Chapters 1-3

Chapter 1

Nicole watched as a red-tailed hawk glided across the cloudless blue sky. She veered her car right as it took a sharp turn left. A long wistful sigh escaped from her soul. One day she would glide aimlessly, letting the wind guide her course in whatever direction it sought to send her but today wasn't that day. Too many tasks filled her few moments and she needed to get over to Mike Smitty's sports bar before 4 pm or she would be late for her dinner date.

Smitty's sports bar “Buckshot” was a hole-in-the-wall that peddled sports, beer and venison when in season. Nicole parked her sedan in one of the unmarked parking spaces in front of the bar. She quickly checked her image in the rear view mirror. There was nothing worse than lipstick caught in places it shouldn't be unless smeared there by another pair of lips. Wearing a black short skirt and white silk blouse, Nicole felt slightly overdressed as she entered the t-shirt and jeans establishment. She saddled up at the bar without any outward show of discomfort.

An attractive man sporting a goatee and wearing a sports-labeled baseball cap, stood behind the bar talking to two men who were pouring beer down their throats without so much as a gulp. Nicole could hear Smitty's voice coming from the room behind the bar. Either he was on the phone or carrying on a one-sided conversation with someone who was totally wordless. The man behind the bar didn't offer her a drink. She had no plans to consume anything, but felt a bit slighted that he hadn't even noticed her entrance. The bar was almost empty. Since Smitty was busy, she had no choice but to wait patiently for him to appear and to eavesdrop as the men bantered.

“I am pure-blooded Sioux from the Black Hills. My Sioux name means 'Whirling Horse,' but my sister nicknamed me 'Bear' when I was a teenager and she was a small girl,” said the bear-sized Indian man sitting beside a thin white man, whose hair had receded so far it would take decades to return. The Indian's hair was a black-blue color that rippled down his back like a dark river. His size was so immense he dwarfed everything around him, including the mug of beer that he held in his hand.

The man behind the bar said, “Awesome, Bear! That name really fits you. Have you thought of reclaiming the Black Hills?” Before Bear could answer, Smitty spoke from behind. “Bear and I are working on it. I'm an unofficial member of Whirling Horse's tribe. My membership is pending as we speak.”

Bear nodded, “His Sioux name means Spotted Eagle.” Smitty illustrated his Indian name by pretending to spread his wings and fly.

The guy wearing the baseball cap began to laugh heartily, “Spotted Eagle? Nope, that doesn't fit. Let's see...” He quietly rubbed his goatee for a moment, eyes twinkling with mischief. The others waited with an expectant silence. Nicole watched the exchange with barely concealed amusement. Male bonding was so very priceless!

“I've got it,” he said. “Spread Eagle. That should be your Sioux name.”

Smitty protested, “Watch it, dude. Don't push me into scalping you.”

Bear frowned, “You should not disrespect Spotted Eagle's name. It holds much honor.”

“Don't sweat it, Bear. Dee is just jealous. He lusts for an Indian name but is too shy to ask.”
Bear smiled, “I can remedy that.” He pointed two fingers at the guy Smitty called Dee and said in a solemn ceremonial voice, “Your Sioux name is pronounced as 'Baa-toose,' which means Bend Over.”

Smitty and the thin white man who had sat quietly through the exchange burst into laughter. Bear grinned widely before joining in. Dee's face held no amusement at the name the giant Indian chose for him. He pointed at Bear. “Very funny, Blowing Horse! Very funny.”

Hearing Bear's changed Indian name caused Smitty to almost roll over the top of the counter of the bar. Tears streamed down his face. Bear tried to smother a smile but gave into laughter as well. The thin white man put his head on the counter and laughed so hard it sounded as if he were crying. Nicole watched with tolerant humor at the sexual innuendos of the situation. Men and their jokes! After their laughter quieten down to a few giggles, she cleared her throat and said to the thin man, “Your Indian name must be Horse.”

All eyes turned in her direction. It took a moment for the impact of what she had just said to hit them. When it did, they laughed until they couldn't breathe. The handsome man with the baseball cap turned a pair of sparkling sapphire eyes on her and said, “Now that was funny.”

Smitty wiped his eyes with a napkin and said, “Hey Nicole. Didn't see you sitting there. Douglas, do you remember Nicole? She was in our class in high school. Nicole Johnson, the smart girl.” Sapphire eyes held her gray ones as the man stared hard at her. She suddenly had an image of a cute lanky boy with lots of hair sitting across from her in geometry. This good-looking man was once that cute lanky boy?

