Baby, Be Mine (Holiday Brides Series) Read online

  “Wait!” she called as he turned to go. “I can have it ready tomorrow. No extra incentives necessary.”

  He studied her. “By noon?”

  Nikki felt sweat bead at her temples. Noon would mean either staying late or coming in very early. She already had three other orders to finish and had fallen behind due to her time away. If she lost another customer today, her boss would have her head. Marilynn had been less than enthusiastic about her taking time off for her aunt’s funeral. The day after Christmas was big for sales, and the other tailor they employed, Roger, was on a cruise in the Caribbean that he’d booked months in advance. Nikki had promised to hold down the fort during the holidays, but she couldn’t have foreseen her family emergency. She equally couldn’t have known she’d return from the Midwest such a mess.

  It was hard to focus on her job with Mallory’s deadline looming overhead. If she got that inheritance, she might not need this job at all. But at the moment, the prospect of two million dollars seemed like pie in the sky, and Nikki needed to keep her feet on the ground. Her mom’s supervisors were even less understanding than Marilynn, and that spoke volumes. They’d said that if Emma had to keep taking days off due to her health, perhaps it would be best for her to think of not coming back at all. Times were tough, and plenty of others needed employment. Others who could be relied on to come in to work day after day.

  No matter how independent her mom tried to be, Nikki knew that if push came to shove—and she really did lose her job—Emma couldn’t support herself and Tony on unemployment, even with him keeping his part-time job. Nikki would have to step in and help out. And she’d be glad to. She’d take on added work if that was what her mom and Tony needed to make ends meet. But the best way to earn extra cash involved working overtime here. That would prove impossible if she lost this job. Nikki swallowed hard, then met the customer’s gaze. “Tomorrow at noon will be fine.”

  Once he’d gone, Marilynn leaned her head into the fitting room. She wore a short, blonde bob and little tiny glasses that set severe dark lines against her steely gaze. “At least you didn’t mess that last one up. He actually complimented you on the way out.”

  Nikki blinked and smiled politely, holding her tongue. While she’d gotten on famously with the old boss who had hired her, Marilynn had been on her case since day one. Nikki didn’t even know why. She worked hard and was generally good at her job.

  “Oh, and since you’ll be coming in early tomorrow anyway…”

  Nikki held her breath and waited, expecting the ambush. When Marilynn began a sentence with “Oh…” it typically meant one was coming. “You might want to take a second look at those gabardine slacks you hemmed.”

  “But they’re all done. Set for pickup.”

  “Not quite.” Marilyn wagged her index finger. “I took a look at the stitching, and frankly…” She shared a twisted smile. “I found it a bit uneven.”

  “But, I—”

  “No buts about it,” Marilyn scolded sternly, as if Nikki were some wayward preschool child. “You know how we feel about quality control at Stanley’s.” Her voice took on a sing-songy tone. “I wouldn’t want to have to mention anything to the higher-ups about someone getting sloppy.”

  Nikki met Marilynn’s gaze. “I’ll look at the slacks,” she told her. “First thing.”

  Later that evening, Nikki sat at the bar with Jack. He’d poured them both draft beers before putting in her order. The place was closing up, with just a few scattered diners lingering at their tables. Nikki could understand the patrons’ reluctance to leave. The view of the harbor was stunning from here, particularly at night with lights dotting the docks and twinkling from nearby establishments. She took a swig from her mug, then set it down. “Marilynn was extra feisty today.”

  “Uh-oh, don’t tell me she used the ‘O’ word.”

  “As in Oh, Nikki…?” Nikki took another sip of beer. “Yeah, she did.”

  “What’ve you done now?”

  “Oh, Jack—”

  “Now you’re using the ‘O’ word on me.”

  She burst out laughing. “Not like she does, and you know it.”

  “Right.” He quaffed his own drink. “So tell me. What’s the infraction?”

  “Gabardine slacks.”

  “Sounds serious.”

