Nickels (48 page)

As she walked to her car, Kyle kept the door open.  Even
after she got in her car and drove away, he stood there looking after her.

He had to do something to fix this.

“She’s wearing the necklace?” Matt’s voice sounded from the
kitchen as he finally closed the door.

“Yeah.”

“That’s a good sign.”

Kyle nodded.

“When are you going to do something about it?”

He sighed and plopped down on one of the chairs at the
kitchen table.  “As soon as possible—if she’ll listen to me.”

“I think she’ll listen.”

Matt pulled his dinner from the microwave and sat down at
the table across from him.

“Hey,” Matt said.  “Did you ever cancel those reservations
at Durant’s for New Year’s Eve?”

Kyle closed his eyes in frustration.  He completely forgot
about that.  It was the night he planned to propose.  He made one call to Matt
while he was stuck on that aircraft carrier and it was to ask him to make those
reservations for him.

“I’ll take that as a no.  Why don’t you talk to her for a minute
after Bible study?  See if you can take her to dinner.”

“You think she’ll say yes?”

Matt laughed.  “You did see that smile on her face when she
realized you lived here, right?”

“Yeah.”

“She’ll say yes—to dinner.  I’d wait a little bit for the
other question.”

Hope began to grow in his heart again.  Maybe they could get
past the hurt and distrust of the past few weeks and start again.

Chapter 42

Absently, Niki fingered the locket from Kyle as she finished
reading her morning scripture reading.  He wasn’t living with Kelly.  He was
rooming with Matt and Joe. 
Lord, forgive me for misjudging him.  Please
help him to forgive me.

Her phone rang.  Though she didn’t recognize the number, she
picked up any way.

“Nicole Turner?” the man’s voice on the other end of the
line questioned.

“Yes.”

“My name is Tom Ferguson.  I received a copy of your résumé
from Matt Dixon.  I was quite impressed with your qualifications and would like
you to come in for an interview as soon as possible.”

Niki’s heart thudded a bit faster in her chest.  “Ah, sure. 
When were you thinking?”  Could she be any more nervous?

“I know this is short notice, but would you be available
this afternoon at two?”

She agreed.  Tom gave her more information about what to
expect on the interview and directions to the office before hanging up.

Around noon, she started to feel restless and decided to get
ready.  Pulling a stylish navy skirt and jacket suit from her closet, she hung
it on the back of the bathroom door.  She dried her hair, carefully brushing
out the long silky locks in the way Marcy showed her so the curls would hold. 
Once her hair was dry, she put on the suit, thrilled that her locket looked
perfect with the ensemble.  After she finished her makeup, she took the extra
time to curl her hair.  When she finished, she was pleased with the end
result.  She looked very professional.

Slipping into her pumps, Niki made her way back to her
office.  She printed off a few extra copies of her résumé, stapled each set,
and put them in her leather folio. 
Lord, please help me to be myself and to
do the best I can.

Gathering her purse and the folio, she left for the
interview.  She arrived ten minutes early, as planned, and patiently waited for
Tom Ferguson to escort her to the interview room.

Within minutes, a short stocky man appeared in the lobby in
a blue toned Hawaiian shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and a dark brown pair of
loafers.  He smiled as he approached, introducing himself as Tom Ferguson.  His
kind brown eyes sparkled.  As he led her down a maze of hallways, he gave her
some background on the job and the company.

“You wouldn’t by any chance know a John Turner, would you? 
Used to be a regional sales manager here?” he asked, waving his hand for her to
sit down in one of the plush chairs buffeting the conference room table.

Of all the questions she prepared for, this was not one of
them.  She stammered, “He… M-my father.”

“I thought that might be the case.  You have his eyes,”
Tom’s deep voice said.

Niki stared down at her leather folio, both curious and
nervous about this man’s connection to her father.

“My first job here was as support staff for John.  Good
man.  I learned a lot about good management skills from him.  He’s the one that
encouraged me to finish my degree and when I graduated, he helped me get a new
position within the company putting my software engineering skills to the
test.  Been doing it ever since.”

Shifting in her chair, she cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry, Nicole.  I see I’ve made you uncomfortable,” Tom
said, his voice sincere.  “I forgot you must have been a young teenager when he
passed.”

Taking a deep breath, she replied.  “I was fourteen.  And
please, call me Niki.”

“Again, I apologize, Niki, for my thoughtless comment.  I
hope it doesn’t give you a negative impression of our company or my team.”

She smiled, hoping to reassure him that all was forgiven. 
How odd that this man knew her father and had been so influenced by him.

Tom shifted the focus of their conversation towards
describing the job and the team, allowing Niki to recover from her nervousness
before bringing in the other team members for the technical interview.  The
team, entirely comprised of men, seemed to be rather laid back, until they
fired off numerous technical questions rapidly.  She easily kept pace though
there were a few questions she wasn’t sure she answered to their satisfaction. 
She hoped they weren’t looking for absolute perfection.

By the end of the interview, she fell into a comfortable
rapport with the group.  She hoped this was the job for her.  She liked the
camaraderie of the team and her personality and skills would blend well with
theirs.

