“I invited Jordan to meet up with us for the weekend.” She looked at her watch. “He should be getting here in about thirty minutes or so if he doesn’t get held up in traffic.”
Shaking her head, Sarah edged into a parking space. “Are you out of your mind, Nic? You said you needed a stress-free weekend, which this was supposed to be.”
“Jordan doesn’t stress me out.” Nicole dabbed at the sweat beading on her forehead.
“No, but he definitely might stress Michael out.” Sarah grabbed the key from the ignition and stored them in her purse, still shaking her head in utter disbelief.
“Well, maybe. If he knew. But he’ll never find out.” Nicole eased herself out of the car, immediately tired from carrying around her daughter, who was due to enter the world next month.
Sarah strode around the car and grabbed her best friend’s arm. “Are you insane? Why are you meeting a guy you fell for in college when you're married and about to shoot out baby number two?”
Nicole glared at her and jerked free. “There’s nothing wrong with meeting up with an old friend, Sarah. If I were planning on doing something, this would have been a solo trip, and you know it. Besides, why don’t you ask Michael about his little extracurricular activities? I’m sure that might clear up a few things.”
Nicole didn’t wait for Sarah to catch up. Instead, she strode into the lobby and pulled out her credit card. She could see Sarah walking in behind, and as she paid for the room, neither spoke to the other. It appeared they had reached an impasse of sorts, but Nicole didn’t care. Sarah was her best friend, not her keeper, and if Nicole wanted to invite Jordan to meet up with them, she was an adult. She knew what her vows were, and she wouldn’t break them even if she didn’t believe Michael had kept his intact. Still, that didn’t mean it wouldn't be nice to have a little company around. Surely she deserved that much.
Once she'd finished paying, she turned to say something to Sarah when movement at the corner of the lobby drew her attention. She glanced over and found Jordan standing there, both hands shoved awkwardly in his pockets. As their eyes met, they both smiled, and she rushed to him.
“Jordan!” She embraced him quickly, and even though he wasn’t totally prepared, he caught her easily enough, held her for a moment to enjoy the feel of her in his arms, and slowly pulled back to take a look at the swollen belly he’d felt when they'd hugged.
“Oh, wow.” He smiled broadly. “When are you due?”
“Next month.”
He spotted another woman coming toward them, a frown toying at her lips. When she stood beside them, she cleared her throat and glared meaningfully at Nicole.
“Oh,” Nicole said, gesturing to Sarah. “Jordan, this is Sarah. I think you’ve met her.”
Jordan shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, we’ve met. How are you doing?”
“Fine.” Her tone was frosty, and Jordan sensed Sarah didn’t much care for him.
“Have you checked in already?” Nicole asked, nodding toward the front desk.
“Oh, yeah. I got in about an hour ago, so I was just hanging around, picking up brochures and waiting for you two.”
“Fancy that,” Sarah said, plucking the plastic card key from Nicole’s hand. “I’m going to get changed and hit the beach. Are you guys coming or what?”
“You want to?” Nicole asked, brushing a stray hair from her eyes.
Jordan swallowed hard as he stared at her eyes, wondering if he’d ever really noticed the golden flecks swimming amid the brown irises. He couldn’t remember, but they were stunning, just like Nicole. “Sure. I’m game. I’ve got to change as well. Then we can head off. What room are you in?”
“220.”
He nodded. “Well, good. I’m in 221. I’ll meet you on the balcony when I get my suit on.”
“Sounds great.” She offered him a smile, and he nodded toward the door.
“Shall we head that way?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
As they started walking, Jordan slid his hand to the middle of her back and rested it there. It was an unconscious movement, and it was only when they'd reached her room that he moved his hand.
She turned to face him, offering another smile. “I guess we’re here.”
“Yeah.” He spotted a strand of hair in her eyes and brushed it back. “It’s really good to see you smile. I was kind of worried about you.”
