by Ines Saint
“You can go find her, Nick. It’s the last room on the right,” she heard Isabella say next.
Jamie quickly made the last stitch, cut the string with the scissors, and got up.
And standing at her door was Nick. His frame filled the entire doorway. It was almost surreal. His beautiful eyes surveyed her room, but he didn’t walk in, and still he didn’t look at her.
“Well, here it is.” She handed over the patch, but didn’t look up at him, either. Nick took the patch, studied it, and frowned.
“Jamie, this is a bra.”
“Noooo — it’s an eye patch.”
“It’s a bra.”
“It’s soft, it’s clean, and it’s adjustable.”
“Do you seriously expect me to wear this in front of your brother?”
“I’m pretty sure Justin has seen a bra before, Nick. It’s really no big deal.”
“I’m sure Justin has seen a bra or two in his lifetime, just not around my head.”
“I didn’t know you were so insecure.” Jamie put her hands on her hips.
“Insecure?” He glanced at the bra padding she’d tossed onto her bed. “Don’t you think it’s a little insecure to use padding in your bra? A little deceitful, too?”
He put the bra-patch in his back pocket and turned to leave her room. Jamie walked behind him, careful not to notice how he filled up the narrow hallway, relieved he was back to his old teasing self.
“Where’s his patch, Jamie?” Liz asked when they got back to the living room.
“He won’t wear it.” Jamie stood next to him in the hallway arch and saw that they weren’t just facing her sister-in-law, but her entire family.
“Why?” Justin asked as he cracked open a pistachio.
“He’s insecure,” Jamie spoke for him.
“You don’t want to look like a pirate?” Michael asked.
“A guy at school wore an eye patch for a week just to get girls to ask him what happened,” Chris volunteered.
“I think an eye patch is better than a gross eye.” Hannah grimaced.
“Pirates are cool, Nick,” Timmy said.
“Just put it on, man.” Justin popped the pistachio into his mouth.
“Yeah, just put it on, Nick.” Jamie crossed her arms and faced him. Everyone looked at Nick expectantly. He took the patch from his back pocket, and pulled it over his eye.
“Cool, Mom, make me one, too,” Timmy cried.
The adults in the room remained quiet for a few seconds.
“Is that a — um — ” Dr. Viera’s mouth twitched.
“It’s a bra!” Chris collapsed onto the couch in a fit of laughter. “Dad, Nick’s wearing a bra! Oh, your day can’t get much better than that!”
Justin almost choked on his pistachio and couldn’t say a word.
“What a great idea! That’s really resourceful, honey.” Isabella nodded approvingly and walked up to study it. Nick just leaned against the wall, waiting for Justin to stop choking.
“Look, it hooks up in the back,” Liz noted.
“And — it’s adjustable.” Isabella showed Liz, both women pretending to be unaware of the men’s reaction.
Jamie beamed at her mother and sister-in-law.
Justin finally got his act together. “You’re never going to live this down.”
“I can take it.” Nick stood up straighter.
“Yeah, ’cause it takes a real man to wear a bra.” Chris fell back in another fit of giggles, and even Nick had to join in.
“All right, that’s enough out of both of you. Poor Nick is hurt, and all you can do is make fun of him. Now how manly is that, Justin? Please set an example for your son,” Liz scolded. Justin threw his hands in the air, and Nick took the opportunity to play his pain up.
“It does still hurt,” Nick admitted, and Liz and Isabella, and even Hannah, were all over him again offering him everything from snacks to tea and pain relievers, and telling him to sit down and rest.
“No, actually, if Justin doesn’t mind driving me home, I think I’ll go rest there,” Nick said, but he was greeted with a round of protests from the women and Dr. Viera himself.
Jamie and Justin looked at them in disgusted silence. Their family was truly fawning over Nick. An instant later, though, her brother shot her a knowing look. “Why don’t you stay for dinner, Grey, and Jamie can drive you home afterward?” he offered.
