Unforeseen Danger (28 page)

Nikki climbed in the backseat of the loaner car from the insurance company and watched Jake help Elaine into the passenger seat.

They rode home in silence.

After she got Elaine settled on the sofa, Nikki filled an ice pack in the kitchen and carried it back to her.
 
Elaine accepted it with a grumbled ‘thanks’ and pressed it to her eye.
 
They both watched Jake as he stepped back into the room, his new cell phone pressed to his ear.

He covered the mouthpiece with his hand and said, “Matt’s at your apartment now.
 
Brandon
’s gone.
 
He’s sending a car by his house to see if he’s there.”

“Be right there,” he said into the phone and clicked it shut.
 
“I’m going to get a few of your things.
 
If you don’t want to stay here, you can stay with Mom or Eliot, but I don’t want you to be alone until they pick him up.”

“Thanks, Jake,” she said.

He kissed the top of her head, and then kissed Nikki before he left.

Nikki set the alarm behind him and went back in with Elaine.
 
Neither spoke.
 
Then Nikki noticed that blood saturated the shirt Elaine wore.
 
Wordlessly, she turned and went upstairs, gritting her teeth as her heel throbbed.
 
Her foot made a horrible squishing sound when she walked.

She retrieved a fresh pack of gauze from the bathroom medicine cabinet and a clean T-shirt and pair of jogging pants from her closet.

Downstairs, Nikki tossed the clothes to Elaine and then sat down in a chair to pry off her boot.

“Thought you might want to change.
 
It might be awhile before Jake gets back.”

“Why are you doing this?”
 
Elaine asked again, but she sat up and began unbuttoning her shirt.

“I told you.”

Finally, Nikki got the boot off.
 
She grimaced at the coppery smell of blood seeping through the sock.

Elaine pulled the clean shirt over her head and stared at Nikki’s foot.
 
“What happened to you?”
 

Nikki briefly outlined the events of the morning and they both stared at the black rose on the mantel.
 

Frowning, Elaine said, “I’m sorry.
 
I know what those meant to you.”

Nikki raised an eyebrow and Elaine actually smiled.
 
“We were having one of our…‘discussions’ one day and I reached for one.
 
You told me Jake had given you those for your anniversary, and you’d claw my eyes out if I touched them.”

Amused, Nikki said, “These discussions…we had them often?”

“Every time we got together.”
 
Elaine pushed a lock of auburn hair behind her ear.
 
“But Jake tried to make sure we didn’t get together often.”

Nikki finished wrapping her heel and hopped to the kitchen.
 
She returned in a moment with a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water.
 
Handing the glass to Elaine, she said, “Want some?”

Elaine nodded.
 
Nikki shook a couple out in her palm and handed the bottle to Elaine.
 
Nikki chewed hers dry as the other woman watched.

Making a face, Elaine asked, “Why didn’t you get some water?
 
How do you do that?”

“You get used to the taste.
 
As many headaches as I have…And I could only carry one glass at a time.
 
Didn’t think you’d want to share.”

Elaine snorted.
 
“Wouldn’t be the first thing we’ve shared.”
 
She glanced up at Nikki.
 
“I didn’t mean Jake,” she said quickly.
 
“I was thinking of Derek.
 
Jake and I are just friends.”

“I know.”

Folding her arms across her chest, Elaine gave her a
skeptical
look.
 
“So now you just magically trust me?”

“Wouldn’t say that,” Nikki said mildly.
 
“But I trust him.”

Elaine laughed.
 
“Okay, I’ll give you that one.
 
It’s about time.
 
Jake is a good guy.”
 

Something vulnerable passed over Elaine’s face.
 
“Jake loves you.
 
He always has.”
 
Her brown eyes filled with tears.
 
“They all love you.”

She quickly looked away.
 
Nikki thought about comforting her, but decided against it.
 
Elaine wasn’t ready for sympathy from her.

“This
Brandon
,” Nikki said.
 
“Do you think he was there to harm you?”

Shaking her head, Elaine said, “I doubt it.
 
He was just sitting there at the table.
 
Probably wanted to tell me one of his, ‘I’ve changed’ stories.
 
He always said that, but he never really did.”
 

Tears slipped down her cheeks and Elaine made no move to stop them.
 
“It’s like you always said, I’m a loser.
 
I attract losers.
 
The only men I ever really wanted were in love with you.”

Nikki limped over to the couch.
 
Even if Elaine slapped her, she couldn’t ignore her pain.
 
She took Elaine’s hand.
 
Elaine stiffened, but didn’t pull away.

“I’m sorry I said that.
 
It’s not true.
 
I don’t remember all the things that happened between us, but I can see why I was jealous of you.
 
You’re beautiful, and smart—”

Elaine did pull her hand away then.
 
“This is too weird.”

“The right guy will come along, I promise.”

“Easy for you to say.
 
You married the king of the nice guys.”

Nikki cleared her throat as an idea occurred to her.
 
“You know, maybe I’ve been asking the wrong people.
 
I’m trying to figure out who I was seeing—”

“If I knew, I would’ve told Jake a long time ago.”

Her bluntness made Nikki smile.
 
“I don’t doubt that, but is there someone you suspect?
 
Anybody you saw me with?”