Her hand drifted to her stomach, and she rubbed it. “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
Jordan stood there, watching as she went inside and closed the door. As Nicole sat on the bed, she saw her best friend come out wearing a white t-shirt over her bikini, a towel draped around her neck.
“I brought your bag in.” Sarah gestured toward the corner at the duffle there, then she started walking again.
“Are you angry?” Nicole asked, going to the corner and pulling her bathing suit from the bag.
“This is crazy. You just invited someone you barely know to hang out over the weekend.”
“He’s a friend, Sarah. That’s it.”
Sarah folded her arms across her chest and glared. “No, Nic. I’m a friend. He’s something else entirely.” She started toward the door.
“You can be angry all you like, but be angry at me. I invited him so it’s not his fault.”
Nicole waited for a response, but none came, frustrating her all the more. Instead, Sarah opened and closed the door, leaving her to change. Nicole quickly shimmied out of her clothing, at least as quickly as her huge belly would allow. As she peeled on the suit, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and blushed. Was she in her right mind? Her belly was big and unflattering; then again, it didn’t matter. He was just a friend. Isn’t that what she'd told Sarah?
She glanced away from the mirror and grabbed a towel, thinking, besides, I wouldn’t even have called him if I didn’t think Michael was cheating on me--not that I’m planning to go there.
Taking one last deep breath, Nicole stepped out onto the balcony, where Jordan stood. He’d propped both arms on the black iron railing and leaned against it, a towel suspended next to one hand. He wore no shirt, revealing a nice tan on a very muscular body. At present, there was a small dip in the area between his shoulder blades because of the way he was standing.
“Been waiting long?” she asked, stepping up to him.
“No, not really.” He nodded to the beach as he grabbed his towel from the rail. “You ready?”
Nicole scanned the sandy area and felt her nerves kick in. She hated being pregnant, especially this pregnant. She felt massive, and massive didn’t belong on a beach with all the tanned and slender bodies out there. Still, she forced a smile and nodded, “Ready.”
As they walked, Jordan asked, “So what’s with your friend? It seems she doesn’t like me.”
Nicole shrugged. “Sarah’s pretty hard to explain. She’s a really good friend. Very protective.”
Jordan smiled. “Yeah, and I’m the kind of guy you need to be protected from.” He shook his head. “I didn’t know if I should have come or not.”
Batting a hair from her eyes, Nicole asked, “Why? Didn't you want to?”
“Sure. But I know you and Michael have a lot of things going on, and I don’t need to be a distraction, Nicole. We both know that.”
A flush crept into her cheeks, and she reached out and grabbed his hand. “You’re not a distraction, Jordan. You’re a really good friend, and I need as many of those around me right now as I can get.”
Jordan opened his mouth to say more when they both spotted Sarah just ahead. She’d pulled off her shirt to apply sunscreen and had barely glanced their way--or if she had given them both "the look" as Nicole called it, Nicole couldn’t tell because of the sunglasses shielding her eyes. Of course, it didn’t take much for Nicole to realize her best friend was ticked. She really thought Nicole was being disloyal to Michael, and maybe, in some strange way, she was, but Jordan was just a friend.
Reaching Sarah’s spot, Nicole unfolded her towel and gently laid it on the sand. She knew it probably wasn’t the best idea to lie down because at some point in the not-so-distant future she would actually have to get up, and that might be a problem, what with her beached-whale syndrome and all, still, she thought, sinking to her knees, the sun felt incredibly warm and inviting, so she was going to enjoy every moment.
Knowing there was no way Nicole was going to be able to lie on her belly as Sarah was doing, she rested on her back, and although the sun was bright, if she closed her eyes, it didn’t matter, and the warmth did feel exquisite. She planned on getting wet once she felt a little too warm to keep lying here.
“I’m going to hit the water,” Jordan said, dropping his towel near hers.
“Don’t have too much fun,” Nicole said, smirking.
“Don’t worry,” he said cheerfully.
Once he’d reached the water’s edge, Nicole glared at her friend. “You know, you could be nicer. It really wouldn’t hurt you.”
