Secretly In Love: A Madison Creek Novella

by Jackie Castle

  That sounded fair to Sage. “Promise. I can catch rides to my classes.”

  He seemed pleased and honestly relieved that she accepted.

  Nikolai drove her home, and they talked like old times about the evening and the upcoming weekend. She told him about Leon offering her tips, but he didn’t respond and grew quiet again until he pulled up in front of her house.

  “You want to come in for a while?” she asked.

  He declined, saying he needed to get up early tomorrow.

  “Fine, be that way,” she teased, opening the door. “Love you, Nikolai. Thanks for everything. You’ve been a real prince this past week. I’m sure blessed to have you as a friend.”

  He reached over and squeezed her hand, but kept his focus out the front window. “See you tomorrow, Sweet Sage.”

  She hurried to the door because the evening temperature had dropped quite a bit, and she’d forgotten to bring her jacket. Lana and Ma were at the kitchen table working on putting together silk flower arrangements for the groomsmen and bridesmaids.

  “You look like you had fun,” Lana wrapped a length of silver ribbon around a white rose boutonniere. “I met the bed and breakfast proprietor today with Drake and discussed the reception. She told me to not worry about the rental fee. That it’s already been worked out.”

  Sage explained the arrangement she’d made. Lana pulled her into a hug. “I might cry. My baby sister has grown up, Mama.”

  “Yes, she has. Into a smart, beautiful, young lady. Who, I might add, seems to have a secret admirer.”

  “Ma!” Sage exclaimed. “I can’t believe you’re blabbing about that prank letter. It was just a joke someone played on me. Please.”

  Ma reached beneath the pile of flowers and removed another envelope. “Well, this one has a postage mark on it. But still no return address. I think you’re fooling yourself writing this off as a prank.”

  Sage snatched the envelope from her mother and ripped it open. Lana was out of her chair and reading over her shoulder.

  Dear Sage,

  This love I have for you is too much. It’s so much more than I can withstand. Just being in the same room with you is overwhelming and takes my breath away from me. Everyday my feelings deepen and I find more reasons for loving you. Your big heart. Your dazzling smile. Your dancing green eyes. And even your delightful freckles. You’re more beautiful than you’ll ever realize, and you’ve stolen my heart.

  “It’s not signed.” Lana, captain obvious, stated.

  “Nope.” Sage checked the envelope again. “Stamped here in Madison Creek.”

  “Any ideas?”

  Actually, as she stared at the pastel green paper with the checkered pattern running along the top, she thought she had pretty much narrowed it down to two possibilities. Was the author truly serious, or was this just another opportunity for her to make a fool of herself?

  Chapter Eight

  Nick slipped the envelope into the mail slot outside of the Madison Creek post office. Once he’d opened the door to his feelings, they’d poured out like a lake breaking through a dam. First he’d typed out all his feelings and thoughts about Sage Dolan. Once he’d been wrung dry, he poured over each heartfelt line again and again until he’d nailed what he wanted to say. After finding out he had nearly ten pages of typed text, he broke them down into shorter letters.

  Spell-check fixed most of his errors. Then he painstakingly copied his words onto the stationery he’d taken from the Bed and Breakfast. A pile of sealed envelopes now sat on the small dinner table in his flamingo themed camper waiting to be sent. He planned to mail one every day until he was able to muster up enough courage to admit to being the author.

  Jogging back across the street, Nick returned to the Laundromat to gather his clothes from the dryers. Mr. Ethan paid him cash for helping take care of the lawn around the Victorian. At first he’d been reluctant about taking any money since he was getting free room and board, but his new bosses insisted. Since he did need to wash his clothes, and fuel his car, he didn’t argue too much.

  Nick sent up a silent thanks. After enjoying two good nights of sleep in a regular bed, Nick couldn’t care less what kind of decorations hung on the walls. He had somewhere to call home, even if he was determined it only be a temporary shelter.

