never pegged you as the gentlemanly type.”

“I’m full of
surprises,” I said as we walked up the sidewalk together.  “If you stick with
me a little longer, you might even find out some more.”

She paused
on the porch.  “We’ll see.” She smiled.

“Be
careful.  That sort of sounded promising.  I’m starting to think I might get
you to go out with me again.”

“Hold that
thought,” she said, going into the house and leaving me standing there.