Biting my lip so that I wouldn’t start crying, I turned away. There was no way I was going to let Nick Parsons see that I had fallen for him.
No way.
Chapter Six
The ride home was not as tense as I thought it would be. Tense, but not vice grip, stomach churning tense.
Nick bought me breakfast at a truck stop, then we hit the road. At first, I didn’t know what to say. It seemed ridiculous to pretend that we hadn’t just kissed like Romeo and Juliet after the prom. But, still, the subject stayed buried.
After a long while, Nick smiled, and said, “So Miss Jenny Brewster. What ...”
My phone chose that exact moment to remind me that a real world existed.
It was my mom.
“Hi mom, everything is fine.”
I could hear her silent sigh on the other end. “Hi honey,” she said. “I just wanted to call and wish you a Merry Christmas.”
I laughed. Yeah right. She was worried and didn’t want me to know.
“Why didn’t Dad call last night? He said he was going to.”
“I wouldn’t let him,” my mom said. “I told him you’re a grown woman and he needed to give you some space. And that if he kept calling you all night, it would send the message that we didn’t trust you.”
My mind freaked out. My mom telling my dad something like that. It didn’t seem possible.
“He grumbled most of the night, but he did what I told him.”
I laughed, “Thanks, Mom.”
There was a short pause. “You are okay? Right?”
I know that she was really wondering if I was still a virgin or not. As if I was going to have that discussion with her, ever. Especially, not with Nick sitting there.
Swallowing hard, I said, “I am fine, Mom, promise. We should be home in a couple of hours. Did the kids enjoy their presents?”
“We are waiting for you,” she said, as if there was no other choice. That was my family. They knew how important it was for me.
“Dinner’s been pushed back to five,” Mom said. “You can invite this Nick person if you want.”
Yes, like that was ever happening. Nick would take one look at my family and run for the hills.
“I think he has his own plans for Christmas, Mom. But, I’ll ask him.”
“Okay hon, you be safe. I’ll let you go. You know I don’t like talking when you’re in a car.”
“Mom, I’m not driving,” I said.
“I know, I know. It’s just that ... Never mind. We will see you when you get home. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom. And, thank you.”
She hung up before we could get too maudlin.
They’d held off on opening the presents until I got there. I’d be able to see their faces. Life was good. I’d kissed Nick Parsons and he hadn’t laughed at me. I’d had an adventure half the girls I knew would have killed for. And, I still got to have Christmas. Yes, life was good.
I glanced over at Nick, he was looking at me like he was trying to figure something out.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered, still unable to stop smiling. “My mom said I should invite you to Christmas dinner. She is a good cook. Turkey, ham, all the trimmings.”
He actually blanched. The fear that jumped into his eyes was priceless.
“Um, I don’t think so,” he said.
My laughter echoed through the car. It was nice being able to tease him for a change. “What? You don’t want to spend the next few hours talking to my father and my uncles?”
He cringed and shuddered, as if something had crawled up his spine.
I sat back and relaxed. Things were going well. At least they would continue until we said goodbye. At that moment, I knew that reality would hit me and take a little bit of happiness from my life.
But, for now, some of the awkward silence was gone. At least there was that.
“So, what were you going to ask me?” I said. “Before the call?”
He frowned for a moment then said, “Oh, I was just going to ask you about what books you liked, music, stuff like that. It’s a long drive. I just wanted to talk.”
I smiled to myself. Life was most definitely good.
.o0o.
Nick pulled to a stop at the corner of my street.
“It’s the blue house up on the right,” I said. My heart was racing so hard I was pretty sure it was going to jump out of my chest.
“I know, I just ...”
That awkward silence had returned tenfold. It was like a heavy blanket smothering the both of us.
I looked down at my hands. Unable to think of one thing to say.
Nick chuckled and shook his head.
“What?” I asked.
He looked at me and smiled. “We’ve been together what? over twenty four hours. Right?
I nodded my head, completely confused about where he was going with this.
“That’s like what? Six dates? I’ve spent more alone time with you than any other girl in my life.”
I blushed, “Yes, but I don’t think this counts.”
He laughed, then looked at me for a long moment.
My heart beat even faster. What was he going to say? What was he thinking?
Finally, his shoulders slumped and he pushed the shifter into first gear and rolled to the front of my house.
What had that been all about? I wondered.
He glanced up at the front door. As if he expected my dad to step out with a shotgun and start blasting.
“Are you nervous,” he asked.
Couldn’t he tell? We were saying goodbye and we’d never be like this again. I know for him, it wasn’t a big deal. He would return to his fast life with casual girls and would soon forget about me. Probably before he made it home.
But, I knew deep down, it would be a long time until I would be able to get Nick Parsons from my mind. He had taken up permanent residence in my brain.
“Your parents, are they cool? Or, are they going to give you a hard time?” he asked.
Oh, that was what he was talking about.
“They’re cool. At least I think so. I’ve never exactly done something like this. So we will see.”
He smiled and nodded. “Listen Jenny, thank you for a wonderful Christmas. It was ... different.”