Without thinking she said, “Wow Douglas Daniels, you're still handsome.” He said, “Thanks, Nicole. I've had some health issues that you wouldn't believe but I've managed to keep my good looks.” With a wide smile he added, “ I can see you've got your flirt on.”

Nicole's face flamed red. “Well...” the word hung there for a moment. Then she gathered her thoughts and retorted, “Have you seen Gordon lately? He's as large as a whale. How about Debby? Her hair is as white as her mother's. All I meant was that you look great for your age. After all we're in our forties and not everyone has aged so well.”

Smitty broke in. “Hey Douglas, remember how quiet Nicole used to be. She got some words a few Christmases ago and hasn't shut up since then.” He ducked at the balled-up napkin Nicole threw at him. “But seriously, she's pretty fine now. Finally lost those large owl glasses she wore for years. Nicole's doing great at her father's floral business. You should go over there one day and check out some of the pretty arrangements, Dude. I bet she would give you a huge discount on volume orders. A man has to keep all his women happy, right?”

A balled-up napkin hit Smitty square in the nose. Douglas said, “My women don't complain. As for Nicole, she's very attractive now even if she's wearing librarian glasses.” To Nicole he said, “You forgot to mention Smitty and how a hair grays for every beer he drinks.”

She refused to be drawn in by the banter and glanced at her watch. Noting the time she said, “Smitty, I've got an appointment in a few hours and need to get going. You told me I could stop by and get some free game tokens for my nephew's birthday party next weekend.”

“Yep. Here they are. In this envelope. Have his mom to call ahead the day before the party to remind me and I'll close off the game room just for them.” He handed her a large envelope that almost burst at the seams. She said, “I owe you! Thanks Smitty. I will probably be the one calling.” To Douglas, she nodded and said, “Good seeing you. Take care of yourself.” She nodded at the other two men as well and climbed off her bar stool.

Douglas said, “Wait, where are you going? I want to talk to you.” Nicole stopped and turned back to the bar. “I have to go. Like I said, it was good seeing you.”

“But I'm not finished talking to you. You're leaving now?” He laughed but she could see that he was serious. She wondered why he seemed so bent on a conversation. They hadn't seen each other in almost 15 years and that was very briefly at the last class reunion. On that occasion, they barely spoke to each other. Before she could comment, he said, “Meet me here tomorrow at 1 for lunch. We can talk then.”

“Okay,” she heard herself say. Then she turned towards the door, only to turn back suddenly and find that he was appraising the backside of her. She said with a slight smile on her lips, “Just so you know, I have my flirt set on mild.”

Chapter 2

Feeling restless, Nicole picked at the iceberg lettuce in the house salad. She preferred leafy green lettuce and mentally kicked herself for letting Dave make the salad choices. He had a way of asserting himself when he thought he knew what was best for her. Their dinner conversation was becoming as wilted as the lettuce in her salad bowl. He dominated the conversation with talk of his career goals and dreams, pausing only to take sips from his water glass. She felt as if she were drowning in the condensation glistening on the glass and he failed to notice, even as he drank deeply.

“So, I was thinking that if I hired two young guys to work during the week...” said Dave, “Nicole, where are you? You seem miles and miles away. Am I boring you? I'm talking about our future for Pete's sake. Can't you at least pretend to be interested?” He was irritated with her. Something that was occurring very often the past few months.

She sighed, “Sorry, hon. I've got a lot of my mind tonight. And we had this conversation last night, remember? Maybe we can talk about something fun and light hearted.”

He retorted with a snort, “Fun? Light hearted? Nicole when I have more money in my account and my investments begin to show profit then and only then will I be able to have fun and be light hearted. I don't understand you. I thought you would be as excited about my new ventures as I am.”

“Do you remember the first time we met? How I asked you to dance? You took my hand and pulled me on the dance floor and held me close. We danced and dance. I thought the floor would open up and make the world disappear. It was as if our feet were on fire and no one else was around. It felt so right, like we were meant to dance together forever,” said Nicole with a dreamy look on her face. She was mentally back in the place of their beginning, so comfortable and warm as well as exciting and dangerous.

David cleared his throat, breaking the magical spell that Nicole's soft feminine voice had woven. “I remember. But it's been a very long time. Now try to stay focused, Nicole.” He returned the topic to his vision of his future.

