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Sage waited outside the sanctuary for her family to exit. She could kiss Nikolai for introducing Miss Haley, as he called her. But that wouldn’t do. Not that she hadn’t dreamed of kissing those lips of his a time or two. Stop it!
Through the rectangular door window, Sage spotted Ma and Lana surrounded by a group of laughing women. At this rate, they’d still be here when the mid-week service started. Ma loved to chat with friends and Lana had all kinds of wedding business to discuss with her girls and Maid of Honor.
Fine, she’d wait until they got home to share her news. No biggie. She needed to finish her computer graphic presentation anyway, and the way her laptop had been acting, she prayed it would hold out until she finished.
Rushing outside of Creekside Gospel, Sage froze when Leon Jovino headed across the garden courtyard right toward her. He’d starred in many of her dreams, too.
Even though he was more in Moi-Joy’s league, a girl could hope, couldn’t she? Sage would bet a million bucks that his full lips were very kissable. His smoky gray eyes always smoldered with an aloofness she found mesmerizing. A brown cap covered his stylish dreadlocks and his form-fitted tan tweed jacket adorned with a beige scarf set off his caramel colored skin to perfection.
Leon grinned and waved at her, sending Sage’s heart reeling. He was actually waving. At her! She smiled, hoping she didn’t look like some kind of a demented freckled faced clown and gave a little wave as he drew closer, then rushed past her, still waving.
Sage yanked her hand down, wrapping it around her purse and tried to act like she’d been waving at someone else. Had anyone noticed?
You’re such a joke, Dolan. Get a grip. Of course, Leon Jovino would never take a second look at a red-headed, freckle-faced goofball like her.
Daring a peek over her shoulder, she realized Leon had intended to speak to Mr. Ethan and Miss Haley. Hadn’t Nikolai mentioned Leon was working at the Bed and Breakfast as a cook? Maybe if Leon saw how independent and hard-working she could be, he might actually stop to talk to her once in a while.
Nikolai had just left Mr. Ethan and was heading toward the parking lot. Sage snapped out of her ogling stupor and ran after him. Nikolai’s long legs carried him along so quickly she almost didn’t reach his car before he’d pulled out. As it was, he’d already climbed in his rusty little blue Honda Civic. She banged on his window, startling him.
“Sage,” He panted clutching his chest as he rolled down the window. “Thought you’d already left. What’s up?”
Her eyes fell on the stack of boxes piled in the back seat. “I need... my com... Wait. Why is all your stuff in your car? Moi said you’d been staying at a boarding house outside of town.”
He turned off the engine and slowly climbed out of the driver’s seat. Standing between her and the car, he placed his hands on his hips, ignoring her comments. “What’s up, Sage? You were saying you needed something.”
Her gaze locked on his stern grayish-blue eyes. His mouth was set in that tight mind-your-own-business line. She knew that look all too well. She also knew from the state of his car, he’d probably been sleeping in it for a while. Darn him and his stubborn pride.
“My computer is messing up again. And I need to finish a presentation for tomorrow’s class. I was wondering if you had time to stop by and look at it. I’ll make us lunch.” Probably dinner, too. If she kept him occupied until it was late, she might convince him to camp out on their couch.
“What have I told you about downloading those games?” He shook his head in exasperation.
“I... didn’t.... It was more likely some graphics I downloaded. I try to stay on the safe sites, but you know how it is.” She waved her hand in dismissal. “If you’re too busy.”
Nikolai leaned back against his car. “I’ll come around in the next hour. I promised to stop in and visit my mom while Jim is gone fishing.”
Jim was his step-father who he’d taken to avoiding as much as possible. Some family. She believed in moving out and making a way for yourself, but when a fellow was down on his luck and his parents’ only solution was to enlist in the service or live on the streets, something was wrong. Still, he came from a big family, too, that lived in a house twice as small as hers.
“Okay. But you will come? It’s been a while since we just hung out together, you know?”
The look he gave her startled her for a second. His intense gaze burned a hole in her chest before he blinked and quickly turned away. Climbing back inside his car, he promised he’d stop by that afternoon.
He didn’t even wave as he pulled out of the parking spot and zoomed away.
Sage hugged her arms across her chest and headed for her own car. If he looked at her like that again, she might forget that silly pinkie promise she’d made with Moi and kiss him anyway.
* * * *
Sage’s heart sank over Nikolai’s news about her computer. “I’ll need another day and a good Wi-Fi connection to clean up this mess.” He pushed his hand-built laptop toward her. “Use mine to finish your presentation.”
She stared down at the black computer covered with sports team logos. “I can’t take your computer. Don’t you have your own homework?”
“Nope. And I have a spare one somewhere I can use if I need it. Truthfully, soon we’ll not even need these. Our smartphones do nearly all the same work.”
