Upon sight of this scene, I realized my mistake at being late.
Perhaps I should have come as wet-haired, makeup free Nina.
“I see you haven’t changed, Nell,” I heard Dad remark acerbically.
Oh dear.
“I… you… I… argh!” Mom screeched.
Max and I hit the table and I opened my mouth to speak but Max got there before me.
“What’s goin’ on?”
Niles was now staring at Max, not me, but Max, not looking somewhat troubled but looking like he’d been punched in the stomach which, I had to admit, made me feel more than a little guilt. Dad still didn’t move. Steve kept struggling to control Mom but she suddenly stopped fighting and turned to Max.
“You didn’t say yesterday what he did!” she shrieked, her arm swinging out in an arc to point at Dad on the word “he”.
“No point,” Max calmly replied to Mom.
“No… no… no point!” she yelled, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Mom, what on earth is happening?” I asked but before Mom could answer, Dad spoke.
“Nina, good God, aren’t you even going to say a single word to your fiancé?”
I glared at my father then I looked to Niles and tried to rearrange my features into something a little less angry and a lot more sensitive.
“Hello Niles,” I greeted softly.
Niles’s eyes had moved from Max to Max’s hand clasping mine and he’d grown pale.
Then he looked at me and stated, “I don’t understand.”
I blinked at him, not understanding what he didn’t understand.
“I’m sorry?” I asked.
“I don’t…” His eyes went back to our hands and then came to my face. “What’s happening?”
I felt Max tense beside me but I was still blinking at Niles.
“What’s happening?” I repeated.
“This is… you’re standing there holding hands with another man,” Niles replied.
I pulled in a breath as the guilt hit me, harder this time, I gave a tug at my hand but Max held firm so I stopped tugging and said softly, “I know, I’m sorry, this must be shocking, it’s –”
“How did you taking a holiday in the Rocky Mountains translate to you standing across from me, a week after you left, holding hands with another man?” Niles asked, his eyes had gone narrow and color had suffused his face.
“I wasn’t on holiday in the mountains, Niles,” I reminded him gently. “I was taking a timeout.”
“Timeout from work,” Niles said instantly.
“Timeout from you,” I said back, “from us. I told you that, I don’t know how many times.”
Niles’s head tilted to the side and he retorted, “I don’t even understand what that means. I didn’t then and I don’t now.”
“Then you should have asked me when I explained it to you, told me you didn’t understand.”