Chapter Fifteen
I grabbed the basket with the remainder of our picnic in one hand, before taking Nikki’s in the other, leading her toward the house.
“Grandma?” I called when we entered.
“In here, Chase,” she replied from the rear of the house. “Are you back already?”
I followed the sound of her voice into the spacious country kitchen, finding her kneading some dough in a giant stainless steel pan.
“Is Mom here? I didn’t see her car outside.”
“She ran to town to get a couple of things from the grocery store for dinner. She should be back soon. Hi Nikki, how are you? I’d shake your hand, but . . . ,” she trailed off and glanced down at her work.
“No worries,” Nikki replied. “I’m good, thank you. Your home is very lovely.”
“Well, I’m glad Chase has decided to start bringing some of his friends here. It’s nice to have young people around the place again.”
“If you keep cooking food like you have been, I wager we’ll have the whole school showing up at our door, Grandma. Thank you for the amazing lunch.” I set the basket on the counter and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“It was delicious,” Nikki added.
“Did you eat it all?” Grandma asked with a smile.
“Heck, no. You packed enough in here to feed an army.” I reached inside and started pulling out the leftover containers, and Nikki helped me put them in the fridge.
“We need to get you eating more. It’ll be good for you to pack some pounds on for football. I imagine Grandpa will want to beef up your foods now that early weight training is starting.”
“I’m okay with eating more. Just leave me thin enough so I can attempt to waddle down the field at a reasonable pace, at least.” I turned to Nikki. “Will you still like me if I’m fat?”
Nikki laughed. “I can’t imagine you that way. I don’t really see it being an issue for you with all your good genes.”
I looked down and rubbed my hands over my pants. “I do have good jeans, don’t I? This pair is one of my favorites.”
“You’re a dork.” She grinned and elbowed me in the ribs.
“You’re saying you’re into dorks then?”
She giggled. “I guess so.” She turned to my grandma. “Is there anything we can help you with, Mrs. Johnson?”
“No, sweetheart. Thank you for asking. Why don’t you have Chase take you to see the animals while you’re waiting for his mom to get home?”
“That’s a good idea.” I took Nikki’s hand again. “I’ll introduce you to the horse I learned to ride on.”
We went out the door and made our way across the lawn in the direction of the barn.
“I like it here,” Nikki said, as she gazed around. “It’s so peaceful.”
There was only the low hum of a tractor in the distance, and I could see the dust churning up behind Grandpa as he plowed one of the far fields to ready it for planting.
“It is nice. I didn’t think I would like it when I first moved here, but it sort of grew on me.”
We entered the barn, and I took her to where Mitzi was standing in her stall. The horse neighed softly and pushed her nose into my palm, nuzzling.
“This is Mitzi,” I said, reaching for a carrot from the bucket where grandpa kept his stash of treats.
“She’s beautiful.” Nikki stroked the mare down the white star on her nose. “So tall too.”
“This horse is an old gal, but that’s what makes her the best in my opinion. She’s got all that life she’s lived behind her—a wise lady now.”
“What a nice thing to say.” Nikki smiled. “If only everyone saw things that way.”
We stood together in silence, petting and feeding the animal. I slipped my arm around Nikki’s waist and watched her. She was so pretty.
“Hey, come here. I want to show you something else.” I led her to the hayloft ladder. “You have to see the view from up there.”
I sent her up first and followed after her, before going to the door and sliding it open.
“Oh, this is wonderful,” she exclaimed, looking out at the far reaches of the land.
“I could sit here all day and stare at it.”
She stepped nearer to the edge.
“Watch out!” I exclaimed, grabbing her and spinning her away, toppling us both into the giant mound of straw behind us.
She landed with an “oomph” on top of me and slugged me in the shoulder.
“You scared me to death, Chase Walker!”
“Better scared than dead.” I laughed, enclosing my arms around her tighter.
“I wasn’t even close and you know it! You wanted an excuse to throw me in the hay.”
