A/N: THIS CHAPTER FOLLOWS THE SECONDARY STORYLINE, HOPEFULLY IT WILL NOT BE TOO CONFUSING, IT IS WRITTEN AS TWO SEPARATE CONVERSATIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE NO CLAIM TO THE CROSSING JORDAN CHARACTERS. PLEASE R&R. THANKS.
CHAPTER 21: HE SAID, SHE SAID
The couples arrived for dinner around 5pm, they were discussing their fears and expectations of parenthood while waiting for Dolly and Nigel to join them. The two had become very good friends in the seven months they had known each other. Nigel had promised to help Dolly and the principal update the computers at the school Dolly taught at, before the state came to rate the school in February. Cal sat impatiently, eating most of the breadsticks, complaining about the slow service, just as Colleen's cell phone rang. She had a panicked look on her face as she ended the thirty second phone call, "We need to go to my parents, now. The frozen pipes in the storeroom started to thaw, because of the warm weather, one pipe burst, we need to get the things we have stored there out.", she stated as she rose and thanked Woody and Jordan for their help with registering. "But Coll, we were just about to order.", Cal whined, as she pulled him off of his seat. "C'mon Calvin, I'll get you something to eat on the way to their house.", she promised, guiding him to the door.
Dolly and Nigel arrived just minutes after Cal and Colleen had left and immediately started discussing their day. Then Jordan and Woody happily told of their all day excursion to the baby superstore. Woody joked about how childish Cal was acting, when Jordan reminded him that he was the one fighting, with his brother, over a bag of potato chips in the middle of the parking lot. "What can I say, he has that effect on me.", Woody chuckled in his defense. Just as the laughing died down, the waiter returned with dessert, coffee and the check. Both Nigel and Woody reached for the check at the same time. "Don't think about it Nige. We invited you.", Woody stated, pulling on the paper. "I've got this one Woodrow, you two need to save up for the little one.", Nigel replied, smiling at Jordan and winning the tug of war with the check, then leaving the table to settle the tab.
As soon as Jordan excused herself to make a trip to the washroom, Dolly scooted one seat over. "I really need to talk to you Woody.", she whispered, her eyes pleading. Woody put his arm around his cousins shoulder, "It's about Nigel isn't it?", he asked. She nodded shyly. "I really like him Woody, a lot.", she confessed. "So what's the problem?", he inquired. "Where do I begin?", she sighed. Nigel was still at the bar when Jordan came out of the washroom. "Jordan Luv, can I have a word with you?", he asked, before she could pass. "Sure Nige, what's up?", she asked back, taking a seat on the barstool next to him. "I've got a bit of an issue here…..", he started. "You and Dolly, huh?", she interrupted. "Yes…I have feelings for her….I think I'd like to be more than friends, but I'm just not sure.", he rambled, barring his soul to his friend.
"See I thought I was in love once. It started in college, I was dating this guy Jimmy, you might remember him, he went to school with Calvin. I went to school with his sister Kelly Bartlett.", Dolly explained. "Wait a minute, you dated Jimmy Bartlett. That kid was always bad news; drinking, smoking pot. God, I can't believe Cal let you go out with him.", Woody replied, shaking his head. "Let me? He set us up Woods.", Dolly chuckled. "What that stupid son of…….", Woody started "Calm down Woody, we're getting off the subject.", Dolly interrupted. "Well to make a long story short, we dated for a while, it was pretty serious. I thought he was going to propose when we took a three week trip to Canada, the summer you were shot. Well he didn't, instead he broke up with me in the middle of the hotel lobby on the last day of the vacation. Said he'd been dating someone else, a business woman from Madison, and he was going to propose to her when we got back.", she said, laying her head on his shoulder and crying.
"Of course you know everything that happened with Sarah. I loved her Jordan, and Mattie, God how I wanted that happy family. I thought she was the one, but look where that got me.", Nigel sighed and popped a few peanuts into his mouth. "Nige that wasn't your fault. She used you, she used all of us to get what she wanted.", Jordan encouraged. "Maybe I'm not worthy to have true love. Maybe I'm destined to grow old, miserable and alone.", Nigel sighed, placing his head in his hands. "I once thought that I didn't deserve true love, that I shouldn't be happy, but then I met Woody. Maybe you never met the right person.…until now", Jordan smiled. "What if I'm too old for her? I'm bloody forty years old, Jordan; she's so young and sweet, what if she gets bored with me?", Nigel questioned. "Bored, Nige, are you serious? If I was going to pick an adjective that best describes you, boring would never even make the list. Wacky, bold, sincere, honest; yes, but never boring.", Jordan laughed as she slid off of the stool. "Do you love her Nige?", Jordan asked. Nigel nodded, looking down at the floor. "Then let's get back to the table.", she said, taking his hand.
"I don't know Woody, maybe I'm just too young and immature for him. Jimmy was my only 'real' boyfriend, and look at how good that worked out. Maybe I can't handle a real relationship, I don't have a lot of experience in that field.", Dolly rambled. "Dol, look at my relationship list, Mary Alice Mackezie, my prom date who dumped me for Calvin, Annie; well you know what happened there. I had a few dates here in Boston, but they didn't mean anything because I was in love with Jordan, from the minute I met her.", Woody confided. " Woody, do you really think he'd be happy with a kindergarten teacher who grew up on a farm in Wisconsin, and can corral a bunch of five year olds and find a thousand uses for cheese. Nigel is just so intelligent, so interesting, even a little mysterious, and I'm so boring.", Dolly complained. "Dolly Honey , you're not boring at all, you're sweet, loving, compassionate, smart, beautiful….and any man would be very lucky to have someone like you.", Woody said, gently lifting her chin up with his hand. "Do you love him Dol?", Woody asked. Dolly nodded, biting her lip and looking into her cousins eyes. "Then tell him.", he said, nodding to the two others returning to the table.
There was an uncomfortable silence at the table during dessert. Jordan finally broke the silence by making an excuse about being tired and having to leave, giving Dolly and Nigel some time to talk."Fancy a little walk outside Luv?I have something important I'd like to discuss.", Nigel asked, holding Dolly's coat open for her. "There's something I need to tell you too, Nigel.", Dolly replied as they left the resturant. They walked arm in arm, a little way down the sidewalk when they each turned to the other and blurted, at the same time; "I love you." They both laughed instantly, their eyes dancing bightly. Nigel pulled Dolly into a giant bear hug, lifting a few inches up off the ground. Before he could completely lower her, their lips locked in a passionate kiss. And for the rest of the evening, Dolly felt as if her feet never once touched the ground.