  “More serious than I knew.”

  He stroked his chin. “Too long in the crotch?”

  She swatted him.

  His brow shot up. “Too short?”

  “Stop it!” But she was giggling just the same.

  “You can’t let her get to you. Just think of her as an unpleasant aspect of your job. Necessary but unpleasant.”

  “I wouldn’t call her necessary.”

  “What would you call her, then?”

  “Resident evil.”

  Jack chuckled behind his mug just as his dad, Greg, appeared. “Nikki!” he said, holding his arms out for a hug. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Greg looked just like Jack only about thirty years older, plus about twenty pounds heavier. His brow was wrinkled and his hair was thinning, but he was one of the kindest men Nikki knew. He embraced her sweetly, then pulled back with a frown, his face etched with concern. “I’m sorry for your loss, kiddo.”

  “Thanks, Greg.”

  “How was the trip? Jack here says it was a whirlwind.”

  “We were pretty much up and back.”

  “And the service?”

  “A little lonely.”

  “Lonely, huh? I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Her Aunt Mallory didn’t have many friends,” Jack said.

  Greg gave Nikki’s arm a pat. “Well, at least she left good family behind her. And family, as we all know, means everything.”

  Nikki smiled sadly. “Yeah.”

  Greg glanced at their beers. “All taken care of? Got something to eat?”

  “It’s coming, thanks,” Nikki answered.

  “Well, you let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, kiddo. Anything at all.” He glanced at his son. “Meanwhile, I’ll leave things in Jack’s capable hands.” He met Nikki’s eyes. “You know he has your back.”

  “I know that, and I’m very grateful.”

  Another middle-aged man approached Greg and held out his hand with a loud hello. Greg turned toward him, smiling brightly. “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!”

  “See you later!” Nikki said as he left them.

  Greg shot her a wink before walking away with his long-lost chum. “Hope so.”

  Just then, Nikki’s cell rang. “It’s my mom,” she said, checking the number.

  Jack nodded as she took the call.

  “Hey, Ma. How are you feeling?”

  “Good, Nikki. I’m good. I was just calling to see how things went at Aunt Mallory’s.”

  “It…was a busy trip.”

  “Jack went with you?”

  She eyed him sitting beside her at the bar. “Yes.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad you had company for the road.” There was a brief pause on the line before her mom continued. “I’d like to hear more about it. I was thinking that maybe you could come to dinner. You can bring Jack if you’d like.”

  Nikki covered her cell with her hand. “She wants you to come to dinner.”

  “Just me?”

  Nikki glared at him because he never stopped teasing, but he knew her ire was pretend.

  “Fine. Yes. I’ll go… When?”

  “When were you thinking, Ma?”

  “Friday.”

  Nikki glanced at Jack. “It’s New Year’s Eve,” she whispered. “Maybe you have plans?”

  “No plans I can’t cancel.”

  “Seriously?” she asked, her cell still covered.

  “Nikki,” he told her firmly. “I’m not sending you in there to spill to your mom alone.”

  “Who says I’m spilling to my mom?”

  “You’re not planning to tell her?”

  “Not planning to tell
me what?”

  Nikki looked down to see her hand had slipped off the mouthpiece. “It’s nothing,” she answered quickly, “nothing at all.” Then she said her good-byes and stared at Jack. “I don’t want Emma knowing anything.”

  “About the will?”

  She shook her head.

  “But why not?”

  “She’ll say it’s crazy, just one more way Aunt Mallory is trying to manipulate things from the grave.”

  “And she’d be right!”

  Nikki’s fish and chips arrived, and boy did they smell heavenly. “Jack, I don’t want my mom knowing anything, including anything about what happened in the park today. Because she’d tell me to stop, try to talk me out of it.”

  “Selling yourself off for cold, hard cash?”

