Diamonds for the Holidays

by Nicki Night

  “That would be great! But we shouldn’t wear out our welcome here. Let’s rotate,” Nixon suggested.

  “We can meet at my office next,” Sammy said. “I’m actually not too far from here.” Everyone agreed.

  They exchanged good-nights and started off on their separate ways.

  “Let me help you clean up,” Nixon said, picking up empty cups and scrunched napkins from the conference table.

  “Yeah. I’ll help, too.” Julia grabbed some stuff and tossed it in the garbage.

  “Thanks, but I can take care of it.”

  “Okay.” Julia placed the cup in her hand back on the table and slid her sleeve inside her coat. “I guess I’ll see you next week, Jade.” She picked up her purse and turned to Nixon. “Are you walking out?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Oh.” Julia looked disappointed. “I’ll wait for you.”

  Jade rolled her eyes as she carried the fruit tray to the garbage.

  “No need. I’m going to help Jade clean up and see her to her car.”

  “I’m sure Jade will be fine. She works here. She goes to her car every day without a problem.”

  Jade stopped moving. She took the inside of her lip between her teeth and gnawed gently. She did that to keep from commenting about Julia speaking about her as if she weren’t present.

  “How about this? I’ll walk you to your car now, come back and get Jade to make sure she gets to her car, and then I’ll know that both you ladies are safe.”

  Julia lifted her shoulders, giggled and placed her hand on his chest. “You’re such a gentleman. ’Bye, Jade. Thanks for hosting.”

  “’Bye, Julia!” Jade’s cheerful salutation was Oscar-worthy. She shook her head and noticed Nixon’s small smile when he looked her way.

  While Nixon went off to carry out his gentlemanly duties, Jade cleared the rest of the space. She gathered her coat and headed down the corridor. She opened the door to walk out, and Nixon walked in.

  “You’re all ready?”

  “Yep.”

  Nixon tilted his head toward the meeting room. “I left my notes in there.”

  Jade held them up between her index finger and thumb. “You mean these?”

  “Thanks!”

  “Now, could you be a gentleman and walk me to my car, Mr. Gaines?” Jade batted her eyes, mimicking Julia’s tone.

  “Ha!” Nixon wagged his finger at Jade. “On one condition.”

  Jade scrunched her brow.

  “After that meeting, I could use a drink. Join me?” Jade was just about to protest when Nixon added, “It could be coffee if that makes you more comfortable. But I prefer wine.”

  Jade thought for another moment. “Sure.” What could it hurt? “Let’s get some wine.”

  Nixon’s perfect lips spread into a sexy grin. Jade wasn’t sure he was capable of smiling without it looking sexy.

  “Great! I know a great place. You can follow me.”

  The two of them trotted through the rain and hurried into their cars. Jade wanted to decline Nixon’s offer, but her desire to go was stronger. She couldn’t keep avoiding him. Soon that would begin to look as obvious as Julia’s flirting. Plus, she liked being around him. They could become friends. Getting to know him better would make him less of a distraction—put those giddy butterfly tremors in her belly to rest.

  Perhaps she’d even find out something about him that knocked him down a peg, and he wouldn’t seem like such a handsome demigod. Familiarity made people and things lose luster. He’d become normal to her, and maybe, just maybe, her skin would no longer tingle when he came close.

  Chapter 10

  The British voice of Nixon’s GPS announced that he’d reached his destination. Nixon personally claimed the robotic guide as his Brit.

  He pulled up next to a parking spot close to the entrance of the wine bar he favored on Northern Boulevard, turned on his interior light and gestured toward the open space before pulling off. Jade got the message and pulled into the spot.

  Once they were inside, it took a few minutes for them to be seated. They squeezed past the bar teeming with noisy patrons and waded through the loud jazz music streaming from the speakers. Nixon and Jade were seated along the wall near the center of the wine bar. From that vantage point, he could see the entire place.

  Nixon finally had her alone. He could find out who Jade really was. There was no Julia competing for his attention. The more other women peddled their presence, the further Jade distanced herself. She’d hardly spoken to Nixon during their weekly sessions.

