Nickels (30 page)

“I don’t want to leave—especially in the middle of a project
like this.  Who would you send over to Helitronics then?”

“I don’t know.”

What was it with GAS?  Why did they keep asking for her? 
And, more importantly, why did Brian keep bringing it up?  All he had to do was
tell them no and then sell them on whoever they were getting.

Maybe he wanted her to make the switch.

“Where do you want me?  Do you want me to finish up with
Helitronics or do you want to pull me?”

He shuffled papers around on his desk before answering. 
“We’ll talk more.  I’m going to bring Joe in.”  He walked to the door.

She greeted Joe as he entered.  He cleaned up nicely.  The
fresh grey suit with rich blue shirt and yellow tie was a far cry from the
brown plaid shorts and t-shirt he wore on the camping trip.

Brian motioned Joe to sit then started the second interview
by asking Niki to give some background on Global.  She happily obliged.  About
an hour later, he wrapped up the interview.

After he returned to his office from escorting Joe out,
Brian asked her to head out to one of his favorite restaurants and get them a
seat—a good indication that their discussion about Global was far from over. 
About fifteen minutes later, he joined her at the table.  She hoped he would
cut to the chase, but he stalled until their meal was served.

“Come on, out with it.”

Brian sighed.  “How are things with Kyle?”

She rolled her eyes.  “What does Kyle have to do with this?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Things with Kyle are fine.  We’re getting along well.  The
whole team is.  Well, maybe everyone except Todd.”

“What’s the deal with Todd?”

“He keeps trying to change deadlines, shifting things
around, almost like he doesn’t believe me when I tell him how long something is
going to take.  He even does it when Russell has my back.  I don’t know what’s
with him.”

He rubbed his hand across his chin, an action that made more
sense when he had a goatee.  It seemed awkward now that he shaved it off. 
“That’s what Russell said.”

Niki’s blood started to boil.  “Are you checking up on me?”

“I check up on everyone.  You know that.”

“Then what is this all about?  It’s not like you to shift
leads during a big project unless there are serious issues.  Is something going
on that you’re not telling me about?”

Brian sipped his iced tea, before answering.  “No.  There
are no issues.  At least none with you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I think Todd wants you gone.”  He held up his hands when
she sucked in a deep breath, ready to launch into her defense.  “I know.  It’s
completely unjustified.  There are no grounds whatsoever.  But, he’s dropped
some serious hints to Russell.”

She set down her fork, suddenly losing her appetite.  “And
you would really cave to him, even if it is unjustified?”

“No.  But, I might not have a choice.  Right now he’s not
brought it up to me.  But, if he does…  He’s the customer.”

“So, you want me to quietly sulk away to Global?”

Brian heaved a sigh.  “They’ve made a really good offer. 
Higher than last time.  Don’t know exactly why they’re adamant you’re on the
project.  But they want you.  It’s weird.  But it would be a way out of the
sticky situation—if it becomes that—with Helitronics.”

“I don’t want to go.”

“Just think about it, Niki.  I’ve got a week before I have
to let them know.  And I do think it would be good to pair you with Joe.  He
could benefit from your experience and leadership.”

“I doubt I’ll change my mind.”

“Just consider it,” Brian reiterated as he paid for the
meal.

Niki checked the time on her phone and faked an
appointment.  She was ready to bring this conversation to a close.  “Gotta
run.  I’ll call you in a couple of days.”

Not waiting for his response, she got to her feet and headed
to Helitronics.

When she arrived, an angry Todd waited at her desk.  Fantastic. 
This day was starting to get the better of her.

“Where have you been?” Todd grilled her as she tossed her
purse in her cube.

“Meeting with my boss.  What’s up?”  She smiled sweetly.

“Are you ready for Friday’s simulation?”

“We have a few questions for Kyle, but we should be.”

“
Should be?
  Either you are or you aren’t.”

She resisted the urge to smack the smug look off Todd’s
face.  “We are.  When is Kyle going to be back?”

“I would think you would know better than me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m on to you, Niki.  I see through your little charade. 
You can’t manipulate me.”

“What?  I’m not trying to manipulate you.  You’re the one
that has been manipulating things.  You take everything I say, toss it out the
window and come up with your own timelines.  Why is that?”  She was in no mood
to be bullied by this guy.

“You better be ready for Friday.”

“We are,” she said to his retreating back, still confused by
his insinuation.

As she sank into her chair, she turned on her laptop.

“He’s been stalking your desk for an hour and a half,” Doug
said, poking his head in her cube.

Niki snorted.  She wasn’t surprised.  He probably found out
she was going to be off site and made a big show of it.

“Any word on Kyle?” Doug asked.

“No.  Give him a call.  See if he can help.”

“I did.  No answer on his cell or his home.”

“Really?” she asked growing concerned.  What was going on
with him?  “Did you leave a message?”

“Yeah.  This morning.”

As Doug left, she turned her attention back to work.  Now
she was getting worried.  This was completely unlike Kyle.

On her way home from work, she called Marcy.  “Have you
heard from Kyle?”

“Niki, he’s in bad shape.”

Her stomach sank to the floor.  “What happened?”

Chapter 27

Stopping at the store, Niki picked up the makings for her
homemade lasagna.  She was a good cook—one of the few good things she learned
from her mother.  The conversation with Marcy left her more unsettled than it
should have.  She said Kyle’s back flared up.  He was on some heavy muscle
relaxers that left him pretty useless.  By the end of the call, she told Marcy
she would check up on him and cook him dinner.  It was the least she could do
after all she put him through on Sunday.  Besides, she still wanted to
apologize.

