Her Imaginary Husband (Contemporary Romance) (6 page)

Monday morning, Nikki found Robert and Sammi sitting by her classroom door studying Geometry together. Nikki squinted down at them. “Aren’t you here a little early? I actually beat the buses here today.”

Robert pushed his glasses up his nose. “I’ve ridden my last school bus, Ms. F. Those things are vessels of vexing vertebrates.”

Nikki blinked slowly. “Someone eating shredded dictionaries for breakfast?”

“Just stating the facts, ma’am,” he said, closing his textbook and stuffing it into his back pack. He and Sammi stood as Nikki sorted through the keys to unlock the door. “It’s the one with the red sticker.”

Pushing open the door, Nikki eyed him. “I’m not going to ask how you know that. Good morning, Sammi. You avoiding the bus, too?”

“Yep.”

“It’s that bad?”

“It’s like a leper colony,” she said, yawning.

“So how’d you two get here?”

Sammi dropped her backpack on her desk and stretched. “Our moms are going to take turns. You see, I can outrun the jerks on the bus, and Robert can beat them up, but neither of us can do both. Since we want to stick together…”

Nikki set her purse down. “You two could be crime fighters at night. Just get some tights and capes.”

“His knees are too knobby,” said Sammi, shaking her head. “Anyway, if we want a ride, we have to come early when my mom is heading to work.”

“It’s tough being superhuman in a world of sub-humans.”

Nikki laughed. “Thanks a lot!”

“Not you,” he hastened to add. “It’s just…I’ve got a kid in my fifth period class who still isn’t 100% sure how to spell his own last name.”

“Is he Welsh or Uzbekistani? Cut him some slack.”

“Nope. He’s just stupid.”

“Look, I know you write freelance for the local newspaper and all, but…they can’t all be geniuses.”

Robert rolled his eyes. “Ms. F, they’re not even close.”

Sammi tugged at his sleeve, her eyes on Nikki. “He gets this way sometimes.” She patted his back. “I get it, Robert. Really, I do. I remember last year realizing that kids who got straight D’s were getting the same middle school diploma as me, with my straight A’s. I was pretty disgusted.”

“Exactly!” he exclaimed, punching a triumphant finger in the air. “It’s bogus!”

“It’s life, Robert,” said Sammi wisely. “Some of those kids will get by, but most will struggle for the rest of their lives. You, on the other hand, will have a nice cushy job that requires no manual labor.”

“Work your mind so you don’t have to work your body,” he said smugly.

Nikki shook her head, astonished at their banter. “And you’ll be paying them through the nose to fix your car and your furnace and do your landscaping.”

Sammi giggled. “She’s got a point.”

“Robert, Mr. Braniac,” said Nikki, “I need you to remember two things.”

“Shoot,” he said.

“One, there is more than one kind of smart, and we need to respect that, and two—”

Robert affected a sappy voice, “We’re all
special!
”

“Honestly, I don’t know how you walk with those smarty pants on so tight, Robert.”

Robert sniffed and pushed his glasses up his nose.

“I was going to say,” she said holding up two fingers, “that if you’d try to help some of the slower kids instead of mock them, you might learn something about interpersonal relations. It wouldn’t kill you, and you just might lift them up a level academically at the same time.”

He harrumphed.

“It’s what superheroes do,” said Nikki.

“Super
humans
,” he corrected.

“Captain Smarty Pants!” cheered Sammi.

“Exactly,” said Nikki.

Robert glanced at Sammi, whose perpetually amiable grin softened him. “Oh, all right. I won’t mock them out loud anymore.”

“Fair enough,” said Nikki. “Can you two hold the fort while I go check my inbox and retrieve all the exciting memos for the day?”

“Fly. Be free,” said Robert drily, re-opening his Geometry book.

Nikki clicked down the hall, hating her shoes. Noting the emptiness of the halls, she stopped and removed them, preferring to walk in nylons than four-inch heels. She made it as far as the office door before she heard a voice behind her.

