by Patricia Kay
“And I know he’s attracted to me...”
“Yes, go on...” Denise prompted, dark eyes full of devilry.
“But you all heard what he said during Thanksgiving dinner. He loves his work. He’d never give it up to marry and settle down somewhere. So. . ." She drew circles in the condensation made by her glass of soda.
“There’s no future in it,” Denise finished. All the merriment disappeared from her eyes.
Nicole nodded. She looked at her sister, then at her sisters-in-law. There was sympathy and understanding in all three pairs of eyes.
“If what you feel for Jack is just a physical attraction, you’ll get over it,” Alice said.
Nicole didn’t answer, because just then the men returned, but for the rest of the evening she kept thinking about Alice’s words. If only this were just a physical attraction, she thought, how much simpler life would be. She almost wished she could stop time, because she knew when she and Jack returned to New Orleans, she would have to make some choices.
And she already knew that no matter what her choice was, she would end up miserable.
Sunday morning Nicole and Aimee went to Mass with Nicole’s mother, but her father said he wanted to stay home and talk to Jack. All through Mass Nicole worried about what her father might say. Surely he wasn’t going to ask Jack his intentions? She could hardly wait to get home.
But when she and her mother got back to the house, both Réne and Jack were sitting companionably in the living room, and she couldn’t just blurt out something like, “Okay, what were you two talking about?”
She resigned herself to waiting until she and Jack were in the car on their way back to New Orleans.
In the meantime, she worried and grew more and more impatient to be off, but Arlette wouldn’t be hurried. First she insisted on packing up leftover turkey and dressing. “Your papa and I, we can’t eat all this food, you know?”
“But Mama, with Aimee staying here until Christmas,” Nicole protested, “there’s only me to eat it!”
“There’s Jack, too,” Arlette said, a knowing twinkle in her eyes.
Nicole slanted a glance at Jack, wondering if he’d heard, but if he had, he was pretending he hadn’t.
Then, with the plastic containers of turkey and dressing safely iced down at the bottom of a plastic cooler, Arlette said, “There’s still room in here for some of my gumbo.” She pulled out another plastic container.
“No, Mama, no. I’ll never eat all this.”
“Freeze it, then.”
“Why don’t you freeze it?”
“Me? I can make this anytime. You, you can’t cook! You need some good food, you know?”
Nicole rolled her eyes. She knew from experience it wouldn’t do any good to argue with her determined mother.
After Arlette had packed the container of gumbo, she looked at the remaining space thoughtfully. The next thing Nicole knew, there was a foil-wrapped portion of boudin sausage and a plastic bag full of cookies filling up the rest of the cooler. Good Lord. She had enough food for a dozen meals in there.
Finally the Geo was packed. And then it was time to say goodbye. Suddenly Nicole was reluctant to go. Although she’d made arrangements to leave Aimee with her parents months ago, it suddenly hit her that the four weeks until Christmas was a very long time. She and Aimee had never been separated for more than one night since Aimee’s birth. If Margaret and Caldwell hadn’t had plans to leave for Australia to spend the holidays with their daughter, Nicole might have changed her mind and taken Aimee home with her.
Nicole said her goodbyes to everyone else, then held out her arms to Aimee. Aimee came willingly enough, but as Nicole held her and kissed her several times, Aimee squirmed to be free.
“ ’Bye, Mommy,” she said cheerfully, not a tear in sight.
Ten minutes later, Nicole and Jack were finally off. Nicole knew it was silly, but she had a lump in her throat when she and Jack pulled out of the driveway. Even though a part of her was excited about the prospect of time to herself and the opportunity to be alone with Jack, she already missed Aimee.
“Feeling a little teary-eyed?” Jack said softly.
“Uh-huh.” Nicole blinked. It would be ridiculous to cry.
“It’s not too late to change your mind. We can turn back and get her.”
Nicole gave a shaky sigh. “No. I’m okay. Besides, I can’t change my mind. I won’t have anyone to sit with Aimee after next week. Margaret and Caldwell are going to Australia for the month of December.”