  He was now able to focus on something besides not freezing to death at night or where his next meal might come from. While waiting for the dryers to stop, he fed a couple of coins into the newspaper rack and withdrew a copy of the Madison Creek Ledger. Finding jobs in town had always been difficult, but with new businesses popping up, he held out hope someone might need a computer tech on staff.

  He sat in an orange plastic chair with the newspaper and a bag of muffins he’d purchased from Mallory’s Diner. Checking his watch, he still had a couple of hours before he needed to pick up Sage.

  Mr. Ethan spent his morning practicing the violin and working on business matters with Miss Haley. Nick decided to leave early that morning and spend some quiet time thinking about his future. The side jobs he did for friends should be the icing on the cake, not his main livelihood. One of the reasons he’d been reluctant to let Sage know how he really felt, besides his fear that she’d laugh him out of town, was he simply had nothing to offer her. No job. No stable home. What would she possibly see in him anyway?

  Despite what his new mentor and friend said, a heart of gold wasn’t enough to sustain the kind of relationship he wanted with Sage. He needed a home to offer her. He needed to be earning a steady income. His mother was right about one thing, it was time for him to grow up and stop living like a vagabond.

  After folding his laundry, he set the baskets in the back of his car. The day was pleasantly warm, so Nick decided to take a stroll down to the park while he checked the want ads.

  Passing Benton Automotive, Nick gave a wave to one of the Benton brothers. They were kind of hard to tell apart. Bill and Bob had been out to the barn several times, helping Mr. Ethan with different tasks. They all seemed to be pretty good friends. But then, Mr. Ethan was one of those people who never met a stranger.

  At the end of the street, Nick waited beside Lockstar Electronics for the light to change. He’d tried to get a job with Mr. Lockstar when he’d first returned from last summer’s mission trip. The owner didn’t have a lot of business and grumpily insisted he could manage things just fine.

  Nick noticed the store was hardly ever open past five. He’d tried to stop in a couple of times for computer parts, only to find the doors locked. He’d ordered online instead. Business lost.

  Mr. Lockstar could use help, Nick thought, if only he’d listen to his ideas.

  Finding a bench overlooking the pier, Nick sat and flipped through the paper. The job listings page offered nothing new except a night stocker position at the grocery store which was out of the question since he still needed to stay awake during his classes.

  Mr. Ethan suggested he open his own repair shop. Nick had laughed at that idea. One needed money to open a business. Though with all the friends that wanted him to look at their devices, he probably could make a decent living. He simply didn’t have the space or equipment needed to actually start a new business on his own.

  However, if he had a permanent home with an extra room to do his work… Of course, that required he have a regular job first. He blew out a long breath, studied the paper in his hands, and then closed his eyes. “You’ve given me a break and I can’t tell You how much I appreciate having that camper to stay in. And I can’t even say how grateful I am for Mr. Ethan’s help. I hate to ask for more from You, but how can I admit to Sage how I feel about her when I have nothing to offer.”

  A seagull swooped low and landed a few feet away from his bench. Nick broke off a chunk of the muffin he’d not touched yet and tossed it to the bird. Next thing he knew more had gathered in the spot, squawking and pecking around the ground. “Opportunist, I see. Well, here you go. Have the whole thing.” He crumbled the muffin and tossed t
he pieces out into a wide arch. The birds swarmed on the offering and gobbled every last piece up.

  Nick glanced across the park at the corner building. A woman entered Lockstar, setting off an electronic beeping that broke the morning quiet. Neon signs flashed in the window highlighting a sign advertising the newest tablet now in stock. It was a piece of junk and not any cheaper in price than the leading brands that gave more power and punch for a few extra bucks.

  Rolling the paper, he tucked it under his arm and marched across the street to the store. Persistence paid off, his mother always said. When he entered the brightly lit shop, the owner was trying to answer the woman’s questions about the new tablet, but not doing too great a job.

