Special Delivery (A Valentine's Short Story) (6 page)

“You make it sound so cold.”

“Blame Mallory, not me.” He studied her a
beat, noting her expression had grown cloudy. “Is there something
else going on that I don’t know about?”

“My mom’s not getting any better.”

“That neck thing?”

“Her slipped disk, yeah.”

“I thought she was going to have
surgery?”

Nikki looked at him sadly. “She can’t afford
it.”

“What about the diner? Don’t they provide
insurance?”

“It’s a crappy plan, barely covers half the
cost.” Her brow creased with worry. “It hurts her every day to go
to work. Even getting up in the morning is painful.”

“She said that?”

“She didn’t have to. I’ve seen how she
moves.”

“Well, maybe she can get a loan, talk to the
doctors? Hospitals sometimes have repayment plans.”

“We’ve looked into that. I even offered to
help.”

Jack understood that was generous, but he
also knew Nikki didn’t make a lot of money herself on her
department store tailor’s salary.

“But she’s too proud. She’d never take me up
on it, knowing I barely scrape by myself. Besides, she says if I’m
going to help anyone out, it should be Tony.”

“Tony?”

“He graduates high school this year, and
really has his heart set on going to college.”

“That’s expensive these days.”

“Way costly. Even in state.”

“What about scholarships? He’s a good
student, right?”

“State assistance was cut back with the
recent budget cuts. He says he may have to put off going. Work a
few years first.”

Jack studied her with sympathy. “Sounds
rough.”

“Some days Ma can’t even make it in to work.
They dock her pay in that case. And she’s got a mortgage to meet
and bills to pay for Tony.”

Jack stared at her with incredulity. “Just
what are you saying? That you’re considering meeting your Aunt
Mallory’s conditions?”

“Maybe it won’t be so bad? In the short
term.”

He leaned forward and touched her arm. “But
in the long term? Over time?”

“I’m not saying it has to last forever. Me
and the prospective”
—s
he
appeared to nearly choke on the word
—
“
groom
can cut a deal.”

Jack massaged his brow. “Who are you planning
to marry, Nikki? You’re not even seeing Dean anymore.”

“That’s true.” She licked her lips and sat up
a little straighter. “But I’ll find someone, don’t you think? I’m
not such a bad a catch. Especially not for half a million
dollars.”

“I thought it was two?”

“That’s the amount I’m willing to share with
someone who’ll go through with it. I guess if they insist, I could
negotiate up to half the total.”

“Now you’re talking crazy.”

“No, I’m being reasonable.” And when she said
it, for a lunatic instant, it looked like she believed it.

“So you’re going to go out there and find
someone to marry. Just like that! By February fourteenth.”

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’d better start
looking.”

Although he suspected the outcome, Jack
decided to chance it anyway. “You could always marry me…?”

“Oh, Jack, please be serious!”

He affected a chuckle to make it seem like
he’d been kidding. “Well, someone’s got to lighten the mood around
here.”

“Yeah, right. You’re a very funny guy. But
most importantly, you’re my best friend. Which is why you’ve got to
help me.”

Jack adored Nikki, would move heaven and
earth for her. But help her find another man to marry? He wasn’t
sure he could do that.

“Come on, Jack,
puleeze?
” She batted
those eyes, and Jack knew he was a goner. He’d never been able to
refuse Nikki anything in his entire life. And now his life, and all
the secret hopes and dreams he’d harbored, were about to be
harpooned by her ludicrous request. “I’ve always wanted a
baby.”

“There are places you can go for that without
signing the rest of your life away.”

“It’s not the rest of my life. I don’t even
have to stay married. Just long enough to get pregnant.”

Jack willed his mind not to go there. There
was nothing worse than thinking of Nikki with another guy. When she
was with a boyfriend, it was easy enough for him to push those
thoughts away completely. It was when she was
between them
that Jack’s hopes became renewed. Time and time again. When would
he ever learn? Hadn’t Nikki made things clear enough the night of
their senior prom?

She appeared to be thinking, those mental
wheels turning in some sort of diabolical plan. When she set her
gaze back on his, she seemed buoyed, as if she’d convinced herself
this entire wacky scheme could work.

“We’ll have the kid call you Uncle Jack,” she
continued brightly. “In the end, you’ll probably be closer to him
than his own dad. It’s not like
Dad
will be much in the
picture. That will be part of the deal.”

Jack felt the burn in his eyes but smiled
tightly to disguise his feelings. “What if
Dad
doesn’t
agree?”

She brushed aside his concerns with a wave of
her hand. “Aren’t you the one who’s fond of saying there’s always a
way to work things out?”

Now she was twisting his words to serve them
back at him. “Nikki—”

“Don’t
Nikki
me. You know we can do
this, you and me. If anyone can pull it off, we can.” She reached
across the table to take his hands. “Please tell me you’ll help.
Help Ma. Help Tony, and…” She hesitated, then said with a desperate
look, “Big Mama.”

Jack pursed his lips, knowing there was no
way he could do it. But in a stronger sense, he knew he couldn’t
deny helping the one person on earth he loved. Nikki’d had his
heart forever, and now—without even being aware—she was going to
stomp all over it. And Jack was going to help her, damn it. Help
her because he understood that if he couldn’t be hers, he’d better
damn well ensure that the guy who was deserved her. For Nikki
wasn’t just beautiful. She was smart and funny, and such great
company to be around. The fact was, he’d rather hang out with her
than any of his buddies. She was way more entertaining and very
easy to be with. Nikki had that eclectic blend of streetwise and
sophisticated, with her own unique quirkiness mixed in. And Jack
found that headily intoxicating. Now he was about to help someone
else get drunk on her. Once they did, and discovered what is was
like living with her day after day, Jack was certain no man in his
right mind would be willing to give up Nikki. Worst-case scenario,
she might even start falling for him… This was turning out to be a
very un-merry Christmas for sure.

Jack fought the lump in his throat and
squeezed Nikki’s hands. “What are best friends for?”