“Yes, of course, Nicholas, stay and have dinner with us. We’d love to have you,” Dr. Viera seconded.
“Yeah, stay! We can go outside and make a snowman while dinner cooks,” Michael suggested excitedly.
“A snowman. That’s a wonderful idea.” Isabella’s eyes lit up.
Nick looked over at Jamie as everyone tried to coax him into staying, and she could see real concern in his eyes. It was up to her. One look from her, and he’d decline the invitation to be included in their family dinner. Jamie took a good look at him, standing there in a pair of faded cargo pants and a faded, hooded sweatshirt. God, the sight of him did things to her. And now he was staying for family dinner. She gave him a slight nod, aware that everyone sensed it was up to her.
Nick smiled and turned to say he’d stay. His statement was especially well received by two very happy little boys. Her boys. Jamie watched one hug Nick and the other jump up and down. The sight did confusing things to her heart she couldn’t begin to describe.
“Are you really going outside to make a snowman?” Liz asked.
“Sure,” Nick answered, and the kids all looked at him as if he were a hero. “In fact, let’s see who can make the better snowman — the three of us, or Chris and Justin,” Nick challenged.
“You’re as bad as Justin.” Liz shook her head. “No roughhousing, okay Nick? You really have to take care of your eye.”
“It’s on!” Justin took his and Chris’s coats out of the closet. Jamie silently got the twins’ snowsuits out and helped them put them on. There was a new, strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it wasn’t pleasant either. The whole situation was making her uneasy.
“What about me?” Dr. Viera asked.
“You, too?” Isabella raised an eyebrow.
“You can join Nick’s team, and I’ll go on Dad’s.” Hannah joined in on the fun.
“Who’ll judge?” Chris asked.
“Your grandmother, Liz, and Jamie.” Dr. Viera looked over at them. “But no peeking!”
Jamie mustered up a smile, turned and walked into the kitchen.
Pretty soon, she was lost in the soothing warmth and aromas of her mother’s kitchen. In what seemed like no time at all, dinner was ready.
“Judges, we’re ready!” Justin called from outside. Jamie, Isabella, and Liz were soon standing in front of the two most adorable snowmen Jamie had ever seen. They had gone all out, and it was the cutest front-yard scene ever.
The two teams stood back to let them evaluate, but Jamie did no such thing. She caught Nick’s eye and tried not to smile when she looked over to the snowman on the right. Nick had drawn a leaf on its chest. “I choose the snowman on the right,” she said, and the twins tried hard not to giggle.
“And I choose the one on the left.” Liz smiled.
“It’s all up to you now, Grandma. Your vote breaks the tie, so choose carefully,” Chris warned.
“What’s at stake?” Isabella asked.
“Same thing that’s always at stake,” Justin said.
“Bragging rights,” Nick declared.
“Well, then, I choose the one on the right.”
“Yes!” Nick, the twins, and Dr. Viera made fools of themselves over the victory while Justin and Chris cried foul — they were sure Isabella knew which snowman the twins had made and she wanted them to win bec
ause they were the babies in the family.
They all marched back up to the house and were instantly greeted by the aroma of a fine, home-cooked meal. The kids wasted no time sitting down in the breakfast nook where their meal was already laid out for them, and Isabella motioned the adults toward the formal dining room. Apparently, having Nick over for dinner was quite an event because Isabella had pulled out her fine china.
Liz immediately sat next to Justin, while Dr. Viera took his usual seat at the head of the table, and Isabella sat opposite her husband, when she usually sat to his right, and Liz liked sitting across from Justin. Nick held the chair next to his out for Jamie, and she sat down.
Justin, Nick, and Dr. Viera soon began talking sports, which inevitably led to ice hockey, which then led Justin and Nick to reminisce about their youth as rivals. Jamie, Liz, Isabella, and Dr. Viera had a hard time eating with all the laughing that was going on. The two would never have guessed exactly how many good memories and stories they shared. Awful and probably illegal things were done to high school and college mascots. Uniforms had been vandalized, and fights and bruises were now fondly remembered.