“Ah ha! So you
are
going to sneak up and kill someone with those things!”

She turned around to find Officer Ross chuckling.

Sagging with defeat, she laughed, “I can’t get anything past you.” She swung the heel of one shoe at him as if stabbing, and he blocked it easily, grasping her wrist firmly but gently. “Cool move,” she said, pulling free and then leaning that hand on his shoulder for balance while she put her shoes back on. “Teach me that ninja stuff some time?”

“I’d love to.”

Smoothing her straight skirt over her hips, she glanced down at her feet. “Are you kidding me? I have a run in my nylons?” She reached down to assess the damage just as someone swung the door open, bumping her on the bottom and knocking her forward into Ross’ thighs. He toppled backwards with a grunt, and they both turned to see Will looking at them with surprise.

“Wow, Nikki! Maybe I should put you in as one of my tackles!”

Before she could rise, both Will and Ross extended a hand to help her up. She blushed at the ground.
Two cute boys want to hold my hand! Which one do I pick?
she said with a teenage girl voice in her mind. She opted for both, and felt the difference. Both strong, but the one on the right was calloused and one on the left was gentle. Embarrassed at her own thoughts, she avoided eye contact with either and waved good-bye to both as she entered the main office.

“Good morning, Nikki,” said Katie. “You just missed Coach.” She winked.

“Oh, he never misses,” said Nikki, crossing to the wall of little cubby inboxes.

“You know,” said Katie standing up and leaning on the counter. “I think he might actually like you.”

Nikki pulled a stack of colored papers from the box and began sorting them mentally between junk and pain-in-the-neck. A moment later, she registered what Katie had said, and joined her at the counter. Glancing to either side to be sure no one was listening, she said, “What makes you say that?”

“Well, he chases all the ladies, pretty much. Once. He either gets them, or not. But this is week two, and he’s still after you.”

“How do you know that?”

Katie sat back in her swivel chair. “He doesn’t usually talk
about
the ladies, just
to
them. You see what I mean?”

Nikki narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean ‘about them’? About
me?
What’s he saying?”

“I think the words he used were ‘cute and little and fiery’.” Katie shrugged and popped a stick of gum in her mouth. “Don’t get me wrong. The guy’s a total lady’s man, but he’s a gorgeous one.”

Nikki moaned reluctant agreement. “Yes, there is that.” She turned to go.

“But I think he might actually like you,” said Katie. “That’d be a first since his divorce. Maybe you’ve tamed the savage beast within.”

Leaning her back on the door to push it open, Nikki said, “Not unless I get a good long whip to keep him in line.” Katie burst out laughing, and Nikki quickly had second thoughts about letting that comment escape. “Don’t repeat that. It’ll get back to him, and he’ll think I mean something else entirely.” She left, Katie’s laughter still ringing in her ears.

Back in the classroom, Nikki found Sammi, reading a book. “Where’d Robert go?” she asked. Sammi looked up and smiled innocently. “What?” asked Nikki, detecting a secret. When Sammi didn’t answer, Nikki turned to her desk. “Gaaaah!!!” The memos went up in a fountain of color.

“Hiya!” said Robert, sporting his first smile of the year. He sat perched atop her file cabinet in a martial arts pose.

Hand over her heart and recuperating her breath, Nikki barked, “Don’t
do
that. Not so early in the morning. The air isn’t even all the way on yet.”

“What?” He sat so that his legs dangled off the top of the cabinet.

“Haven’t you ever noticed?” Nikki stooped to retrieve the fallen papers. “That’s why you feel so crappy in the mornings. No air.”

Sammi giggled from her seat. “I guess you’re not a morning person, huh, Ms. F.”

“You get an A for the day,” said Nikki. Standing and looking pointedly at Robert, she said “Will you please get down from there? The other kids will think it’s okay to climb on the furniture and—”

“Say no more.” He slid down. “My mom says I’m like a cat because I like to climb and sit in high places.”