“The month will go quickly,” Jack said.
“Oh, I know. It’s just that we haven’t been apart before. She hasn’t wanted to leave me before.” That was it. That’s why Nicole felt so funny. Aimee had wanted to stay with her grandparents. She’d preferred staying in Patinville to being with Nicole. Nicole bit her bottom lip. Aimee was growing up.
She felt Jack’s hand cover hers. She looked at him.
He smiled, his blue eyes tender.
Her heart twisted at his expression. He cared about her; she could see it in his eyes.
After a minute, he removed his hand. “While you were at church, your father asked me about Elise.”
In a flurry of packing the car and saying goodbye to Aimee, Nicole had completely forgotten about wanting to know what her father and Jack had talked about.
“He said he’d been thinking about what you’d told him, and his curiosity was aroused. Anyway, I told him everything I knew.”
Nicole chuckled. “I was afraid he might have been asking you your intentions toward me.”
Jack smiled. “He probably wanted to.”
“So are you satisfied now that Papa doesn’t know anything?”
“Actually, your father said he’d make some phone calls, ask around, see if he could find out anything for me.”
Nicole digested this information. “Really? That’s funny, because when I talked to Papa he said he knew everyone in our family, down to third and fourth cousins, and there was no one who could have been Elise.”
“That may be, but he told me he’d call if he uncovered anything.”
“Call you?”
“No. I told him to call you. I said you’d know how to get in touch with me.”
Nicole wanted to ask whether he’d still be in New Orleans or whether he’d be back in Houston, but she was afraid to. For the rest of the way home they listened to music or chatted about her family. They avoided the topic of their relationship. Nicole was glad. Although she’d told Jack they’d talk, she wasn’t sure she was ready. Obviously, he wasn’t either.
They arrived in New Orleans at four-thirty in the afternoon. By the time they’d unloaded her car and carried everything into the cottage, it was almost five o’clock and the winter dusk had settled in, casting amethyst shadows everywhere.
Nicole opened the garage door, and they switched the cars. As she climbed out of her car and closed up the garage again, Jack pulled back into the driveway. He cut the engine and the lights and climbed out of his car.
As he walked toward her, Nicole’s heart began to pound. She’d been dreading this moment. She turned away, began walking toward her cottage. She didn’t turn around, but she heard him following her.
Wordlessly, she opened her front door. He came in behind her.
“Nicole—”
“Jack—”
They both spoke at once. She laughed self-consciously.
“You go first,” he said.
“No, you go first.”
He nodded, his gaze resting on her face. He wasn’t smiling. “Okay. I’ve been thinking.”
“Yes. I have, too.”
“I’m going to drive back to Houston early tomorrow morning.”
Nicole’s heart plummeted. She could feel the blood draining from her face. Please, God. Help me be strong. I don’t want him to see how much I care.
“I need to talk to my boss in person. I’ve decided I want more time off.”
Nicole held her b
reath. Did he mean?...
“I owe Jenny. She’s never asked me for much, and the least I can do is follow this mystery through to the end.”
He did mean it. He was planning to come back! Hope combined with happiness made her feel almost giddy.
“Besides,” he said, his voice dropping to a husky whisper, “we have some unfinished business.”
Nicole wasn’t sure who moved first. All she knew, in the next second, was that she was in his arms, and he was kissing her, and her entire being felt as if someone were shooting off fireworks inside her.
She also knew that if Jack wanted to, she was going to let him stay the night.
Chapter 10
But he didn’t ask.
When the kiss ended, he gently pulled back, holding her lightly by her shoulders. Voice tight with emotion, he said, “While I’m gone, do some thinking, okay?”
Nicole understood without him spelling it out that what he meant was, do some thinking about us.
She nodded.
He squeezed her shoulders, dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose and whispered, “I’ll call you when I get back. Thanks for the weekend. It was great.”
That had been three days ago.