“That’s right. And it worked, didn’t it?” I glanced over her face. “I could let you go—if you really want me to.”
She stared at me, her hair dropping to caress the edges of her features. “Don’t let go.” She closed the distance and pressed her lips to mine.
I sighed and gave in to the emotions coursing through me. I was tired of fighting my attraction. I wanted to wrap myself up in her and forget about everything else. I rolled over so she was underneath me and brushed my fingers through her silky hair, tangling it with the straw beneath it. I kissed her passionately, running my tongue into her mouth, and she let out a tiny moan as she ran her hands up and down my back.
The niggling voice in my subconscious mind reminded me of my vow to take things slowly. I pushed it away, not wanting to listen. I wanted to lose it with her. However, I couldn’t ignore it, because it kept getting louder the longer we kissed.
Sliding my hand down her arm, I pulled it away, pinning it above her head, then did the same with the other. I held her there while I kissed a trail over her cheek, down her neck to her collarbone.
She arched, struggling against where I had her restrained. “I want to touch you too,” she whispered.
“I know you do,” I breathed out in a ragged voice. She had no idea what she was doing with those touches—not that having her squirming against me was helping things much either.
“Chase, are you in here?” My mom’s voice floated up to the hayloft, and I dropped my head briefly to Nikki’s chest before I slid off to lie next to her.
“We’re up here, Mom,” I replied, turning to look at Nikki who was quickly trying to pick the straw out of her hair. “Leave it. It looks good on you.” I chuckled. “Embrace it.”
She flopped back down with an exasperated sigh as my mom popped her head over the railing.
“Oh, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” she asked, glancing between the two of us.
“No.” I gestured to the straw. “Come join us. I brought Nikki up here to show her the view.
“The view . . . is that what they’re calling it these days?” Mom smiled at both of us as she settled in beside me. She leaned over and extended her hand to Nikki. “Hi. I’m Tori. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Nikki sat up slightly and grasped her hand. Her face flushed a bit in embarrassment. “It’s nice to meet you too. Chase always speaks so highly of you.”
My mom smiled wider and looked at me. “Does he now?” She released Nikki and gently squeezed me on the leg. “That’s nice to know. I have to say he does the same about you too. I’d imagine it has something to do with why he brought you up here to show you the view as well.”
I choked a little before laughing. Nikki reddened more.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Nikki. I told Chase how much I used to admire this place with his father too.”
“And there goes the mood,” I groaned. “Please spare us any further details, Mom.” Imagining my parents making out was not on my list of fun things to do.
Nikki elbowed me. “I think it’s romantic.” She giggled. “I wonder if your grandparents have kissed up here as well.”
“Oh, you can count on that,” my mom quickly replied, and I protested even louder.
“Mom, you have succe
ssfully ruined this hayloft for me for the rest of forever. I’m never going to be able to sit up here now.”
“Just think of it as love spanning the generations, son. This loft is part of your heritage.”
I snorted. “If you say so.”
“I do. Your dad and I spent many days dreaming and making plans for our future while we stared at the view. Your grandpa would take you off to learn to ride the horses so we could have a little alone time. It was nice. We made some good decisions together up here.” She gave a heavy, tired sigh and picked up a piece of straw, twirling it between her fingers.
“I’m sorry he’s gone,” I said quietly. “I know you miss him.”
She nodded. “I do. But he would want us to get on with our lives and be happy. I think we’re both finally trying to do that now.”
It was quiet for a few moments before she spoke again. “Chase tells me you lost your father also, Nikki.”
“Yeah. He had cancer, though, so we had a little more time to prepare ourselves for what we knew was coming. I was happy he wasn’t suffering anymore after he passed, but it was still really hard on all of us.”
“I can imagine,” Mom replied. “How’s your family holding up?”
