What Now? (25 page)

Nick’s
mum looked intently at her. Shari almost felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny
until she said: “I sense that God has sent you into his life for a reason. In
spite of the façade, he needs to be healed and reconciled with God. I know he
still feels terrible for the way he treated Jo.”

Shari
could tell that she still had a soft spot for Nick’s ex-wife.

“I
don’t know why he even married Patti, his second wife,” Doris continued. “I do
hope he’ll settle down again with a nice girl who knows the Lord.” She reached
over and patted Shari’s hand with a smile.

Shari
smiled back tentatively. Where was Nick? This was beyond awkward.

His
dad had come home shortly after they arrived and had also greeted her with a
hug once Nick’s mother intimated that she was more than just a journalist. Nick
looked quite a lot like his father and got his height from him, even exceeding
him by a couple of inches. They obviously got along well and Shari was quick to
realize that his father often intervened when his mother got into his space, as
she tended to.

Seeing
his parents together and their obvious love for each other after years of
marriage filled Shari with mixed emotions. She found their teasing of each
other and their interaction delightful, and, at the same time, she felt a pang
that her mother no longer had someone in her life to give her the same. She now
understood when Nick said that he still believed in marriage and wanted the
same for himself someday.

Shari
had been given the grand tour of the house and gardens by Doris who told her
that Nick had insisted on buying it for them a few years before. It wasn’t as
grand or as modern as Nick’s, but it was warm and friendly. Doris confided that
it was really too big for her and her husband, Bob, but it was times like the
Holidays that she appreciated the space.

For
the rest of the day Nick’s family arrived and, with them, the quiet that the
house had offered disappeared. Shari didn’t mind, although as an only child her
house had been quiet except when her friends came over. So she actually enjoyed
the loud and boisterous family and their arrival gave her the chance to see
Nick in this new role of son, brother and uncle.

Shari
could see why they needed the space when Nick’s sisters arrived with their
husbands and five children between the two of them. They didn’t look much like
him, apart from their dark hair. They were shorter and featured their mother,
with trim figures and well-styled hair. No one seemed fazed that she was there,
making her wonder if Nick usually brought women home for the Holidays. No one
seemed to notice or care that she was of mixed race either and all went out of
their way to make her feel welcome.

The
family’s tradition was to go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve and have
their big lunch on Christmas Day. Shari had a moment of panic when she
confessed that she had not brought anything appropriate to wear to church and
looked accusingly at Nick. One of his sisters, Natalie, took pity on her and
offered to lend her a dress since she had brought a couple of options. They
were roughly the same size although Shari was bigger in the bosom, but,
thankfully, the dress was quite loose and she was able to wear it with little
adjustment. She felt like one of their sisters, borrowing clothes and hanging
out together.

Shari
had hardly seen Nick since the rest of the family descended on the house. The
women had gone off to the kitchen to start preparing food for the next day, taking
her with them. The men disappeared to bond and to watch over the kids, knowing
that their job was to clean up after lunch the next day.

Shari
volunteered to make coleslaw and was busy grating carrots and cutting up cabbage
to put in the fridge so that the dressing could be added the next day. The
kitchen was full of chatter and camaraderie, making her feel like one of the
family. She could easily picture herself coming here every Holiday with Nick.
Dangerous thoughts, she cautioned herself. Thankfully, her thoughts were
interrupted by Nick’s oldest sister, Jen.

“So,
Shari, I understand that you’re working on a documentary about Nick and that
you’ll probably want some dirt about him from us.”

Shari
laughed.

“Oh,
I already have enough dirt about him.” The words just spilled naturally from
her mouth before she even realized what she said. She suddenly remembered Nick
telling her that his mother still believed he was a good boy and she stopped
abruptly before she could put her foot firmly in her mouth.

“You
don’t have to look so guilty, dear. I know that my son is no angel. That’s why
I’m so delighted that he’s found one in you.”

“Nick
and I aren’t together in that way,” Shari hastened to tell her. “We’re just
friends and I don’t even know if I can even use that word either.”

Nick
chose that moment to walk into the kitchen to check on Shari and was pleased to
hear his mother’s words as he approached. He was less pleased to hear Shari’s
because that meant she was still not taking him seriously. He obviously needed
to shift into another gear to let her know that he meant business.

Coming
up behind her as she cut up cabbage, he put his arms around her and kissed her
neck in front of his mother and sisters. Shari’s mouth fell open in shock and
she could feel her face becoming hot under the scrutiny of the ladies in the
kitchen.

“We’re
not just friends, Shari; we’re more than friends.”

Nick’s
mother smiled delightedly even as Shari tried to squirm out of Nick’s arms.
Nick had mercy on her and let her go as she scowled at him over her shoulder,
her look promising repercussions later.

“That’s
great news!” His sisters beamed their approval. 

Shari
wasn’t sure what they thought Nick meant. She wasn’t even sure what he meant and,
although she enjoyed being a part of their family for the Holidays, she had no
illusions that this would become a permanent arrangement.

“I
just came to check to see that they weren’t making you uncomfortable, Shari,
although I know that you can hold your own.”

“I’m
fine. We were just about to get into some dirt on you from your childhood
days,” she teased him.

Nick
groaned as his sisters vied to tell stories about him.