Nicole didn't know exactly when their relationship had begun to change. It was a subtle slip from being fun and carefree to a noose around her neck. At first, they both wanted the same thing—love and laughter, hot sex and the knowledge that the world was theirs on a silver platter. At least that's how it was until roughly a year ago when Dave became religious. Their once hot passion was now cooled down to a barely there kiss. If Nicole pushed for more, Dave would tell her that it was a sin to fornicate without being married. He had no immediate plans for marriage but expected Nicole to be patient while he mapped out their life on his terms alone. She had no interest in eventually living on a boathouse on the river, or pursing a real estate career or any of the other business ventures he planned to chase after. All Nicole wanted was someone to love, someone who could be her best-friend and her lover, because that was what life was about: loving someone and being happy together.

The savory aroma of their flame-broiled steaks reached their table before their loaded plates did. Dave spent a moment charming the young awkward waitress who quickly returned with extra yeast rolls, steaming hot from the oven. Nicole examined his animate face as he talked to the awestruck girl. His dark eyes caught the flame of the candle on their table, lending him a mysterious look. His aquiline nose was shadowed by a groomed mustache. David was wearing his blond hair much shorter now and if Nicole was honest with him, she would have to confess that it aged him much more than when it was longer and fell across his forehead in a devilish wave. When he laughed, he looked extremely good for his forty-eight years. As soon as the waitress wiggled away, his smile faded and he returned to his business chatter.

“I ran into an old classmate today,” Nicole said during one of Dave's mouth-stuffing pauses. She took advantage of his full mouth to briefly change the subject. “Well, actually two classmates. I dropped by Smitty's to get some game room tokens for Tyler's birthday party next weekend. One of his old friends was there. A guy we both went to school with. I haven't seen him in almost 15 years. Which reminds me...our class is due for a reunion.”

Dave wiped his mouth and said, “You aren't thinking of organizing one, are you? I don't see how you will find the time, Nicole. Your plate is always overflowing. There are too many projects you start and never finish.”

She hadn't thought about organizing a reunion. Nicole was just making small talk but a rebellious spark within her gave her the notion to try. If he had of used a different approach in discouraging her by encouraging her instead, she probably wouldn't have given a class reunion another thought. But now it was burned into her mind.

“Sure I can organize one. Most of my classmates are still around here and all I have to do is make a list of who's missing. See if anyone around here has their information. A piece of cake!” She happily bit into a piece of her steak, chewing rapidly she continued before he could change the conversation topic. “I bet Smitty can help. He knows a lot of people and has many contacts. I'll ask him tomorrow.”

Dave paused over his tender steak, fork and knife at ease in opposition of his tense facial expression. “You aren't spending the night, Nicole? I thought we would tackle some housework tomorrow after church. I've been too busy to do much this week and there's that meeting Wednesday evening with Dennis and the boys. The place needs to be spiffied up.”

She said heatedly, “David, you've got to work tomorrow after church. Have you forgotten? I told you a few weeks ago that I wasn't going to be the weekend wife anymore. Not until I get an engagement ring, which as you keep reminding me won't happen until you get a certain amount of money in the bank, which could take many years.”

“Nicole, you drive me crazy. That's not exactly what I said...” Dave began but she interrupted him by using the over-talk method he so mercilessly employed with her. “Dave, I'm not going to argue over this. No, I'm not staying tonight. After we finish dinner, I'm driving back home. I see no reason to spend my one free day doing your housework when I can do something more constructive. Sundays are usually my only day off.”

“Fine, Nicole. That's just fine. Are you finished eating? I'm done here.” He threw his napkin down and called for the dinner tab. A rare spark of rebellion and a bit of uncharacteristic anger made Nicole say, “No, I'm still eating. You'll have to wait a few minutes while I devour one of these delicious yeast rolls that the pretty waitress brought out especially for you and your charming self.” Dave said nothing as she ate slowly and with much enthusiasm.

The drive home was clouded with an air of distance that neither would admit to hating. A few times Nicole cleared her throat to speak but no words would come out. She didn't know how to remove the hostility between them. Every method she used in the past during times like this was always knocked down by Dave's sarcasm, hurt or anger. He failed to see the changes within himself and that Nicole hadn't changed at all like he thought she had. The differences in their relationship were all a result of how he viewed life now. Once they were on the same page, now Nicole wondered if they were even in the same book.

They sat quietly for a moment after he turned off the ignition to the car. Dave broke the silence. “Are you at least coming in for a while? I could use a neck massage. I feel tense and don't think I can sleep if I stay this way.” She looked at him, feeling a bit guilty and not understanding why. She heard herself say, “Sure but only for an hour.”