  Nikki’s temperature spiked. “Hey, listen. I do not sell out, okay?” she said, remembering her earlier client. “At least not in the way you’re thinking. You believe this is all about me, don’t you? That I’m somehow being selfish.” Moisture built in her eyes, but she fought back her tears. “Sometimes Jack, there’s a nobler cause, you know. Something that is bigger than ourselves.”

  He met her gaze. “It’s not up to you to set the world right.”

  “Not your world, maybe. But in my little universe? Yeah. I’m taking control.” She picked up a bottle of malt and sprinkled it liberally on her fried fish.

  “Hey,” Jack said softly. “I’m not the enemy.”

  She stopped what she was doing to look at him.

  “I’m the one who’s here for you, remember? The one who has your back?”

  Nikki knew it was true. There was nobody else she could count on. No one else she’d trust with her deepest secrets, especially the ones she was harboring now.

  “I won’t say a word to your mom about the whole Mallory thing. I promise.”

  “I couldn’t wish for a better friend.”

  Jack’s eyes glistened slightly in the dim light. “Neither could I.” He surprised Nikki by reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out a small, wrapped package. He set it on the bar in front of her beside her steaming plate. “A few days late, but…Merry Christmas.”

  Nikki was overwhelmed by emotion, and embarrassed for having snapped at him. “You didn’t.”

  “I have to get you back somehow.” He shot her a tilted smile. “For those amazing concert tickets.”

  She lifted the tiny box in her hand. It was professionally wrapped like it had come from a jeweler’s. “I hope you didn’t break our pact.”

  “By getting you anything too expensive or personal?”

  She stared into his deep brown eyes and slowly nodded.

  “Nope.”

  “Well, good.”

  “Nothing’s too expensive—or too personal—for a best friend.”

  “Jack!”

  “Okay, okay. The truth is I might have stretched the limits just a bit. But it was for very good reasons.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Remember last spring when we were talking about relationships? About what makes them perfect?”

  “Romantic relationships, you mean?”

  “Yeah. It was just after you broke up with Dean.”

  “He dumped me.”

  “His loss.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Both times.”

  “Can we cut to the chase here?” She rattled the present, ready to open it. There was nothing Nikki loved more than gifts, and she rarely received any. Usually she was the one making stuff for other people. Handmade stuff, but still. It really was the thought that counted.

  “We both laid out our criteria. Yours were a little more picky than mine.”

  “Precise, Jack. I believe the word is precise. You said that setting expectations didn’t really matter. When you found the one, you knew it somehow. It was like fate, karma…destiny. And I said there’s more to it than that. The two people should be compatible in three important ways. A melding of mind, body, and—”

  “Spirit,” he finished for her.

  She studied his face for clues but couldn’t find any answers. “What’s this about?”

  “Open it.”

  She carefully slid off the silky ribbon, then peeled back the shiny red paper. It was a jewelry box. Nikki’s heart pounded. He couldn’t have… Shouldn’t have… She lifted the lid to find a lovely necklace nestled inside. “Oh Jack, it’s beautiful.”

  “It’s an infinity charm,” he told her.

  Nikki held the charm up by its silver chain, seeing three thin metal bands braided around each other and coiled into a circle.

  “That’s white gold, yellow gold, and silver.”

  “Mind, body, and…” Nikki choked back a sob, overcome by the moment.

  “I was thinking if you wore it, it might bring you luck. In finding the right guy.”

  “And right now, I need all the luck I can get.”

  “No, you don’t.” He looked at her with compassion. “All you’ve got to do is be yourself.”

  “Do you really think I can do it? Find that sort of person between now and February?”

  “You may have to lower your standards a little.”

  “What?”

  “I bought you the necklace before Christmas, Nikki. Before I realized you were on a deadline.”

  Her head wrestled with her heart, but her head ultimately won. “Two out of three’s not bad.”

  Jack studied her pretty profile, wishing he could find a way to convince Nikki not to settle. But when Nikki was determined, there was no convincing her of anything.

  “Which two are you going for?”

  “The two I can get, I guess.”