Now it was Wednesday evening, and Nicole still hadn’t heard from Jack. She’d had a terrible three days. She missed him, and she missed Aimee. Terribly. She couldn’t remember what she’d done with herself before she’d had Aimee. She called her parents’ home so many times that her mother finally lost her temper.
“Nicole, don’ you think I know how to take care of a child? I had four of my own, you know!”
“Sorry, Mama. I just miss her.”
“Well, she’s gonna grow up some day, you know? The trouble with you is, you need a husband and a few more children.”
Nicole knew her mother was right. She knew she was being ridiculous. She also knew if Jack had stayed in town, she probably wouldn’t have felt quite so abandoned. She wished he’d come back to New Orleans. The waiting was hard on her nerves.
She should have gone to aerobics tonight, but she’d been afraid Jack would call, and she wouldn’t be home to get the call. So instead of going, she’d sat on the couch and stared at the phone.
She’d also ruined her manicure, she thought ruefully, staring at her chipped fingernail polish. Sighing, disgusted with herself, she looked at her watch. Nine o’clock. If he was going to call, she was sure he’d call by ten.
The phone rang.
Nicole vaulted off the couch and raced to the phone.
“Hello?” Her heart was going like a trip-hammer.
“Nicole?”
Her heart plunged. It wasn’t Jack. It was her Uncle Justin. “Uncle Justin?” Even though she was disappointed, she smiled. “Uncle Justin, how are you? Oh, it’s so nice to hear your voice!”
“It’s always good to hear you, too, chere. Your Aunt Lisette and I, we miss you.” His voice, rich with a pronounced French accent and more formal than her father’s, rolled across the wire.
“I was thinking about you the other day, thinking I should call you,” Nicole said. “What’s going on? Is everything all right?”
“Yes, chere, everything, it is fine. I am keeping busy, as usual, doing some charity work at the agency and tending my garden. You know how I am.”
“Yes.” Her uncle was one of the most generous, kind-hearted men she’d ever known. “And Aunt Lisette?”
“She’s busy, too, with the Ladies Guild and her volunteer work at the Center.” He cleared his throat. “Chere, the reason I called you, your papa, he called me yesterday. He told me about this young man who followed you home one day.”
Nicole frowned. “Oh?”
“Yes. He told me what this young man wanted. About the young woman he’s looking for.”
Uneasy about the sober note that had crept into her uncle’s voice, Nicole waited quietly.
“Nicole, chere, I would like to talk to this young man.”
“Why?” she blurted out.
There was a pause, then her uncle said, “I would rather wait until I see you in person before telling you. Do you think you could persuade Mr. Forrester to accompany you to Lafayette? Would you bring him here to see me?”
A dozen questions tumbled through Nicole’s mind, but she didn’t voice them. “Well, I’ll certainly ask him, Uncle Justin, but I’m afraid Jack’s not in New Orleans right now.”
“But he’s coming back, isn’t he?”
“Yes. He just went home to Houston for a few days. I expect him back in New Orleans any time.”
She heard her uncle sigh. Then he said, “Will you call me after you’ve had a chance to talk to him? Let me know what he says?”
“But Uncle Justin, what should I tell him? Do you know something about Elise Arnold?”
“Yes, it’s possible I know something.”
“Then I’m sure Jack will agree to make the trip to Lafayette.”
“Good.” He sounded relieved. “And, chere... ”
“Yes?”
“When you call...” He hesitated. “Please, I must ask you. Don’t say anything to your aunt about our conversation or your reason for calling. This matter will be just between us, okay?”
Nicole’s uneasiness grew. “All right, Uncle Justin, if that’s what you want, but won’t she wonder why I’m coming to Lafayette?”
Silence.
“Uncle Justin?”
“I don’t want her to know the real reason you’re coming, chere. I was hoping you’d just act as if this young man was a friend you wanted us to meet. Could you do that, chere? When we’ve had a chance to talk, you’ll understand why.”
