Diamonds for the Holidays

by Nicki Night

  “I just need to run to my car,” she said, feeling as if he deserved an explanation. He did, but not for this.

  “Okay.” They walked an awkward circle around one another.

  Jade retrieved her binder and hurried back. Nixon was unusually quiet. He normally avoided her, but mingled with everyone else in the sessions. Today he sat alone with a cup of tea while they waited for everyone to arrive. He said very little as the program facilitator spoke of the upcoming summit and reminded everyone of when they needed to arrive in Newport Beach, California. He said even less during the actual session.

  Just as they broke for lunch, Jade turned to him. “Can we talk?”

  Nixon smiled. Jade knew it took effort. “Let’s go outside.”

  On the way to the courtyard, Nixon’s phone rang. He looked at the display. “Nine one four?” He looked at Jade and she shrugged. She figured it was someone from his old neighborhood. Nixon’s number started with the same area code.

  He tapped the phone icon. “Hello.” Nixon’s brows furrowed. Jade headed across the courtyard, giving him space.

  The call was brief and he soon joined her on the other side.

  “That was Alyssa,” he said, taking a seat on the bench next to her.

  “Alyssa?” Jade felt her heart lower with a bang. Why was Alyssa calling Nixon? Jade dismissed the uneasy feeling that crept over her. She wanted to ask what the call was about but refrained.

  “I didn’t know she still had my number. Anyway, let’s talk about us.”

  “Yes. Us.” Jade groaned. “I think I handled this whole thing badly, but I just don’t know the right way.”

  “I can imagine how uncomfortable this must be for you, but I have to be honest—I’m more concerned about us. I know Alyssa is your friend, but we have something special and I’m not willing to let it go just like that. Have you talked to Alyssa about us?”

  Jade kind of shrugged.

  “What does that mean?” Nixon asked.

  “I did more listening than talking. She really doesn’t know much about us.”

  “So she told you about the breakup.” He nodded knowingly.

  “Yes. And I must admit, it scared me a little. How do I know you won’t...?” Jade let her words trail off. She didn’t want to hear herself say it and he didn’t deserve to be judged like that.

  “Different person. Different time. Completely different scenario.”

  “I know. It’s hard. I was so excited to see her again. It seems like no matter what I do, it’s not fair to someone. I’m sorry.”

  “Can we talk over dinner? I’ve missed you.”

  Jade felt her heart swell in her chest. She’d missed him terribly, too. How could she say no? Despite Alyssa’s warning, she and Nixon had something special. She needed to hear him out and this wasn’t the place.

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  She pursed her lips and nodded. They returned to the conference room and the atmosphere between them seemed lighter. She was also curious about what caused those red-rimmed eyes of his. She’d find out about that later, as well.

  On the way home, she thought about reaching out to Reese. Maybe her insight would help. Jade dialed her number.

  “Hey, Jade! You’re coming to the wedding, right?”

  “Of course. It was so great seeing you. We can never lose touch again, okay?”

  “Okay. So what’s up?”

  “I need your insight.” Jade updated Reese about the situation.

  “Wow! That’s a tough one. And I remember meeting him once or twice. He was a cutie.” Reese hummed. Jade imagined her tilting her head with a finger to her chin. “I think it’s a little unfair for Alyssa to encourage you not to be with him, though. It’s not like you betrayed her purposefully. You had no idea that they’d ever dated.”

  “More than dated. They were getting married.”

  “Yeah. But still.”

  “What if it were you?”

  “Sure, it would be awkward at first, but I wouldn’t be mad at you—especially if things are going really well for the two of you. Who am I to stand in the way of that? What if you and he had the potential to have the most amazing relationship? Should you give that up? Look, it’s obvious that you value your friendship. And if she values it the same, she should be able to understand. Just give her a little time. She’ll come around. The real question is, how do you feel about him and are you willing to lose that?”

