Nickels (39 page)

Kyle caught a flash of bright pink as he moved past Kelly. 
He looked down at Alana’s arm covered with the vibrant cast.  He kissed her on
the forehead before he started asking questions.

“What happened?”

“She was playing with some friends down the street.  One of
them has a tree house.  She lost her grip and fell on her arm.  It’s broken,”
Kelly explained.

“Where were you?” he asked as a sudden protective streak
surged within him.

Kelly frowned at him then looked at Alana.  “Sweetie, mama
will be back in just a minute.”

She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the hall.  “Where do
you get off using that tone of voice with me?  I’ve been raising her for years
when all you’ve done is contribute a portion of your paycheck.  Then you show
up six years later all
changed
and acting like you suddenly want to be a
father.  Don’t you ever question me and my parenting!  You have absolutely no
idea what I’ve gone through for her.”

Kyle swallowed hard.  He hadn’t meant to question her
parenting.  “Look, I’m sorry.  I was just trying to understand what happened. 
That’s all.”

“Why, so you could shove it back in my face?  Maybe tell me
what I’m doing wrong?”

“No.”

“Look, it was against my better judgment to let you into her
life.  I still don’t trust that you want to really see things through as a
dad.  But I figured a girl has the right to know her father.”

He ran his fingers through his hair.  Almost every
conversation with Kelly over the past few months sounded the same.  She didn’t
trust that he really changed.

“I’m here.  I just left my girlfriend who went through some
really rough stuff the last few days so I could be here.  I don’t know how else
to show you that I care for Alana and want to be a part of her life.”

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.  Several seconds
ticked by in silence.  Finally, she spoke.

“Go in and talk to her.”  She uncrossed her arms.  Her voice
filled with resignation.  “She’s missed you.”

Kyle walked into the room and stood next to Alana.  For the
next ten minutes, she told him her version of how she broke her arm.

His heart rolled over when she turned her blue eyes toward
him.  They were filled with excitement and love—something he didn’t deserve,
but welcomed all the same.

Chapter 35

Shortly after ten that night, Niki’s phone rang with Kyle’s
signature ringtone.  She almost gave up on hearing from him.

“Hey,” she answered.  “How’s Alana?”

Kyle blew out a loud sigh.  “Fine.  She was climbing a tree
and fell.  Broke her arm.  She’s tired and a little dopey from the medication
they gave her.  We’re taking her home now.”

“You know your sister is going to want to know if she can
still be in the wedding.”

“Yeah.  Tell Marcy that she’ll be there.  She should get the
cast off a week or two before then.”

“How old is she?”

“Six.  She thinks it’s kinda cool and can’t wait to get back
to school to show all her friends.”

Niki laughed.  “She sounds sweet.”

“She is.”

“You’re pretty close, aren’t you?”

Kyle cleared his throat.  “We’ll talk more when I get back. 
I promise.”

Again, the odd end to any discussion about Alana.

“You doing okay?” he asked.

“Yup.”

“Good.  I’m sorry I can’t be there for you.”  His voice
sounded tense.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I gotta go.  I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Night, Kyle.”

“Night, Nickels.”

Niki stared at her now silent phone, watching the back light
dim then eventually go black.  What wasn’t he telling her?

“How’s your girlfriend?” Kelly asked as she came back into
the living room after having put Alana to bed.

“She’s fine.”

Kelly sighed.  “I’m sorry I jumped all over you at the
hospital.  It’s just…  I’ve been doing this single parent thing alone for a
long time.  I never thought you’d show up one day ready to be a father.  I’ve
never had any help.  It’s been just me and her.”

“I’m sorry.  I should have—”

“Don’t say it.  We both know a marriage for her sake alone
never would have worked—especially with you being in the Air Force.  Moving
from place to place all the time isn’t good for kids.”

She flopped down into an oversized chair.  Kyle fidgeted
with the handle of his bag, trying to figure out if she was finished talking. 
When she remained silent for a few more seconds, he stood.

“I should go find a hotel.”

She stayed seated.  “It’s fine if you want to crash on the
couch.”

“I…  I don’t think I should.”

“It’s fine.  Really.  If she wakes up, you can go be with
her.”

Kyle studied her face for a minute.  She looked serious. 
“Are you sure?”

She nodded and stood.  “I’ll get you a pillow.”

When she returned with it, she said, “For what it’s worth,
I’m glad you came for her.  She loves you so much already.”

His eyes burned with an unexpected jolt of emotion.

“Goodnight,” she said, walking back down the hall.

“Night.”

