01. Chasing Nikki (17 page)

“It was
delicious,” Nikki added.

“Did you eat
it all?” Grandma asked with a smile.

“Heck, no. 
You packed enough in here to feed an army.” I reached inside and started
pulling out the containers that held the leftovers, and Nikki came to help me
put them in the fridge.

“We just
need to get you eating more.  It’ll be good for you to pack some pounds on for
football.  I imagine Grandpa will want to beef up your foods now that early
weight training is starting.”

“I’m okay
with eating more.  Just leave me thin enough so I can attempt to waddle down
the field at a reasonable pace, at least.”  I turned to Nikki.  “Will you still
like me if I’m fat?”

Nikki
laughed.  “I can’t even imagine you that way.  I don’t really see it being an
issue for you with all your good genes.”

I looked
down and rubbed my hands over my pants.  “I do have good jeans, don’t I?  This
pair is one of my favorites.”

“You’re a
dork.” She grinned and elbowed me in the ribs.

“So you’re
saying you’re into dorks then?”

She
giggled.  “I guess so.”  She turned to my grandma. “Is there anything we can
help you out with, Mrs. Johnson?”

“No,
sweetheart.  Thank you for asking.  Why don’t you have Chase take you to see
the animals while you’re waiting for his mom to get home?”

“That’s a
good idea.” I took Nikki’s hand again.  “I’ll introduce you to the horse I
learned to ride on.”

We headed
out the door and made our way across the lawn in the direction of the barn.

“I like it
out here,” Nikki said, as she gazed around.  “It’s so peaceful.”

There was
only the low hum of a tractor in the distance, and I could see the dust
churning up behind Grandpa as he plowed up one of the far fields to ready it
for planting.

“It is
nice.  I didn’t think I would like it when I first moved here, but it sort of
grew on me.”

We entered
the barn, and I took her over to where Mitzi was standing in her stall.  The
horse neighed softly and pushed her nose into my palm, nuzzling.

“This is
Mitzi,” I said, reaching for a carrot from the bucket where grandpa kept his
stash of treats for her.

“She’s
beautiful.”  She stroked the mare down the white star on her nose.  “So tall
too.”

“She’s an
old gal, but that’s what makes her the best in my opinion.  She’s got all that
life she’s lived behind her.  She’s a wise lady now.”

“What a nice
thing to say.” Nikki smiled.  “If only everyone saw things that way.”

We stood
together in silence, petting and feeding the horse.  I slipped my arm around
Nikki’s waist and watched her.  She was so pretty.

“Hey, come
here.  I want to show you something else.”  I led her over to the ladder that
went up into the hayloft.  “You have to see the view from up here.”

I sent her
up first and followed after her, before going to the door and sliding it open. 

“Oh, this is
wonderful,” she exclaimed, looking out at the far reaches of the land.  “I
could sit up here all day and just stare at it.”

She stepped
nearer to the edge.

“Watch out!”
I exclaimed, grabbing her and spinning her away, toppling us both into the
giant mound of straw behind us.

She landed
with an “oomph” on top of me and slugged me in the shoulder.

“You scared
me to death, Chase Walker!”

“Better
scared than dead.” I laughed, enclosing my arms around her tighter.

“I wasn’t
even close and you know it!  You just wanted an excuse to throw me in the hay.”

“That’s
right.  And it worked, didn’t it?” I glanced over her face.  “I could let you
go—if you really want me to.”

She stared
down at me, her hair dropping to caress the edges of her features.  “Don’t let
go.” She closed the distance and pressed her lips to mine.

I sighed and
gave in to the emotions coursing through me.  I was tired of fighting my
attraction for her.  I just wanted wrap myself up in her and forget about
everything else.

I rolled
over so she was underneath me, and I brushed my fingers through her silky hair,
tangling it with the straw beneath it.  I kissed her passionately, running my
tongue into her mouth, and she let out a tiny moan as she ran her hands up and
down my back.

The niggling
voice in my subconscious mind reminded me of my vow to take things slow.  I
pushed it away, not wanting to listen.  I wanted to lose it with her.

I couldn’t
ignore it because it kept getting louder the longer we kissed.