“Remember Samantha Demarco?” Justin asked Nick with a wicked smile. Nick threw his head back and laughed.
“I remember Samantha Demarco, what about her?” Liz asked with a half-suspicious, half-knowing look at her husband.
“Who’s Samantha Demarco?” Jamie asked, feeling left out.
“Just a girl I went to high school with.” Nick shrugged, looking over at Justin.
“I can’t believe that sweater didn’t distract you.” Justin shook his head.
“What sweater?” Liz punched Justin.
“The girl had a huge crush on Justin, and so he got her to sit right in front during the whole game wearing a very — let’s say, revealing — sweater. He was trying to distract our team,” Nick explained.
“Oh, that’s awful,” Isabella said to Justin. “Taking advantage of that poor girl like that.”
“Poor girl, my eye. She liked showing them off. In fact, I saw her a few years ago, and she still liked showing them off. And let me just say, if Nick was wearing an eye patch made from Samantha Demarco’s bra, it would cover his whole face,” Liz said.
“Young men and their hormones. Who won the game?” Dr. Viera asked.
“They did.” Nick pointed toward Justin, “But boy, did we learn our lesson.”
“Were you distracted by this Samantha?” Isabella asked Nick.
“No, Mrs. Viera, I was not, but the rest of the team certainly was.”
“Good for you!” Isabella nodded her approval.
Nick smiled his most charming smile and took a bite of food, and Jamie knew he was lying.
“Too bad you’re more easily distracted now, huh?” Justin pointed his fork to Nick’s eye, the wicked smile back.
“What do you mean?” Liz asked.
The two men stared at each other across the table; Nick’s usually bright eyes were dark with warning, while Justin’s amber eyes were alive with mischief.
“You know, I fail to see where the sportsmanship is in all of this,” Jamie observed.
“It’s all just part of the fun.” Dr. Viera defended the guys.
After dinner came dessert and more wine, and after that came more talking. The men, including Nick, cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher, their talking and ribbing audible in the family room.
“It was nice having every chair in the dining room taken tonight,” Isabella said.
“You can always fill the empty chair with any of the kids,” Jamie said.
“The kids always want to eat off by themselves. You know that chair has been empty for years, Jamie.” Jamie looked back at her mother, stunned and wounded. No, Scott hadn’t been accompanying Jamie on her trips back home for at least two years before he died, but if Jamie hated to talk about it back then, she certainly didn’t want to talk about it now.
For the next two hours, Jamie watched as her whole family, even Justin, behaved as if Nick belonged. And her boys! Michael had actually fallen asleep on the couch with his feet on Nick’s lap. Looking up at the clock, she saw it was nine. Outside, tiny bits of hail pattered on the windows. It was definitely time for Nick to leave.
But her ears perked at the mention of Nick’s trip. Now there was a subject she could get into. “You’re going to Argentina, first, right? Iguazu Falls? And then Machu Pichu in Peru? You know where you should really go? You should go to El Yunque in Puerto Rico, right, Dad? It’s a tropical rain forest, but that’s not part of your trip, is it?” Jamie asked.
“No, it’s not part of this trip, but it sounds interesting. I’ll have to look it up,” he said.
“You really should. Maybe you’ll even need to extend your trip. There are so many places to see that aren’t commonly spoken of, you could be gone for two exciting years if you really do your research,” Jamie informed him.
“I’m sure it would take me years and years to see all there is to see,” Nick agreed as he looked at his watch. “But, actually, right now, I really do need to get home. Justin?”
“I don’t see too well in the dark. Jamie can take you,” her brother said for the second time that night. Had he been hit by one too many hockey pucks, too?
“Take your time, Jamie. We’ll watch the kids,” her father said. “In fact, you should leave them here tonight so you don’t have to wake the poor things up. They’re sound asleep.”
Right, of course, Jamie thought. “Sounds good. I’ll stay here, too,” she said. “I’ll be back in five minutes.” She stole a quick glance at Nick and saw him watching her intently. Looking away, she tried to swallow her pulse back down. A strange, nervous fear had been building up inside her ever since Nick had arrived.