Sarah lifted her hand to shield her eye as she looked from her best friend to Jordan who now dove into the ocean spray. “Maybe not. At least I know why you like him. Eye candy.”
“That is not why I enjoy his company!” Nicole snapped. “We’re just friends and you know it. I’ve never done anything close to wrong in my marriage.” She furiously batted the hair from her eyes, but it was a losing battle against the wind, which immediately blew it back.
“Just keep telling yourself that, Nic, especially when studly there makes a move on you.” She nodded to where Jordan now stood in the surf, his dark hair now sodden against his face, only making him look that much more attractive as he raised both arms and raked the hair back.
“Look, we’re just friends. Can’t you just leave it at that? I just wanted to talk to him about Michael--you know, pick his brain.”
“I’m your best friend. You could’ve picked my brain.” Sarah turned onto her side and propped one elbow into the sand to rest her head in her palm.
“Yeah, well, you’re not a guy. I wanted a guy’s opinion to help me figure out if Michael's cheating.”
Sarah’s eyebrows arched higher, and she exhaled loudly. “You really think that’s it, Nic? I mean, maybe you’re mistaken.”
Shrugging, Nicole said, “Okay, maybe I am. But I do think Jordan will probably have ten times better intuition about it than either you or I, so he’s the perfect person to ask--or he would be the perfect person to ask if you’d stop being so grumpy at him because he’s male.”
“Point taken,” Sarah said, slowly getting up. “Don’t look now, but your lover boy is coming, so I’m going to go for a little swim and let the two of you talk things out.” She adjusted the bottom of her suit and walked toward the water just as Jordan, still dripping, made his way to Nicole and eased down onto his towel.
“So, are you enjoying your road trip?” He raked his fingers through his hair, pushing the dripping strands from his face.
“Yeah, so far,” she said, smiling.
“Have you talked to Michael yet?” He drew his knees to his chest and slid his arms around them.
“No,” she said, “not yet.” A twinge in her abdomen drew her attention, and she ran her fingers over it, suddenly not feeling as good as she had been.
He nodded. “I can understand that.” He looked at her belly. “After all, you are just about to bring a new life into the world. That should be your focus.”
A tightening in her abdomen drew a soft gasp from her. About to bring a new life into the world was right, she thought. The twerp just needed to wait until she got back from this road trip. It wasn’t anywhere near her due date, for crying out loud.
Jordan leaned closer. “You okay? You look pale.”
Pasting on a smile she didn’t feel, she nodded. “Of course, I’m fine. Just a slightly pregnant.” She started to her feet, and he scrambled to his so he could offer her a hand up and study her face more closely. “You really don’t look like you feel well.”
She gave him a dismissive wave. “I’ll be fine. I think I’m going to go lie down and get a little rest. The baby’s been pretty active, and that makes it hard to sleep.”
“Then I’ll walk you to your room.” He touched her elbow protectively, his fingers gently easing around it so he could guide her.
While she found the gesture sweet, part of her felt frustrated by the tightening in her stomach, very much like weak contractions; she just kept telling herself she was nowhere near her due date, so this had to be Braxton-Hicks. She was not going into labor in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. No way. Michelle, as she had taken to calling the daughter still neatly tucked away in her abdomen, needed to learn patience and stay indoors until they got home.
“You okay?” Jordan asked, leaning closer as though he were ready to carry her if necessary. “You were breathing funny just then.”
“I’m fine. Really. You don’t have to follow me.”
That made Jordan more stubborn, and he leaned closer. “Uh-uh. No way. You’re not walking back to your room alone. The last thing you need is into go in labor, gather a crowd, and deliver this baby on the beach by yourself. You’d never live down the title Beach Baby, if you know what I mean.”
She burst out laughing, and for just that instant, it felt like it had when they were on that physical education trip so many years ago. “You can relax, hot shot. I’m not about to give birth on this beach. Really.”
