Christine Scott - I Do? I Don't?

Jack gave a wry smile. Even Beaver Cleaver couldn’t have had a more perfect childhood. As an only child, he’d had the singular attention of doting parents. He’d never wanted for a thing, except perhaps a brother or two. The house had always been too quiet to suit his taste. But then again, with Niki living next door, life never was too tranquil.

Niki.

His smile faded as once again he was reminded of the task that lay ahead. He was waiting for Niki for a specific reason. To talk her out of a wedding.

He assured himself his decision to take matters into his own hands had nothing to do with his mother or her matchmaking tactics. Niki’s marrying Greg Lawton would be a catastrophic mistake. It wasn’t in his nature to allow any wrong to go unrighted.

He’d been watching out for Niki for the better part of twenty-three years. They might have spent the last few years in separate cities, but that hadn’t lessened his sense of obligation toward her. She needed a firm hand to guide her to a happy future.

He had that firm hand.

The purr of an approaching engine drew his attention. He watched as Niki pulled her car into the Adamses’ garage. He caught up with her as soon as she opened her door.

She turned, gasping. “You scared me half to death! What are you still doing here, Jack?”

Jack frowned. It wasn’t exactly the welcome he’d hoped for, but he wasn’t going to let her show of bad humor discourage him. “I wanted to talk to you.” He raised a questioning brow. “You got a minute?”

She bit her lip, looking uncertain. “Sure, come on inside.”

He hesitated, knowing Niki’s mother was bound to be underfoot. The conversation he intended to broach with Niki was of a private nature, one that promised to be difficult. He didn’t need an audience. “It’s too nice of an evening. What do you say we stay outside?”

She shrugged. “How about the gazebo?”

The gazebo had been a favorite meeting place of theirs when they were kids. Resting in a corner of Niki’s backyard, it was far enough away from the prying ears of overly protective parents, yet close enough for them to feel secure if the need arose for a little extra attention. Its white, Victorian-styled trim gave it a whimsical feel, making it a perfect playhouse.

Moonlight and a few strategically placed outdoor lights marked their way through the night-darkened yard. Jack followed her at a discreet distance, feeling unsettled by the fact that he was noticing the curving length of her legs and the saucy swing of her hips. He forced his thoughts to safer ground, remembering Niki as a kid.

His earliest memory of Niki was when he was five. It had been Christmas and the Adamses had brought home this crying, fidgeting little bundle. He’d peered at the baby everyone was cooing over and saw a bright, pink face and fluffy tufts of hair that were the color of a ripe pumpkin. One look at the kid and he knew she would be trouble. His parents had told him her name was Nicole, and that she was a very special Christmas present. Jack had liked the Adamses. He thought they’d deserved something better.

From that day onward their lives had become entwined. Niki was the little sister he’d never had. Now he couldn’t help but feel guilty, as though there were something illicit in the fact he was noticing her as a beautiful, sexy woman.

“How’s the new job?” she asked, drawing him out of his pensive mood.

“The job’s fine,” he said, wincing at the strained sound of his voice. “It’s keeping me busy.”

“So I’ve heard.”

He moaned. “Now, don’t you start lecturing me, too.”

For the first time that evening, she laughed as she settled herself in the white wicker love seat. He watched as she kicked off her pumps and tucked her long legs beneath her. She looked relaxed, comfortable and—yes, dammit—irresistible. “I wouldn’t think of it. I know better than to try to give advice to anyone. Besides, I’ve got enough to think about on my own.”

He resisted the urge to join her on the love seat. Instead, he leaned a shoulder against one of the ornately decorated poles, deciding it best to keep a safe distance between him and Niki. Roses vined upward over the trellised porch, teasing the air with their sweet scent. A gentle breeze felt soft and warm, as though fall were just a distant promise. For a moment he wished they were kids again. That they were young and carefree, without the encumbrances of adulthood.

But he wasn’t a kid. Neither was Niki, as he was shocked to learn. They had an adult-size problem to deal with and the sooner he brought it up, the better.

He cleared his throat. “Niki, the last thing I want to do is to be a wet blanket and give you a lecture…but I feel I’ve got to say this.” He took a deep breath, then blurted out, “What’s all this nonsense about you marrying Greg Lawton?”

“Nonsense?” The smile faded. A frown marred her beautiful face. “What do you mean, ‘nonsense’?”

“I mean, this whole idea—your marrying Greg—it’s crazy.”

“Crazy?” The single word echoed across the gazebo, like a warning shot fired across an open field. She stared at him. Even in the muted light of the moon, he saw the agitation sparkling in her green eyes. Her shoulders were tensed and ready for an argument. “Now look, Jack. Just because you don’t like Greg—”

“My personal feelings toward Greg Lawton have nothing to do with this,” he lied.

“Ha! You’ve never liked Greg. As a matter of fact, you’ve never liked any man I’ve ever dated.”

“That’s not true.” He searched his mind for someone, anyone to support his denial. “What about that guy who used to hang around here all the time during your senior year in high school? You know the one—tall kid, glasses, on the thin side?”

“Martin Skinner?” she asked, giving a disgusted look. “I never dated Martin. He was my lab partner in chemistry. He was tutoring me. If it wasn’t for him, I’d never have gotten through the class.”

“He seemed nice enough to me.” Jack shrugged. “So what was wrong with good ol’ Martin?”

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Nothing…that is, if you wanted to date a nerd.”

Which was probably why he’d trusted him so much, Jack acknowledged silently. No wonder it hadn’t bothered him to see the gangly kid hanging around the Adamses’ house. Martin Skinner couldn’t have hurt a flea, much less been a threat to Niki’s well-being.

Jack pushed the troubling thought from his mind. He had more important things to consider than the pros and cons of dating Martin Skinner…things like Niki’s future. “Niki, all I’m trying to say is that you should slow down, give yourself time to get to know Greg before you start considering something as important as marriage.”

“I do know Greg. I’ve known him almost as long as I’ve known you,” she stated, an edge to her deceptively calm voice. He had no doubt Niki’s temper was on a short fuse. “We’ve been dating for over six months.”

Six months? Jack felt stunned. Even to his own ears, six months sounded like a long time. Had he really let that much time pass without knowing what was happening in her life?

He ignored the tiny fists of guilt jabbing away at his conscience. “Okay, so you think you know Greg. But you’re still young. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. What’s your rush? Why tie yourself down to marriage?”

“You’re wrong, Jack. The one thing I do know is that life’s too short,” she said. Her smile was bittersweet. “My father’s death taught me that much.”

“Niki, I—”

He stared at her, uncertain what to say. He wanted to disagree with her. But in his heart, he knew she was right. Her father’s fatal heart attack at the age of fifty-eight had been a shock to everyone, including Jack.