Nick was just saying his goodbyes, and a light hail continued to fall. Jamie looked up and closed her eyes, feeling tiny pieces of ice tickle her face.
They finally got in her car, and Jamie leaned forward to put her favorite station on. They drove on in silence.
His arm was resting on the armrest, and she was very careful not to touch him. An old love song was playing, so she quickly searched for another station, but it was a Sunday night, and everyone seemed to be playing either sappy love songs or sappy Christmas songs about love. She found a station with pop Christmas music and left it there. It was easier to sing along than to drive in silence, and so she sang away.
The light sprinkling of ice hitting the windows turned into a heavier hammering. She bent her head to look out the windshield and saw hundreds of tiny beads coming down.
“Hailstorm,” Nick declared.
“This is hardly a hailstorm.”
At that exact moment, the hail began pounding down hard and fast. She breathed in and gripped the steering wheel.
“You were saying?” Nick had to speak loud to be heard. She looked over at him and saw his patch-less eye held an amused look.
Less than a minute later, she pulled into his driveway and banged her head on the steering wheel. Beside her, Nick slapped his forehead. “My garage door remote control is in my truck.” He looked over at her. “Come on — you’re going to have to come in until it dies down, and we’ll have to make a run for it. On three.”
“Nope, I’ll wait it out right here.” Jamie crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve had enough togetherness for one night.”
“Look, Jamie, I didn’t know you were at your parents’ house when Viera suggested your father check my eye out, and I can’t help it if your parents liked me enough to insist I stay — I’m a likeable guy.”
“It’ll die down soon. You can go inside, and I’ll wait right here.”
“Fine, then we’ll both wait it out here.” Nick stretched his legs and tried to get comfortable. He shifted his six-foot-two-inch frame a few ti
mes. Jamie got her cell phone out and was frustrated to see she didn’t have a signal.
A few minutes passed, it was getting cold, and the hail was pounding down hard. She already had the heat on at its highest.
Silently, she cursed Nick for not wearing the cologne she’d told him not to wear. He smelled of soap, and it was worse than the cologne. She could pick up his natural scent, and it had her nerves in a tizzy.
“The whole universe is conspiring against me,” she muttered.
“If you’re worried about being alone with me, you really don’t have to be. The fact is, we were attracted to each other, we shared a couple nice, long kisses, and they did the trick, got you out of my system. So you can just come in, use my landline phone to let your parents know you’re okay, and we can play Scrabble or something to pass the time.” Obviously, Nick had picked up on her tension. It was filling up the car and stifling them.
Jamie slowly turned to look him in the eye. “You’re over it?” Common sense told her she should be relieved, but she was only offended.
“Well, they were damn good kisses. Good length, great feeling behind it, you get an A for participation, by the way.” She listened as he discussed their kissing as if it was a physics test. “I mean, if you need one more kiss to get me out of your system, I’d be happy to oblige … ”
All Jamie could do was glower at him. Here she was, ready to climb across the seat and bury her face in the nook between his neck and shoulder, where she was sure that soapy smell was especially delicious, and he was Mr. Blasé. She wasn’t quite sure she believed him.
“Okay, then. We’re going inside. On three.” Nick began counting, but Jamie got out and made a run for it before he got to one. He ran up the steps behind her and reached his arm around her, shielding her from the hail with his body when they got to the door. She walked in and quickly put a few feet of distance between them. Nick took his coat off and watched her. “Come in, take your coat off, and I’ll get a fire going,” he instructed.
Chapter Fifteen
Jamie took her coat off, hung it up, and slowly looked around. Nick had a really great house. She didn’t know what she’d expected, she’d never really thought about it, but it was a very eclectic house with every element coming together nicely. The walls were painted soft beige, with one exposed brick wall. There were wonderful black-and-white photos of nature scenes on the walls. All his furniture had a rustic touch.
