Nickels

by Karen Baney

  Thankfully, she moved past it. She was with him now. That’s all that mattered. Well, that and getting to know her better.

  “So,” he said as they walked on the plaza side of Montezuma Street at a leisurely pace, “how many kids do you want?”

  She turned to look at him with wide eyes. “I can see why you’re still single. That’s a serious question for a first date.”

  “Ha. It’s not like we’re starting from scratch you know. We work together. You’re my sister’s roommate. I bug you all the time.”

  “You can say that again.”

  “Hey! It’s not as serious of a question as you think. It’s what dating people talk about—how many kids, where they want to live, dreams, goals—you know, see if you might have things in common.”

  “Twelve, then.”

  Kyle dropped her hand and started to turn around. “See ya. I can’t afford that many.”

  She laughed. “So, I’m guessing your number is lower?”

  Tell her about Alana.

  No way. Too risky at this point.

  Ignoring the soft voice in his head, he turned back around and took her hand again. “I’m thinking two or three kids. Not too many, but enough to have good odds that one of them will want to take care of me when I’m old.”

  She elbowed him. “So the purpose of having kids is to have someone take care of you in your old age?”

  “It’s the least they could do after I pay to feed and clothe them for twenty something years. And, let’s not forget how expensive college is. So how many do you really want?”

  His heart sank as her smile faded. “Never thought about it. My childhood wasn’t exactly stellar. I mean, we moved all over the country. I wouldn’t want to do that to my children.”

  “Are you planning on moving around a lot? If so, we need to talk.”

  “No.”

  “Then it sounds like it’s not an issue. So, how many?”

  “I thought you wanted to take this slow,” she snapped as they turned the corner onto Goodwin.

  “What’s that have to do with talking about how many kids you might want someday?” He didn’t understand what she was getting so upset about. Most women seemed to have a ready answer for the question, but Niki kept dodging it. Did she hate kids?

  “I’m just not ready to think about those sorts of things. I mean… I haven’t dated much. I’ve never thought about marriage or kids or… This is making me uncomfortable.”

  “Sorry. I just thought every woman had their future mapped out—you know, dream wedding, hunky husband, two point five kids spaced exactly three years apart.”

  “I’m not most women.”

  “You’re right, there.”

  As they turned the corner onto Cortez, Kyle decided to go with a different topic.

  “So, what do you like to do for fun?”

  “I like hanging out in my pool, baking in the sun. I like hiking and camping. And I like having my own bucket o’ popcorn when you take me to the movies.”

  “I plan on teaching you how to share. It’s part of the fun of going to the movies.”

  She smiled as they rounded the last corner onto Gurley Street. “Ever eaten at the Prescott Brewing Company?”

  “Nope. This is my first visit up here.”

  “Come on. Let’s go,” she said, dragging him across the street towards the three story building. The restaurant took up only one corner of the “mall” which was more like a small series of boutique shops.

  As they approached the “please wait to be seated” sign, a young girl offered to seat them.

  “Can we sit at the tables looking into the shopping area?” Niki asked. “Those are my favorite seats. It feels kinda like sitting at an outdoor patio, but without the heat of the outdoors.”

  The hostess led them in that direction.

  Once at the table, Niki sat facing the shopping area. Kyle slowly eased into the chair to her left, giving him a good vantage point to people watch. He winced as a sharp pain shot down his leg. Someday he might feel normal again.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Caught that, did ya?” He was hoping she wouldn’t notice.

  “Do you want me to drive back?”

  “Trying to cut the date short?”

  “No. Just offering, if it would help.”

  “We’ll see,” he said, closing the topic as he picked up the menu.

  In a few minutes the server arrived and they placed their orders. Once the server left, Niki asked, “So what do you like doing for fun?”

  “Riding my bike. Flying, though that’s not really an option anymore. Hanging out with you.”

  She smiled and then fell silent. He glanced out toward the people walking along the first level of the building. Suddenly he felt the need to apologize to her for his behavior in high school. He wasn’t sure if she needed to hear it or not. It was obvious by her initial reaction to him during his first few weeks at Helitronics, that he hurt her. He should have apologized before now.

  Just when he was about to speak, the server arrived with their meals. Kyle took Niki’s hand and offered up a brief prayer after the server left. Inwardly, he said one of his own, hoping what he needed to say would be well received.

  Picking up a French fry, he swirled it around in a pile of ketchup. He watched her carefully as she started on her sandwich. Taking a deep breath, he plunged ahead.

  “I never really apologized to you for how I treated you in high school, so… I’m sorry for making life difficult for you then.”

  She frowned. Then she set her sandwich down. “You know, I used to think you hated me.”

  The words impaled his heart. It was just as he feared. His antics came across so differently than he hoped.

  Niki cleared her throat. “I know now that you were just being a typical teenage boy, but at the time, it made things hard on me. Jack and I were trying to figure out how to manage without our parents. It wasn’t easy.”

  Kyle swallowed hard. “I’m really sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

  She closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, a light sheen glossed them. “Thank you. It means a lot that you apologized.”