  At first Nixon just looked at Jade sitting across the table from him. Drank her in while she scanned the bar from one side to the other. Even in the dim light her beauty was illuminated. Nixon wanted to reach over and slide aside the strand of hair loosened from her bun. He kept his hand on the table—studied her some more. Large doe eyes gave Jade an air of innocence. Long lashes made her appear to bat her eyes every time she blinked. Luscious pink lips eased into a shy smile when she caught him staring.

  “This is a nice place,” she said, turning toward the other side. “It reminds me a little of my brother’s place.”

  “It’s one of my favorites. Your brother has a place like this?”

  Jade nodded.

  “I’ll have to try it out one of these days.”

  “Tapas,” she said matter-of-factly, picking up the menu. “Any good?”

  “Delicious. May I?” Nixon opened the menu.

  “You think you know me well enough to order for me?”

  “I can try. Maybe I’ll impress you.”

  “I’m not easily impressed.”

  “That doesn’t have to stop me from trying.”

  Jade smirked. ‘Touché.” She sliced the air with her finger like a sword.

  The waiter checked in. Jade ordered cabernet and Nixon asked for merlot and a few options off the tapas menu.

  “What should I know about you, Jade Chandler?”

  “What do you want to know, Nixon Gaines?”

  “Anything you’re willing to tell. Your secrets are safe with me.”

  Jade pursed her lips and tilted her head sideways. “Really, Nixon.” He laughed. “Then you’ll have to wait until I have a glass or two of wine.”

  “Ha! Waiter!” Nixon held his finger up.

  This time Jade laughed, but her playful statement held an element of truth. After a glass of wine and some tasty tapas, Jade seemed more relaxed to Nixon. If he wanted to know more about her, he figured it made sense to reveal a few things about himself, as well.

  “I love movies and muscle cars. I wanted to be an actor until I grew up and realized I sucked at acting. I couldn’t hold a tune even if it were strapped to my body with a harness, and I love my mama. Your turn.” Nixon sipped his wine.

  “Oh. Well... I like movies, too, more than regular television. I don’t pay much attention to cars. I’m great at chess. Love playing cards. Thought about modeling but knew it would never fly with my mom—whom I also love. I come from a musically gifted family. My older sister sings like a beautiful bird. My other sister could really give Tiger a run for his titles on the golf course and my brother plays multiple instruments.” She sipped, punctuating the end of her list of characteristics. “Oh, and I love old-school R & B and rap music.”

  “Really? Ha! Me, too. Name some favorites.”

  “Anything from the eighties and nineties.”

  “‘Poison’ by—”

  “BBD!” Jade shouted. Laughter bubbled from both of them.

  “‘This is how we do it.’” Nixon sang the famed line from a popular nineties party starter. His key was nowhere near correct.

  Jade covered her ears. “Oh. You really can’t sing. Please don’t do that to Montell Jordan’s song. That’s a classic. Ha! I also love Cyndi Lauper, and The No
torious B.I.G., and oh! Yes. I’ve got a good one! ‘No, I don’t want no scrubs,’” she sang.

  “‘A scrub—’”

  Jade’s hand shot forward, palm up. “No! Please don’t sing.”

  Nixon belted the rest of the line. The tune was way off. His voice cracked. Full-bodied laughter erupted before he could butcher another note.

  Jade was bent over the table. Water filled the well of her eyes. Her breath ran short. “Stop. Don’t ever do that again.”

  “I think that was kind of decent.”

  Jade stopped laughing, tossed him a sideways glance and broke out laughing again. Nixon joined her. They dug up a few more songs and artists from the eighties and nineties and talked about how their parents served as the influence for their love of music that came before their time. Jade explained how her dad would play rap music when her mother wasn’t around. Her mother refused to indulge. They moved to other genres and connected on a higher level.

  “I would never admit this to my father, but their music is better than ours.” Jade took a bite of her flatbread.

  “Yeah. Don’t let them know you think that. Who are some of your favorite artists now?”