  She sighed, turning the display over in her hands. “It’s a graduation gift for my niece. She wants it for college classes, but also for taking pictures and doing something called face-chat or snap-something. I don’t even understand all the craziness these kids are into these days.”

  Nick stifled a grin.

  Mr. Lockstar rubbed the back of his neck. “Tell me. Soon as I figure one new social media that pops up, twenty more have gained in popularity. Now, Gail, this one isn’t top of the line, but it’s decent enough, for what she wants.”

  Nick decided to intervene. If this niece hoped to use the tablet to keep up with her classes, she needed something twice as fast with more memory and longer battery life. “Excuse me….”

  Thirty minutes later, Mrs. Gail left with a satisfied grin, a top of the line tablet, and a few extra gadgets Nick had suggested she add to the gift package. With the rebates, she’d gotten the tablet for a steal.

  “I remember you, Prater.” Mr. Lockstar pointed at him once she left. “I’m still not looking for a sales clerk. I can handle things fine on my own.”

  “I can tell, sir.”

  Lockstar folded his arms across his chest. “Nobody can keep up with every new device that’s released.”

  Nick jabbed his chest with his thumb. “I do. But then I get a lot of inside information from techie magazines and my classmates. They’re even bigger computer geeks than I am.” He rested his hands on the counter and met the man’s doubt-filled stare. “Look, sir, I agree that you don’t need another clerk. That’s not what I’d like to offer.”

  For a long moment, Lockstar studied him before finally giving a nod to continue. “I’m listening. Tell me what you have in mind.”

  Here was his chance. He had nothing to lose since at the moment he had pretty much nothing. So he pulled out the big guns and blurted, “I’m suggesting a partnership, sir.”

  Lockstar laughed, shaking his head. “You’ve lost—”

  “Well, we can be partners or competitors. The little shop next door is open for lease, right?”

  The joviality left the man’s stern face. His gray speckled brows furrowed. “Nobody will want that small space son. Even if it does come with an apartment on the top floor. You’ll never fit enough stock in there.”

  An apartment? That sounded even more promising. Nick put on his best poker face. Lockstar didn’t need to know he had no funding to back his ideas. “Well, businesses can always move locations once they’ve outgrown their space. I’m not really all that interested in selling goods, though.” He glanced around the shop, then faced Lockstar again. “I will say the one thing this place has always lacked was a gaming section.” He started pacing around, perusing the stock.

  “Still, I’m more into fixing gadgets. Programming. You know, working on the guts of the devices.” He stopped at a row of laptops. “You have a decent selection here, but the big guys, they offer more than just selling a customer the goods. They provide a service, too. You know, training for new users, troubleshooting. Keeping computers virus free and updated.”

  Lockstar continued to stare at him as if contemplating his offer. Nick held his breath as the owner excused himself for a minute then returned with a small laptop. “This is my wife’s. She likes to carry it in her bag, but it won’t even boot up. I can usually fix her messed up files and get rid of viruses, but this has me completely baffled. It’s only a year old.”

  Nick went to the counter and began checking a few things by going in what he called the back door of the system. “Can I take this with me? I need my computer to run some scans.” He turned the screen to show the man he’d already managed to gain access to the system.

  Lockstar’s brows shot up. “You bring this back in working order and we’ll talk. Sound fair? I need to see what you can do before I waste my time discussing any possible plans you might have.”

  Nick extended his hand. “Deal.”

  This was so in the bag.

  * * * *

  Where R U? Moi’s text asked.

  Nick typed that he was in the computer center, not the library. He’d meant to send both girls a text, but must have lost track of time. The center gave him the extra equipment he needed to clean Mrs. Lockstar’s computer while preserving her files.

  He wanted to update the RAM card. Mrs. Lockstar, from the files on her computer, was into digital scrapbooking and didn’t have enough room for her hundreds of picture files, which was one of her problems. Not to mention the hundred and forty-seven viruses which had caused several conflicts in her registry. He planned to not only fix the issues but to return a better and faster device.

  When he checked the time, he realized it wasn’t near as late as he thought. Why was Moi out of class so early?

