Christmas Every Day Part 19

His eyes made her feel fidgety, as if she was swimming in calm waters but antic.i.p.ating a shark attack. She swam for sh.o.r.e and familiar ground. "I should have your system all caught up within two weeks."

Nik nodded. That was a lot faster than he could have managed the job.

Forever was a lot faster than he could have managed it, he admitted ruefully to himself. "Sounds good."

She kept her eyes on the quickly disappearing dessert, wishing there was more, if only to keep her occupied. "And then I want to transfer it."

He looked at her uncertainly. "To what?"

"Another software program." She didn't think that the name of the program she intended to use would mean anything to him. From everything Jennifer had told her, Nik wasn't software oriented by any stretch of the imagination. Even if he had been, this was strictly an accounting program " " I worked with it when I was doing accounting for TruBlu: '

"The jewelry company?" The name was familiar, even to him. TruBlu was second in reputation only to Cartier s and Tiffany's. She had been employed by them? Then what was she doing here?

Sara nodded. "They were using this c.u.mbersome accounting method when I came to work for them. I made a few minor suggestions and they let me streamline the program for them ."

Nik leaned back, studying her. The more he knew about Sara, the more amazing she became. And the more enigmatic' Why aren't you still with them? " He imagined that TruBlu paid quite well.

"I got itchy." Her spoon met the bottom of the dish and she sighed, retiring it. Raising her eyes, she saw that Nik was watching her. She realized that he was waiting for more. Sara shifted a little in her seat. "I don't like to stay in any one place too long."

It was something he would have expected a man to say. He supposed that was prejudiced of him, but he'd always pictured women as wanting commitment and roots. He had always believed that to be one of the better qualities of the gender.

She placed the empty dish on the tray. " " Because there are so many other places to see, so many other things to do: '

She said it so vehemently, and yet somehow it didn't seem to ring true.

"Don't you ever think about settling down?"

"No."

The single word left no room for further discussion. Her coffee was cold. Sara drank it, anyway, just to have something to do. When the cup was empty she looked at her watch.

"My father should be out of recovery by now." She rose. "I'll check with the nurse to see if he's there and then we can leave."

Nik quickly bused the tray, laying it on the conveyor belt that snaked its way into the kitchen. He hurried after Sara. "Aren't you going to go see him?"

Why did he have to keep prodding at her? Hadn't she done enough? How much more was she supposed to give? Until it hurt all over again?

"Why? I remember what he looks like from this morning."

For reasons that weren't altogether clear to him yet, Nik didn't want her making a mistake. And that was where this was leading. "That's pretty harsh, Sara."

He had no right to chastise her. He didn't know what she'd gone through. He had no idea what it felt like to be fourteen and think your father hated you. He didn't know what it was like to lie in bed at night, trying to understand what it was that you'd done wrong.

"Maybe he deserves it."

The misery he saw flicker in Sara's eyes had him reining in his a.s.sessment. There were things going on he didn't understand But it didn't change his basic gut feelings. "Maybe he deserves a second chance, too."

Anger flared. "What are you, his lawyer?"

Nik took hold of her shoulders. She tried to shrug him off, but he wouldn't let her. "Sara, family ties are important , even to someone who likes to flutter from place to place."

Now he was sitting in judgment of her. Who the h.e.l.l did he think he was? Sara pulled free of his grasp. , " " I don't "flutter' and family ties are fine for people who have families. What I have are broken pieces of what used to be a family." She lowered her voice as an orderly walked by them in the hallway. "My mother made it perfectly clear to me that I was in the way when she remarried. We exchange

Christmas cards once a year and little else. My father hasn't sent me a Christmas card in fourteen years, and now-" she gestured impotently in the air "all of a sudden

I'm supposed to forgive and forget and be daddy's little girl again? "

Her eyes grew hard. " It doesn't work like that, I'm afraid. "

Nik didn't know where to begin. He only knew that he had to. She was in too much pain. "Sara, maybe it's not my place- "

Sara seized on his words. "No, it's not your place. Thank you very much for your concern, but it's not your place to b.u.t.t in to my life and tell me what I'm supposed to feel and how I'm supposed to act."

Fed up, he surrendered and turned away.

Guilt clawed at her as she watched him go. For a second she remained where she was, then, with an angry huff, she ran after him. " " Where are you going? "

He jabbed at the elevator b.u.t.ton without bothering to look at her. Hurt or not, he couldn't fathom her behavior. "To the Coronary Care Unit."

The elevator arrived and she stepped into it without thinking, her eyes on Nik. "Why?" Her father was a stranger to him. She was a stranger to him. Why was he behaving as if he cared about either of them?

"To let you know how he's doing in case you decide that you want to know," he said evenly.

She still didn't understand. "He's my father, not yours: '

Nik looked at her, his expression solemn. "Exactly."

She sighed as the elevator doors closed. "You're not married, are you?

He wondered what brought that on. "No."

"I didn't think so: He looked at her quizzically as he pressed for the first floor. " If you were married, your wife would have probably killed you by now. "

Then he wouldn't be standing here, talking to her. "Isn't that rather convoluted reasoning? "

Sara let out a breath. Maybe it was. She didn't know. His talking was jumbling up everything inside her. "I don't care if you are here 'for the best of intentions, I have to say this." She looked at him.

"Shut up, Sinclair."

He merely chuckled to himself. It was amazing that just when he wanted to strangle her she'd say something in the next breath that made him laugh. Life with her would undoubtedly be no bed of roses, but a constant challenge.

Belatedly she realized that he had pressed for the first floor. Had he decided to leave, after all? "Changed your mind about playing devil's advocate?" She pointed to the b.u.t.ton he had pressed. " " CCU is on the first floor. "

It seemed an odd piece of information for him to have at his fingertips. "How do you know that?"

Nik looked straight ahead at the gunmetal-gray doors. "It's where my father died." _ "Oh."

It was all she could say as the elevator doors opened. That he was willing to do this for her after what being here reminded him of left Sara speechless. She silently followed him through doors that sprang open automatically as they approached. Nik led her to a desk where a squadron of nurses sat watching monitors, each tuned to a different patient

Nik stopped by the first nurse. "Has Mr. Santangelo been brought in yet from recovery?"

The young woman paused only for a moment to read a roster before nodding. "Room twelve." Her face was compa.s.sionate as she looked from Nik to Sara. She rose to show them the way. "But you can only stay five minutes."