Unforeseen Danger (16 page)

Sara glared at Doug and responded, “I don’t
know
.
 
That’s what I’m trying to find out.
 
She wouldn’t say on the telephone.
 
She threw a tantrum and demanded to see me immediately.
 
I told her that was impossible, that she’d just have to wait until the conference was over.
 
She hung up on me, and now she’s pouting.
 
That’s all this is.”

“Everything is always about you,” Doug said.
 
“Can’t you look at your own child and see that she’s not faking this?
 
Can you not see the difference in her?”
 
He took a trembling Nikki in his arms.

“She’s not mine.”
 
Sara smiled thinly.
 
“She never really was.
 
She’s all yours, Doug.
 
You help her out of this mess she’s gotten herself into.
 
As usual, Nicole doesn’t want my help.”

Jake clenched his jaw.
 
“Get the hell out of my house.”

Sara shot him a contemptuous look.
 
“I knew it was a mistake when she married you.
 
I knew it wouldn’t work, that something like this would happen.”
 
She turned back to face Nikki.
 
“When he divorces you, maybe you won’t be so quick to throw my offer to help in my face.
 
You’ll realize your family is all you have.”

Jake moved to stand beside Nikki and reached for her hand.
 
“I love Nikki, and I
am
her family.
 
She doesn’t need your help.
 
She doesn’t need anything from you.”

“We’ll see about that.
 
Come on, let’s get out of here.”
 
Sara glanced at Doug and snapped her fingers as if calling a little dog.

“I’m staying with my daughter for awhile,” Doug said.
 
“Then I’m calling a cab to take me to a hotel.
 
Would you please instruct Alexander not to unpack my bags?
 
It’ll be easier to collect my things.”

“Oh, really?”
Sara said with amusement.
 
“You’re leaving me?”

“You got it, sweetheart.
 
I’ve dreamed about it for years and was waiting until we got back to tell you.”

“You can’t imagine how sorry I will make you.”

“No sorrier than you’ve made me in the last thirty years, I’m sure,” Doug replied.
 

Sara’s smile evaporated.
 
She turned on her heel and stomped out of the house without
so
much as a backwards glance at her daughter.

“I apologize to the both of you, for having to hear all that,” Doug said.
 
“I’m sorry she hurt you, Nikki.
 
I’m sorry for all the times I’ve hurt you.”
 
He hugged her and whispered, “I want us to start over.
 
I love you and I want to try to make up for so much, if you’ll let me.”

“I’d like that,” Nikki said.

Jake left them alone to talk.
 
He wondered why Nikki called Sara that morning.
 
Did Sara have something to do with Nikki’s lover?
 
Jake wouldn’t put it past her to hire someone to break them up.
 
Hell, he wouldn’t put it past her to hire someone to have him killed.

“Jake.”
 
Doug’s voice startled him from his thoughts.
 
“Thanks for not throwing me out, too.”

“I just don’t want to see her hurt anymore, Doug.”

“I know and I’m glad she has you.
 
No matter what Sara says, you’ve always been a good influence on Nikki.”
 
He rubbed the back of his neck.
 
“Unlike me.
 
But maybe I can change that.
 
I think Nikki and I are on the right track now.”
  

“I’m glad,” Jake said and meant it.
 
Nikki needed to know that at least one of her parents was there for her.

“I’ve got to go,” he said, “but I’d like to come back to see her, if that’s okay with you.”

“I think that would be great,” Jake said.

He showed Doug out and walked back to the den.
 
Nikki looked up and burst into tears.
 
Jake crossed the floor quickly and sat beside her.

“Please don’t cry,” he pleaded.
 
“I can’t stand to see you cry.”

“It’s so awful not to remember anything about yourself, then to find out that even your own mother thinks you’re a liar.
 
I must’ve been such a horrible, horrible person.”

“No!”
 
Jake took her in his arms.
 
He felt her tremble and hated Sara for it.
 
“I should’ve warned you about her, but I didn’t want to hurt you.
 
Believe me, Nikki, nothing about your relationship with Sara is your fault.
 
She’s never treated you the way a mother should treat her daughter.”

“It’s not just her,” Nikki sobbed.
 
“Look what I did to you.
 
I made my own husband hate me.”

“I could never hate you, Nikki.
 
I was angry and hurt, but when I got that phone call…I’ve never been so scared in my life.
 
I don’t even remember the drive to the hospital.
 
I just begged God to let you be alright.”

“You’ve been so good to me, despite everything.
 
It kills me to know that I hurt you…and that I destroyed our marriage.”

“Honey, I won’t let you take all the blame for us, either,” he said.
 
“I was working a lot of long hours.
 
Maybe I was neglecting you—”

“That’s no excuse.”

Jake cleared his throat.
 
“Did you really mean it when you said you wanted to save our marriage?”

“When I said that I wanted that more than anything, I meant it.”
 
Nikki clutched his hands.
 
“I want that even more than I want my memory back.
 
I – I think I’m falling in love with you, all over again.”

Jake stared out the window, and then turned to stare at her lovely, pale face.
 
“Mom told me at the hospital that I was going to have to figure out what I wanted, to save my marriage or to end it.”
 