Following the directions Marcy gave her, she easily found
the complex of townhomes.  She was surprised at how close it was to her own
house—just a few miles away.  She parked in the uncovered parking near Kyle’s
place, suddenly nervous.  Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.  What if he was really
mad?  What if he didn’t want to see her?

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and grabbed
the grocery sacks from the back seat.  She opened the gate to his back door
then knocked loudly.  She waited several minutes, debating whether or not she
should look for the hidden key Marcy mentioned.  Probably wouldn’t be a good
idea to sneak in on him unexpected.  She knocked again.

Finally on the third knock, the door opened.

“Niki.”

“Now who’s grumpy?”  She smiled trying to hide her shock at
his appearance.  He looked terrible.  His short hair hadn’t seen a brush or
comb.  It stood every which direction.  Two day’s stubble darkened his face. 
His skin was pale and his eyes looked a little glassy.  Marcy hadn’t prepared
her for this.

“What do you want?”

“May I come in?”

He hesitated a few seconds before swinging the door wide
open.  Leaving her there, he walked slowly toward the couch and lay back down.

She entered, closing the door behind her.  She dropped the
food on the counter and looked around.  A wide open great room took up most of
the space of the lower level of the townhome.  The back door entrance was
between the living and dining areas.  The small kitchen sat further towards the
front of the home, next to the dining area.  The stairs divided the kitchen
from another room with double doors.  The doors were closed, but she figured it
was probably an office.  Under the stairwell, towards the front of the house
was a small bathroom.

“Marcy said you weren’t feeling good,” she ventured as she
began cleaning up the kitchen.  It looked like he hadn’t done much around the
place in the last few days.

From his prone position on the couch he said, “So you
thought you’d stop by.  Why is that?” 

The shortness to his tone hurt.  She was trying to do a good
thing.

“I thought you might like a home cooked meal.”

He grunted and flipped through the channels on the TV,
settling on Fox News.

In just a few minutes she had the kitchen cleaned.  She
started the dishwasher, hoping it would be finished before dinner so she could
load it again with their dishes.  She searched around his nearly empty
cupboards for the pots and pans she needed.

She found a skillet and set it on the stove.  Then she
dumped the ground turkey and her secret seasonings in.  She quickly became engrossed
in the meal preparations, almost forgetting Kyle lay nearby.

The clattering sound of plastic hitting the tile floor drew
her attention.  Glancing up, she saw the TV remote on the floor.  His limp arm
hung to his side.  She left the half-prepared lasagna to move over to the
couch.  As she knelt to pick up the remote, she heard his soft snores.  She
lifted his arm and laid it across his torso.  Hopefully that would be more
comfortable.

Back in the kitchen, she finished preparing the lasagna and
put it in the oven to cook.  Kyle slept on.

Niki walked around the townhouse.  His small dining table
was immaculate.  She wondered if he ever used it.  Judging from the stack of
stuff on the coffee table, she thought not.  The rest of the place was a little
messy, which seemed out of character for his normally neat appearance.  She
picked up the scattered dishes and empty soda cans from the living room. 

Once both the kitchen and living rooms were cleaned, she
thought about seeing what else needed cleaning, but she didn’t want to invade
his privacy.  She picked up her phone and texted Marcy an update as she waited
for the lasagna to finish cooking.  Then she found some plates and silverware
and set the table.  Nothing like making herself completely at home.

When the buzzer went off, she removed the lasagna from the
oven and set it again for ten minutes.

Kyle stirred.  As he opened his eyes, he looked around
confused.

“Niki, what are you doing here?”

Marcy warned her he got a little loopy on the meds.  “You do
remember answering your door right?”

He sat up, taking a minute to answer.  “Kinda.”  Taking a
deep breath through his nose, he added, “Smells incredible.”

“Feel up to eating at the table?”

“Sure.”  He looked around his home.  “What, did I let you in
then pass out for an hour?”

“Something like that.”  She dished up a healthy portion for
him and a smaller one for her.  “I made enough so you would have some leftovers
for a few days.  It also freezes pretty good, in case you don’t feel like
eating lasagna for a week.”

He smiled as he sat down at the table.  He ran his hands
through his hair.  “I must look a sight.”

“Hey, it’s your home.”  She smiled reassuringly.

His sweet blue eyes connected with hers as a smile stretched
across his lips.  Then he bowed his head and said a prayer for the meal.  His
words were a little slow and he still looked pretty dazed.

He finished the first bite.  “This is really good.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Silence settled over the meal as they each took another
bite.  She was trying to find a way to bring up her apology.  Better now than
later.

“Kyle—”

“Niki—”

They started at the same time.  He nodded letting her go
first.

“I just wanted to apologize for Sunday.  I had no business
treating you that way or prying into your life like that.  I know it must have
hurt and I’m sorry I was being so selfish.”

His eyes grew dark and unreadable.  Maybe it hadn’t been the
right time.

Her gaze fell to her plate.  As the silence filled the room,
she lobbed off another bite of lasagna and chewed it slowly, hoping to make the
time pass faster.  She was an idiot.  Still not looking up, she stuffed another
bite in her mouth.  She couldn’t take the silence.  Anger was better than
silence.  Silence was…

“Say something!”  She looked up from her plate.

Her breath caught as she gazed into his eyes.  She saw
forgiveness, tenderness, and compassion there.  And something else—something
that reminded her of those kisses on the sky ride.  She felt heat rise to her
cheeks and she quickly looked away.

“Niki, look at me.”

She didn’t want to.  If he still had that look in his eyes,
she thought she might just melt into a pile on the floor.  But she had to look.