How Nick and Holly Wrecked...Saved Christmas (9 page)

“It’s not that bad, Holly. We want you to be safe.” Jake looks around and motions toward the road. “Let’s try it out.”

“It’s snowing, Jake. You said—”

“I know what I said, but it’s not sticking on the road yet. Consider this getting used to it.”

I put it in gear and hit the gas.

“Take it easy,” Jake says and laughs. “What is it with the women in this family? You all drive like there’s a fire to get to.”

I turn onto the deserted highway and head for the intersection at the bottom of the hill. Snowflakes swirl in the headlights and race into the windshield with a slow melting splat. I search for the wiper switch.

“Take your time,” Jake says. “You’ll figure out where everything is.”

I concentrate and try to forget how weird it is that my mother’s boyfriend is in the car with me. My mother taught me to drive. There was screaming involved, and I’m sure she’d be screaming now as I can’t clear the glass fast enough.

Jake doesn’t even flinch when I brake too hard.

Most importantly, I am in a car. My car. And probably the coolest car on the mountain.

“It has a full tank, but you need to watch it. This isn’t exactly fuel efficient and it takes premium gas to run smoothly. You’re gonna have to pick up more babysitting to keep this thing on the road.”

I make a turn and drive past Pastor Allen’s small church. Right about now I’m dying to know if my mom’s grilling Nick about what we’ve been up to.

“I need to ask you something, Holly.”

I glance at Jake. “Uh... OK.”

“Don’t look like that,” he says and laughs. “Keep your eye on the road.”

I knew something was going on.

“It’s about your mom. I think you know how I feel about her.”

I squeeze the steering wheel. What am I supposed to say here? I don’t know anything except that he’s taken over our TV and my mom is smiling more than usual.
My mom is smiling more than usual...

“Anyway,” he says, and sounds like he’s choking. “I want to ask her to marry me tomorrow. I mean not to get married tomorrow. I want to ask her tomorrow if she’ll marry me. Like at another time. In the future. But not too far in the future...” He scrubs his hands across his jeans and mumbles something under his breath. He grabs the door handle like he wants to jump out. That could be my driving, but I don’t think so.

I stare straight ahead. There’s a lump in my throat the size of one of Granny’s precious gems.

I’ve never been asked this question before, and clearly, Jake has never asked it. What happened to the confident and helpful guy who gave me lunch money and took me to school for a week? Or the guy who sat in the front row and filmed my disastrous holiday show and then kept my mother calm as I bled all over the stage?

“Relax, Jake. How are you ever going to get through a proposal?”

He lets out a nervous bark of laughter. “So you think it’s all right? That I ask? Because this involves you too, Holly. This is a big step for all of us, and I don’t want you to feel left out.”

“Honestly Jake, no one’s ever asked me something like this and I don’t know what to say.” I look in the rearview mirror and prepare to turn left into the complex. “I want my mom to be happy and she seems to be happy when you’re around.”

I grab the first open space I see and attempt to pull in straight. I put the car in park and Jake and I sit and listen to the deep powerful rumble of my car.
My car.

He hesitates with his hand on the door. “I love her, Holly. I hope she’s happy because she makes me happy. I want to be there for her. And you. I wanted you to know that.”

No one’s ever said
that
to me before, either. I am surprised by the bubble of emotion that explodes in my chest.

I long ago gave up my “daddy” fantasies. Mine left. He never came back. I didn’t do the father-daughter picnic in Girl Scouts, and I didn’t attend the father-daughter dance at the rec center. I act like it’s no big deal when Amanda’s dad treats me like his fourth child and pulls us under each arm at the lake and drags us to the edge of the dock and pushes us in the water. We come up laughing and out of breath and I always tell myself I don’t miss the daddy stuff.

But I do. I did.

“I know you’re leaving for school next year,” he says as I struggle to not cry. “I’m not trying to intrude on your life—”

“It’s OK, Jake. Thanks for telling me. And thanks for working on the car. It’s... It’s amazing.”

“I enjoyed it. I better get back before your mom starts looking for me.”

Nick comes around the complex and skids to a stop in front of the car.

“Guess we should have told him we took a ride and came back to the front of the building,” Jake says. “How many laps do you think he’s made around this place looking for us?”

I laugh when I think of Nick hopping shrubs in the dark.

“Cherry,” Nick says as Jake gets out and he hops in.

“No doubt,” Jake answers. “I’ll see you upstairs.”

“Thanks Jake,” I call after him.

Nick rubs his hands across the dash with great reverence. “Aw man, I wish it was a 4-speed.”

“Not me,” I say

“Did you check out what’s under the hood?”

Truthfully? Not that interested in what the engine looks like—as long as it runs. “Not yet. Maybe tomorrow in the daylight. Come to think of it, I don’t know how to pop the hood.”

“There’s a latch under the front bumper.”

“Good to know,” I say and smile.

“This is so sweet. Listen to that engine.”

“I know. That low roar is my favorite part of this car.”

Nick pauses to touch my face and brush a piece of hair off my cheek. “Then what’s wrong? You look worried or something.”

“Is it my face again? I can’t hide anything. My face gives everything away. I’ve got to do something about this!”

Nick laughs. “No, you don’t.”

I turn off the car. “Jake wants to marry my mom,” I say and gnaw on my bottom lip. “He’s going to ask her tomorrow. He wanted me to know.”

