Nickels (35 page)

Joe waited for an answer.

“Um…  We’re dating.”  Her voice sounded really loud in her
own ears.  Surely everyone in the lobby heard her.

“Congratulations,” Joe said.

Kyle beamed.  Niki could only pray that the floor would open
up and swallow her whole.  This was going to get back to Brian.

“Please don’t say anything at work, Joe,” she whispered
hoping only he would hear.  He gave a slight nod and she breathed a sigh of
relief as Chad, Matt, and Tori offered up their congratulations.

“Well, we’re going to head out,” Kyle said.  “We’re headed
up to Prescott for the afternoon.”  Turning towards Marcy he added, “Don’t
worry,
Mom
, I’ll have her home before dark.”

“You better,” Marcy volleyed back.  “It’s a school night.”

Laughter filled the air around them, easing some of Niki’s
tension.

Once in the truck and on the freeway headed north towards
Prescott, Kyle spoke, “I heard what you said to Joe.  You can’t worry about
work.  People will eventually find out.  And it’s none of their business.”

“Have you completely forgotten about Todd?”

“I don’t care what Todd says or thinks.”

“I do.”

“Why?”

“Because, he’s going to get me booted from Helitronics,” she
said, her voice rising.  Hadn’t she already explained all of this last night? 
“This is my dream client.  I want to see this project through to the end.”

“If it’s not meant to be, then it’s not meant to be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Did you ever consider that you might not be meant to stay
through the end of the project?”

“You mean like destiny or something?”

“Exactly.  Maybe God put you on that project so you could
meet me again—and not to finish it.”

“That’s pretty arrogant.  Do you really believe that?”

Kyle sighed.  “No, not really.  I’m just trying to say you
shouldn’t worry about it.  I’m proud to call you my girlfriend and I want you
to feel the same way—no matter what happens at work.  I’d hate to see us miss
what we could be because you’re afraid of losing your dream client.  Sometimes
dreams aren’t meant to be realized.”

Niki rubbed her right temple with two fingers.  The steady
circular motion did little to ease her frustration with herself.  Not even
twenty-four hours into this relationship and she was going to have a fight.

“Just because your dream job didn’t work out the way you
wanted, doesn’t mean mine won’t.”

“We aren’t talking about me.  We’re talking about you.”

“Are you sure, Kyle?  ‘Sometimes dreams aren’t meant to be
realized.’  That sure sounds like we’re talking about you.”  She folded her
arms across her chest.

“Look.  If Todd really wants you gone, it’s only a matter of
time.”  His voice took on a hard edge.  “The guy is shrewd and good at getting
what he wants.  It really doesn’t matter to him what the truth is.  He already
has it in his mind that there’s something between you and me.  So, now that
there really is, it won’t make any difference.  Trying to hide it makes it look
worse.”

Was he telling her that she was going to lose this project
anyway?  That wasn’t possible.  Was it?

She looked out the passenger window at the desert shrubs and
saguaro cacti whisking by.  She couldn’t lose this.  She worked for years to
get to this place.

Kyle was right.  The truth didn’t matter to Todd.  He had
been trying to get rid of her from day one.  Brian pretty much told her she was
done there if anything else happened.  Was it all really inevitable?

He reached across the seat and gently pulled her arm over to
the armrest, stroking her hand.  “Please don’t be mad.  I didn’t mean to upset
you.”

“Just calling it like you see it?”

He cleared his throat.  “Yes.”

“Can we talk about something else?”

“Avoiding it isn’t going to make it magically disappear.”

“I get that.”

So far, her first real date with Kyle was turning out to be
a disaster.  And they hadn’t even arrived in Prescott yet.

Chapter 32

The steady hum of the tires rapidly rotating along the hot
asphalt sang through the cabin of Kyle’s cozy truck.  As he pulled off I-17
onto state route 169, he wondered if Niki was mad at him for his comments.  She
hadn’t said a word for awhile now.  That never seemed to be a good sign with
women.

He wasn’t trying to pick a fight with her.  He just wanted
her not to be so paranoid about them dating.  Their relationship had nothing to
do with either of their jobs.  It wasn’t Todd’s business, or anyone else’s for
that matter.

Excitement warred with worry.  He waited so long to date
her.  He didn’t want anything to stand in the way or ruin it.  Hopefully, she
would calm down soon and see his side of it.

“You might want to stick a little closer to the speed limit.”

Kyle frowned.  That definitely wasn’t the vein he hoped the
conversation would go.

“I’m serious.  The cops really like to patrol this
highway—get all of us speeders from the valley as we’re trying to get out of the
heat.”

He didn’t answer.  And he didn’t slow down either.

A siren sounded from behind them.  He glanced at the red and
blue flashing lights in the rearview mirror.  They followed as he pulled over
to the slower lane.  He cursed and pulled to the side of the road.  So far he
was oh for two.

As the officer walked up to the window, Kyle lowered it. 
“Officer.”

The officer stood taller than the truck, so he had to duck
down to make eye contact with him.  The hint of a smile tilted his lips. 
“License and registration.”

Kyle didn’t smile back.  Instead, he reached over to the
glove box and pulled out his registration.  Then he lifted his rear off the
seat to fish his wallet from his back pocket.  He pulled his license out and
handed it to the officer wordlessly.

“Kyle Jacobs.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“Do you have insurance on this vehicle?”

“Yes, sir,” he said reaching across to the glove box again
to retrieve the insurance card.

“Stay here,” the officer commanded as he walked back to his
patrol car.

Kyle watched the rearview mirror, jaw clenched shut.  Maybe
he should have slowed down when Niki suggested it.  Regardless, he need to let
this go, otherwise his first afternoon date with Niki would be ruined.