  “I listen to everything, so I have a bunch. My cousin’s music is great, of course.”

  “Your cousin?”

  “Yeah. My cousin is Kendall Chandler.”

  “The pop artist?”

  “Yep.”

  “That’s nice.” Nixon’s nod was slow, showing he was impressed.

  “It is.”

  Topics around music continued. They also shared their appreciation for jazz and greats like Nina Simone. Also due to the influence of their parents and grandparents.

  “Her music was raw, real, sometimes dark. When you listen to her, it’s like...you feel whatever she was feeling. Know what I mean?” Jade shook her head. Her face scrunched as if she was feeling something Nina Simone felt at that very moment. “And she was so...badass!”

  “Yeah. My grandmother loved her. I remember going to her house. She’d walk around in her caftan, her ’fro pushed back by a headband as if she was giving the seventies a face-lift. She was the coolest. Grams would sit in her favorite recliner, smoke skinny cigarettes and sip on brown juice while she listened to her Nina Simone. Ha! That’s what she’d call her liquor.” Nixon drifted into a nostalgic place that put a smile on his lips. “Brown juice,” he repeated, grinning. He mimicked his grandmother’s voice. “Boy, don’t touch Gram’s brown juice. It’ll put hair on your lil balls. You ain’t ready for that.” Nixon laughed at the memory.

  Jade’s laugh started as a gasp. She slapped her palm across her mouth but couldn’t keep the laughter from spilling between her fingers. “Your grandma sounds like fun.”

  “She was. Feisty, brilliant, no-nonsense and made the meanest banana pudding you ever tasted.” Nixon shook his head, chuckling again. He pulled himself from that place where fond memories of his beloved grandmother lived, and returned to the conversation before him.

  “She’s gone.” Jade’s comment was more matter-of-fact than curious.

  “Yeah. Just last year.” Silence fell between them. “Lung cancer.” He answered the question he assumed she didn’t want to ask.

  Jade shook her head. “Those damn skinny cigarettes. I’m so sorry.” Jade put a hand over his. That jolt was present, but less shocking. “Sounds like she was an incredible woman.”

  “She was.” Nixon took a slow breath in and out. He sipped wine. “What brought you to the program?”

  “My mentor.” Jade inhaled. “It’s time for me to blossom—to be known for more than just my last name.”

  Nixon nodded. “My company is sponsoring the program and was offered a slot to send one of their employees. They asked. I accepted.” Nixon savored his sip of wine. “I’m glad I took them up on the opportunity.”

  “Me, too.”

  The mood had turned somber. This wasn’t the road Nixon wanted to travel with Jade.

  “Are you in a rush?” he asked. The fullness of his voice returned.

  “Not really. I just hadn’t planned on hanging out tonight.”

  “Can I take you to one more place? You can leave your car here. I’ll drive.”

  Jade held her hands up and let them slap against the table. “Why not?”

  “Good. Let’s go.” Nixon called the waiter over, left way more than the cost of their wine and tapas, and stood.

  He took Jade by the hand and led her to his car. Once inside, he tuned to a nineties station on satellite radio. Nixon belted each song, lyric by lyric, enjoying how hard he made Jade cringe and laugh at the same time. On some songs, Jade joined in, not seeming to care about the way he bruised the notes. Together, they sang, rapped, tapped beats on the steering wheel and dashboard. The music was so loud the car thumped with the bass. Drivers stared their way at stoplights. They sang harder. The music carried them over the Long Island Expressway, through the Midtown Tunnel and down FDR Drive.

  Nixon didn’t want to exit the car when they reached their destination. They sat through another three songs before getting out. Singing with Jade made him feel as good as the savory wine had.

  Nixon opened her door and offered his hand to help her out.

  “Where are we going, Nixon?”

  “Someplace you’ll love. A place where people our age listen to the music our parents loved.”

  “Okay...”

  “Trust me.”

  “I kind of have to now. My car is in Long Island. Lead the way, Mr. Gaines. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a club.”

