Fused (Lost in Oblivion #4.5) (11 page)

With
was a safe word. Much less fraught than so many others.

Like relationship. And love.

They passed the kettle ringers at the mall doors and both dumped money into the pots. He’d walked five feet before he turned back and unloaded more into the kettle. He needed all the karmic help he could get.

The first store Jazz dragged him into was a home store. She tugged him past aisles of draperies and pillows and spa attachment thingies—he stopped and cocked his head at those, imagining Lila naked and soapy while he wielded one of those extendable shower heads—and finally stopped in front of a music display. It was playing a selection that sounded like the product of a high school band, interspersed with some windy sounds that he guessed was supposed to be “a restful breeze blowing through the pines” as the CD cover indicated.

“Now this kind of thing is perfect to help the busy mother relax.”

“Yeah, because I’m buying for so many of those.”

At Jazz’s narrow-eyed stare, he grabbed two of the stupid pine CDs and grimace-smiled. “Great idea. Now you’re done.” Harper too, but he didn’t say that aloud.

“Cheap ass.” She flounced to the next aisle.

“What are you going to get Simon?”

Not that again. Nick scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck and studied all the stuff. Boxes were practically stacked up to the rafters, and everyone was rushing around trying to grab all the stuff and shove it into their carts, usually next to at least one squalling child.

His head was already starting to hurt.

He glanced around more than a little frantically and leaped upon the first thing he saw. It just happened to be the
best
thing for his best friend.

He grabbed the box and brandished it over his head. “Jazz, check it. The perfect gift for Simon.”

She leaped up and snatched the game out of his hands, then blinked. And blinked again. “Seriously?”

“C’mon, it’s hilarious. He’ll die laughing. Everyone will laugh. It’s awesome.” He took the box back from her and shook it. “The game Simon for Simon. Tell me that’s not a killer idea.”

“You actually get laid? Wonders never cease.” Shaking her head, Jazz disappeared down a craft aisle.

He stared down at the box. It was a great idea, wasn’t it? Sure, it wasn’t a Lamborghini or something Simon’s newly posh ass would appreciate, but this was from their childhood. Or not even their childhood, but children before them.

And shit, look at that. A vintage Atari game console, pristine in the box. He snatched it up and looked around. He half expected some kid to come flying at him on a skateboard and steal it out of his grip. Kids on skateboards were about all that was missing from this place.

Fuck everyone else. The game system was for him.

“What do you have there?” Jazz wheeled a cart full of knitting crap in his direction. She’d been crafting up a storm. He wouldn’t be surprised if she bought a loom one day and set it up in the living room next to the perpetual diapering station.

“Stuff.” He turned away before she could criticize his latest acquisition. What he needed was his own cart. Or else he’d hide his packages under her piles of girly things.

“Is it dirty?” Jazz asked suspiciously. “Some kind of naked woman boxed calendar?”

“They have those here?”

She shook her head. “You’re hopeless. C’mon, there’s more at the front of the store, since you’re insistent on getting junk no one will use.”

“Excuse me, but this game will provide hours of entertainment.” He didn’t show her the Atari. He didn’t know if any of the other guys—or girls for that matter—would be interested, but frankly, it didn’t matter. If he ended up spending his Christmas Eve alone with a six pack and Space Invaders, well, there were worse things.

“Whatever you say. Super Slut is more on your wavelength than I am, that’s for sure.”

“That’s reformed Super Slut.”

“Yes, yes, I know, he’s found monogamy and the heavens rejoiced.” Jazz grinned and barreled up the aisle, causing shoppers to part like the veritable Red Sea. “You could get Harper kitchen stuff. Nothing too high grade, because she’s fussy, but she likes the gadgets too. The cheap gadgets,” she added, sensing his attention had already begun to wander.

“So I’m frugal. Is that a crime?”

“No, but it’s Christmas. Spreading love and cash is the American way. C’mon, I see juicers.”

Dutifully, he followed Jazz to the kitchen section. He’d requested her assistance, so he’d let her do her thing.

By the time they’d done a lap through the mall, he had enough crap to fill a warehouse. Some of his gifts were downright epic. Jazz didn’t seem to think so, but he had to assume that was because she didn’t want him to show her up at tonight’s gift giving deal. She probably hadn’t gotten anything half as cool as some of the stuff he’d snagged.