Sliding my
hand down her arm, I pulled one of hers away before pinning it above her head,
then did the same with the other.  I kept her that way while I kissed a trail
over her cheek, down her neck to her collarbone.

She arched,
struggling against where I had her restrained.  “I want to touch you too,” she
whispered.

“I know you
do,” I breathed out in a ragged voice.  She had no idea what she was doing with
those touches—not that having her squirming against me was helping things much
either.

“Chase, are
you in here?” My mom’s voice floated up to the hayloft, and I dropped my head
briefly to Nikki’s chest before I slid off to lie next to her. 

“We’re up
here, Mom,” I replied, turning to look at Nikki who was quickly trying to pick
the straw out of her hair.  “Just leave it.  It looks good on you.” I
chuckled.  “Embrace it.”

She flopped
back down with an exasperated sigh just as my mom popped her head over the
railing.

“Oh, I’m not
interrupting anything, am I?” she asked, glancing between the two of us.

“No.” I
gestured the straw.  “Come join us.  I brought Nikki up here to show her the
view.

“The view …
is that what they’re calling it these days?” Mom smiled at both of us as she
settled in beside me.  She leaned over and extended her hand to Nikki.  “Hi. 
I’m Tori.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Nikki sat up
slightly and grasped her hand.  Her face flushed a bit in embarrassment.  “It’s
nice to meet you too.  Chase always speaks so highly of you.”

My mom
smiled wider and looked at me.  “Does he now?” She released Nikki and gently
squeezed me on the leg.  “That’s nice to know.  I have to say he does the same
about you too.  I’d imagine that has something to do with why he brought you up
here to show you the view as well.”

I choked a
little before laughing.  Nikki reddened even more.

“Don’t be
embarrassed, Nikki.  I told Chase how much I used to admire this place here
with his father too.”

“And there
goes the mood,” I groaned.  “Please spare us any further details, Mom.”
Imagining my parents making out was not on my list of fun things to do.

Nikki
elbowed me.  “I think it’s romantic.” She giggled.  “I wonder if your
grandparents have kissed up here as well.”

“Oh, you can
count on that,” my mom quickly replied, and I protested even louder.

“Mom, you
have successfully ruined this hayloft for me for the rest of forever.  I’m
never going to be able to sit up here now.”

“Just think
of it as love spanning the generations, son.  This loft is part of your
heritage.”

I snorted. 
“If you say so.”

“I do.  Your
dad and I spent many days dreaming and making plans for our future while we
stared at the view.  Your grandpa would take you off to learn to ride the
horses so we could have a little alone time.  It was nice.  We made some good
decisions together up here.”  She gave a heavy, tired sigh and picked up a
piece of straw, twirling it between her fingers.

“I’m sorry
he’s gone,” I said quietly.  “I know you miss him.”

She nodded. 
“I do.  But he would want us to get on with our lives and be happy.  I think
we’re both finally trying to do that now.”

It was quiet
for a few moments before she spoke again.  “Chase tells me you lost your father
also, Nikki.”

“Yeah.  He
had cancer, though, so we had a little more time to prepare ourselves for what
we knew was coming.  I was happy he wasn’t suffering anymore after he passed,
but it was still really hard on all of us.”

“I can
imagine,” Mom replied.  “How’s your family holding up?”

“We’re doing
okay.  My mom has a decent job so we get by all right.  The younger kids don’t remember
my dad much though, so she’s always showing them pictures and telling them
stories to try to keep him alive in their minds.  She’s had other guys ask her
out on dates and stuff, but she always turns them down.  I wish she wouldn’t. 
I’d like her to find some of her own happiness again.”

“Well, if
there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that each of us grieves in our own way. 
There’s no right way to do it, you just do.  I imagine when she’s ready to take
that step and move on, she will.  It sounds like she’s content just being with
her kids right now.  There’s nothing wrong with that either.”

A silence
fell over the three of us as we stared out over the gently sloping valley and
low-lying hills beyond.

“Thanks for
being there for my boy.” My mom turned to Nikki.  “He’s needed a good friend
like you.”

Nikki
smiled.  “That’s my pleasure, but really you should thank him for being my
friend.  He was quite … persistent.”