  “Good. I would really hate for the past to come between us.” Then he flashed her one of those heart-stopping grins. She smiled back and he was sure she wouldn’t hold any of the past against him.

  Niki beamed inwardly as Kyle pulled the truck to a stop in front of her house. She couldn’t remember the last time she was on a date that she enjoyed so much. Despite the rocky start to the day, she had a good time.

  When he apologized to her at lunch, she felt some of her barriers begin to crumble away. It was just another example of how much he changed between high school and now. And she really liked who he was now.

  “Thought I’d stop in and say hi to my sis,” he said, following her to the door.

  She unlocked both doors and let him in.

  Marcy and Chad were seated at the couch. The coffee table was covered with magazines and papers. From the look of things, they were deep into the wedding planning.

  “Hey, Kyle,” Marcy greeted. “Do you think Alana would want to be the flower girl?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Kyle answered as he and Niki settled onto the couch opposite them.

  “Who’s Alana?” Niki asked.

  “My—”

  “A relative,” Kyle interrupted Marcy’s response as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  Marcy frowned at him. He gave her a stern look, making Niki wonder what that was all about.

  “Would you call Kelly and ask?” Marcy asked.

  “You can call Kelly.”

  “I just thought—”

  “Fine. I’ll do it,” he grumbled. “Then I’ll have her call you for details, okay?”

  Marcy nodded.

  Niki caught the tension between Kyle and his sister. Such an odd reaction if they were just talking about a cousin or something. He just said she was a re
lative. Maybe he had a falling out with this Kelly and her daughter, Alana. Shrugging the thoughts aside, she picked up one of the many wedding magazines and flipped through it.

  “How big is the wedding going to be?” she asked, not remembering how much extended family Marcy had.

  “Probably around a hundred—mostly Chad’s family.”

  “Wedding stuff. I think that’s my cue,” Kyle said, giving Niki a peck on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Can you let me know soon about Alana? Chad has a niece who would be fine, too, but I’d like to have Alana—help her feel more a part of the family.”

  Kyle fiddled with his keys nervously. “I’ll let you know. Stop pestering me.”

  Something seemed odd to her. As Niki locked the door behind him, she asked Marcy again, “Who’s Alana?”

  “I think that’s a question you should ask Kyle.”

  “Okay,” she said skeptically, unable to shake the awful feeling that she was on the outside of another one of Kyle’s secrets.

  As Kyle walked to his truck, he bit back a curse. Here he was the one who brought up the topic of kids, yet he failed to fess up that Alana was his daughter. Marcy almost said it. He wasn’t sure if Niki would care or not.

  But, things were going so good right now. He didn’t want to take a chance. It was only last night that she agreed to date him—way too soon for the by-the-way-I-got-really-drunk-in-college-and-knocked-up-my-friend speech.

  Eventually he would have to tell her. He would be flying up to Colorado Springs in a few weeks to visit Alana. After a few trips, Niki would start to wonder. It was only natural.

  He started his truck and drove home. Once inside his townhouse, he sat down on the couch and propped his elbows on his knees.

  Niki was—what had Marcy called her? Fragile. He saw it this morning with her hesitation in holding hands with him at church. When she started whispering to Joe, he was sure she was already having doubts.

  Hopefully, those doubts were all centered around her job and not around him.

  What if he told her about Alana? If she was waffling about their relationship, his secret would only fuel her rejection of him. He waited too long for this chance with her. He couldn’t screw it up now.

  The only thing to do was to wait. When the time was right to tell her, he would know. He just prayed that she would take it well.

  Chapter 33

  One month. That was a record for Niki’s dating life. Things with Kyle were still pretty good. He was very careful at work to keep things professional, though he did take her on a lunch date last week. Her new weekend routine often included a dinner date with Kyle on Friday night, wedding planning with Marcy on Saturday morning, time with Kyle on Saturday evening, Sunday morning church, and Sunday afternoon another date with Kyle. Between work and fun, she saw him seven days a week—except for the one weekend he had to fly out of town.

  Life felt better. She could honestly say she was happy, for the first time in a very long time.

  Even work seemed to take a lead from her personal life. Todd stopped his threats, though she still thought they could resurface at a moment’s notice if he perceived her as stepping out of line. The live flight trial was in an hour—a week ahead of schedule and without Todd shaving off any time unannounced.

  Niki climbed into her car headed toward the Air Park. Kyle asked if she wanted to ride with him, but she was planning on going straight home from the live exercise to cut off some of the long commute.

  She found a parking space as close as she could to the Helitronics hangar, hoping she wouldn’t have to walk too far in her heels—such a poor choice of shoes for the day. The sun beat down on the pavement, still hovering over a hundred degrees. Normal temperatures for mid-September. Kyle and Doug were waiting at the hangar entrance watching as the test helicopter was wheeled from the hangar. She moved to stand next to Kyle, her excitement building.

  “Nervous?” he asked.

  “A little.”

  “Don’t be. We’ve tested this thing like crazy. I don’t anticipate any issues.”