I blushed, and began to open the car door, when something came over me. Before I could change my mind, I leaned over and kissed him.
A fast kiss that quickly became more intense, and a lot longer than I had anticipated.
Leather and smoke. Firm lips, and gentle hands. A rightness with the world. As if this was where I belonged.
Finally, the world came back to my awareness and I pulled away. Sighing heavily, I grabbed my violin, opened my door, and got out of there as quickly as I could, before I said something totally stupid.
As I turned the handle of my front door, I looked back over my shoulder. Nick sat in his car, that big V-8 purring, waiting for me to get inside. His forehead was creased and his eyes looked as if he’d lost something important.
My heart jumped, but, before I could analyze that look. My family descended and my world changed once again.
Chapter Seven
School didn’t start again for another ten days. The longest ten days of my life.
A heavy depression had settled over me. All I wanted to do was sleep, get lost in books, or take long walks in the snow.
Mom would glance over at me with those concerned eyes of hers. As if she knew I was hurting, but couldn’t fix it.
Oh, how I wished she could. Anything to make this pain go away. Nick Parsons. All I could think about was that silly smirk. The way his arms felt when they were wrapped around me. The twinkle in his eye when he teased. All of it. Everything.
I wondered what he was doing. Who was he with? Was he all right? Did he think of me? Even for a small moment?
There was no one I could talk to about it. Mom? No way. Laura? First off, she wouldn
’t have believed me. And, even then, once I’d convinced her that I had spent the night in a motel room with Nick Parsons, she would never believe me that nothing happened.
Nothing happened. I couldn’t get that thought out of my head.
She’d have never understood. In fact, I was pretty sure, she’d give me up as a lost cause and never talk to me again.
No, this was a pain I was going to have to learn to live with.
As New Year’s approached I wondered what party he would be attending. I even thought of asking around. I know I’d have sounded like a dozen other girls trying to get close to Nick for the night. But, that didn’t stop my mind from coming up with plans and dreams.
But, what then? I wondered. If by some miracle I found out where he would be for the night. What then?
Bump into him, pretend to look surprised and say, “Oh, imagine running into you here.”
He’d have known the truth in an instant. He’d have known I was nothing more than some desperate love sick girl.
The thought of pity in his eyes, as they looked down at me, was enough to stop me from even trying. No way was I going to do something that ever made Nick Parsons look at me with pity. Not if I could help it.
Thankfully, school finally started again.
My stomach was tighter than a ball of tape. Everything felt as if it was going to explode. My lungs seemed to have forgotten how to work and my legs were not far behind.
Of course, he wasn’t there. Not in the main hall. Not in the quad. I’d mapped out a dozen different scenarios. I needed to know where we stood.
Were we hallway nodding acquaintances? Were we casual friends? Someone you said hi to, maybe even an occasional quick conversation? Or, did we ignore each other and pretend that nothing happened over Christmas?
I knew I didn’t have to worry about anyone knowing. No way would Nick do that to me. No way would he tell his friends that we’d spent the night together. He wasn’t that kind of person. I couldn’t have felt this way towards him if he had been.
My stomach tightened again, as I passed the cafeteria. Still no Nick. Was he all right? He hadn’t dropped out had he?
Of course, we didn’t have any classes together. How is that possible?
Biting my lip, I sat down at my desk and tried to figure out what was going on. I had to know how he would treat me before I could move on.
I had to have him ignore me once, just so I knew the truth and could begin to forget him.
Sighing, I studied the cover on my AP Chemistry book and thought about what it felt like to be in Nick Parsons’ arms.
“Are you all right?” Laura hissed from the desk next to me.
“Yes, sure,” I answered, as I pulled myself back to the here and now.
She studied me for a moment as if she didn’t believe me.
“Are you still mad about me getting a ride with Billy?”
I almost laughed. No, I wasn’t upset. Of course not. Her ditching me had turned out to be the highlight of my life. Smiling, I shook my head. “No, I promise, everything is fine.”
She continued to look at me, but, before she could confront me about it, Mr. Gonzales began the class.
I sighed internally and tried to take my mind off Nick.
It was like that all morning. As I made my way from class to class, I would search the halls for him. Desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of that thick black hair and those wide shoulders.
My next thought would be sudden fear that I would find him surrounded by a dozen girls. His smile directed at them. His hands touching them.
It was official, I was going insane. There could be no other explanation. Either that, or I had a brain tumor.
Deciding that I was being ridiculous, I gave up all thought of Mr. Nick Parsons and hurried to meet Laura in the cafeteria for lunch.
The place was packed as always. Laura had our usual table staked out. She shot me a quick smile as I joined her.
“Did you hear about Bethany Carns?” she asked before I could even sit down.
I shook my head. Like I cared about Bethany Carns at the moment. Besides, I knew that she had been hanging all over Nick after the homecoming game. No way did I care what happened to Bethany Carns.
“She’s pregnant,” Laura said with that shocked, but gleeful smile of hers. Bethany had chased Billy last year, so she was dead to Laura.
“What?” I asked as my stomach dropped to my feet.