  He watched her a moment, then said quietly, "Your food’s getting cold.”

  “Oh yeah.” She dropped the necklace back in the box and replaced its lid. “Thanks for the necklace, Jack. I really love it. I love it a lot.”

  She took a bite of her cod and it crunched, steam escaping. “So, what did you get Veronica?” she asked, referring to his girlfriend.

  “A digital camera, like she wanted.”

  “That was nice.”

  “Yeah.” Especially now that she’s out of the picture, Jack thought but didn’t say. They’d had a big fight the night he returned from Mallory’s funeral. Veronica hadn’t liked him going away, and he wouldn’t give in to her demands for him to stop seeing his best friend. What’s more, Jack understood he’d emerged from the trip conflicted. He couldn’t keep seeing Veronica when he felt so mixed up about Nikki. As if her caving in to her aunt’s demands for her to marry another guy wasn’t bad enough, their exchange in that motel room had jumbled his emotions. He had to sort out his own head before getting involved with any female—ever again.

  “How are you going to explain New Year’s to her? Won’t she be upset about it?”

  “No more than she is already.”

  Her face registered understanding. “You didn’t. Right before Christmas?”

  “It was after, actually. She took it okay.” He shrugged. “Maybe all she wanted was that camera anyway.”

  “Come on.”

  “I spoke with Dave,” he said, changing the subject.

  “Your cousin the lawyer?”

  “Yeah.”

  “When?”

  “Today, after the park.”

  “And?”

  “He says maybe there’s a way out of it. We… You can contest, just like your aunt’s counsel said.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “At least a couple of months. Maybe more.”

  “That’s cutting things awfully close.”

  “Yeah, but it could work. You could still get the money and not have to go through with any of this.”

  “That sounds like a pretty big if from this stool.”

  “I think it’s an angle worth pursuing.”

  “How much will it cost?”

  “I can get him to cut you a deal.”

  “I doubt I can a
fford it.”

  “I’ll talk to him.”

  “I don’t know.” But she looked like she was considering it. “What if I miss the boat, and the whole wad goes to the state?”

  “It’s a risk, I know. But—”

  She looked him square in the eye. “I’m not willing to take a risk.”

  “Nikki, listen to me. One week ago, you didn’t even know about the money. Now that you do, you’re whole life’s gone crazy.”

  “No. Now that I do, my life’s got potential. Potential beyond what I ever dreamed possible. I can do something for my mom and brother, Jack. Finally give back.”

  “And sacrifice yourself in the process?”

  “It won’t be a sacrifice.”

  “How do you know?”

  She laid her hand on the present he’d given her. “If I don’t at least feel a full two out of three, I won’t do it.”

  “You mean there has to be something there besides the money?”

  “I mean I have to believe I can actually love the guy. I’m not a robot, you know. I have a heart beating in here.” She thumped her chest with her fist. “All I’m saying is, there are people I’ve loved in the past. What’s so wrong about believing I could maybe love them again? It happened to Dean with Mary Ann, didn’t it?”

  There was nothing Jack could say to that. In a very strange way, Nikki was almost starting to make sense.

  “It could all work out. Can’t you see? Maybe I and one of my exes didn’t make it for a reason. That reason could be as simple as timing.”

  “And who knows?” Jack interceded. “Maybe you haven’t even found him yet. Your soul mate. You still could run into him. There’s time.”

  “You’re right.” Nikki reopened the gift box and took out the necklace. “Here,” she said, handing it to him. “Help me put this on.”

  Nikki lifted her hair, and he draped the delicate chain around her neck, clicking its latch in place. The eternity charm dipped toward her cleavage as it hung in the opening of her V-neck sweater. She looked up at him with big, blue eyes and smiled. Jack had always found her pretty, but she seemed extra beautiful in this moment.

  “I like it. I think it’s going to bring me luck.”

  He smiled back at her, thinking this was going to be one hell of a ride. “What time should I come to get you on Friday?”