  Jade didn’t want to lose Nixon. “Thanks, Reese! That was helpful.” Jade stayed on the phone with Reese until she pulled into her driveway. Now she really looked forward to seeing Nixon later.

  Jade felt better than she had in days. Before getting ready for Nixon, she talked to her parents for a while and then updated her cousin Kendall on what was happening. She took a long shower and slipped into a black sweater dress that set her curves on display. She paired it with black high-heeled boots and squirted her favorite fragrance. Excitement coursed through her. Things between Nixon and her were going to be back on track and she planned to make up for the lost time.

  Nixon arrived right on time, looking more scrumptious than she’d ever remembered. She drank in his tall frame, swathed in a well-fitting black suit. His eyes still seemed a little dull, but he smiled and those pearly whites of his illuminated her soul. He had a manner that exuded suaveness and power. That was why he turned heads everywhere they went. Jade felt inclined to forget about dinner and go straight to her room to start making up to Nixon. How could she almost let him slip through her fingers?

  “You look stunning!” He spun her around.

  “And you look rather delicious.” She shimmied into her coat with his help.

  “Shall we?” Nixon extended his elbow toward her. Jade slid her arm through.

  As soon as they were seated at the restaurant and had placed their orders, Nixon wasted no time jumping into the subject.

  “Unfortunately, our relationship,” he started, referring to him and Alyssa at the time, “was over before it was officially over. We tried several times to make it work, but couldn’t seem to get there. We broke up, got back together just to break up and get back together all over again. She didn’t trust me and I couldn’t understand why. I don’t believe I’d ever given her legitimate reason not to. At one point I think she was more enamored with getting married than she was about making sure our relationship could work. She wasn’t a bad person, but I couldn’t see going into a marriage on such a rickety foundation. I suggested we wait and she lost it and told me if I didn’t want to marry her then, there was no need to wait.”

  Jade didn’t comment. She just listened.

  “She used to go through my wallet and call numbers from business cards, even if it had a man’s name on it. She accused me of hitting on her cousin, who was going to be her maid of honor. There’s probably more that I could have done better to convince her I was faithful, but eventually I got tired of being accused.”

  Nixon paused as if he were waiting for Jade to interject. She remained quiet.

  “The breakup was hard.” He paused, reflecting. “I even thought about trying again, but knew it wouldn’t work. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

  “That’s it.”

  “Were you expecting more?”

  Jade shrugged. “I don’t know. So the last time you saw her was when the two of you broke up.”

  “No. We’d run into each other a few times after the breakup. We have a few mutual friends. I figured we should at least try to be cordial so gatherings wouldn’t seem so uncomfortable. She said she wasn’t interested in being friends with me. It’s been over two years since I’ve seen her.”

  “Hmmm.” Jade hummed.

  Nixon’s take had her thinking. He didn’t seem as bitter as Alyssa had.

  “Are we finished with that? I wa
nt to get back to us.”

  “Yes. I’m sorry for the way I acted this week.”

  “No apology needed.” Nixon took her hand. He looked right into her eyes. “Being away from you for those few days made me realize how much I want to be with you.” Jade became aware of her own heartbeat. “I want to take this all the way.”

  Jade widened her eyes. “You mean all the way, as in all the way?” she asked, as if saying it twice would deepen the meaning.

  “All the way as in all the way,” he teased.

  Jade threw her head back and had the heartiest laugh she’d had in recent days. Now she just needed to figure out a way to tell Alyssa she wasn’t giving up Nixon.

  Chapter 28

  Nixon stepped inside Starbucks and rubbed his hands together. The chill in the air was biting and Thanksgiving hadn’t even come yet. The winter was going to be bad. Nixon blew warm air into his cold hands and rubbed them again. He stepped in farther and looked around the bustling coffee shop. He spotted Alyssa in the corner near the back window, wearing a black hat and shades. Nixon wondered if this was her attempt at being incognito. He headed in her direction.

  “Alyssa.” He called her name when he approached.