The stairs to their hotel rooms loomed just ahead, and even though she wanted to get there, Nicole felt herself moving more slowly than ever and leaning on Jordan more than she'd intended. She suddenly felt tired, and the pain was getting to be a little more than mildly annoying—not a good thing.
“Should I go get Sarah?” Jordan offered, sliding his arm around Nicole because he was afraid she was going to fall.
For a few seconds, Nicole stared straight ahead and chewed her bottom lip. “I think I’ll be fine. I just need to lie down.”
“Okay,” Jordan finally agreed, eyeing the hotel room door just ahead. Even though Nicole felt as though she didn’t need help, he damned sure planned to get Sarah once Nicole was settled. “Got your key?” he asked as they stepped right in front of the door.
Nodding, she pulled it out and handed it to him so he could unlock the door. Nicole took a deep breath and let it out, trying to control the chaos spinning inside her. She kept trying to tell herself the contractions weren’t real, that she wasn’t really in labor. The trouble was, this felt like real labor.
Jordan unlocked the door and opened it so he could lead Nicole to the bed and watch her ease onto it. “Is there anything I can get for you? Something to drink or eat?” He hovered nearby, not sure what else he could do.
“No,” Nicole finally said, struggling to get comfortable as her back began to hurt, which was far from a new symptom.
“I really don’t like seeing you like this,” he said leaning close. He thought she might answer--that her closed eyes might flicker open--but it seemed that Nicole had suddenly drifted toward unconsciousness, which might be a good thing for her. Of course, he wondered if she were in the early stages of labor. Surely Nicole would recognize them because of her other child.
He started to walk away so she could rest, but his hand drifted to her hair, his fingers gently stroking the long strands that felt like silk. Standing there, so close, he felt mesmerized by her, and he kept silently slamming her husband for being such an idiot. The truth was that her husband was more than likely having an affair, and no matter how much everyone might want to put everything back in the box as if it had never been disturbed, that wasn’t going to happen, no matter what he did. Her world was never going to be the same. He just wondered what she was going to do if she figured out he was having an affair. Would she stay with him because of their kids? He just couldn’t see that somehow.
She stirred slightly and he quickly pulled his hand back, somehow embarrassed to think of being caught in
such a gesture of familiarity. He doubted Nicole would mind, but he couldn’t seem to help himself somehow.
He finally forced himself to close the door and head to the beach, back to the spot they’d occupied earlier. Sarah was now lying on her back on the towel, her eyes closed as she drank in the sun’s warmth.
He strode over to her and knelt, intending to say something, but she beat him to it. “You’re blocking my light.”
“Maybe so. But I think Nicole might be going into labor.”
“What?” Sarah sat up quickly. “Where is she?” She scanned the beach, searching for Nicole.
“Easy.” Jordan laid his hand on her shoulder. “I helped her back to the hotel. She was pale and seemed pretty tired. Although she said she wasn’t going into labor, I have my doubts.”
Sarah didn’t wait for him to say anything else. Instead, she hastily started to gather her things, and Jordan quickly joined in. As she stood, she grabbed them from him and started to turn away.
“Why do you hate me so much?”
“Because you’re not good for her. You’ve never been good for her.” She started to walk away, but Jordan caught her arm.
“I don’t understand what you mean. I’ve never done anything to hurt her. Ever.”
“Haven’t you?” She shoved her sunglasses on to block the light. “She was crazy about you, and you waited until the last possible moment to tell her you were engaged. I’d say that’s pretty crappy.” She whirled and headed to the hotel, leaving Jordan standing alone, stunned.
Chapter Fifteen
“I need to push!” Nicole screamed, struggling to sit up.
Sarah quickly eased her back down. “No, you don’t. The doctor will be here in a moment.”
“Where’s Jordan?” she asked, her voice thick with pain.
“He’s out in the hall.” Sarah eyed the door, praying the doctor would just come and get this over with. Her best friend had been in labor for twelve hours, and she was exhausted--some vacation for both of them.
“Can you get him?”
“You want him to see you…like this??” Sarah shook her head in disbelief.
Scattered Ashes Page 15