Thank you for the flowers. See you then.
Instantly three dots popped up showing he was typing and she received back a simple text back from him stating ‘can’t wait’. My goodness, what was she going to wear? Where would they go? She needed to find a sitter quickly. She spent the next hour texting and calling everyone she could to see if they could watch Travis for her for a few hours. Finally, she got the answer she was waiting for: her coworker could watch him, if she’d watch her son on Friday. Deal! Nikki texted quickly, and sighed happily.
Debbie’s five-year-old got along pretty good with Travis at daycare so they would at least play together for a while without any real trauma or issues with her leaving him for a few. This would be a first for both of them. She’d not been on a date in years, nor had she left him with anyone else other than the daycare when she went to work.
Travis was playing happily, yanking on the balloon’s ribbon and laughing each time it went back up into the air. He was such a beautiful light in her life and worth every hardship she’d ever endured. The giggles only lasted so long before the ribbon yanked free, allowing the balloon to stay flat along the ceiling. She knew the moment it happened as she heard the shriek of horror and wail of despair over the mixer where she was whipping up the frosting. She put the bowl and handheld mixer in the fridge, picking up her exhausted son.
“C’mon sweetie. Let’s get you ready for bed,” she crooned, brushing his hair away from his face. These were precious times, times she cherished wholeheartedly. She rocked him for a few until he gave a shaky sigh and then lay him down in his plastic racecar toddler bed. He always went down easily for bed; it was usually only the last few minutes getting him to settle that were tough.
Walking back into the kitchen, Nikki sighed as she saw the scattered bills on the floor now decorated with crayon. She picked up the crayons and put them back in the pencil box she’d purchased for the loose broken pieces. She gathered up the bills and put them back on her end table where her purse was left out.
Stepping over a cat that was rubbing against her legs, she sighed again, happily. The house she’d established was well-worn and well-loved, if nothing else- it was certainly full. It would be a long two days trying to keep herself from thinking about what dating Jakob Marlin would be like or if he’d even be interested in a second date. It took a special guy to take on a woman with children. Not every guy was ready for a ready-made-family. From his outburst at the car, she wasn’t sure that Jakob was either. But Nikki was more than ready to test the waters. The thought of someone actually wanting to go out with her made her simply feel good. She felt alive and excited for something, instead of the dreariness of looking forward to work and her next paycheck.
As she frosted the cupcakes in the kitchen, she was struck with an idea. She’d make a small batch and run it over to the hospital as a thank you and gesture of friendship. She’d not washed his car, nor paid for the dry-cleaning on his pants. Jakob had been terribly nice, and it would give her an excuse to see him. The only problem was how to get there.
* * *
The next morning, Nikki ended up borrowing the clinic’s mobile van to run the cupcakes over to the hospital. It had been a challenge to walk to work with two large containers of cupcakes. She had to drop off Travis at daycare first and literally run back to the house and hurry in to the clinic in order to be on time.
She felt almost awkward bringing the cupcakes inside the hospital and was having second thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she walked back to the nurse’s unit she’d been discharged from a few days earlier only, to find out that he wasn’t scheduled until later in the day. The knowing looks on their faces made her blush furiously and wonder if other women had brought him snacks and goodies from home. Jakob was extremely handsome and eligible. The comment that the nurse had made to her the other day when she was being discharged about the patients liking Mud better than Dr. Marlin brought a fresh flush to her face. Of course, they liked him, who wouldn’t. Nikki left the yellowed Tupperware cake-plate that was full of cupcakes there at the station.
“Could you please let him know I dropped this off for him,” Nikki muttered and practically ran out of the hospital back to the mobile van. Once inside, she sat behind the wheel for a few minutes trying to get her mind under control. She was filled with doubts and misgivings. Maybe now wasn’t the time for her to try to talk to a guy or meet someone.