He only had one person left.

Outside the jewelry store, he stopped. There was a mannequin draped in a scarf and a long black pearl necklace. It looped down her back several times and seemed to glow under the lights. Damn, that would look incredible on Lila. Against her creamy skin, the dark pearls would gleam. And it was long enough to loop around her wrists…

Nick detoured into the store without warning Jazz, who scampered behind him. “Now this is a different sort of store for you. No magnetic chess sets in here—oh. Oh.” Jazz pressed as close to the counter as she could, though she was laden down with a few of his bags. He’d insisted he could carry them all, but she’d grabbed a couple and taken off. “Look at that gorgeousness.”

While she was distracted with sparkles, he eased one of the bags out of her hand. “Whatcha looking at?”

“Diamonds. What else?”

“Me, I’m looking at pearls.”

And already imagining what Lila would look like in that necklace.
Only
that necklace.

Nick nodded at the nearest sales associate, who was eyeing the pair of them as if they were planning a holiday heist. The dude was about to get the surprise of his life. “Hello, sir. We’d like some help.”

“Yeah, I need me some bling.” Jazz popped up on her Converse sneakers to peer at the far end of the case. “Like that banging bracelet. Can you see me in that?”

“Miss, that item is one of our most expensive.” If the sales associate had looked down any further at Jazz, his chin would’ve been on the floor.

“Pretty sure she can pay, since her bank account has more zeroes than you have diamonds in this place.” Nick kept his smile in place, but only because he really wanted that necklace.

Imagining Lila in pearls—and only pearls—was enough of a fantasy to last him for a lifetime. Now he needed to make it a reality.

“Is that so?”

“It’s so.” Jazz gave Nick the side eye and tugged out her wallet. “Not sure what my friend wants, but it’s Christmastime and mama wants some frost. I’m about to buy a really inappropriate gift in the interest of self-love. Talk me off the ledge.”

“Get it. Don’t they have squeezing out the kid gifts or something?” Nick looped an arm around her shoulders as the sales associate alternated between looking shocked at Nick’s commentary and eager that Jazz might be able to pony up some moolah.

“That’s not talking me off the ledge. I need to buy diapers. We just bought a house.”

“A house with how many bedrooms?” Nick asked, making sure the guy was listening.

Jazz blushed faintly. “Eight.”

“Miss, your…companion is right. Treating yourself is a woman’s prerogative.” The sales dude nearly tripped over his mouth-sized feet in his hurry to kiss Jazz’s ass. “You certainly deserve it.”

“She does, and not because you say so. Do you listen to music,” Nick dropped his gaze to the associate’s discreet name tag, “Steve? If so, then perhaps you’ve heard of a local rock band named Oblivion?”

Steve straightened his bowtie. “I’m afraid rock isn’t my genre of choice.”

“Of course not. But perhaps sometime you could stop by our house in the hills to check out our gold records.” His smile never faltered as Jazz jerked her elbow into his ribs. “Anyway, she’d like the bracelet, and I’d like that pearl necklace. The long, black one.”

“I’m not sure,” Jazz mumbled, gnawing on her lower lip. “It’s really expensive.”

“Should I call Gray right now and ask what he thinks?”

“He’d say to buy it if I really want it, impractical or not. He’s a softie.”

“He loves you.”

“Yeah.” Her cheeks glowed as she ducked her head and smiled.

Nick cleared his throat at the tightness in his chest. Not because she was clearly so in love with her husband, but because he wondered—not for the first time—what that was like.

He was beginning to think he already knew. Or at least he was on his way to knowing, and God, that scared him to death.

“It’s actually on sale right now, just until the close of business.” The associate named a price that would’ve made Nick’s jaw drop if he hadn’t had his eye on a necklace that cost even more.

The thing was
long
, which meant a lot of pearls. Lila tended toward a more classic single strand style, but Nick already had more inventive ideas of what to do with this particular item.

Dual purpose for the win.

“Just get it,” he said to Jazz, since she was wavering so hard that she was practically bouncing on her sneakers. “You can wear it on New Year’s Eve,” he added, remembering that he’d somehow gotten talked into babysitting so that Gray and Jazz could go out.

