Page 22 of Waves of Reckoning (Echoes of Camano Island #1)

Chapter Twenty-One

N ikki woke up feeling more relaxed than she had in days. She pulled herself up until her back rested against the plush but firmly upholstered headboard. Her mind flashed to the conversation she’d had with Amy a few hours ago, and a broad smile lit up her face.

Whatever barrier had remained between them was now completely broken or almost—she had felt it.

Amy had willingly confided her fears to her, and Nikki was certain that she had heard her when she promised she’d never leave her no matter what.

The smile that had broken out on the young woman’s face and the way the conversation turned out gave Nikki assurance.

"Trish, I wish you could see what a remarkable young woman your daughter is," she spoke wistfully before throwing off the thin cotton sheets. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood to her feet. After a few languid stretches, she headed for the bathroom for a well-desired shower.

"Mmm. It smells great in here," Nikki praised as the aroma of cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and other spices from the freshly baked pastry infiltrated her nostrils as she stepped into the kitchen.

The rich aroma of the dark roast and the smell of bacon also wafted to her nose and caused her mouth to salivate as her tummy rumbled with need.

Amy looked up from loosening the muffins from the sides of the pan with a smile that rivaled the sun. “I thought, since I’m about to go to culinary school, why not get in as much practice as I can, and what better way to do that than to feed my favorite aunt all of my special recipes?”

“I’m your only aunt.” Nikki chuckled, walking farther into the kitchen and taking in the spread before her. “If this is what I should look forward to regularly, pretty soon, I won’t be able to make it downstairs.”

“Oh, this isn’t all for you. I thought we could offer the guests at the inn the muffins and cinnamon rolls for feedback,” Amy explained.

Nikki’s head tipped forward in thought. “That’s a great idea. Having a wider test audience would be good,” she agreed. “Not before I’ve had my own taste testing, though,” she added, pulling out one of the stools and sitting at the island.

When Amy finished packaging the pastries for the Nestled Inn, the two sat and ate.

Nikki couldn’t stop gushing. Everything she ate was quite delectable.

She liked the way the muffin tasted—not too sweet and just the right amount of blueberries and nuts—and it melted against her tongue like butter after a few chews.

“There is no doubt about it. You’ve outdone yourself this time. If you decided to open that shop right now, you would always be guaranteed a customer,” Nikki praised, taking another bite from the muffin.

“Thanks. I really appreciate that,” Amy returned, her face breaking out in a smile.

Just then, Nikki felt something soft and furry rub against her leg. She looked down to see Tabby’s glassy, yellow eyes staring back at her.

Meow.

“I’m guessing you want something to fill your tummy too, don’t you?” Nikki smiled, reaching down to scratch behind her ear. The cat purred in pleasure.

Pushing away from the island, she went into the bottom cupboard drawer and came out with two stainless steel bowls. Tabby wrapped her lithe frame around Nikki’s ankle as her calls became more frantic.

Nikki placed a good serving of cat food in one bowl before pouring water in the other and setting them down for Tabby. The cat eagerly dashed to the dish and began eating.

“You’ve really grown attached to that cat,” Amy noted as she stood moving dirty dishes to the sink.

“That would suck because I have to take her back to the shelter so that they can find her a home,” Nikki replied, straightening up.

“Oh,” Amy replied, surprised. “I thought you were already planning to keep her.”

“I would love to, but I’m not sure I can. Not right now.”

Amy nodded in understanding.

“I should take her back to the Humane Society. I also have something to discuss with Reed…” Nikki’s brows furrowed in thought before her eyes brightened with an idea.

“Why don’t you come with me? They’re putting on an event to support and show appreciation for your mother.

I need to meet with her friend Reed, and I could use your input on things. ”

“Okay. I would love to,” her niece readily agreed.

After cleaning the kitchen and dropping the muffins and cinnamon rolls off at the inn, Nikki drove them to the Humane Society.

“Nikki, I’m so glad you came. We have a few more things to finalize for the fundraising,” Reed greeted her with a smile.

“Hi, Reed,” she greeted back, taking the hand he offered in a warm handshake.

“I had a few things that I wanted to discuss with you too,” she said as they separated.

She noticed his eyes zeroed in on something behind her, and his brows furrowed as his lips parted in what could only be described as shock.

“Oh. This is Amy, Trish’s daughter,” she said, stepping aside to give him a better look at her.

“Hi.” Amy waved shyly.

“Hi. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Reed said, holding out his hand for her to take. “Your mother would be over the moon if she could see you now.” A dark shadow passed over his face before he pasted on a smile.

Amy gave him a partial smile as she released his hand.

“I discussed it with the other committee members, and we all agreed that it would be a good idea if this event becomes a yearly fundraiser in honor of Trish, and the funds would go to someone who had an accident and isn’t able to take care of their medical expenses.”

“That’s a great idea, Reed. Trish will love it,” Nikki said appreciatively.

Reed smiled in agreement before launching into the other fundraising details.

Amy, who had been walking the grounds, came up to them. “I’m gonna go in a bit. I promised Sarah that I’d meet her and Aaron for lunch at Lot 28,” she excused herself.

“Do you want me to take you?” Nikki asked with concern.

“No, it's fine. They’re picking me up on their way over there,” Amy reassured her.

“Okay,” Nikki responded, relieved.Just then, the honking of a car horn caught their attention.

“Gotta go. Bye.”