“The only guys I ever saw you with were Jake and Eliot.
 
To be honest, I was shocked when Jake told me about the affair.
 
I didn’t like the way you treated Jake, but I never thought you were unfaithful.”
 

Elaine studied her.
 
“When you and Jake got together, we all had it pegged for a fling.
 
The whole town was shocked when you got engaged.
 
Then Sara cut you off, I thought, ‘well, that’s it’ but you fooled me again.
 
You married him anyway.
 
I’ve known you a long time, Nikki, and you changed when you met Jake.
 
I think, in the beginning, anyway, you really loved him.
 
I don’t know who this man could be, but he doesn’t seem to mind taking advantage of your amnesia.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Nikki asked, “So now you believe me?”

“Wouldn’t say that.”
 
Elaine grinned.
 
“But
something’s
happened to you.
 
Amnesia, exorcism…”
 

She laughed when Nikki stuck out her tongue.
 
“See, even your eloquent gestures have changed.
 
Before, a remark like that would’ve earned me—”

“Never mind.”
 
Nikki held up a hand.
 
“I can guess.”

They were still laughing when Jake walked in.
 
His eyebrows shot up and he laid a duffel bag on the sofa beside Elaine.
 
He pressed the back of his hand to Nikki’s forehead, and then walked over to Elaine and did the same thing.

“Okay, you
look
like Nikki and Elaine,” he said.

“If you’d rather we fight…”
 
Nikki winked at Elaine.

Jake lifted his palms.
 
“No, no.
 
That’s okay.
 
I’m going to get a shower, try to absorb this.”
 
He walked toward the stairs, and then paused in the doorway to grin at Elaine.
 
“Now if we can get you and Mom speaking, maybe Jerry Springer will stop asking for an invite to our family reunions.”

Elaine threw a pillow at him.
 

“Don’t hold your breath,” Elaine muttered, as Jake disappeared up the stairwell.

“Catherine’s been great to me,” Nikki said hesitantly.
 
“Maybe the two of you could work things out.”

Flopping back on the couch, Elaine said, “Ah, Nikki, it pains me to hear you say that.
 
If we ever could agree on anything, it was our dislike of Catherine the Horrible.”

“What has she done that’s so bad?”

“What has she done?”
 
The sharpness reappeared in Elaine’s voice.
 
“For starters, she began sleeping with my dad when he was still married to my mother.”

“Catherine told me that wasn’t true.”

“Nikki,” Elaine warned.
 
“Let’s not spoil our warm, fuzzy moment.”

“Even if she was,” Nikki persisted.
 
“They’re married now.
 
Shouldn’t you let bygones be bygones?
 
If my accident has taught me anything—”

“My mother was dying of cancer at the time.
 
I’m not forgiving anything,” Elaine said abruptly.
 
She fished her cell phone from her purse and said, “I’m hungry, and I’m buying.
 
What are you in the mood for?”
   

The rest of the evening passed in relative peace.
 
A couple of times, Nikki withdrew from Elaine’s caustic
humor
, but she relaxed when she realized the comments were made offhandedly, without intent to harm.

They went to bed early, with Elaine deciding to bunk down on the couch.
 
Jake and Nikki climbed the stairs together and he took her in his arms as they stepped inside the bedroom.

“Thank you,” he said.
 
“Thanks for trying to make peace with Elaine.
 
I know it can’t be very comfortable for you.”

Nikki laughed.
 
“Actually, Jake, I was more comfortable around Elaine this evening than I am with most of the people I’ve talked to lately.
 
I can count on her to tell me what she really thinks.”

“Yeah, she’s never been one to hold back,” Jake agreed.

Slipping her arms around his neck, Nikki said, “And I don’t want to fight anymore.
 
I can’t stand all the conflict.
 
I just want to settle in to ‘happily ever after’ with you.”

After he made love to her that night, Nikki lay awake, listening to Jake breathe beside her and prayed that a fairytale ending was in the cards for them.
  

November 14

“Well, Cinderella, are you ready for the ball?” Catherine asked with a smile as she pulled the bedroom door shut behind her.

“I can’t wait!”
 
Nikki wrapped her hair in a towel and laid her makeup out on the dresser.

The stalker had been quiet for the past three days, and Nikki dared to take his lack of activity as a good sign.

“I brought you something for your hair,” Catherine dug in her purse.
 
“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.
 
I just saw it and thought it would match.”
 

She pulled out the bronze clasp and handed it to Nikki.
 

“Oh, it’s perfect.”
 
Nikki hugged her mother-in-law.
 
“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, dear,” Catherine said.
 
“Now, let’s see if we can fix it in your hair.”

***

Jake gave Zeke an amused grin when he saw his stepfather glance at his watch for the third time.

“You know how those two are lately,” Jake remarked.
 
“No doubt Mom’s up there filling her in on all the pre-party gossip.”
 

He stood to freshen up Zeke’s drink and heard Nikki’s laughter on the stairs.
 
Jake looked up at her, and his breath caught in his throat.

Never, not even on their wedding day, had he seen her look more beautiful.
 
The bronze gown brought out the tawny tone of her skin, and she was radiant, as if lit by the glow of a thousand candles.
 
That smile – her smile – beckoned him, and Jake felt an almost painful stab of longing.