“I
need to vet what goes into this documentary,” Nick warned. “There are some
things that I wouldn’t want my fans to know.”

“They
can’t be any worse than what they already know,” said Shari drily. 

Nick
was shooed out of the kitchen so that the ladies could continue their
preparations and their grilling of Shari.

“I
like you, Shari,” Natalie, his younger sister, said when Nick had left. The
others nodded in agreement. “From what I’ve seen so far, you don’t treat Nick
like a celebrity and you’re not in his face all the time. He hates to be fussed
over.” She looked pointedly at her mother who was oblivious to the hint.

“I
think that was partly the problem with Jo. That’s his ex-wife as you probably
know by now,” added Jen.

“Jo
was over earlier so they met.”

“That
must have been awkward,” Jen sympathized. “Jo is wonderful, but she doted on
Nick too much and I think he felt stifled. That’s probably why he’s attracted
to you. You give him space.”

Shari
couldn’t believe that these women were openly discussing Nick’s private life
with someone that they’d just met. Did they feel that comfortable with her? Did
they know something that she didn’t? What she did know was that their
confidences made her feel as if they had accepted her into the family and it
was a wonderful feeling, but would she ever be a part of their family?

Shari
woke on Christmas morning to squeals of delight from the children as they tore
into the presents that they received from the family. She hurriedly showered
and dressed and made her way downstairs to where the family was gathered to
open gifts. She had brought a gift for Nick’s parents and for Nick, but she
felt bad that she hadn’t brought anything for the children, not that she’d
known their ages or anything.

Her
eyes met Nick’s as she entered the room and she called “Good morning” to
everyone before she settled on the couch next to him. He put his arm around her
shoulders and drew her close. Together they watched the children opening their
presents and thanking the family for the gifts. Nick pulled her to her feet and
asked for them to be excused before leading her to the deck overlooking the
pool.

“When
I see the kids opening their presents I can’t help but think that I could have
had a kid to get excited ripping open presents as well.”

“I’m
so sorry, Nick. I guess coming back here stirs up the memories.” He nodded.

“Do
you want kids?” He asked.

“Someday,
yes. I love kids.”

“Good.
I’m glad you’re here, Shari. My mum and sisters love you and my brothers-in-law
think you’re exotic-looking because of your mixed race.”

Shari
laughed at that, even as she wondered what he meant when he said ‘good’.

“It’s
weird, but I feel as if I’ve known them for a long time and I almost feel a
part of your family, although I’m here primarily to do interviews which I
haven’t even started yet.”  She groaned because she had been neglecting her
work. Also, she thought over what she said and she hoped Nick didn’t take it
the wrong way.

“I’m
glad you feel that way,” he said with satisfaction. Then he handed her a slim
long box that he had held in his hand. “Merry Christmas.” He leaned over and
kissed her on her lips, lingering for a few seconds as if contemplating taking
the kiss further. At last he drew back and it gave her satisfaction to see that
it took him considerable effort. She gave him a small, square box that she had
held in her hand as well.

“Thank
you, Nick. Same to you.”

He
waited while she tore the wrapper off the box and gave it back to him. Nick
teased her that she didn’t open her present like most women did by carefully
peeling off the scotch tape to preserve the paper. She slapped him playfully on
the shoulder for teasing her and carefully flipped open the lid to find a
beautiful diamond bracelet nestled on a bed of black velvet.

“Wow!
Nick, it’s beautiful, but this is far too expensive,” she protested.

“OK,
I’ll take it back and get a refund.” Nick pretended to take the box from her
and she laughed in delight and pulled it away from him.

“Thank
you so much. I’m not too proud to accept diamonds.”

He
hugged her to his side and dropped a kiss on her neck in the spot that he seemed
to favor.

“I
wonder what this is?” he said, shaking the box like a child. He, too, tore the
paper off and opened the box. “A compass?” he asked.

Shari
smiled and explained. “What do you give to someone who has everything? I
decided to give you a compass because I wanted you to remember that if you’re
ever feeling lost or not sure where you are or who you are, you can be assured
that there’s always a reference point, a North, and that’s God.”

“That’s
beautiful, Shari. Thank you. I’m beginning to hear the lyrics to a song about
that.”

She
smiled at Nick and basked in the closeness of the moment.

Christmas
lunch was a boisterous affair. Shari fit in as if she had always been a part.
The eight-seater table was exactly the right size for the adults and the
children shared their own table nearby. Shari could see why Nick had bought the
house for his parents; they definitely needed the space for family gatherings.

She’d
been delighted to see him playing and romping with his three nephews when they
had finished in the kitchen and went to join the men on the deck. She still
remembered the warm feelings that stole over her when one of his nieces, who
was about three, crawled onto his lap and put her arms around his neck when she
got tired playing with her toys. 

Nick
had hugged her to his chest and closed his eyes as if savoring the moment of
closeness, making Shari think that he would have been a great dad. Her heart
felt a twinge of sympathy for him as she remembered the child he had lost. He
had opened his eyes unexpectedly to catch her looking at them with a wistful smile
on her face and she saw that it reflected on his. Shari felt a shift in their
relationship as if they’d both come to the same conclusion about something, but
she wasn’t sure what. All she knew was that she was seeing yet another side of
Nick and that was Nick Badley, father. And she liked it very much.