Page 96 of Nicki's Fight

I grinned, then opened the box.

Inside was an oblong ceramic container with a variety of succulents. Two of them had wound around each other, one with tiny yellow spines all over it’s top, and the other with a bright red flower blooming on it.

A little card holder was angled so that it looked like the succulents were waving it, and it had the words “Better Together” on it.

It was adorable.

“I love it!” I exclaimed.

“You do? It’s not too—” he began.

I silenced him with a kiss.

“It’s perfect!” I announced. “I don’t have to worry about forgetting to water it, and it’s not going to die on me like cut flowers would. You are amazing….”

He grinned and ducked his head, a dark blush pinking his cheeks.

“I was hoping you’d like it…” he said.

“I do. Oh!” I exclaimed, suddenly remembering Vivian’s text. “Are you free for dinner? Vivian wanted me to invite you over.”

Kaine flashed that full-on smile of his.

“I’d love to!” he said.

The drive downtown went without incident. We seemed to be moving against the general flow of traffic, since everyone else was moving away from downtown at the end of the day.

I saw Kaine flashing me concerned glances out of the corner of his eye. I realized abruptly that I had chewed my nails down to the quick.Shit. I hadn’t bitten my nails for years! I wiped my hands on my jeans guiltily.

Parking wasn’t hard to find either, and before long we found ourselves inside an office building, standing outside doors that read “Alexander R. Young & Martin L. Zachary, Attorneys at Law”.

“You okay?” Kaine asked, after he parked the car.

I nodded jerkily.

“No.Really,” he insisted, taking my hands in his own.

I sighed.

“Really?” I asked. “No, I’m not, but this is something I need to do.”

Kaine glanced over at me, then reached his hand out to take mine.

“You can do this,” he reassured me. I looked into his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath. I nodded, then opened the door.

The inside of the attorney’s office wasn’t what I was expecting. Sure, there was lots of mahogany and brass, but it had a touch of home, too. Small needlepoint throw pillows sat on the settee, and handmade doilies circled a plant on the glass top coffee table.

A woman sat behind the reception desk, her hair a premature silver. She was thin, and definitely older, but not old enough to warrant all the grey in her hair.

She looked up as we entered.

“Hello! How can I—Nicki?” she asked, her one eyebrow quirked at me. I saw her face go a little pale as she paused, her voice dropping almost to a whisper as she said my name.

“Rhiannon?” I asked.

“Oh, my goodness!” she exclaimed. I reached my hand out to her on instinct, but instead of a handshake, she moved from behind the counter and threw her arms around me. “You poor boy!”

She hugged me tightly and I stood there, feeling more than a bit awkward in her embrace. I didn’t even know this woman. One of my hands was still caught in Kaine’s grasp, the other tentatively patted the woman’s shoulder. She seemed to sense my hesitation because she released me and backed away quickly.