“If you are listening, I could use a sign about now,” she muttered aloud, closing her eyes and leaning her head back on the headrest. She pulled out her phone and stared at it, filled with indecision. The way the nurses looked at her made her feel those same pitied and ashamed feelings again when she was pregnant with Travis. She let out a shuddering sigh of disappointment. Judgement. They were judging her, and she was doing the same, filling her with conflict that she didn’t need. Pulling out her phone, she texted Jakob.
I’m not sure dinner is a good idea… she typed and quickly erased it.
Why me? She erased it again and blew her bangs off of her forehead, distracted and on edge. That was the real question: why? Why her? Why now? Why him?
I’m scared and full of doubt… she typed and heard a knock on her car door. Startled, she hit send and cursed aloud. Jakob was standing there and waved through the glass. She rolled down the glass and gave a fake, cheery smile. “Hi!”
“Are you feeling okay? Is the fever back?”
“Yes. I thought I’d…” His phone beeped at that moment. “No! Wait!” Nikki yelped, mortified, and saw him pull it from his pocket -glancing at the screen. His eyes looked at her. She saw understanding and a glimmer of hope reflected in his gaze as he stared at her.
“I thought it was just me that was nervous,” Jakob admitted with a smile that curled up one side of his lip, making him look irresistible.
“No, I am a full-on mess inside,” she admitted and flinched at how it sounded to herself once it was spoken aloud. “Sorry. I meant to say-“
“What you said was perfect and I am too,” he admitted. “I am due to start rounds really soon but I don’t want you to back out on me. Okay? Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“Oh- and Mud says hello,” Jakob suddenly grinned. Nikki laughed nervously at the spontaneous change of subject. “He thinks you should go out with me too.”
“Does he now?”
“Absolutely.”
“Fine. Tell Mud that I’m excited to go and hope I live up to his standards.”
“You already do,” Jakob admitted, stepping back from the van, “I’ll see you soon.” He turned and headed inside quickly. Maybe this was the sign she’d been looking for? She’d revealed her fear and instead of being rejected or made to feel bad – she felt accepted and understood. She had barely pulled in the parking lot when she received a text message from him. Inside was no words, only a photo of him with one of the cupcakes and dollop of frosting on his nose. The quirky photo made her grin happily.
She couldn’t wait for their date.
6
Sunday had finally arrived.
Nikki had thought for sure it would never come, the way Friday and Saturday had dragged on. She and Travis had made salt-dough ornaments that were waiting to be painted. Several ornaments were unrecognizable to her, but Travis could identify each one. A smooshed-up blob was a snowman, a thing that looked like a pea-pod was a train and her favorite of all was a circle that was supposed to be a snowflake. She had carefully etched the date on them with a toothpick and smiled. These would be memories for years to come.
She’d spent Friday night into the wee hours of the morning, popping popcorn and stringing garland for hours on end. She couldn’t sleep. She wondered if he’d take her on a casual date, like the movies? Or if he was planning something fancy? Would he kiss her goodnight, or would it be a bust? She remembered being infatuated with Ryan and where it had gotten her.
“Slow your roll, woman,” Nikki whispered aloud to herself and continued stringing the po
pcorn. The small tree now stood in the corner in a stand full of water. She’d had to chase the cats out of the tree several times. They had once knocked it down, sending water and needles everywhere. The dogs were no better: they drank the water from the tree stand.
That poor dilapidated excuse for a tree was never going to make it the three weeks until Christmas at this rate. Between Travis and the animals, this was why she’d never bothered with glass ornaments. No, no, she’d hang dough ornaments, popcorn and maybe some dried apple slices. Tinsel was a distinct ‘no’ since her oldest cat had a fondness for eating it. This she’d discovered the first year she’d moved in. Thankfully the animal clinic had let her make payments on the cat’s surgery to remove it. Since then? No tinsel and no sparklies dangled from her tree.