I laughed
again and leaned over to peck her on the cheek.  “What she actually means, Mom,
is I drove her to insanity to get her to go out with me.”

My mom
chuckled.  “That’s Chase for you.  I’ve never known him to back down from
something he’s really wanted.  He’s like a pit bull.  He’ll keep attacking
until he gets it the way he wants it.”

“Great.  Now
I’m being compared to a dog.  You so aren’t helping my image.” I rolled my eyes
at my mom.

“It’s good
to be determined.  That will get you far in life.”

“What do you
want to do after you graduate?” Nikki asked me.

I shrugged. 
“I’m not sure what vocation I want to go into just yet, but I would love to
play football for as long as I can.  I was hoping I could get a college
scholarship or something, but I don’t know if quitting part way through the
season last year will affect my stats too much for that now.”

“I don’t
think it will,” Mom interjected.  “If you keep playing as well as you have been
or better, I don’t see how they could pass by you.  I’m sure they can take
personal hardship into consideration too.”

“Maybe. 
We’ll see.”

“So you
don’t have anything else you’d like to do?” Nikki continued in her search for
more insight on me.

“Well, my
dad was a businessman, but I don’t know if I’m cut out for an office job. 
Other than playing video games, I like weight lifting, and sports, so maybe
something with athletic training or physical therapy would be good.”

“What about
you, Nikki?” my mom asked.

“I want to
be a counselor.  My dad knew a therapist from his job at the hospital, and my
mom helped me to get an internship with her.  She does the drug abuse classes. 
I’d really like to work with people and assist them through the hard times if I
could.  Maggie’s great to work for, isn’t she, Chase?”

I nodded. 
“I’ve never sat in on the group, but she seems like a very nice lady.  She’s
always been fair with me.”

“And
suddenly the reason you rush off to community service every Saturday has just
become clearer to me,” my mom said wryly.

“He never
told you we worked together?”

She shook
her head.  “No.  And here I was being so proud that he was taking things
seriously.”

“I am taking
things seriously,” I said, piping up to defend myself.  “Everything about Nikki
is serious to me.”

The two of
them burst out laughing.

“Come on,”
my mom said, patting my leg before she stood.  “Let’s go see if your grandma
needs any help with supper preparations.  It’s still a few hours away, but
she’s been making bread all day.  I don’t want to wear her out.  Are you
staying for dinner tonight, Nikki?”

Nikki
glanced over at me in question.

“You don’t
have to ask me.  I’d keep you here twenty-four/seven if I had any say in the
matter.”

She blushed
again.  “Yes, I’ll stay, I guess.”

“Good,” my
mom replied.  “It’ll be nice to have a pretty girl at the table.  Now I suggest
you put this boy to work picking all that straw out of your hair before you
come inside.”  She turned and looked pointedly at me.  “Don’t mess her up
anymore, mister.”

I grinned. 
“You parents.  Always taking the fun out of everything.”

“I mean it,”
she added, stabbing her finger in my direction.

“Yes, ma’am.”
I sighed and sat up to scoot behind Nikki.  I began to dutifully do as she
said.  I waited for my mom to disappear over the railing before I spoke again. 
“I, personally, think you look great with all of this sticking out all over
your head.”

“I heard
that,” Mom’s voice floated back to us, and we laughed.

“I like your
mom.” Nikki said with a smile.

“That’s
good, because I can tell she likes you too.”  I brushed her pokey hair away
from her neck and leaned into kiss her there.  “And that works great for me,
because I like you too.”

Chapter Sixteen

I had to
stop myself from chuckling at the group of girls who were scattered across the
gym floor, facing the rest of the student body.  I couldn’t even remotely
imagine how scary it must be to have a tryout in front of the entire school. 
There were definitely lots of kids who weren’t taking it seriously and a
handful were even shouting out catcalls to the participants.

 I didn’t
really care though, because I only had eyes for Nikki.  She was dressed in a
fitted white tee shirt and blue shorts that showed off her pretty curves and
very shapely legs.  I was positive I wasn’t the only guy who was watching her,
and I wished I could pull the fire alarm so no one else had the pleasure of
staring at her while she bounced around out there.