  Nixon smiled inside. They walked half a block on the west side of downtown Manhattan, where numbered avenues turned into names. Nixon led Jade through a dark door on the corner of Varick Street. They felt the music pump like a pulse the second they opened the door. Inside, the lighting was dim. On the wall opposite the door, the bar was illuminated in blue, green, red and purple hues. Bartenders dressed all in black almost faded into the backdrop as they poured drinks to the beat pulsating through the room.

  “Want a drink?” Nixon shouted. His voice was snatched up by the loud music.

  “What?” Jade yelled back.

  “A drink.” Nixon circled his fingers like he was holding a glass and tipped his empty hand toward his mouth.

  Jade nodded. Nixon held her hand tightly as they squeezed through the thick crowd. The bartender held up a finger, acknowledging Nixon. He took orders from several other people standing around.

  “Remember the Time” by Michael Jackson came on and Jade’s mouth formed an O. “I love this song.” Before Nixon could protest, Jade dragged him onto the dance floor.

  Nixon and Jade moved to the music. What Nixon lacked vocally, he made up for in movement. He matched Jade step for step and beat for beat. Jade stopped dancing, reared her head back, stretched her eyes and nodded her approval. Nixon winked. Jade continued dancing, reenacting moves from the famed video. Nixon enjoyed watching her. The song changed. Prince came on next. They sang, danced and laughed. A while later, their clothes stuck to them as if sweat were glue.

  The DJ slowed the tempo with “Breakin’ My Heart” by Mint Condition. Nixon pulled Jade to him and mouthed “Pretty Brown Eyes.” Their bodies touched as they swayed together. Nixon could feel the moisture on the back of Jade’s shirt as he placed his hand right above her backside. At first their dance was playful, mimicking the way their parents boogied. They chuckled at that, but soon the mood turned from playful to sensual. Heat rose inside Nixon’s core, making him sharply aware of the contrast of his inner warmth against his wet shirt and the cooling sweat.

  Nixon didn’t want to stop dancing. Jade felt good in his hands. She belonged there. He didn’t know how he knew that or why he felt that. All he knew was that her being in his arms felt right. She could make him change his ways and run toward comm
itment instead of fleeing in the opposite direction.

  Another love song played. Again, Nixon’s core grew a tick warmer. He needed to stop dancing or Jade would be able to feel how her body against his affected him. Nixon looked at his watch. Two hours had passed, feeling like no more than a half hour.

  The time was reason enough to get Jade back to Long Island. Nixon led her off the dance floor and bought two bottles of water. Jade sat in the one seat available at the bar and Nixon stood close beside her. Too tired to shout, Nixon kept the conversation to a minimum. After finishing the water, they made their way back to the car.

  “That was so much fun, Nixon. Thanks.”

  “I’m glad you had a good time.”

  “I had an amazing time. I haven’t danced that much since my sister’s wedding. What about you? Club much?”

  Nixon thought a moment. It had been a long time for him, too. “It’s been forever.”

  “Well, that was just what I needed—a break from the norm.” Jade yawned.

  Nixon was tired, too. The day had been full, starting with work and then their brainstorming meeting. He lowered the music enough to color the background and headed back to Long Island. By the time they reached the Williamsburg Bridge, Jade had begun a light snore. He looked down at her hand resting in her lap and felt the urge to hold it. Nixon didn’t want to wake her. Most of all, he didn’t want to offend her or possibly come off as creepy. One day, he’d get to hold her hand. This time, Nixon welcomed the thought instead of questioning where it came from.

  Chapter 11

  “Hello?” Jade croaked into the phone. She opened her eyes and then closed them immediately. The sun was still too much to bear.

  “That’s not your mother. That’s a man!” Jewel cackled loudly. Clearly, she was thoroughly amused by the line she’d clipped from the Austin Powers movie.

  “Shut up, silly! I’m just waking up.”

  “Obviously! I can’t believe you’re still in bed. It’s after ten o’clock. I’ve been calling you since eight.”

  “It’s that early?” Jade’s eyes were still closed. “Hang up and call me back at a respectable hour, why don’t you.”