  As the pilot, Melissa Wakefield, walked down the line, she greeted Todd, Alan, Kyle, and the big wigs from Helitronics. She smiled at Niki and her team before climbing into the cockpit. As the engine whirred to life, the wind whipped Niki’s hair in her face. She reached up and held it back with her hand, wishing she’d thought to bring a ponytail holder or clip.

  Kyle’s eyes glowed with excitement and she wondered if he wished he was in the pilot’s seat or if witnessing this exercise brought back any painful memories. If they were not here on business, she would have laced her fingers with his. As it was, she remained content to stand next to him.

  Melissa lifted the metal beast off the ground in fluid motion. She pointed the chopper north and started the first series of motions. The crowd moved to the inside of the hangar to listen to her audio and watch the series of video feeds hooked up to the helicopter. Kyle muttered “good” and “right on” several times as Melissa completed various stages of the testing successfully.

  Niki waited, growing more nervous towards the end of the testing, though she shouldn’t. She just wanted to see this thing to a successful and happy conclusion.

  During the last maneuver, Melissa’s tone over the radio became strained. Kyle tensed next to Niki, sending her senses on edge. Something was wrong. Melissa started relaying some of the readings on her instruments, explaining that the helicopter just didn’t feel right. Kyle moved closer to look at the instruments. He shook his head and got on the radio to Melissa saying he didn’t see what she was seeing.

  Melissa managed to get the chopper back into the Air Park property. Niki stood still as she watched from the hangar doorway. The helicopter approached the landing pad much too quickly. Melissa’s voice shrieked over the radio. The aircraft crumbled into a ball of twisted metal as it impacted the ground. The rotor snagged on the asphalt and parts of the blades littered the ground.

  Red flashing lights zoomed in front of Niki—the flight tower must have anticipated the need. Kyle ran from the hangar towards the heaping pile of metal and debris. Emergency workers rushed to extract a motionless Melissa from the wreckage. They laid her body on the stretcher and loaded her into the ambulance.

  Niki stood there frozen, unable to comprehend the scene before her. God, no. Please don’t let this be my fault—my code. Please don’t let Melissa die.

  Her heart sliced in two as she felt her legs crumble beneath her. Someone kept her from making contact with the ground. She felt herself being led to a chair in the hangar, though it seemed like her body had separated entirely from her mind.

  “Kyle!” Doug’s voice shouted from somewhere near Niki.

  “Put your head down,” Kyle instructed as he gently pushed her forehead to her knees.

  Blackness swirled at the fringes of her consciousness. Voices faded and then got louder. She closed her eyes and waited for the wooziness to subside.

  “Niki.” Kyle’s voice seemed to echo from some distance. “Are you still with us?”

  “Niki.” His voice came again, this time it sounded whispered near her ear.

  She sat up and almost immediately regretted it as the blackness started to press near again.

  “Easy there,” Kyle said.

  The threat of the blackness finally subsided. She sipped the cup of cold water he handed her.

  She still hadn’t looked at him. She was afraid. Would he blame her for this? Was it her fault? Did she kill Melissa? A lone tear rolled down her cheek as she stared off at some distant point in the hangar.

  “Niki, look at me.”

  She couldn’t.

  He moved until his face consumed her vision. “This is not your fault.”

  “You…” Niki’s voice sounded gravely to her own ears. “You don’t know that.”

  “Yes, I do. In here,” he said pointing to his heart. “I know it was not your fault.”

  She swallowed and looked away. She wished sh
e could believe him.

  “Niki!” Todd’s angry voice boomed from a few feet away. She looked up to see him storming towards her.

  She stood, taking a deep breath, hoping she could handle whatever Todd was about to throw at her. Kyle moved next to her side.

  “Give me your badge,” Todd said, rage clouding his eyes. “You’re gone.”

  She blinked, not sure she heard him correctly.

  Todd reached towards her ID badge clipped to the front of her blouse. Kyle’s hand shot forward. He clamped down hard on Todd’s wrist.

  “What are you doing?” Kyle’s voice boomed.

  “Give me your badge,” Todd reiterated looking directly at Niki, holding out his hand palm side up. “This is your fault. You’re dismissed from this project. I’ve already spoken to your boss.”

  She numbly unclipped the badge from her blouse and shoved it into Todd’s hand forcefully. She walked over to where she set her laptop and purse. Todd followed her and slapped his hand down on the computer.

  “You are not taking this until we’ve been able to verify all of Helitronics materials and access have been removed. We will return it to Elite’s office on Monday.”

  Niki lifted empty fingers from her laptop—her lifeblood. Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she ran from the hangar toward her car in the limited staccato strides her heels would allow.

  “Niki!” Kyle yelled behind her, not catching up until she had her hand on the door handle. “Wait.”

  She stopped as he faced her, avoiding his eyes.

  “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, concern weighing down his words.

  She snorted. “I doubt it.”

  “Let me take you home.”

  She looked up at him now. Her overwhelming guilt and failure turned to anger. “I’m not some helpless female that I can’t manage to drive myself home you know.” She yanked the door open and threw her purse on the passenger seat.

  “Just call me when you get home.”