NICK DROPPED INTO THE comfortable leather recliner opposite his TV and stared at the blank screen, amazed he’d survived the night with his family.
When Jenn had finally said she was worth it, something had changed between them. He saw her fighting spirit, her determination, and he’d liked it. Jenn was a sweetheart, the kind of woman who’d say that having a diploma didn’t matter. But it would, it did. And he couldn’t expect anything from her other than a casual friendship/acquaintance, because she’d pity him and his lack of abilities when she finally learned the truth.
He wouldn’t have gone to the dinner without her, and he was man enough to admit that with Jenn there things had been a lot easier. They’d stayed longer than a half hour, too. Jenn had restarted the conversation whenever there’d been a lull, and more than once she’d looked at him with her sweet girl-next-door face. He’d found himself unable to look away. Found himself smiling, talking, not only to her but to his brothers. Occasionally to his parents, too.
“Dad?”
Nick got up and walked down the hall to Matt’s bedroom. He leaned against the doorway, noting Matt had chosen a T-shirt and basketball shorts over a pair of his traditional cartoon pajamas. His son was growing up too fast, just as Gram had said. Being a father wasn’t easy, but Nick had done it. And yet Gram had a point. Matt needed others to talk to, people Matt could trust. And despite his differences with his father, Nick knew his family would do anything for Matt. His son needed to know that. “Yeah, bub?”
“Do you like her? Ms. Rose?”
He stepped into the bedroom and walked over to sit on the side of Matt’s bed. “Why do you ask?”
“I heard Gram and Grandma talking about her. They said she was nice.”
“Jenn…Ms. Rose is nice. Do you like her?”
Matt nodded, his expression serious. “But…”
Nick braced a hand on the other side of Matt’s legs and waited patiently. “But what?”
“She’s nice ’n’ all, but what if I can’t do it? You know, learn all the stuff she’s trying to teach me? Then she won’t like me ’cause I’m a loser.”
The words struck deep and made a gaping wound. Matt’s fear was very real to Nick, one he understood. As a child, Matt still had the ability to overcome the problem with Jenn’s help. Nick didn’t—and it was a humiliation he’d never be able to change. Not even for her.
“Ms. Rose isn’t the type of person to do that, Matt. You can tell by the way she looks at people, especially kids. You saw those girls earlier tonight. They came over to give Ms. Rose hugs when they didn’t have to. They did it because they like her. She wouldn’t treat you any differently.”
But what about him?
“But she’s really smart, though and…I’m not. If I was, I wouldn’t need so much help.”
“Ms. Rose is smart, but so are you, and I don’t want to hear any more talk like that. Everybody needs help every now and again.” Thank God Matt was smarter than Nick had been at that age. He’d be fine, Jenn would see to it. Nick smiled and squeezed Matt’s shoulder. “She’s so smart, she knows a good thing when she sees it. That’s why she’ll like you no matter what.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Will you like me if I can’t do it?”
How many times had he asked that question in his head? Afraid to say it to his father? Afraid the answer wouldn’t be the one he needed to hear?
Nick pulled Matt into his arms and hugged him tight. “I love you, Matt. No matter what.”
Matt sniffled and buried his head deeper against Nick’s chest. “But what about Ms. Rose? Do you like her?”
There was a question in Matt’s eyes that Nick didn’t like. A hope and expectation. “Ms. Rose and I are just friends. You wouldn’t be trying to matchmake like Gram, would you?”
Matt ducked his head, a bashful grin on his lips. “She liked Ms. Rose an awful lot.”
Gram liked any woman who had the ability to get Nick to a family dinner. “No scheming with Gram, you hear me? Ms. Rose and I are friends, nothing more. She goes for guys like…like your uncle Ethan.”
“Oh. Why not you? Why wouldn’t she like you like that?”
Nick eased Matt back onto the bed and tucked the covers in around him. “People can’t pick who they like, son. They just do. And Ms. Rose has a lot in common with guys like your uncle Ethan—not guys like me. Good night, Matt.”
“’Night, Dad.”
Nick ruffled his son’s hair before leaving his bedroom, going into his own and dropping onto the mattress to stare up at the ceiling. He needed to go lock up, set the alarm. But he didn’t move.
Images flashed through his head. Jennifer’s smile, the lush feel of her against him. Her earnest expression and the dazed passion-glazed look she’d had right after he’d kissed her. Matt worried that he wasn’t smart enough for Ms. Rose. As for Nick, he knew he could stop worrying—he definitely wasn’t. And it was only a matter of time before she found that out. He’d thought he’d suffered enough humiliation in his life, but what happened fifteen years ago when he’d dropped out had only been the beginning.
SO, GIVE ME AN UPDATE,” Suzanne ordered as soon as Jenn pressed the phone to her ear and murmured hello. “How are things going between you and Nick? The diet? Matt? I want all the details—just skip the boring parts.”
Jenn rolled her eyes and searched for a decent pair of socks. Finding a set, she pulled them from the drawer. “It’s going. How was Hawaii?”