Saturday night, she’d taken the time to soak in a bath for quite a while after Travis had gone to bed. She’d even made herself a cup of cocoa with a candy cane stirrer. Rolling her hair in foam curlers, she painted her fingernails and toenails matching colors. Something she’d not done since she was pregnant. She felt silly putting so much effort into her appearance when there might not be anything there at all.
“Maybe he’ll simply be a nice friend to talk to once in a while,” she muttered, running a Q-tip on the edges of her nailbeds in order to get off any of the reddish stains from the polish. Or maybe he would be simply awesome and be her prince charming? She couldn’t help the secret wish that was quick to blossom in her chest. She was lonely, and it was hard to feel that way with the holidays on the horizon. She needed something to fill her time in between work and Travis, something to fill that empty spot that was now vulnerable.
Nikki ended up falling asleep on the sofa watching television during the wee hours of the morning. The sun was streaming through the kitchen window and her phone alarm was chirping in her lap. Shooing the dogs off of the couch, she ran them outside while she warmed up two muffins for her and Travis’ breakfast.
While the last two days seemed to drag by, the morning flew past! She was glad she’d set her hair in rollers the night before because she glanced up to see that the service was starting in thirty minutes. It was time to go! She slipped herself into a long sleeved, modest cotton dress that fell past her knees. She loved this dress and how it swung and flowed around her. Travis was dressed in a sweater and corduroy pants that were easy for him to tug up and down for potty training. She’d hated corduroy pants as a kid, but now as a parent? They were awesome. They kept him warm and were tough to wear through- unlike his blue jeans that all had patches in the knees.
They made the cold brisk walk to the church quickly. Nikki started up the stairs and stopped, seeing Jakob at the top waiting for her. His smile lit up his face as he held out his arm for her.
“I was wondering if you’d come.”
“I come every week to service, I’m just usually late and slip in the back pew.”
“That may be why I’ve missed you before now,” he said with a laugh. “My mother insists on the front pew and everyone with her. She’s a force of nature.”
“Well, batten down the hatches because I still have to drop off Travis at the children’s center and Hurricane Momma will have to wait if I’m expected in the front,” Nikki said boldly and was frankly dismayed that they’d be sitting with his family.
“I’m not expecting to sit with her,” Jakob said with an understanding nod. “I’m a grown man and she’ll be fine as long as I attend. I honestly just want to sit with my date.”
“Well, come on with me then,” she encouraged. If he was planning on dating a woman with a child, she might as well get him used to the idea of what life would be like. Part of her wondered if she was deliberately trying to scare him off or if this was an attempt at self-preservation because she was frightened herself and how much she liked him.
“I have to sign Travis in and drop off his bag.”
Jakob fell in line behind her as they quickly walked down the hall towards the childcare center. All sorts of noise and racket, yelling and crying, could be heard from the room. The church had all the children under five years old in one room before they ‘graduated’ to the grade school rooms. It was sheer colorful chaos and Nikki loved it. There were splashes of color everywhere like a crayon box had thrown up in the room. Colorful numbers, shapes, letters and streamers were strung up from every corner. Large bins held toys. Legos went in the green bin, dolls in the pink bin, balls in the yellow bin, and so forth…making a bright, cheerful room. It was part of the reason she attended this particular church. It was family oriented and took in everyone; they genuinely cared about their congregation.
“Mercy,” Jakob breathed behind her in surprise and shock. For someone who’d not been around children, it must look completely overwhelming to him. A tornado would do about the same amount of damage that seven toddlers could do in a ten by ten room.
“Yup, mercy,” she repeated. “Mercy for us mothers that have about an hour of time where we don’t have to worry about the kids and know they are entertained.”
“I see that.”
“Are you scared you might have gotten in over your head?” Nikki asked casually, prepping herself for the answer. It was bold of her and she knew it, but if this didn’t scare him off there might actually be a chance in heaven that he’d be okay. She leaned over at the desk register and signed Travis in. Turning around, she found herself in very close quarters to where Jakob was standing there watching her.