“Wow. He seems like a nice guy. Are you OK with it?”

“Yeah... I don’t know. My mom and I fight a lot, but I want her to be happy. Jake seems to calm her down. Like last week, she screamed at me three days in a row about the dirty clothes on my floor. And I’m like, it’s my laundry. What does she care when I do it? And later, when they thought I was in the basement, Jake was like, she’ll figure it out when she runs out of clean clothes. And I didn’t hear any more about it for two days.”

Nick twists the knobs on the radio. “My dad’s been with his girlfriend for a while, but I don’t think it’s serious. Or I don’t think he’s serious. It would be a shock if they came home and told me something like this. At least with Jake and your mom it seems like they really care for each other. That’s something.”

“Maybe that’s everything,” I mumble as I gather my things. “Are you ready to get back? Your Aunt Ivy’s probably looking for you. This must be a hard night for her.”

I lock my door and head for the steps at the main entrance.

Nick scrambles to catch up with me. “Wait. I need to talk to you.”

“I’m sorry. I got distracted with Officer Pinkney and the car and Jake’s news.”

“Yeah, another crazy night, huh?”

Yes, but I’ve not forgotten for one second that Nick Zernigan was trying to say something to me two hours ago. What was it he was wondering?

I stop on the porch and gaze at Nick as a single snowflake melts on his eyelash.

“What’s up?”

“I’m going, Holly. I’m joining the Army. As soon as I talk to my dad I can take some tests and go for my physical. I’ll go as soon as I graduate if they’ll let me.”

“I knew it! Aw, Nick, are you sure? I know you feel that way tonight, but have you talked to anyone else? Have you prayed about this?”

“That’s the thing, Holly, I did everything you said. Pastor Allen was here earlier, before the service. I did talk to him. He prayed with me. He asked me to come by next week so we could talk and pray about it again. But I’m telling you, I’ve never been more sure.”

My own tiny issues seem unimportant when I think of Nick far from home, far from the mountain, far from me.

I jump into his embrace uninvited. I wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze. “I’ll pray for you every day,” I say in his ear. “I know God will protect you. I’ll pray for your dad, your mom, your Aunt Ivy... If this is truly God’s will for your life, it’ll work out.”

“That’s a lot of praying.”

He laughs and I step back.

“I appreciate your prayers, Holly, and your advice. I wanted you to know I made the decision because we talked about it and I haven’t told anyone else.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

Another snowflake drifts into his shiny dark hair. “I also wanted to say thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Nick. What for?”

But I know what this is. I go home tomorrow and he moves on. Christmas is over and this unexpected five days fades away.

“For this week,” he says. “I thought you hated me, but I’ve had a blast.

I try not to shiver. “I never hated you. I barely knew you.”

He shoves his hands in his pockets. “After that accident you were so upset. And that first day I saw you here I couldn’t believe it was you.
Right
here
. On this porch. You were so ticked.”

“Yeah. Not real proud of my behavior that day, but the truth is, I’ve had a blast too. I’m glad we talked and got to know each other. And you’re a great cat burglar. So thank you too, Nick. If I had to be dumped on a doorstep at Christmas, I’m glad it was here, and I’m glad it was with you.”

I rub my hands together for heat and plan my escape. I get it. The brush-off is complete and I can go. “So... I need to get upstairs. Merry Christmas, Nick.”

“Holly, wait.” He grabs my arm. “Where are you going? What’s wrong?”

I’m doing it again, I just know it. A tear has escaped. I feel it trickle down my cold cheek as my face betrays me again. “Nothing’s wrong. Or everything’s wrong. I don’t know. You’re confusing me. I thought this was your way of saying see you around or something.”

“Are you crying?”

“No! Maybe a little. Never mind. I understand.”

“C’mon, Holly, can you relax for one minute? What is it you think you understand? What kind of guy do you think I am?”

“I’m sorry. I’m not very good at... At whatever this is,” I say and manage a tiny laugh. “This night has been over-the-top emotional. Jesus is born, the cops come, I get a car, there’s a wedding to plan. A great guy I just got to know tells me he’s leaving to head straight into danger...”

Nick takes me in his arms with such force my breath escapes and I can’t get it back. I am happier than I care to admit in his tight embrace.

“I’ll be safe,” he says and strokes my hair. “Especially with all the praying you’ll be doing.”

I laugh against his chest. “I know God will protect you. And don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to know someone who wants to serve their country. But it’s scary.”

“Forget all that right now. I also wanted to know if you’ll come to my dad’s New Year’s Eve party with me. He’ll be back in town in a couple days. It’s a big deal for him.”

The dips and turns and highs and lows of this week would put any roller coaster to shame. I’m squeezing the bar again and waiting for the bottom to fall out from under me.

“I’d love to,” I say against his chest. “Sounds like fun.”

“And one more thing. Your face is fine the way it is.”

“What?” I look up at him, curious as to where this is going.

“Earlier. You said you wanted to change it because you can’t hide what you’re feeling. But your face is beautiful, Holly. Even when your eyes were black, even when your nose was swollen, and especially when you give everything away. Because it’s honest.”

Nick Zernigan is kissing me again. My chest aches from the cold and the warmth and the truth of Christmas and Nick’s peace and certainty and a million other things...

The roller coaster is clicking up another hill...
Whoosh!
It drops again and I am screaming and laughing in my head, breathless.

Christmas is saved.

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