“Whose side are you on anyway?”
“Yours.” Janine laid a hand on her shoulder. “Always yours. What Kevin did was wrong, but did you ever think he was suffering too?” she asked softly.
“Yes.” And Nikki had wanted to help him heal.
“You couldn’t have healed him. He had to come back on his own,” Janine said, reading her mind.
“With a little nudging from you?” The only person she had left had switched sides, leaving her to fend for herself. Nikki didn’t understand. The world had shifted beneath her feet and she hated the unsteady sensation that left her wondering what jarring thing would come next.
“He’d already come back, settled into a house he inherited,” Janine said.
He’d admitted as much, Nikki thought. “And?”
“And I asked him to meet me at the bar.”
“Why?”
“Because when I’m gone, you’re going to need someone to lean on.”
Nikki bristled at the implication that she couldn’t take care of herself. Coming from the person who’d seen her at her worst then seen her pull her life together after, the lack of faith hurt And then the rest of Janine’s words sunk in. “What do you mean, when you’re gone?”
“My baby needs more than me.” Janine placed her hand over her still-flat stomach, rubbing circles in a gesture that had become familiar to Nikki during the past few months. “Actually I need more than me, and no insult to you because I’m going to miss you like crazy, but I need my family.”
Nikki blinked at the sudden but not altogether unexpected admission. She’d seen the signs lately—the increased phone calls home, and Janine’s recollections of the farmhouse in Iowa where she’d grown up.
“Okay.” What else could she say that wouldn’t be selfish and one-sided? She loved Janine like a sister. Losing her would be like losing Tony all over again. But she understood and would respect her decision. She had no choice. “There’s always airplanes and holidays. I’m not going to let my niece or nephew grow up without knowing me.”
Janine smiled. “I’d come back to visit for the same reason. Meantime, I’m stranding you.”
Nikki shook her head. “You’d never do that. Look, I can’t afford the rent here, but there’s this other waitress who’s looking for a roommate, and I can afford that on what I make at the bar. See? I’ll be fine and you didn’t need to worry about me.
“I can’t believe you’re taking this so well.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t think I would. Look at me, Janine. I’ve grown up.”
“Yes, you have.” Her sister-in-law’s gaze traveled over her. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Better than last...” Nikki’s words trailed off. “How did you know I was sick?”
“Kevin called. I grabbed the phone before it could wake you.”
“Well, he shouldn’t have bothered. I’m fine now.”
“Are you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that there have been other signs that...”
A loud pounding at the door stopped whatever Janine had been about to say. “I’ll get it,” Janine said.
“Signs that what?” Nikki called after her.
“Never mind,” the other woman muttered. “You’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“Who is it?” she called, preventing Nikki from questioning her further.
“Kevin.”
Nikki’s stomach did another forward roll, just as it had last night in the bar. Janine opened the door.
Nikki met his gaze. Same black leather jacket, same razor stubble, same handsome features. The same man who turned her insides to mush with a glance. He strolled inside, whistling as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
Nikki wished her own emotions were as controlled and steady when he was around. She probably had nothing to worry about. Knowing Kevin, he’d have his say and disappear. In the meantime, she had Janine as a buffer.
Nikki forced a smile.
Janine gave him a brotherly hug. “Good to see you again, Kevin. Unfortunately I was on my way out.”
Nikki narrowed her gaze. Janine picked up her purse that was hanging over a chair, grabbed her keys from the counter, and avoided Nikki’s gaze as she made her way to the door. Her sister-in-law had awakened her, dropped her bomb, and left her alone with Kevin. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she’d been set up again.
The door slammed shut and Kevin turned toward her. For the first time, she noticed the brown bag in his hand.
She ran a hand down her tangled mass of hair. She didn’t relish him seeing her looking like last night’s garbage.