“She is really a lovely young woman,” Reed complimented, bringing Nikki’s attention away from her niece's retreating back.

“That she is.” Nikki smiled proudly. “About the cat…” she said, launching into another topic of discussion.

“Oh yes. We have room for her now. You can bring her back when you’re ready.”

“I was actually thinking about keeping her. She’s grown on me,” Nikki revealed.

“Even better,” he replied, pleased. “Let’s get you some pet ownership forms to sign, and you can pick out a name tag for…”

“Tabby.”

“For Tabby.”

And just like that, Nikki was a cat owner.

* * *

Ding!

Nikki put down the book she had been reading, stood to her feet, and walked out of the living room. She managed to open the door after the second ring. Her heart rate quickened and her face automatically broke into a smile at the sight of Paul standing before her.

“Hi,” she greeted, her voice coming out a little breathier than she’d intended.

“Hi,” Paul returned, reaching over to envelop her in a hug. His musky cedarwood and allspice scent penetrated her senses. She caught herself before she snuggled closer to him and moved out of the embrace with a smile.

“I came by to check on the restaurant and thought I’d check on you too.”

Nikki moved back, allowing him to enter, then closed the door and walked him to the living room.

She excused herself to get them a cool drink of lemonade.

After handing Paul a glass, she settled into the couch opposite the one he sat in.

She watched as he put the glass to his lips and tipped his head backward as he took a long drink of the cold beverage.

His Adam’s apple bobbed with every gulp.

“I saw Sarah and Amy by Lot 28 having lunch on my way over here.”

“How did she look?” Nikki asked, leaning forward in her seat.

“They were laughing about something when I was leaving,” he responded. “Amy looks happy…comfortable. Sarah really likes her. She said that if she had a little sister, she would like her to be like Amy.”

Nikki smiled broadly. “I’m really happy to hear that. She needs some positive influence in her life,” she commented before her shoulders drooped and her brows furrowed in regret. “We weren’t there for her when she needed us, and she had to grow up the way she did.” Her eyes clouded over.

“After all of that, she deserves some good in her life. She needs some good role models to help her heal from what her adoptive parents put her through…what that lowlife did to her.” Her hands tightened on the armrests, causing her knuckles to go white at the vision of Jake holding her niece roughly with his other hand raised and ready to strike.

She wished she had been able to do more to keep him away from Amy.

“I hope he stays in jail for a long time. He could rot for all I care,” she spoke with much venom.

Paul’s pursed lips and the look in his eyes made her uneasy. “What’s wrong?”

“Jake is out on bail. His mother came to bail him out and left town with him as soon as he was released,” he spoke regretfully.

Her heart hit the bottom of her chest. “What?” She stared at Paul with dread.

“I’m sorry, Nikki. There’s nothing we can do about it until th—”

“No,” she almost screamed as she launched herself out of the chair and began pacing the space before her.

“I can’t accept that there’s nothing that can be done.

I need to go see his mother and speak to her woman to woman…

let her know she needs to keep that evil spawn away from Amy,” she spoke frantically.

“Nikki.” Paul sighed as he rested the glass on top of the coffee table. “I don't think that’s such a good idea. The woman may prove to be just as vindictive as her son. You showing up there might only aggravate the situation and make matters worse,” he cautioned.

Nikki stopped pacing to link her gaze with his. “I have to do something, Paul. I have to protect Amy…maybe…maybe if I go there and appeal to her motherly instincts, she’ll understand tha—”

“Nikki, you're not a mother remember. You going there and doing that has the potential of having the exact opposite effect than what you intended,” Paul spoke out in frustration.

Nikki froze at his words. You’re not a mother.

“You couldn’t give me what I needed more than anything, Nikki, so I had to get it from somewhere.

What did you expect? I wanted children even before we got married.

There is no way in hell I was gonna stick around knowing you can’t give me the one thing I want more than anything.

I tried. Believe me, I tried. But this isn’t enough anymore.

Roxanne is pregnant, and I need to be a father to my child and create a stable home environment for him.

I can’t do that and remain married to you. I want a divorce.”

Those words and the betrayal had cut Nikki so deep that when her ex Josh left to be with his mistress he’d secretly been in a relationship with for over three years, she had suffered a total mental breakdown.

If she hadn’t had Ava and her go-to bottle of Pinot Noir to occasionally sip or chug, she was certain she would have been admitted to the asylum.

She remembered how devastatingly inadequate she had felt knowing that the one thing Josh wanted and she wanted, her body wouldn’t cooperate to produce.

Her heart tightened as the pain from all those years came crashing down on her, the weight squeezing her chest and threatening to crush her.

“Hey. You okay?” Paul asked, waving his hand before her face.

“Of course, I’m okay. Tell you what, the minute I’m not okay, you’ll be the first to know,” Nikki said with an attitude, her head shaking vigorously with each word.

Paul reared back in surprise, his eyes widening.

“What’s wrong? Was it something I said?” Paul questioned with concern in his voice. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened wide as realization dawned on him.

“Nikki, I’m—I…I didn’t mean…that didn’t come out right.” The words came tumbling out of his mouth as he tried to apologize.

“Can you go? I’m not feeling well.” She turned her back to him.

“Nikki…”

“Please, Paul, just go,” she said forcefully, keeping her eyes fixed on the wall.

When he got up and headed for the door, she followed and slowly closed it on him as he stared at her regretfully.

Nikki broke down immediately after, the crushing pain in her chest causing her to collapse and sag against the wall.