  She looked up suddenly, as if he’d startled her. “Hey, Nick. Have a seat.” She removed her shades and smiled.

  Nixon noticed she had a cup of something already, but asked if she wanted anything else. He ordered a cup of dark roast black and returned to the table where Alyssa sat.

  Nixon wasn’t in the mood for small talk. “I hope you’re well.”

  “Yes. I am. Thanks. And you?”

  “Great! What did you want to talk about?”

  Alyssa sucked in a deep breath. “You look good.”

  “Thanks,” Nixon said. “You called me. What would you like to talk about?” He put a lot of effort into being cordial.

  “I needed to see where your head was.”

  “Why?”

  “Do you really care about Jade?”

  Nixon huffed. “Yes, I do.”

  “Do you love her?”

  Nixon huffed again. He did love Jade, but hadn’t told her yet. It wouldn’t be fair if he’d revealed that information to Alyssa first. He didn’t owe Alyssa any explanations. That time had passed.

  Alyssa studied him, as if looking intently would glean an answer from him. “You love her,” she determined. “Then why did you agree to meet me here?”

  “Because you asked me to, Alyssa. What is this about?” She was starting to prick at his patience. Nixon had a long day ahead of him and wanted to get this part over with. He needed to know what was so important that Alyssa had to meet him early on a Saturday morning, anyway.

  “I just needed to know.”

  “To satisfy your curiosity?” he asked.

  “To know.” Alyssa grunted. Nixon knew his response or lack thereof answered many things. “It’s hard to see you with her.” Alyssa focused on her cup, turning it in her hand. “We had something...special.” She tucked her lips inward and then registered an awkward grin. “I needed to know if there was anything left.”

  Nixon took in a deep breath. “I can imagine how uncomfortable this must be for both of you.”

  Alyssa turned to the window. Nixon hadn’t noticed that she was crying until she reached up to wipe the tears slowly rolling down her cheek. After another moment she turned back to him, cast her eyes toward the table and spoke just above a whisper. “Maybe we could explore that. Fan the flames and see if they ignite.”

  “It’s too late, Alyssa. Jade and I—”

  Alyssa slapped the table. “I don’t want to hear about Jade. I’m talking about us.”

  Nixon closed his eyes and took a breath. “Alyssa.” He spoke in an exact manner, as if he were addressing a child. “There is no us. There won’t be an us.”

  “There could be,” Alyssa whined. Her tone was desperate, no longer irritated.

  “I have to go, but I wish you well.” As a parting gesture, Nixon placed his hand over hers. Alyssa looked at his hand and then snatched hers away.

  “Fine. You’ll just break her heart like you did mine. Don’t come running after me then. That family is all about pedigree and you two don’t have the same pedigree. You’ll never be good enough.”

  Nixon stood, bade her a good day and left. He wished her well. Wanted her to find happiness even if it wasn’t with him. Somewhere out there was a man who would adore Alyssa’s erratic manner. Nixon hoped he’d come along soon.

  On the drive over to Jade’s, he had to work on his mood. Alyssa had ruined it. He had awakened excited about taking Jade to meet his mother.

  Nixon picked Jade up and headed straight to Westchester. Mount Vernon and New Rochelle were his stomping grounds. He’d grown up there, became a man and went from pauper to prince within those town limits. Taking Jade around was like letting her see him on the inside.

  Nixon started his tour in Mount Vernon, taking her to the main streets where he and his friends had hung out. They passed by his high school and he told her about the day he’d cut school, but his mother found out and showed up at his friend’s house where they were playing hooky.

  “She should have been a detective, or signed up for the FBI or CIA. She had some crazy kind of sixth sense that would activate whenever I was doing something I had no business doing.”

  “I’m glad El wasn’t that keen when I was a teen.”

  “I guess as an only child, I was all she had to focus on. It was like a game. I’d try to see how much I could get away with before she’d catch on. She always did. My friends’ parents were oblivious.”

  “My parents cut their parenting teeth on Jewel and my brother, Chris. Chloe was by the book, so by the time I came along I could only get away with so much.”