“As long as you don’t shed on my clothes, scratch the furniture, or lick yourself, I’m okay with that.”

“He hasn’t done that since the third grade,” said Sammi.



“I don’t get it, Nik. Why didn’t you just report him?” Charlie stuffed the last of his triple cheeseburger in his mouth and tossed the wrapper in the trash can outside the college library. They’d decided to go for a walk through the campus to see what events were going on for Freshman Orientation Week since the college started later than the high school.

“Because…I don’t know. I don’t know if he’s serious, or if he’s just awkward because of his divorce, or what. I don’t want to get the guy fired. I just…”

“Do you kinda like him?”

Nikki waved her arms like miniature windmills. “I honestly don’t know, Charlie. You know my dating track record. He’s attractive. He seems to like me. But—”

“Just tell him you want to be friends. Jeez, Nik. You can have guy friends that don’t grope you, you know.”

“Do you have female friends you don’t grope?”

“Not a fair comparison.” He tapped her nose. “I’m older, and women my age are only after one thing.”

Nikki laughed. “Seriously? Are you a jerk, too?”

“You know me better than that, Nik. I’m always a gentleman.” He paused, posed, and burped magnificently.

Nikki slapped his arm. “You are such a boy!” They switched directions and headed downhill towards the track. Nikki’s mind lingered on their topic. “Isn’t that weird—him flirting with me—if he thinks I’m married?”

“I think you’re going to have to come clean on that one, Nik.”

“Right. How?”

“Tell him it was a joke.”

“A sick joke.” She tucked her arm into his and they walked across the grass. To any passerby, they would look like a cute couple, but Charlie was Nikki’s brother and best friend. “Gayle would understand the ruse, but then I’d have to tell Officer Ross, and I’d feel sort of—”

“Who’s Officer Ross?” He stopped to admire the first of several tents set up with club displays. This one featured dozens of student oil paintings, water colors, and sketches. “Wow, look at that one. Nice shading.”

“Gorgeous,” agreed Nikki.

“Officer Ross?”

“Huh? Oh, no. The picture.” An image of Ross’ wide grin flashed in her mind, and her face grew warm.

“Oh ho, you’re holding out on me, Nik. He
is
gorgeous. Who is this Officer Ross?” He grasped her arms and faced her straight on. “Tell!”

But Nikki just groaned and flopped into his arms, knocking her forehead on his chest as if he were a wall. Charlie wrapped his arms around her. Tucking close to her ear, he whispered, “You don’t have to tell. I’m not Mom. Just make friends with some guys and get comfortable around them. No rush. They don’t have cooties, and they don’t all have eight hands. You need to grow up and play nice with boys. Okay? It’ll get easier.”

Nikki mumbled into his jacket. “Why can’t they all be easy like you?”

Charlie kissed the top of her head and tugged her pony tail. “Sorry, Nik. I’m one of a kind.”

“Nikki? Is that you?”

Nikki stiffened and stared up at Charlie with wide eyes. “It’s him!” she hissed.

“Who?”

“You must be Mike Fallon. I’m Coach Will Carlin. I work with Nikki at Riverview.” Will struck hands with a bewildered Charlie even as Nikki’s eyes begged him to play along.

“Nice to meet you,” said Charlie slowly.

Nikki unfurled herself from Charlie’s embrace and grabbed his arm possessively. “Hi, Will! Fancy meeting you here.”

“Yeah,” said Will, clearly sizing up Charlie.

The two were almost exactly the same height, but Charlie’s hair was wilder and darker. Nikki felt a rush of pride that her brother had kept his athletic build after college.

“I hear you’re a pilot,” said Will, tucking his fingers into the back of his belt so that his chest flexed impressively.

Nikki pinched Charlie’s thigh in his tickle spot, and he twitched forward with a muffled yelp.

“Huh? Oh, I love flying. Yeah.”

Will nodded slowly, his lips pressed tightly. Nikki half expected him to break into some kind of gorilla chest-thumping thing. “You must go a lot of interesting places.”