“It’s too small. I like my big screen when I’m doing my digital art.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and she could tell he was exhausted. Ma had talked him into joining the family for dinner, but she spent the whole evening drilling him about his aspirations and why he wasn’t working at the moment. Sage tried to defend him and had finally been able to tell them about the Bed and Breakfast offer and a possible job for her.
Ma said he could do better. “You’re a talented lad, Nikolai Jay. You have a good mind. Put it to use, boy.”
He nodded, but Sage knew Ma’s lecture was only stabbing his already deflated heart. She’d never seen her friend so downhearted before. But he always seemed melancholy after visiting his family.
Ma stood and set her plate in the sink. Before she retired to her room, she wrapped her arms around Nikolai’s neck and kissed his cheek. “You know I love you as if you were one of my own sons. You know that, right?”
“I do.” He finally smiled. “And I appreciate your advice. Honestly.”
“Don’t tell me, laddie. Show me. You’re a good boy. I know sometimes life beats us up and pushes us around, but the good Lord gives us friends to help. Don’t be afraid to let those of us who love you know when you have a need. You’ll stay here tonight, got me? You helped my Sage and Lana with their problem. We’ll help you through yours.” She hugged him tighter until he was gasping. Planting several kissed on the side of his face, she added, “I mean it. You have a place here when you need it. We love you, Nikolai. Got it?”
His voice actually cracked when he said with a quick nod, “Yes ma’am. Thank you, Mama Dolan. I love you all, too.”
For a moment, his eyes met Sage’s, but just as quickly he looked away. She tried not to chuckle over how red his face had turned. Ma did that to people when she loved on them.
“You,” Ma said pointing her thin finger at Sage. “Clean up. Then make sure our boy has sheets and a blanket to sleep on. And make sure you don’t leave your shoes out. The twins are still on an April Fools rampage. I don’t think any of us will be safe until midnight.”
“Ma,” Sage smacked the table. “Don’t you think they need to be punished?”
Her mother threw her head back and laughed. “They know for a fact if they try anything on me, I’ll make their lives miserable. It’s what’s keeping me safe.” She laughed again at Sage’s look of indignation. “It’s only one day, lass. Don’t be such a stick in the mud.” When she reached the stairs, Ma called up, “Max and Meg, you better be in bed. And I don’t want to hear about you pulling any shenanigans on our guest. Understand me?”
From the second story, two voices floated down. “Yes, Mama.”
Sage’s mouth dropped. “Can you believe her?”
Nikolai chuckled, but his laugh didn’t reach his eyes. He quickly stood and excused himself as he headed for the guest bathroom.
Shaking her head, Sage cleared the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher. Nikolai was still in the bathroom as she took his computer and headed for the living room. While she waited for it to boot up, she made him a bed on the couch, glad Ma had insisted he stay.
A few minutes later he finally joined her and took a seat on the couch all the way across the room from her. He kept his eyes locked on the computer screen and said nothing to her. She wanted to move over to the couch and snuggle up beside him like they used to do in high school, but lately, it seemed like some kind of invisible barrier had gone up between them. She knew if she probed, he’d only deny it. Instead, she kept the subject on school and what she was hoping to do once she graduated.
“I’ve sent out a few applications, but I don’t want to leave Madison Creek.” She rambled on, uncomfortable with the quiet that would settle between them if she wasn’t talking. He certainly didn’t seem to want to talk for some reason. “I’ve thought about opening an online shop and offer to do websites and graphic design. But, it’ll take a while to build up a clientele.”
“You’re good.” He pointed at her screen. “I’m looking at some of your work while waiting for this scan to finish. These pictures are amazing, Sage.”
Her throat tightened from his praise. “Thanks. But don’t be snooping around my files, dude. Some of that’s private.”
He rolled his eyes and finally smiled. “What would I find if I did snoop? Love letters from your secret admirers?”
She threw a small pillow at him. He thanked her and tucked it behind his head.
“Well, maybe I should take this opportunity to snoop around, too.” Not that she would know where to find his files. He had some kind of strange program where he was able to hide things he didn’t want others to have access to. His smirk told her that he was fully away of this.
“What about you?” She settled lower into the plump chair, throwing her legs over the arm. “Have you thought much about what you’ll do after graduation? With your computer building skills, someone is bound to snatch you up. You should be charging for all the computers you’ve been fixing. After you’re done with mine, that is.”
He shrugged, grinning. “Maybe. Sometimes people pay me. Other times I barter for things I need.
“I’ve checked out a couple of leads, but there aren’t many jobs around here. I’m not interested in moving to Detroit, or Grand Rapids. Or out of state, either.” He set the laptop on the coffee table and pulled the blanket up around his chin. His red-rimmed eyes made Sage wonder if he was exhausted or if something else was going on with him. “Like you, this is my home. I guess. Maybe I’m being stupid. It’s not as if I have a family like you do that is keeping me here.”