He paused.
 
“I want you.
 
I love you.”

***

Nikki’s heart nearly stopped when he inclined his dark head and kissed her.
 
His warm mouth electrified her, intoxicated her.
 
This kiss was different from the hesitant one at the hospital.
 
This was a kiss of forgiveness.
 
Jake Hawthorne’s arms felt like a haven to her, the only place she’d found where she felt she belonged.

Jake pulled back and she could see that the kiss had affected him, too.
 
He cradled her face in his hands.

“I love you and I want to make this work,” he said.
 
“I just need a little time, can you understand?
 
I need to take it slow.”

She nodded.
 
He’d given her the one thing she wanted: a chance.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, and strode out of the room.

When Jake came back a moment later, he sat beside her and took her left hand in his.

“I believe these are yours,” he said, the corner of his mouth curving into a crooked smile as he slid her engagement ring and wedding band on her finger.

Nikki’s eyes burned.
 
“I – I wondered why I wasn’t wearing a wedding ring,” she admitted.

Jake gave her a rueful chuckle.
 
“You got mad and threw them at me.
 
You used to like to throw things.”
 

He tried to make light of it, but Nikki could tell the memory of it still hurt him.
 
At a loss for what to say, Nikki kissed him again.

I won’t let you down again, Jake
, she thought.

“I’d better go shave.”
 
Jake smiled and rubbed her palm across his
stubbled
chin.
 
“Probably half the county will be by to see you today when word gets out that you’re home.
 
You’ve got a lot of friends.”

“I do?”
 
Nikki arched an eyebrow and Jake laughed.

“Don’t let Sara get you down, babe.
 
This will work out.
 
I’m going to call the hospital to check on the guys and then grab a shower.
 
Don’t open the door for anyone you don’t know.”

Which is pretty much everybody
, Nikki thought.

Jake called the hospital and Nikki watched his face as he talked to the switchboard operator.

“Hank Timmons’ room, please.”

He tried three other names and broke into a smile.
 
Cupping his hand over the receiver, he said, “They’ve all been released.”

Nikki squeezed his knee as he punched in another number and had an animated conversation with Hank.
 
Finally, he hung up and rubbed his face.

“They’re all okay.
 
I was so scared, but they’re all fine.
 
Hank says he’s going into work today.
 
I told him he’d better not, or I’d fire him, but I don’t think he’ll listen.
 
He’s a stubborn old goat.”
 
Jake stood and kissed the top of her head.
 
“Going for that shower now.”

No sooner had Jake disappeared upstairs than the doorbell rang.
 
Nikki checked her hair in the hall mirror and pressed her face to the door to see who it was.
 
Jake’s stepbrother stood on the porch with a pretty blonde.
 
Nikki smiled and opened the door.

“Hey,
Nik
!”
 
The blonde woman waggled a paper sack.
 
“We brought breakfast.”

Nikki grinned and held the door open wide.
 
“Then, by all means, come in.
 
Jake’s in the shower, but he’ll be down in a minute.”

“How are Hank and the guys?”
  
Jake’s stepbrother asked.
 

Nikki was embarrassed that she couldn’t remember his name.
 
“They’ve all been released from the hospital.”

“That’s great.”
 
He
glanced
her over and said, “Hey, we didn’t get you out of bed, did we?”

Nikki sighed.
 
“No, my mother did that.”

He reached into one of the sacks and pulled out a donut.
 
“So how is the Wicked Witch of the West these days?”

“Eliot!” the woman exclaimed, and elbowed him.

He choked on the donut and blushed under her glare.
 

“Sorry!”
 
He held up his hands in surrender, but his
gray
eyes danced.
 
He winked at Nikki.
 
“It’s your fault.
 
You always call her that, and it rubbed off.
 
Let me rephrase…”
 
He cleared his throat and said, “Tell me, Nikki.
 
How is your lovely mother, the
honorable
Mayor Davis?”

“The wicked witch thinks I’m faking,” Nikki said wryly.
 
“Jake kicked her out of the house.”

Eliot stared at the ceiling with an awed expression.
 
“Damn!
 
And we missed it.”

The blonde stared at her with sympathy.
 
“Oh, Nikki!
 
I’m so sorry.
 
And by the way, my name is Kelly.
 
I’m the only woman in town crazy enough to marry this guy.”

Nikki led them to the kitchen and they were sitting there, drinking coffee when Jake came downstairs.

“Hey guys,” he said.
 
“Hope you saved something for me.”

“Sorry,” Eliot said, with his mouth full of biscuit.
 
“Out of luck.
 
Nikki and Kelly ate it all.”

Kelly rolled her eyes and shoved another bag across the table to Jake.
 

“How was your trip,
Kel
?” Jake asked.
 
“Eliot said you were working on a new project.
 
I bet you actually got something done without the stooge there.”

“We’ll see,” Kelly said enigmatically and sipped her coffee.
 
Eliot just smiled.

Nikki liked these two.
 
It was relaxing to sit with them and talk like normal people.
 
Eliot was so funny.
 
She felt a twinge of sadness when they announced they had to go to work.