“Are you wanting me to say yes and back out?” he asked softly, pushing a curl off of her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. The intimacy of him touching her so innocently made her shiver in delight as his finger made contact with the shell of her ear.
“No? Yes? Maybe?” she hedged. “I want you to know that if you are interested in me, I come with a family and we’re an all or nothing deal. I’m wanting to be up front because of the whole car fiasco and how we met. Things happen, children are-“
Jakob hesitated a mere second before he leaned down and kissed her softly, stopping her tirade where she was getting riled up. The moment his lips touched hers, she froze and held her breath. He let up and smiled warmly.
“Children are different for me, but I think I might be willing to learn if you’ll even give me a chance. I’m sorry about the kiss. I couldn’t help myself and wasn’t sure if you’d kiss me back or slap me. Seeing you getting all puffed up and angry reminded me how very protective you can be. I like that about your personality,” Jakob murmured with a smile, staring at her lips. Nikki found herself biting her lip nervously and a bit caught off guard. “Let’s go. The first hymn is starting.”
He held out his hand to her. The silent gesture of his hand outstretched seemed almost pivotal. He was putting himself out there and waiting for her to make the next move. Nikki took his hand and he laced his fingers with hers, smiling widely. The two walked to the sanctuary doors and slipped inside, darting into the first empty seats they could find.
It was a lovely service, talking about fearlessness in the Bible. Nikki couldn’t help but think how appropriate and fitting it was today. For her, the peace she felt sitting there listening and having Jakob hold her hand, was simply wonderful. If this was the date and there wasn’t another? She could be happy holding on to this sense of perfection seeping down into her soul.
As people filed out of the pews, she found herself face to face with Jakob’s mother. She looked her over and nodded, nearly marching right past them. “You’ll come for dinner sometime, won’t you?” Nikki thought she was talking to Jakob and then realized she was waiting for an answer from her.
“Me?” she gaped in astonishment, glancing around behind her.
“Well, you and your son are both invited,” the formally dressed woman told her with a smile. “We are having a small family get together for Christmas next weekend and everyone is bringing a white elephant gift. Please join us unless you’ve got plans already?”
“No, I don’t. Thank you. I appreciate the o
ffer, but-“
“No, ‘buts’. I insist,” his mother told her firmly.
“You won’t be able to get out of this once she’s put her mind to it,” he whispered loudly to her, laying a hand on Nikki’s shoulder as if he was trying to keep her in line. “Mother, thank you.”
“Someone has to try to fix you up. You are botching it up royally,” Jakob’s mother retorted bluntly, gave a loud harrumph and then walked out of the church allowing the flow of the congregation to slowly dissipate.
“Let’s go,” he muttered under his breath.
“Why do you let her talk to you like that?” Nikki asked him curiously. She was surprised at the control that the woman obviously exerted over her son. It was a bit dismaying thinking that Jakob must had no spine to stand up to his mother.
“Because I’m the only one that lives here anymore. I’m the baby of the family and she’s having a tough time letting go,” Jakob told her with a deep sigh. “It’s tough but I think it’s harder on me to see her upset. It makes her feel good to have her ‘baby boy’ around.”
“Do you think she might be pushing to drive you to spread your wings?” Nikki asked gently, realizing that there might be more to the man. It wasn’t that he was cowardly, it was because he loved his mother and cared about her feelings that he let her push him around. She could only hope someday that she would be able to coerce her strong-willed boy into doing like his mama asked, just like Jakob.
“I never thought about that.”
“That would drive me nuts, but I’d be glad for it too,” Nikki answered truthfully. “I’ve got no one. Just me and Travis. Be thankful for your family at the holidays.”
“I am, but with everything good comes a price – you see that small, possessive woman that invited you to dinner? Yeah, she’s very possessive but with a good heart. She’d do anything for me or my sister.”
Perfectly Matched: Opposites Attract (Match Made In Heaven Book 1) Page 4