Not that her family would deter her from moving to a place where she could find a good job. “How was your visit with your mom?”
His brows furrowed for a moment before he yawned and kicked off his sneakers. As an afterthought, he pushed them under the couch with a crooked grin. “Mind if I take a shower? I’ll need to leave early in the morning. Probably before you wake up.” He generally hated talking about his family, so she didn’t pry.
“Really? I was going to see about catching a ride with you.”
“I promised to help Mr. Winters plaster some walls. Thought I’d see if I could get some work done before class. I should have your computer done by then. I’ll just bring it with me.”
Sage took that as a hint he was ready to be left alone. With a nod, she stood, holding his computer in her left arm while she hung her pack over her right shoulder. “Sounds great. Thank you, Nikolai. You’re my knight in shining armor, you know that, right?”
As she passed by the couch, she reached out to ruffle his blond hair with her free hand. To her surprise, he jerked away, then as an afterthought, he offered a withered smile. “That’s what friends are for.”
She gave a quick nod. Right. Friends. She’d promised to leave it at that, too. She’d seen too many friends turn to enemies when they let more seep into a relationship.
* * * *
The next morning, Sage raced out of the house, running late as usual. She’d stayed up until nearly midnight trying to finish her project. Though she appreciated Nikolai loaning her his computer, she found it difficult to find what she needed, and she simply didn’t wish to disturb him again. He’d looked so exhausted when she left him.
Once she did finally finish her project, she spent the next couple of hours tossing and turning over the distance that had grown between them. Did she simply imagine he was being more standoffish? At first, when he’d returned from the mission trip last summer, she and Moi thought he’d met someone and didn’t want them to know, fearing they’d tease him.
But after a couple of months, they’d abandoned that idea. Moi said their boy was growing into a man. Oh, mighty wise one Moi with her sensible logic. Sage bit back a grin. Their Nikolai was indeed growing into a handsome man. Gone were the lanky arms and legs they often teased him about in gym class. He’d wanted to drop out of college several times to get a full-time job, but they’d gained up and talked him out of it. Someday he would thank them when he was making good money working with computers.
True to his word, Nikolai was gone when she came down for a cup of coffee and to offer to make him breakfast. Her heart sank when she found the folded blanket and sheet.
A half hour later, while her Saturn warmed up, Sage considered sending him a text to see if he’d slept well. When she pulled her phone from the bottom of her purse, she found he’d beat her to it.
Thanks for the place to crash. Will bring ur puter to class. Think I have it clean now.
She texted back: Ur my hero. See u there.
As she pulled out onto Old Orchard Road, her steering wheel trembled in an unfamiliar way. Sure, she probably needed an alignment. And a brake job. And a set of new tires. A tune-up. Oil change. But really, who had the time or the money for all that? She sent up a prayer for it to hold out. “Please God. At least, until I get a job and have money to fix it? Please?”
The Madison farm came into view. She’d stop by on her way back to town. Now that the place had her attention, the old Victorian would be a pretty place for a reception. A little farther down was what looked like part of a barn in the process of being rebuilt. The whole front was glassed in, and the outside freshly painted. “Wow.”
Nikolai had said Mr. Ethan was building some kind of adventure lodge on his property. If he and the blond were getting married, why did they have separate plots of land? Strange.
A loud pop sounded. The front end jerked. Sage hit the brakes and pulled off onto the shoulder. The front passenger side bumped along.
Great! A flat tire.
“Guess you didn’t hear me, Lord?” She smacked the steering wheel. “Can you, possibly send someone who knows how to change a tire? I’m running late. And... I don’t know... how.”
She checked the road, wondering how often people passed along this long stretch of farmland. Madison Creek was a quiet town, so she wasn’t too worried about any psychopaths stopping to help her. Still, a girl had to be careful, and she’d dressed extra nice in a lacy beige dress and pumps for her presentation. Not to mention the job interview later.
She considered going back the quarter mile to the inn, but the idea of walking beside the road in a mid-thigh length dress and high heels didn’t appeal to her.
“Well, sitting here isn’t getting me anywhere, either.” Maybe if she had the hood up and the tire ready. How hard could it really be to change a tire? She was a self-sufficient, modern woman, right? Waiting for someone to rescue her was ridiculous. She started to open her door when she spotted a little yellow sports car pulling out of the drive of the Victorian. Leon! Yes! A handsome knight in shining armor.
“Thank you, Lord!” Surely his leaving at this particular moment was providence.
The Mini Cooper sped up as it neared and zoomed past, rocking her car in the gush of wind blowing in his wake.
She stared at the shrinking car, her mouth gaping open in shock.
So much for being saved by a knight in shining armor. She shoved opened the door and stomped outside to the back. Opening the trunk, she realized something she should have known all along. There’d never been a spare tire back there and if she did have one, she had no idea where to find it.
So much for being a self-sufficient, modern woman.