“Yes, Uncle Justin,” she said slowly, “I suppose I could do that.”
Jack called at nine forty-five, barely giving Nicole time to digest her uncle’s disturbing request. When she heard his voice, her heart leaped with pleasure.
“I’m back,” he said without preamble.
“I’m glad,” she answered honestly.
His voice dropped a notch. “Did you miss me?”
Her pulse accelerated. “Yes.”
“I missed you, too.”
Nicole closed her eyes. Suddenly she wanted to see him, to touch him. To have him kiss her. To make love with him. Couldn’t he feel her need through the phone wire? She took a deep, shaky breath. “So,” she said lightly. “How did things go in Houston?”
“Very well. I had to do some fast talking, but my boss finally agreed to let me take extended leave. I won’t be expected to report for my next assignment until the first of January.”
Excitement fired Nicole’s belly. Almost five weeks! Unreasoning hope cascaded through her. Maybe... her mind refused to think past that point.
“So how have you been?” he asked.
“Busy. Missing Aimee.” She had no intention of telling him how much she’d missed him, how she’d been on pins and needles waiting for him to return. It was bad enough he knew as much as he did about her feelings. “And guess what? I have some news for you.” She told him about her uncle’s call.
“Nicole...” Excitement rippled through his voice. “Maybe we’re finally going to have a breakthrough.”
We’re. He’d included her in his statement. She smiled, pleasure warming her.
“When can we go?” he asked.
“Well, I’ve been thinking. I have a lot of vacation time accumulated. Why don’t I take Friday off, and we can drive up to Lafayette Friday morning?”
Friday morning dawned bright and clear with a little nip in the air. A perfect day, Nicole decided. She looked through her wardrobe carefully. She wanted to look her best. She wanted to dazzle Jack. She wanted him to take one look at her and decide she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She wanted him to want her as much as she wanted him.
And she didn’t want him to leave her again.
She finally settled on her black-and-white tweed skirt, a white long-sleeved blouse, black leather vest and her black boots. She add
ed some chunky black-and-silver jewelry and studied herself in the mirror.
She looked pretty good, she thought, grinning at her reflection. She couldn’t wait to see him.
But when he arrived at eight o’clock on the dot, she had a panic attack, and stood frozen for several minutes before she calmed down enough to open the door. The minute she saw him, the panic evaporated, and anticipation skidded through her.
He looked wonderful, but then, he always looked wonderful to her. He wore a yellow sweater with baggy, charcoal cotton pants, and he gave her a big grin, blue eyes shining. “Ready?”
“Yes.” All her worries, all her doubts, all her fears— vanished. The only important thing was that Jack was here. They were going to be together for a couple of days. Nicole didn’t know what was going to happen, either on this trip, or in the future, but right now, she didn’t care. Tomorrow she might decide being with Jack, loving him, was too big a risk, and she’d opt for playing it safe once more.
But today she was going to enjoy every minute.
“Tell me about your uncle,” Jack said, when they were about twenty miles outside of Lafayette.
“Well, you already know he used to practice law...”
Wednesday night when she’d told him about her uncle’s call, she’d reluctantly admitted that Justin Cantrelle was a retired lawyer. Jack had immediately wanted to know why she hadn’t put his name on the list she’d given him, and she’d had to explain that she’d never thought there was a chance her uncle knew anything so she’d purposely left both his name and her two cousins’ names off the list.
“Tell me how he fits into the family,” Jack prompted.
“He’s my father’s youngest brother. My father is seventy-three, so that makes Uncle Justin sixty-nine, almost seventy. As I told you before, I lived with Uncle Justin and Aunt Lisette while I was carrying Aimee.”
Her voice had grown soft, and Jack slanted a glance at her. Maybe he was finally going to find out something about Aimee’s father.
Voice reflective, she continued. “They were so good to me. Aunt Lisette fussed over me the whole time, and Uncle Justin—he was still working then—he gave me a part-time job in his office. That’s how I got the training to be a legal secretary.”