After several minutes, the officer returned.  “Mr. Jacobs,
do you have another form of identification.”

“Why?”

“Your license is expired and I would like to verify your
identity, son.”

“That’s impossible.  I haven’t even lived here a year yet.”

“Do you have another form of identification?”

Kyle dug in his wallet.  “Will my military id be
acceptable?”

The officer nodded and took the offered card.  “Ah, that’s
what I suspected.”

“Sir?”

“Looks like MVD swapped your birth date and expiration date
when they made your license,” the officer said pointing to the two dates.

“Huh.”

The officer handed Kyle back all of his paperwork.  “You
should get that fixed as soon as possible.  Have a nice day folks,” the officer
said as he started to walk away.  “Oh, and watch your speed through here. 
Wouldn’t want you to get a ticket.”

As the officer got back in his patrol vehicle, Kyle rolled
up his window, very relieved that he didn’t end up with a ticket out of that.

“That didn’t just happen,” Niki said.

He stared at his license.  Guess he’d be going back to MVD
this week.  Hopefully it wouldn’t take half the day to get it fixed.

Niki leaned over and looked at the dates.  Arizona licenses
didn’t expire until the holder turns sixty-five.  “I’m such a cradle robber. 
I’m dating a guy that’s like negative thirty-seven.  I can’t believe he didn’t
give you a ticket.”

“Me either.”  He stuffed the registration and insurance card
back into the glove box, trying to let go of his frustration over the
situation.

A few miles down the road, he laughed.  “This will be a fun
story to tell our kids when they ask about our first date.”  He loved flirting
with her, dropping little hints about something longer term.

“Is this our first date?  I thought last night was.”

“No.  Last night was me asking you out.  Totally different.”

“In what way?”

“Come on, Niki.  I actually notified you ahead of time. 
Isn’t that a requirement for a date?”

She chuckled.  “I guess.”

Thirty minutes later, he found a parking spot along
Montezuma Street, away from the Courthouse Plaza, the lovely park in downtown
Prescott.  He hopped out and breathed the cool ninety degree air—so much better
than the skin sizzling one hundred fifteen they left behind.

He moved around to the passenger side and joined her on the
sidewalk as she climbed out of his truck.  “Ready for some lunch?  Or do you
want to walk around for awhile?”

“Let’s walk around the square then get some lunch.  I could
use a stretch.”

He reached for her hand and led her up the slight hill
towards the Courthouse Plaza.

Reality slowly settled in.  He could hardly believe he was
finally officially dating Niki.  The years between when he first met her and
now seemed to blur in his mind—until he remembered some of the pranks he pulled
on her in high school.  As a dumb teenager, he was just trying to get her
attention.  Picking on her.  Teasing her.  All of it was to impress her or get
her to notice him.  None of it was malicious in nature.  But the years taught
him that girls didn’t always see those sorts of things in a positive light.  If
he really thought about it, he shouldn’t be surprised that she had been so
cautious around him when he first reappeared in her life.

Thankfully, she moved past it.  She was with him now. 
That’s all that mattered.  Well, that and getting to know her better.

“So,” he said as they walked on the plaza side of Montezuma
Street at a leisurely pace, “how many kids do you want?”

She turned to look at him with wide eyes.  “I can see why
you’re still single.  That’s a serious question for a first date.”

“Ha.  It’s not like we’re starting from scratch you know. 
We work together.  You’re my sister’s roommate.  I bug you all the time.”

“You can say that again.”

“Hey!  It’s not as serious of a question as you think.  It’s
what dating people talk about—how many kids, where they want to live, dreams,
goals—you know, see if you might have things in common.”

“Twelve, then.”

Kyle dropped her hand and started to turn around.  “See ya. 
I can’t afford that many.”

She laughed.  “So, I’m guessing your number is lower?”

Tell her about Alana.

No way.  Too risky at this point.

Ignoring the soft voice in his head, he turned back around
and took her hand again.  “I’m thinking two or three kids.  Not too many, but
enough to have good odds that one of them will want to take care of me when I’m
old.”

She elbowed him.  “So the purpose of having kids is to have
someone take care of you in your old age?”

“It’s the least they could do after I pay to feed and clothe
them for twenty something years.  And, let’s not forget how expensive college
is.  So how many do you really want?”

His heart sank as her smile faded.  “Never thought about
it.  My childhood wasn’t exactly stellar.  I mean, we moved all over the
country.  I wouldn’t want to do that to my children.”

“Are you planning on moving around a lot?  If so, we need to
talk.”

“No.”

“Then it sounds like it’s not an issue.  So, how many?”

“I thought you wanted to take this slow,” she snapped as
they turned the corner onto Goodwin.

“What’s that have to do with talking about how many kids you
might want someday?”  He didn’t understand what she was getting so upset
about.  Most women seemed to have a ready answer for the question, but Niki
kept dodging it.  Did she hate kids?

“I’m just not ready to think about those sorts of things.  I
mean…  I haven’t dated much.  I’ve never thought about marriage or kids or… 
This is making me uncomfortable.”

“Sorry.  I just thought every woman had their future mapped
out—you know, dream wedding, hunky husband, two point five kids spaced exactly
three years apart.”

“I’m not most women.”

“You’re right, there.”

As they turned the corner onto Cortez, Kyle decided to go
with a different topic.

“So, what do you like to do for fun?”

 “I like hanging out in my pool, baking in the sun.  I like
hiking and camping.  And I like having my own bucket o’ popcorn when you take
me to the movies.”

“I plan on teaching you how to share.  It’s part of the fun
of going to the movies.”

She smiled as they rounded the last corner onto Gurley
Street.  “Ever eaten at the Prescott Brewing Company?”

“Nope.  This is my first visit up here.”