“Absolutely amazing. I’ll bring pictures over to show you in a day or so after I get some laundry done. You won’t believe how green and lush everything was. Now, about your gorgeous trainer?”
“I’ve lost a few pounds, I can walk three miles without keeling over and my suit fit from two Easters ago.”
“That’s great! I knew you could do it. But why are you being so quiet about Nick—did something happen?” Her voice took on an edge of excitement. “Did it?”
“Sort of. He, um, kissed me.”
“A real kiss?”
“Yeah.”
“You say that so calmly. Spill! And don’t leave anything out.”
“First off, I don’t think he meant for it to happen. Which makes it horrible and not a good thing.”
“How do you get that? Nick is a gorgeous hunk of male and he’s nice to boot. Oh, I was so hoping the guy-friend thing would turn into something more.”
“Yeah, you were pretty obvious about that. But kissing me was a huge mistake, Suzanne. He just did it because he was upset and angry at his family. And me.”
“Why was he angry at you?”
Jenn took a deep breath and sighed, then related the story of how she’d met Rosetta Tulane and pressured Nick into going to the rehearsal dinner.
“Oh, honey. Why did you push it when he said no? Nick gets along with his family the way you say you get along with your sister.”
“I know that now, but I didn’t realize it at the time or think it could be that bad. It didn’t take long to figure out Nick wasn’t kidding. To make it worse, Todd showed up.”
“What did he want?”
“To be himself. Todd got the promotion at the hospital, instead of Nick’s brother Ethan.”
“No.”
“Exactly. And since the family was all there for a wedding celebration, Todd just had to make a scene.”
“Where did the kiss come in?”
She sighed heavily. “Outside on the balcony.”
“Under the moonlight? How sweet!”
“It was…We were talking and…and connecting. And he kissed me. But then it ended and I realized I don’t stand a chance. Suzanne, get real. We have nothing in common.”
“Opposites attract.”
Opposites maybe, but polar opposites? Jenn held the phone between her shoulder and head as she struggled to pull on a pair of pants. “Weren’t you listening? He kissed me because he was angry and upset over what happened with his family and Todd. Not because he wanted to.”
“Did he say he didn’t want to kiss you? Because I’m not hearing it. And I’ve never known a man to kiss a woman he didn’t want to kiss, except maybe a grandma with a hairy chin. Go back. What, exactly, did he say? When did this happen?”
Jenn did her best to fill in the gaps in her story and waited for Suzanne’s response to Nick’s suggestion about finding her diva side.
“He talked to you about that?”
“Yeah. But just for the summer. And I’d like to but…”
“Do it. There’s only one way to find out if it could lead to more.”
“You don’t get it. You weren’t there. Suzanne, after Nick kissed me we had to go back inside and sit through dinner, and when he took me home, he didn’t say a word. Not a word.”
“Was Matt with you?”
“Yes, but…”
“Well, there you go. Getting involved is one thing, but getting involved with kids who’d get attached is another. He probably just wanted to be discreet.”
Could it be?
“You don’t have to decide today, you know. Why not hang out and take things slow? If it’s meant to happen, it will.”
“I know, but…Maybe you’re right. I just don’t want to make another mistake like I made with Todd. I married one guy and then he became another. When people started calling Todd ‘Doctor’, he developed this God complex and started acting like a jerk. Lying and cheating, like it was okay because it was him.”
“Nick’s not Todd.”
“I know that, but I’m afraid. I don’t want to get my hopes up over a man who’s already setting limits on the relationship. Nick specifically talks only about the summer. Why would he do that if he was open to more?”
He wouldn’t and Jenn knew it. So did Suzanne, if her silence was anything to go by.
“So what’s next?”
“Ugh. How do I get myself into these things? This evening is the wedding. And I don’t have a dress. I have to look good for this, especially after last night.”
“So, we’ll go shopping.”
“I can’t. I’m getting ready to go work out, even though I keep praying Nick won’t be there.”
“Chicken.”
Jenn eyed her closet, hating everything she saw inside. “A chicken without a dress. Are you busy later today? Maybe we can shop then?”
“Absolutely. But first, tell me about this kiss.”
“He’s a fifteen, Suzanne.”
“Are we back to the number thing again? I’m telling you, you’re much higher than a five. Anything with boobs is a five. Ask any guy.”
“But no way am I in double digits, which means Nick still outnumbers me. I might as well hold up the white flag right now. Why would I get involved with a man I don’t have a prayer of keeping?”
“You are so weird. Nick’s not some twenty-something stud out to score. He’s got a kid and a head for business, and he isn’t as wild and crazy as everyone else seems to believe. Speaking of children, how’s the tutoring going?”
Jenn closed her eyes and winced. “It’s been rough. Matt is struggling and I’m not sure how to reach him. I’ve tried so many of the tricks we’re taught in college, but nothing works. The problem seems to be more with reading than math.”