  A few minutes later, the sound of her clicking heels announced her arrival. One look at her froze Nick in his spot. “What?” He asked when she slammed her bag into the seat beside his. He sat in a small booth with the laptop connected to the main computer.

  Fisting her hands on her slender hips, she glared down at him. “What are you playing at Nikolai Jay?”

  Uh-oh, the use of his middle name meant he was in deep trouble with her. But what had he done? He hadn’t forgotten to offer her a ride this morning, had he? In his excitement, he’d almost forgotten to stop by Sage’s house.

  “Not sure what you’re going on about, Moi-Toy.”

  She plopped down into the vacant chair, in a most un-ladylike and completely un-Moi-ish way. “I saw the letter you sent Sage.”

  “Me? What makes you think—?”

  “I’m the one who used to tease you for writing like a girl with your loopy letters.”

  He scowled at her. Soon as teachers stopped expecting hand-written essays, he’d gone to typing out his papers and never looked back. He was better able to keep up with his thoughts on a keyboard rather than with a pen, anyway. But if he’d sent Sage an email, or typed letter, she would have figured him out right away. He’d spent a lot of extra time carefully writing out his words in print so they’d not be easily recognizable.

  Moi leaned forward in the chair and poked her green-polished fingertip hard into his chest. “The twins prank was kind of funny, but this this crosses the line, Mister. I’m surprised at you, playing a joke like this on our Sweet Sage.”

  “Who says I’m joking?” His brow rose in question.

  Hers furrowed, narrowing her almond shaped eyes. “You and I made a pact.”

  “In high school.”

  “Because you were drooling over her even back then. You swore we’d all stay friends. I didn’t want to lose either of you if it doesn’t work out.”

  Nick set down the tiny tool he was using to replace the RAM card. Turning in his chair, he clasped Moi’s hands in his. “You’ll never lose my friendship, Moi. Nor Sage’s. I know her well enough to say that. But…”

  “You’ve fallen in love with her, haven’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “Why don’t you just tell her?”

  “I’m a big clucking chicken, that’s why. Like you, I don’t want to lose what I have, but I can’t stand what we have at the moment, either. So, after listening to you two going on about how you liked getting love letters, I decided… to….” He waved his hands in the air around his head
. “I didn’t know what else to do. I just needed some way to let her know. I’d planned to slowly reveal who I was. In time.”

  Moi leaned back in the chair, pulling her hands away from his and clasping them in her lap. “What are your intentions with Sweet Sage, Nikolai? Are you really in love, or only looking for a good—”

  “I love her.” There. He’d said it. And it felt so good each time he heard the words out loud. “I love her, and I want to marry her.”

  Moi’s dark red lips parted as a slow smile turned into a loud squeal. She threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. “You have to tell her, Nikolai. Soon. Now. She’s beside herself with those silly letters. Sage is sure someone is pulling a terrible prank. Last time I talked to her, she was thinking about quitting her new job. She knows where the paper came from.”

  No wonder she had barely said two words to him this morning. Instead, she’d kept her nose in a book saying she had a big test today that she needed to cram for.

  “But, I’m not sure how she feels about me.” He pulled back so he could see Moi’s face. “Has she ever said anything?”

  Moi seemed to need a moment to think about his question. “No. But… she and I also made a pact. You’ve always been off limits, too.”

  “Wait. You mean to tell me that you made her promise to never date me, just like you made me promise to never date either of you?”

  She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “I love you both so much. I wanted us to always be friends.”

  He pressed his forehead to hers. “I love you, too, you silly Barbie doll.” He chuckled. She hated to be called that, but his joke always got a grin out of her anyway. She knew she was a beauty and could have just about any fella she set her mind to. “Wait, what if it was you I’d fallen for.”

  Batting her eyes, she smiled in that flirtatious way she had. “Figured you already had, but let’s face it. I’m way out of your league.” Her grin let him know she was kind of teasing him.