He still couldn’t believe they were entrusting their practically newborn child to him, but apparently, he exuded an air of capability with the kid. Or else they couldn’t get anyone else to watch the baby on relatively short notice on New Year’s.

Much more likely.

“Yes, I could. That’d be perfect. It’ll go so well with my dress. Gray’s eyes are gonna pop out.” She grinned and released her death grip on her wallet long enough to pry out her credit card. “Oh, what the hell. Go ahead and charge it.”

Shockingly, the sales guy was now all smiles. “Excellent. Will that be on your platinum card?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, it will.” Jazz handed over her newly minted card with a triumphant smile. She’d been over the moon to qualify for such a fancy card, and she’d danced through their apartment with the mail for half an hour.

Then she’d promptly gone to buy a bunch of odds and ends at the discount store.

Once a poor kid, always a poor kid on the inside. Nick understood that well.

“Wonderful.” The sales dude took her card and went off to complete the transaction.

Jazz signed for the bracelet with a flourish, then decided to wear it out of the store. “Do they really have a gift thing for pushing out a kid?” She traced her finger over the three diamond chips and gold interlocking circles on top of the bracelet. “If so, I definitely deserve something, because wow, my boy has a fat head. He’s beautiful and perfect, but oh my God,
ow
.”

Nick cringed and squeezed his legs together. Even knowing he would never have to contend with such indignities himself, the idea was enough to make him want to buy industrial strength condoms.

From the expression on the salesclerk’s face, he wasn’t faring much better.

“Well, yes, then you definitely merited such a lovely purchase. I hope you enjoy it. And um, congratulations on your baby.” The salesman cleared his throat. “Sir, you mentioned pearls? We have a lovely selection.”

Nick smirked. He was used to Jazz’s form of bald honesty. This guy was not.

“Yes, I know which one I want.” Nick walked to the mannequin and tapped her shoulder. “This one, please.”

“A wonderful choice. This, however, is not on sale.”

“I don’t care.” Nick set his mouth in a hard line. “I want it.”

“You have a discerning eye. I must applaud your taste.” The sales dude discreetly flipped over the tiny tag so that Nick could see the price.

That he didn’t stagger back and fall to his knees was a miracle.

He almost asked why he couldn’t get the same price as Jazz’s impromptu purchase. That had been outrageous enough.

This was pure insanity.

“These are baroque Tahitian pearls, so rare that only a few strands of them exist in the world. Certainly you won’t find another strand of this length, which is perfect if your wife enjoys a more layered style.”

“Uh, no, she’s not my wife. Not. Nope, no way.” Nick ran his fingertip along his collar. “She’s actually another guy’s wife. Technically. They’re almost divorced, I guess.”

The salesman brushed a shaky hand over his combover. “Well, then, your…err, friend would appreciate a piece with such versatility.”

“I’m sure she would, but holy shit.” Nick slid a sidelong glance at Jazz, who was still drooling over her bracelet. “Hey, wanna spot me that platinum card? Might as well break it in properly.”

Jazz narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been spending your own money just fine.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t bring enough to cover—” He swallowed and avoided glancing at the price tag. If he didn’t, maybe he wouldn’t throw up. “I only have one credit card, and I don’t carry it with me. Christ, you know I’m good for it. Just dig out my stash under my mattress when we get back to our place. Be careful with the dirty magazines.”

He was totally lying to get the sales dude going. From the way the guy coughed, he’d fallen for the bait. Either Nick’s dirty magazines or their unusual living arrangement had thoroughly blown his mind.

Probably both.

“Fine, fine. I know you’re a complete miser. You gotta have it. How much is—” Jazz leaned forward to glance at the tag and let out a squeal. “Oh my God, that’s fucking nuts. You’ve gotta love her.”

“Shh.” Nick shifted his bags to the other hand and grabbed Jazz’s wrist. “Keep your voice down.”

Jazz bit her lip. “Sorry. But that’s seriously some cash. It’s gorgeous though.” She trailed a fingertip over the pearls. “She’ll adore it.”

“Well, then. Isn’t this a coincidence.” That cool, sexy voice combined with the click of heels on the tiled floor made Nick pivot—and unintentionally dig his fingers into Jazz’s wrist.

Lila. Naturally they had to run into her then, of all times. And she was staring at his hand circling Jazz’s wrist.