“At least you’re narrowing it down. That’s good.”
“Maybe. Nick’s not any help, though. Matt needs supervised practice—you know how important it is for parents to be involved. That’s partly why I was so insistent about him taking me to the family dinner. I made it part of our deal because I was still angry over the way he blew me off when I asked him to pitch in with reading lessons.”
Suzanne chuckled. “I’ll bet he didn’t see that one coming. But he does run two businesses. His time is in pretty short supply.”
“Yeah, yeah, but are his businesses more important than his son?”
“Of course not. Nick’s not like that at all, and you know it. I just meant that of all the parents we deal with who slack off where their kids are concerned, at least Nick has a legitimate excuse. And a lot of them don’t, as you well know.”
“I know. I get that, but how am I supposed to get Matt to read in his spare time, if Nick won’t help out a little bit? Reading to himself and getting the words all wrong isn’t going to help Matt. And I’m not asking for a huge commitment, just a short session every day.”
“Well, I could think of a way or two you might be able to coerce Nick into doing what you want,” Suzanne said, suggestively.
Jenn sat on the edge of the bed, and since she wasn’t able to do anything else she lay back and began doing stretches. “Tell me more about him. What’s the problem between Nick and his parents?”
A pause filtered over the line. “Why do you ask?”
“Because obviously there’s some tension but I don’t quite have the nerve to question Nick, given his responses last night.”
“I thought you said you kissed and talked?”
“We did, but I’d like more information.”
Once again Suzanne hesitated a long moment, then sighed dramatically. “It’s no secret in town, so I guess it wouldn’t hurt to fill you in on the details. To be honest, I thought Nick would’ve told you by now—or you would’ve heard.”
“Heard what?”
“What do you know about the Tulanes?”
“Other than surface information, nothing. I take it you knew Nick has a twin?” Jenn held the phone with one hand and raised the other over her head, holding in her stomach and stretching as far as she could.
“Ahhh, Luke. Now there’s another hunk, huh?”
“They’re all gorgeous. It’s yet another reason for a chubby girl like me to beware.”
“Stop it or I’ll come over there and kick your butt, even though I’m supposed to be resting. Don’t you believe in inner beauty versus outer beauty?”
“Only when the outer beauties are on a par with each other.” Jenn covered her face with her palm. “And where are my manners? I forgot to ask about the baby. How are you?”
“Just fine. So far, so good.”
“But you said you were going to do laundry, and you’re supposed to be resting. Does Tuck know?”
“Shut up, I’m fine. Do you know how awful I’ll feel if I sit around for nine months and then try to give birth? Talk about out of shape. Anyway, back to Nick…You got that all his brothers and sister, and his parents, are highly successful, right?”
“The country-club thing kind of delivered that message, but what does that have to do with Nick? He’s successful, too.”
“Yes, he is, but not like them. Did you talk to them last night? Do you know what they do? Jenn, Nick feels inferior.”
“Inferior—you’re kidding, right?” Her laugh was met with silence. “You’re not. But why?”
Another pause. “I really wish he’d told you this. I hope what I say won’t change how you look at him, because Nick is wonderful.”
“Suzanne, tell me!”
“Nick is a high-school dropout. In fact, he’s the only one in his immediate family—his entire family from what I’ve heard—that didn’t graduate high school, much less go on to college. He barely has a sophomore education.”
She paused mid-stretch. “Seriously?” But…How was that possible? He was so smart, so intelligent. Why drop out?
“Yeah. As soon as he was legally able to quit, he did. His family went nuts. We’re not talking a little nuts, but completely ballistic. You have to grow up in a small place to really understand how weird it is for everyone to be involved in your business. The whole town talked about it and the more everyone talked and stirred things up, the angrier and more distant Nick became. There were times when they passed each other on the street and didn’t speak. It was horrible.”
Jenn lowered her leg onto the bed. “I had no idea.”
“Nick doesn’t like to talk about it. Anyway, not long after this happened, Nick’s grandfather died. They were all close to Rosetta’s husband and the funeral helped bridge the distance. At least a little bit. You know how things like that bring people together. Then Nick’s girlfriend got pregnant and the whole mess started up again, when he refused to go to his parents for help. The girlfriend thought Nick would go back to the fold and she’d sort of sit back and enjoy the benefits of being a Tulane, but at the time Nick was a mechanic and he had no interest in his family at all. When things didn’t go her way, she took off for Nashville.”
Poor Nick. Poor Matt.
“Trust me, it was a big deal. The Tulanes aren’t snobs, but image is important to them. Uh-oh, Tuck’s home. I’ve got to run. I’ll see you later. We’ll talk more then.”
“Okay, but…’ Bye,” Jen said after the phone clicked in her ear. She pressed the button and lowered it to the bed beside her. A dropout?
Rolling to her feet, she finished dressing, her thoughts consumed by the surprising revelation. A dropout. A sophomore education. Her head whirled. And eventually her thoughts led her to more questions. But did she have the courage to ask them?