“Yes, Thompson Caldwell, I’m not surprised. He’s richer than the pope. I bet her parents must be ecstatic.”
My stomach relaxed for the first time in forever.
Man, I had it bad. Was I going to react this way every time I heard a rumor? I wondered. Would my life ever be sane again?
“So, what did you do for New Years?” Laura asked, as she took a small bite from her sandwich.
“Nothing,” I said. “Just stayed at home.”
Laura shook her head. “You are hopeless. We really need to get you a life. Just think, there are a ton of boys in this school. Some of them are even cute. Some are even nice. A small few are both cute and nice. And, you’re sitting home on New Year’s Eve. Hopeless.”
I shrugged my shoulders. What could I say? She was right. I was hopeless.
Laura glanced over my shoulder and nodded.
“Take those Lakeland boys. The four of them rule this place, but they are still nice. Hotter than the sun in August. Not stuck up. Out of your league of course. They are out of all of our leagues. But, still. It proves there are some good ones around.”
My heart jumped, as I slowly turned to look where Laura had indicated.
There they were, the Lakeland boys. The four best friends since first grade. Inseparable. At least until Jason had gotten a girlfriend early that fall. Luke and Tank stood next to him. Laughing with Amber, Jason’s girlfriend.
Where was Nick? The fourth of the quartet. Usually they were tighter than peas in a pod.
“That Amber girl,” Laura said, “she did it right. Comes to a new school and picks out the best of them.”
I wasn’t really listening to Laura. My mind had tuned her out as I searched for Nick. My mind had sort of become a one way street. Nothing was allowed to happen until I found Nick.
Then. From behind Amber, I got a glimpse of him. Nick. That thick black hair and that silly smirk was there.
My heart jumped and my lungs fought for air.
I have to admit it, I stared, I became lost to the rest of the world. I stared and willed him to look at me. I had to know.
Laura was going on about Billy and how cool it was to have an almost boyfriend. She was sure they were a couple. Well sort of. They did go to a party together on New Year’s. That made them a couple in her book.
Nick caught my eye and froze. He actually stopped talking in mid-sentence as his eyes found mine.
My heart stopped beating.
He smiled at me, then said something to Amber.
He smiled at me. At least there was that. He hadn’t ignored me. He hadn’t pretended I didn’t exist. It would have to be enough, I told myself.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I know I was probably creeping him out. But, I just couldn’t.
He smiled at Amber, then shot me another look. His brow furrowed for a moment, then he reached over and took something from her lunch bag.
Standing, he maneuvered his way around his friends and started walking in my direction.
Oh, no. What now? My brain jumped into overdrive, as I tried to figure out what was going on. Suddenly, I couldn’t look at him. Where moments before, I could do nothing but stare. Now, No way.
What? Was he coming over to tell me to back off? To stop acting like a stalker.
Or worse. Was he coming over to tell Laura about our night together?
“Hey, Cupcake,” he said, as he scooted in next to Laura.
My best friend’s mouth dropped open. I promise, if they hadn’t been attached, her eyes would have popped out and dropped on
to the cafeteria table.
“Hello, Nick,” I managed to say.
Laura’s face whipped back and forth, as she tried to figure out what was going on. Her mousy best friend was talking to Nick Parsons. I know Laura, her mind had just shut down. Her world was no longer the reality she had thought it was.
I couldn’t worry about Laura. She was on her own for this one. All I could focus on was the boy across from me. That confident grin that said he was letting you in on the joke. As if you were special.
Those square, wide shoulders that looked like they could take on the weight of the world just for you. Those heart melting blue eyes that hid a hint of sadness.
Everything.
My heart burst with love. It wasn’t just his looks. Although, I’ve got to admit, they sure helped. No, it was the confidence he exuded in everything. He knew who he was and liked himself in a non-self-centered way.
It was the sensitive anger he carried deep down. A burden he carried alone.
It was things like the fact he had given my father his word and then kept it. Nick was an honorable man, I realized. And, when you get right down to it. You can’t really ask for more.
I loved Nick Parsons. There was no doubt in my mind. And, he had come all the way over to talk to me. We weren’t going to be just hallway acquaintances.
“Where have you been all day?” I asked before I could stop myself. Again, mouth before brain.
Nick chuckled, then handed me the big red apple in his hand.
“I heard you’re collecting apples,” he said.
Now it was my turn to laugh. “No, that was refrigerator magnets.”
Laura started to stammer. I was afraid she was about to have an epileptic fit. Her world had been unwired.
Nick smiled at me. Just me.
“Really, where have you been?” I asked again. This time I knew I was saying the wrong thing. Too personal. Nick Parsons did not answer to any woman. Especially not me.
“I had to speak to your dad. It took me a bit to track him down.”
“What?” I squeaked.
“What?” Laura exclaimed.
No, Nick, my Dad? Why? No this could not be happening.
“Yeah,” he said. “I figured if we were going to the movies this Friday. I might want to clear it with your dad first.”
One Night: A Christmas Romance (The Lakeland Boys Book 2) Page 5