He sank onto the couch.  There was a time when he had been
good friends with Kelly—before the one night that changed their lives.  He
never had romantic feelings for her.  It was just stupid hormones and alcohol. 
Maybe they could learn to be friends again.

The next morning, Niki drove with Marcy to church.  On the
ride in, she asked, “What is Alana’s connection to Kyle?”

Marcy stiffened in the passenger seat.  “I’m guessing if
you’re asking he hasn’t told you.”

Another person avoiding the question.  “He just says we’ll
talk when he gets back.”

“Leave it at that, Niki.”

She frowned.

Marcy sighed.  “Look, you can trust him, okay?  It’s just
not something you two should discuss over the phone.  If he said you’ll talk,
then you will.”

She pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine.  As
she opened the door, Marcy added, “Don’t worry about it.”

Niki pasted on a smile, wishing she could shake off her
worries.  Marcy’s answer only added to them.

The worship helped lift her spirits.  She let go of her
worry about the Alana thing.  She felt more assured that her job situation
would work out.  By the last song, she felt more confident that things were
going to be fine.

Following the service, their Bible study group went to lunch
together.  Each of them asked how she was doing and sincerely listened to her
answers.  The only thing missing was Kyle.

During the afternoon, she helped Marcy pick out wedding
announcements.  Then she spent some time in the pool.  Eventually her
restlessness drove her to sit in front of the TV and veg out watching movies. 
As she picked a chic flick from her collection, she thought back to the time
Kyle brought her two favorite movies.  She smiled.  She missed him.

At eight-thirty her phone rang.  Kyle.

“Hey, I’m hopping on my flight shortly.  I won’t get home
until after ten, so we’ll have to catch up later in the week.”

“Okay,” Niki said, trying not to let her disappointment
show.  She thought he might be home already.

“You still going to work tomorrow?” he asked.

“Yeah.  Wish me luck.”

“I’ll do better than that.  I’ll keep praying for you.”

“Thanks, Kyle.  I’ll pray for you, too.”

“You sound good.”

“I feel good.”

“See you soon, Niki.”

She wished him a safe flight then hung up.  He sounded
better—less nervous than yesterday’s call.

Monday morning, Niki prayed before leaving her house.  She
prayed on the way to work.  She even said a short prayer walking down the
hallway to Brian’s office.  Each time she prayed, some of her anxiety lifted. 
By the time she knocked on Brian’s door she felt ready to face whatever would
happen.

“Come in,” Brian motioned her to a chair.  “Didn’t expect
you until later in the week.”

“You know how much I like to work.”  She laughed.

“So,” he said, getting up from his desk.  He closed the door
before returning to his large leather executive chair.  “I have an update from
Helitronics this morning.”

Niki swallowed.  “Oh?”

“Looks like Melissa, the pilot, went home yesterday
afternoon.  Broken leg and some bruised ribs.  Other than that, she’s fine.”

“That’s good.”

“Doug’s been working through the weekend.  They found no
evidence that the accident was caused by the software.”

She released the air from her lungs in a
whoosh
.

“Several sources are pointing towards pilot error.”

“I suppose that’s good news.”

“For us, yes.”

As Brian went silent, he propped his elbows on his desk,
tenting his fingers together.  “It’s also good for Global Axis Systems.”

Niki fidgeted with her phone, waiting for him to continue.

“Because they will finally get what they’ve spent the better
part of four months pressing for.”

“Which is?”

“You.”

She should have seen that coming.  Of course they still
wanted her.  “Give me the run down.”

“Actually, I’ve got to head out for a client meeting. 
Here,” he said holding out a brand new laptop.  “Don’t worry about your old
one.”

She took the offered computer.

“Joe knows you’re coming, so just call him when you’re at
the security desk.  He’ll get you situated.”

Niki stood.  She was ready to be on her way to start her new
assignment.

“Before you take off,” Brian said.  “Just wanted to let you
know you should see a bonus in your next check.”

“For what?” 
I got fired, remember?

“For the great job at Helitronics.  It was a tough
assignment and you did great.”

She thanked him as she left his office.  Brian must be
crazy, giving her a bonus for that job.  But, she’d take it.

Twenty minutes later, she dialed Joe’s number from the front
lobby of Global Axis Systems.  Funny how one day could change her perspective
on this place.  She had been so focused on the dream of Helitronics that she
forgot how much she liked working at Global.  Though the company boasted over
2.5 million in revenue last year alone, the founder and CEO, Roger Greene,
worked hard to keep a family atmosphere.  A plaque in the lobby declared Global
as one of the top ten employers in the Phoenix Metro area.