Tom dismissed the other members of the team before asking
her a few more questions, mostly about her salary requirements and her
availability to start work.  When he escorted her back to the lobby, he assured
her they would be in touch soon.

The next morning, her phone rang.  Niki hadn’t expected a
return call from Tom Ferguson so soon.  Nor had she expected a job offer after
only one interview.  But, she received both.  Once they came to an agreement on
salary, she decided to start after the first of the year, only a few days away.

That night at Bible study, she shared her good news with her
friends.

“I figured Tom would hire you,” Matt said.  “I’ve worked
with his team a lot over the last year and it just seemed like it would be a
good fit.”

“I think so, too,” Niki said.

Marcy squealed, “I’m so excited for you!  You’ll have so
much more time without that long commute.”

Niki smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm, feeling much the
same way.  When she glanced over at Kyle, he remained silent.  She wondered
what exactly was going through his mind.

Tori offered her congratulations, followed by Chad.  Still
Kyle remained silent.

Matt brought the group’s attention back for a closing
prayer.  Her heart followed along with the words of praise for her new job. 
When he finished the prayer, she looked up catching Kyle’s gaze on her again.

She decided to hang back before heading home to see if he
might say whatever was obviously on his mind.  She didn’t have to wait long.

After he hugged his sister, he approached Niki.  “Can we
talk for a minute?”

“Sure,” she answered.

He led her out to the back patio.  She took a seat in one of
the plastic chairs, thinking he would do the same.  Instead, he leaned against
the post supporting the patio roof, only half turned towards her.

“I know I really screwed up by waiting so long to tell you
about Alana.  I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too, for being angry and judging you and not
trusting you.”

“I forgive you,” he said.

“Me too.”

The silence hung thick.  Several emotions marched across his
face.

“Please, have dinner with me on New Year’s Eve?”

Her heart soared.  “I would love to go to dinner with you.”

“Really?” he asked, his voice brightening with hope. 
Apparently he had expected her to refuse.

“Yes, really.  I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’ll pick you up at six, then.”

She stood and moved toward him.  When she reached up to
place a kiss on his cheek, he wrapped his arms around her.  She hugged him
back, relishing the warmth of his arms and the healing it nourished in her
heart.

Chapter 43

On New Year’s Eve, the hours couldn’t pass fast enough.  She
looked forward to the dinner with Kyle.  At five, she dug through her closet,
settling on a nice dress, nothing too fancy.  She didn’t even know where he
planned to take her or how long they might have to wait once they got there,
since a lot of people would be out tonight.  She didn’t care.  She just wanted
to spend the time with him.

Instead of curling her hair, she twisted it into a loose
pile on her head, holding it in place with a clip.  Easy and elegant. 

Having a few days to think about this date, she prayed and
thought about her relationship with Kyle.  She never wanted to be without him
again.

Her doorbell rang and she opened it, smiling sweetly at
him.  He produced a small bouquet of red roses.

“Hey, beautiful.”

She took the roses and placed them in a vase on her kitchen
counter.  “Mmm, they smell good.”

Kyle smiled, that gorgeous broad smile that caused tiny
lines to form next to his perfect blue eyes.  “You look lovely,” he said,
kissing her cheek.

The innocent act sent her heart fluttering.

“So, where are we going?” she asked.

He winked.  “It’s a surprise.”

“And, is that required?” she asked, swirling her finger in
the air over his suit and tie.

“Maybe.”

She smiled.  “Am I dressed appropriately?”

Kyle looked her over from head to toe, slowly.  “Hmm. 
You’ll do.”

She laughed, glad that he felt comfortable enough to tease
her.

“Come on.  We’d better go or we’ll be late.”

As Kyle led her to his truck, she fingered the new earrings
she bought.

“I like your earrings,” he said, pulling on to the highway.

“Thanks.  I thought they matched the locket perfectly.”

“I noticed that.”

After a half hour on the road, she asked, “Where are we
going?”

“Not telling.”  Kyle smirked, obviously pleased that she had
yet to figure it out.

It wasn’t until he turned north on Central and then right on
a small side street that she figured it out.

“You’re taking me to Durant’s.”

He didn’t have to respond, since he pulled the truck to a
stop in their parking lot.

“How did you ever get a reservation?  And on such short
notice?”

Kyle didn’t answer.  Instead, he cut the engine and walked
around to the passenger side to help her down.  “I have connections,” he
finally said.

Once seated in one of the leather covered booths, she asked
him again.

“I asked Matt to make the reservations back in October.”

“That was over two months ago, Kyle.”  She was confused.  He
only asked her to go to dinner a few days ago.

“Let’s just say, I knew then that I wanted to do something
special for you tonight.”

What was he talking about?  She wanted to ask, but decided
against it. The waiter showed up to take their order.  Nervous, she squeaked
out her order and pursed her lips until the waiter left.

Kyle reached across the table and took her hand.  “I’m so
sorry I didn’t call you after Marcy’s wedding.  I’m sorry I didn’t try harder
to change your mind about breaking up.”  A light sheen glossed his eyes.  “I
should have.”

“I’m sorry, again, for reacting so foolishly.”