Chapter 3

Mr. Douglas Daniels was the first thought Nicole had when she woke up the next morning. She remembered his laughter and how it rang out over the other guys when they were laughing at their inappropriate Indian name jokes. She thought of his twinkling sapphire eyes and tried to imagine how they looked during their school years but she couldn't capture their image. Nicole quickly jumped out of bed and went to a closet in one of the extra bedrooms. She shuffled old boxes around until she found one that was marked “Senior Year 1981.” Within the tattered box was her Senior year book along with other mementos of her high school years.

She hadn't looked inside the “Senior Year 1981” box in over twenty years. What amazed her was that it has survived all the moves she made before returning back home to help her ailing father with his ailing florist business. Nicole never thought she would still be stuck in this small town some fifteen years later, but she was here for a reason; one that wasn't apparent to her.

A rumble in her tummy told her it was breakfast time. She put some coffee on to brew and made toast. It was still very early, only 8:30 am. Douglas had said to meet her at Smitty's at 1 pm for lunch. Nicole had plenty of time to go through the yearbook and make some notes on who had moved. But before she got started her phone rang.

“Hello,” she said, trying to butter her toast while she held the receiver to her face with her shoulder.

“I'm surprised you're up. It was late when you left here last night,” said Dave's lazy voice. He sounded as if he had just woken up. She replied, “I've been up for about thirty minutes. Making breakfast now.”

“I have to make my own this morning,” he said in a grumbling pouting voice. “You could have spent the night, Nicole. We would have had the morning together, at least.”

She pointed out, “Oh sure. You would have slept in to the last possible moment while I cooked your breakfast. Then you would have jumped up and rushed to get ready for church. Gulped down the food and left me to clean up behind you. I say I got a better deal by coming home.”
“Let's not fight. It's Sunday. The Lord's day,” he said in a righteous voice. She agreed. A silence fell between them. For once, Nicole didn't try to fill it. After a minute, Dave said, “I'm assuming you won't be here when I get home tonight.”

“No Dave. It's a good forty-five minute drive and remember I said I had things to do today. I'll talk to you later tonight, okay?”

“Fine, Nicole. Whatever.” He hung up without another word. She sat at the table, trying to quell the disappointment that seemed to be the aftermath of conversations with Dave. The phone rang again. Nicole's heart jumped, hoping it was Dave calling back to apologize for being angry or at least to wish her a good day.

“Hello,” she said, a little breathlessly. No one spoke for a moment. Then a very assertive business type voice said, “May I speak with Miss Nicole Johnson? This is Mr. Smith with the Internal Revenue Service.”

The IRS was calling her on a Sunday? Surprised and a bit cautious, she said, “This is Nicole Johnson.”

“Miss Johnson, I'm calling to ask you about some suspicious funding you provided for a tribe of Sioux Indians. You are suppose to report any contributions made to the IRS on your tax returns. You'll need to come to my office later today so we can resolve this matter.”

Immediately Nicole began to laugh, “Douglas Daniels. I know this is you.”

He laughed and dropped the deep voice. “But I fooled you for a while, didn't I? If I hadn't of dropped the Sioux line, you would have been running to find your tax returns.”

Laughing, she agreed. Then asked, “How did you get my number?”

“I called the florist yesterday after you left Smitty's and persuaded the girl who answered the phone...Linda, I think... to give me your home number. And your cell phone number too. She stopped at your bra size. But I'm guessing 36C,” he panned in a deadly serious voice.

“She's gonna be in deep trouble tomorrow! You must have really charmed her, because no one has ever been able to get any information about me from her. Maybe you should go work for the IRS,” said Nicole. She made a mental note to speak to Linda. Then added, “And my bra size is debatable.” Before he could run with that subject she asked, “So what have I done to have this honor? A call from Douglas Daniels and before noon at that!”

“Calling to remind you about our lunch date. We don't have to eat at Smitty's. In fact, I prefer we go grab some Chinese food. I'm craving noodles,” said Douglas.

“Noodles sound nice,” said Nicole, trying to think of which Chinese restaurant to dine at.

“Oh, noodles sound good to you? I like hearing that,” he said.

Nicole didn't remember Douglas being this flirtatious in high school. A warning appeared in the back of her mind. “Douglas, if you don't behave, I'll cancel lunch.”

He laughed, “You win. I want lunch. My oh my, didn't realize I was too much to handle in the morning.” Before she could shoot out a counter remark, he said, “Why don't we meet at the Chinese place a block down from Smitty's? I hear the egg rolls are very good.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Nicole. “I haven't dined there in ages. If we go at noon, we'll miss the after church rush.”

“Then noon it is. Don't forget to wear your kimono or I might not be able to pick you out of the crowd of wanton...or is that won ton church women?” He laughed at his joke. She joined in.

“You're too much, Douglas. I'll see you there at noon.”