Page 30 of Spicy Nick

I hurryto the closet and grab the gift bag that Kate had left for me. And then, since I still have some time, I pull on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Some conversations go better with clothes on. I’m thinking this might be one of them.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Scout’s taken the opportunity to cover up, as well. She’s wrapped herself in her white satin robe—the one that will probably always remind me of our wedding night. In that regard, it’s possibly the worst piece of clothing she could possibly have picked. Because I always want to strip her out of it as soon as possible. And now is no exception.

So, I take a seat and try hard to not think about everything that her robe is concealing. It shouldn’t be as difficult as it is. I mean, we were both entirely naked no more than five minutes ago. You’d think I’d have at least temporary immunity, wouldn’t you? But no.

Scout sits beside me and takes a deep, deep breath—and that does nothing to distract me from the robe. “Okay, this first one is the awkward one,” she says, nervously fidgeting with a manilla portfolio folder, the kind you typically get from a lawyer, or a bank.

Oh, jeez. What the hell have you done? I wonder. And I won’t deny that I feel a sense of relief when she tells me, “This one’s not actually for you.”

“Okay…”

“This is a gift from me to Kate,” she says as she hands me the folder. “I’d like it to come from both of us, but I understand if you’re not comfortable with that. But, either way…I really want to do this, Nick. And…I hope you’re okay with that.”

I nod, pretty sure I know what’s coming next. It has to be money, right? I open the folder and…wow. Jesus. So many zeros.

“It’s a college fund,” Scout explains, somewhat unnecessarily. “I set one up for Cole, as well. I want them to have choices. It doesn’t make sense for Kate to have to compromise and struggle these next few years. Not when the money was just sitting there, doing nothing.”

“Well, not exactly nothing,” I point out. “I assume it was earning interest.”

Scout makes a face. “Stop it. You know what I mean.”

“I do. And thank you. I’m sure it will mean a lot to her. And, to be honest, it means a lot to me, as well. I didn’t want to talk about it, either. But I was getting worried about what I could do, or how I could help her.”

“I know.”

“This takes a lot of that pressure away and…while I appreciate the offer, it was your idea.”And your money, I add silently. “And I don’t see why you shouldn’t get all the credit for it.”

“Team, remember? What’s mine is yours?”

“Okay, fine. I can’t argue with that, I suppose. If it makes you happy, we’ll tell her it’s from both of us. She’s gonna know the truth anyway.”

Scout’s chin juts stubbornly. “Thatisthe truth.”

I smile at her. “Whatever you say,” I reply, hoping for a smile in return. Instead, she takes a deep breath and hands me a square gift box. “Now, this oneisfor you,” she says. “But it’s symbolic. So, bear with me.”

I open the box and find…a large, blown glass Christmas ornament in the shape of a house. “It’s beautiful,” I say, then I take a closer look. “Is this…our house? This house?”

“Yes.” Scout shakes her head wearily. “It was a special order, and it tookforeverto get it back. I wasn’t sure I was going to have it in time for Christmas.”

“Huh. What do you know,” I say, shaking my head as well. “Lucy was right, after all.”

“What?”

“My cousin. She insisted that the reason you went to LA was to pick up a Christmas present for me. She also thought that was why you were so late getting back. She said it had to be an issue with your gift being held up. And, I guess she was right about that, as well.”

“Oh. Well. No, not entirely. That wasn’t the biggest issue.”

“It wasn’t? What was, then?”

“The closing on the damn condo! That’s what kept getting delayed—that’s what the real hold up was. I couldn’t fundanythinguntil the money was in my account. I’ve been so fucking annoyed by all the holdups.” She pauses, frowning at me in confusion, then says. “What? Why are you looking like that?”

“Closing? Condo? What are you talking about?”

“Oh.” Scout’s expression goes blank for an instant, and then she looks guilty, then frustrated, then annoyed. “See? I told you. This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. Can you imagine if we’d done this in a room full of people?”

“Okay,” I say for…Christ, what is it now? Probably the thirtieth time in under ten minutes? I really need to expand my vocabulary.

“Yes, okay? I sold the condo. It was my decision. I also closed my studio in LA because I wanted to. It was time to consolidate. I want to stop traveling back and forth so much. I want to expand my studio here, and have everything in one place, and for once to stop feeling like I have a foot in two different boats.”

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