“We’re doing okay. My mom has a decent job so we get by all right. The younger kids don’t remember my dad much though, so she’s always showing them pictures and telling them stories to keep him alive in their minds. She’s had other guys ask her on dates and stuff, but she always turns them down. I wish she wouldn’t. I’d like her to find some of her own happiness again.”
“Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that each of us grieves in our own way. There’s no right way to do it, you just do. I imagine when she’s ready to take that step and move on, she will. It sounds like she’s content just being with her kids right now. There’s nothing wrong with that either.”
A silence fell over the three of us as we stared out over the gently sloping valley and low-lying hills beyond.
“Thanks for being there for my boy.” My mom turned to Nikki. “He’s needed a good friend like you.”
Nikki smiled. “It’s my pleasure, but really you should thank him for being my friend. He was quite . . . persistent.”
I laughed again and leaned over to peck her on the cheek. “What she actually means, Mom, is I drove her to insanity getting her to go out with me.”
My mom chuckled. “That’s Chase for you. I’ve never known him to back down from something he’s really wanted. He’s like a pit bull. He’ll keep attacking until he gets it the way he wants it.”
“Great. Now I’m being compared to a dog. You so aren’t helping my image.” I rolled my eyes at her.
“It’s good to be determined. It will get you far in life.”
“What do you want to do after you graduate?” Nikki asked me.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure what vocation I want to go into yet, but I would love to play football for as long as I can. I was hoping I could get a college scholarship or something, but I don’t know if quitting part way through last year’s season will affect my stats too much.”
“I don’t think it will,” Mom interjected. “If you keep playing as well as you have been or better, I don’t see how they could pass by you. I’m sure they can take personal hardship into consideration too.”
“Maybe. We’ll see.”
“So you don’t have anything else you’d like to do?” Nikki continued in her search for more insight.
“Well, my dad was a businessman, but I don’t know if I’m cut out for an office job. Other than playing video games, I like weight lifting and sports, so maybe something with athletic training or physical therapy would be good.”
“What about you, Nikki?” my mom asked.
“I want to be a counselor. My dad knew a therapist from his job at the hospital, and my mom helped me get an internship with her. She does the drug abuse classes. I’d really like to work with people and assist them through the hard times if I could. Maggie’s great to work for, isn’t she, Chase?”
I nodded. “I’ve never sat in on the group, but she seems like a very nice lady. She’s always been fair with me.”
“And suddenly the reason you rush off to community service every Saturday has just become clearer,” my mom said wryly.
“He never told you we worked together?”
She shook her head. “No. And here I was being so proud he was taking things seriously.”
“I am taking things seriously,” I said, piping up to defend myself. “Everything about Nikki is serious to me.”
The two of them burst out laughing.
“Come on,” my mom said, patting my leg before she stood. “Let’s go see if your grandma needs any help with supper preparations. It’s still a few hours away, but she’s been making bread all day. I don’t want to wear her out. Are you staying for dinner tonight, Nikki?”
Nikki glanced at me in question.
“You don’t have to ask me. I’d keep you here twenty-four/seven if I had any say in the matter.”
She blushed again. “Yes, I’ll stay, I guess.”
“Good,” my mom replied. “It’ll be nice to have a pretty girl at the table. Now I suggest you put this boy to work picking all that straw out of your hair before you come inside.” She turned and looked pointedly at me. “Don’t mess her up anymore, mister.”
I grinned. “You parents. Always taking the fun out of everything.”
“I mean it,” she added, stabbing her finger in my direction.
“Yes, ma’am.” I sighed and sat up to scoot behind Nikki. I began to dutifully do as she said. I waited for my mom to disappear over the railing before I spoke again. “I, personally, think you look great with all of this sticking out all over your head.”
“I heard that,” Mom’s voice floated back to us, and we laughed.
“I like your mom.” Nikki said with a smile.
“That’s good, because I can tell she likes you as well.” I brushed her pokey hair away from her neck and leaned into kiss her there. “And that works great for me, because I like you too.”