  Nixon pulled over next to a small park. “Come on,” he said to Jade. Nixon rounded the car, opened her door and held his hand out. Jade took it and leveraged her rise from the passenger seat. Hand in hand they walked into the park, while strong winds whistled around their ears.

  Nixon led Jade to a tree and stopped. “It was under this tree that I had my first kiss.” Jade chuckled and shook her head “Wait until you hear the rest. Her name was Katie Anderson. I had a crush on her since she came to our school in second grade. She was the only girl in sixth grade that had boobs and the boys gawked at her in giddy awe. It was like we couldn’t understand how she looked like our parents and we were all in the same grade. The whole neighborhood hung out in this park. I heard a rumor that Katie liked me. My friends bet that she wouldn’t let me kiss her. She was mean as hell, by the way. I told them getting a kiss from her wouldn’t be a problem, since she liked me anyway. I brought her over to this tree. We talked for a few minutes. I asked if she liked me. She said, ‘Maybe.’ I went in for the kiss and she smacked the sight right out of me! I swear I saw into the next universe.”

  Jade burst out laughing. Nixon laughed, too.

  “It was so embarrassing. In front of me, Katie stood glaring with her hands on her hips, and behind me was a chorus of my friends’ laughter. I didn’t live that down until high school. Every now and then, I’ll run into Katie and we’ll still laugh about it. She’s married to a diplomat now.”

  “So your memories of this tree weren’t so good, huh?”

  “Nope!”

  Jade leaned her back against the tree and tugged him toward her by his coat. “We can change that.”

  Nixon smiled, leaned forward and covered her mouth with his. Their kiss was passionate—a warm defense against the cold that left them hot and panting.

  “Thank you.” Nixon smiled and planted a few more pecks on her kiss-swollen lips, before taking her by the hand. “This tour isn’t over.”

  “Take that, Katie!” Jade said, as they jogged back to the car. They were still laughing when they got ba
ck inside the warm vehicle.

  Nixon drove past his childhood home and a few he currently owned with his mother. They headed into New Rochelle and took her past the homes of famous residents before finally arriving at the restaurant.

  Nixon’s mother was already inside chatting with the owner by the time he got there. When he walked in holding Jade’s hand, a grin slowly spread across Gloria’s face. She looked past him and settled her sight on Jade. Nixon thought he saw a small nod. He already had his mother’s approval.

  “Hey, Ma.” He kissed her cheek.

  “Hey, honey!” She squeezed him in her embrace.

  “Jade, this is my mother, Gloria Gaines.”

  Jade held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Gaines.” Jade channeled her proper mother, remembering her manners.

  Gloria pushed her hand aside. Jade’s eyes stretched wide. Gloria stepped in and wrapped her arms around her. “Mmm,” she moaned, as she gave Jade a tight squeeze. “Any woman that has my son’s heart doesn’t get a handshake from me.”

  Jade laughed and wrapped her arms around Gloria, returning the sentiment.

  Gloria pulled back. Holding Jade by her arms, she looked her over. “And you’re beautiful. Come on.” Gloria took her by the hand. “Let’s talk.” She led Jade away, leaving Nixon to catch up behind her.

  Nixon jogged past them to pull out their chairs at the table. The waiter took their drink orders.

  “Nicky tells me you run a foundation.”

  Jade glanced over at Nixon when his mother said his nickname, and suppressed a smile. Nixon tossed back a warning look but knew he’d get teased later anyhow.

  “Yes, ma’am. We support organizations that empower children and college students in the areas of art, college and career readiness and leadership. We also offer grants to young entrepreneurs. That’s really important to my parents—especially Dad.”

  “That’s wonderful. I serve on the board of an organization here that offers scholarship help to students from high-need areas across Westchester. So do you want to tell me more about you or would you rather hear embarrassing stories about Nicky from when he was young?” Gloria winked at Nixon. He shook his head.