Free Just One Night by Caridad Piñeiro Page B

avoid scrutiny.
    The rest of the meal
passed in relative silence as everyone ate.   Every now and then someone would ask Jase a question
about his assignment and she listened intently, trying to picture how the time
would pass.   What he'd be doing.   What she'd be doing.   How long it might be until they were together
again.
    “So you're not set to
ship out until next weekend?   You have
this whole week off?” Tommy asked Jase while gazing
at her directly.
    “I have the week off,
but there are some things I promised my parents I’d do this week,” he said and
forked up a big mouthful of pancakes.
    “ Jase and I have work to do on the new house,” his dad chimed in.
    “And we haven’t really
seen him all that much since we moved down to North Carolina,” his mom added
and looked at her son with love and pride.
    “Right,” Jase said around the mouthful of food, but squeezed her
thigh beneath the table as if to say, “I’m sorry.   I’d rather be with you.”
    But he couldn’t be with
her.   In that second, though, it came to
her what she had to do.
    It was something that
was illogical and so not like her.
    It would risk her heart
even more than she already had by giving him his one night.
    But it was the right
thing to do.
    She laced her fingers
with his and brought their joined hands to rest on the table in full view.
    Everyone’s attention
zoomed to that spot, including Jase’s , as she said,
“Would you mind very much if I went with you?   I’m off from school and even if I get the summer intern position, I
don’t have to start until next month.   So
I’m free to go and I’d like to spend some more time with Jase .”
    Her dad’s dark bushy
eyebrows shot up high, looking like two crow’s wings about to take flight on
his forehead.   Her mom brought a shaky
hand to her mouth and her eyes watered.   Tommy grinned from ear to ear, obviously pleased and let out a loud “ Oohrah .”
      Jase’s parents were
obviously surprised, but smiling in approval.
    “Are you serious,
Nicole?   Do you know what that means?”
her father asked, but his voice lacked the bluster and upset she had expected.
    She glanced at Jase and her gaze lovingly swept across his face.   She smiled and said without any doubt, “I
know what it means, Dad. I love Jase .   I want to be with him.”
    * * *
    In his wildest dreams, Jase had never expected this.   Never imagined Nickie would truly commit for more than the one night much less surprise everyone like
this.
    But she had and he
wasn’t about to doubt why or how.   He was
going to go big and then go home with her.
    “And I love, Nickie , Mr. and Mrs. de Silva.   I have for a while,” he said and looked
directly at her father, knowing that he’d appreciate that he had no hesitation
in making the declaration.
    Her father slapped his
hands on the table dramatically and said, “Well, it’s about time.   We all kept on wondering when the two of you
would finally come to your senses.”
    “All?” Jase asked and examined the faces of the family members
gathered around the table and Rosie, who had rushed in at the loud sound of Nickie’s father’s hands hitting the wood.   It was evident that each one of them agreed
with the statement, but even more importantly, they all were clearly happy with
the outcome.
    “It was obvious, dude,”
Tommy said, laughter ringing from his voice.
    Nickie squeezed his
hand and with an equal dash of humor said, “Obvious to everyone but the two of
us.   I guess we’re kind of dense.”
    He grinned as he looked
at her.   “Yeah, I guess we are.   It’s a good thing we finally did something
about it.   Any regrets, Nickie ?”
    Her smile was brilliant
and unrestrained.   “No regrets.”
    That was all he needed
to here.
    He leaned over and
kissed her, sealing their unspoken promise with that kiss.   Grinning against her lips with
joy.
    When they broke apart,
she said, “I have to go pack.”
    “I’ll help,” he