“Yeah. It feels like a lifetime ago.” She tried to suppress her nerves as she sat down at the breakfast bar, watching him add sugar and cream to his coffee. He was still muscular and handsome, his thick sandy hair cut short—very businesslike and yet boyish too.
“So here you are,” he said as he took the stool on the other side of the breakfast bar. “All grown up.”
She shrugged as she stared into his pale blue eyes. “I guess you could say that.”
“My mom was sure glad you could come, Nicole.” He took a slow sip, still eying her with apparent approval. “I’m glad too.”
“Well, I’m happy to be here,” she declared. “And I’m looking forward to a fun summer in Savannah.”
“Good for you. I hope you take time to enjoy our little hamlet.”
“When I’m not working, I will.”
“Speaking of work, have you met Vampira yet?”
Nicole grimaced. “You sound just like your dad.”
He laughed. “Well, have you met her?”
She nodded.
“And you’re still looking forward to your summer here?”
“It should be, well, interesting.” As Nicole studied Alex’s face, she could see that it had rounded out some. She tried to remember if he’d always had such a strong Southern drawl. But why shouldn’t he?
Alex pursed his lips as he shook his head. “I honestly do not understand why my mom keeps that girl on. Amyra is a royal pain.”
“So you don’t like her?”
“You could say that. I figured once she and Ryan broke up, that would be the end of it. But I think Mom was afraid to let her go. Or maybe she thought Vampira would resort to litigation. She’s that kind of girl.”
“Seriously?” Nicole didn’t know what to think of this.
“Oh yeah. She’s always talking about lawsuits. She should’ve finished law school. I bet she’s a force to be reckoned with in court.”
“No, I mean what you said before. Is it true that Ryan and Vampira—I mean, Amyra—were involved?”
“I suppose it sounds weird—nerd boy and the ice princess.” He laughed. “Fortunately, little bro saw the light. I’m not so sure about Vampira. I expected she’d have moved on by now. Go figure.”
“Your mom said she’s good at what she does.”
“I guess.” He waved his hand. “Enough about her. Tell me about yourself, Nicole. What’ve you been doing with your life? And how’s that gorgeous sister of yours?”
Nicole started by filling him in on Katy. “As I recall, you couldn’t attend her wedding—”
“Lori and I hadn’t been married too long at the time. And I was probably embarrassed that we hadn’t had a traditional wedding. Mom still hasn’t forgiven me for that one.”
“Anyway, that was about twelve years ago. Katy and Josh have three boys under the age of seven. Josh has his own software company. She used to work for him, but she mostly chases after the boys now.”
“Sounds fun,” he said sarcastically. “How about you?”
She filled him in on her career as a high school art teacher, painting it a lot brighter than it really was. Or maybe more like it had been when she’d first started teaching six years ago.
“And your love life? Married? Engaged? Dating?”
“I recently broke up with someone. Well, not really recently. Last winter.” Because he seemed inclined to listen, she started to tell him about Peter. “He’s a talented musician, but I honestly don’t think he can make a real living with his band. Still, he’s determined not to turn forty without some musical success. My mom calls him Peter Pan—you know, because she thinks he’ll never grow up.” She sighed. “And I’ve reached the place where I’m inclined to agree with her.”
Alex grinned. “Sounds like you’re better off without him.”
“Yeah.” She looked at the oversized clock on the wall, shocked to see the time. “Wow, I better get moving if I want to make it to the gallery on time. I still need to get ready.”
“You’re working today?” Alex looked disappointed. “But you only just got here. How about taking a few days to get settled in first?”
“Amyra gave me my work schedule last night. She wants to train me this morning so she can have the afternoon off—she made plans.”
He frowned. “Sounds about right.”
“It was nice catching up with you, Alex.” She set her mug in the sink, once again noticing the broken one outside. “I really should go clean that up.”
“Leave it.” He shook his head. “The housekeeper will get it.”
“But she won’t be here until tomorrow and—”
“Then the yardman will get it. Thomas is always hanging around on weekends.”
Feeling guilty for her mess but more concerned about being late to work, Nicole decided to heed his words.
“When do you get off work?” he asked as she turned to leave.
“Seven. Apparently that’s closing time on Sundays.”
“Makes for a long day.”
“It’s okay.”
“Well, the gallery is closed on Tuesdays,” he said as she headed for the stairs. “That’ll give you some downtime.”
She paused at the foot of the stairs, surprised to see that he had trailed her and was still looking at her with interest. “It really is nice to see you again,” she told him.
“You too.” His eyes lit up.
Her smile vanished as she remembered something. “I know I didn’t mention it, Alex, but I was sorry to hear about your upcoming divorce. I know it must be tough. Especially with a child and all . . .”
“Yeah.” His countenance darkened. “It’s been a rough go. And Lori isn’t exactly making it easy. That’s why I’m stuck in my parents’ carriage house for the time being. The sooner I sign those papers, the happier I’ll be.”
Nicole didn’t know how to respond, so she said goodbye and scurried up the stairs. As she hurriedly showered and got ready for work, she tried to examine her feelings toward Alex. On one hand, there was still some sort of attraction. Or maybe it was just curiosity. On the other hand, he didn’t seem like the same guy she remembered from childhood. She couldn’t put her finger on what had changed. Or perhaps she had changed. Anyway, there wasn’t time to figure it out now.
Dressed in black pants, black pumps, and an expensive fitted white blouse that her mom had picked out, Nicole got her purse and the SUV keys. As she headed out, she knew she’d dressed for Amyra. For some reason she wanted the woman’s approval, and she suspected Amyra would turn up her nose at Nicole’s normal casual style. Still, as she drove toward town, Nicole felt uncomfortable. This stark, buttoned-up outfit was not her.
Nicole followed Vivian’s instructions to park the SUV in back and used the key to open the back door, which was to remain locked both during the day and at night.
“Well, it’s about time,” Amyra said in a snippy tone as Nicole entered the dimly lit back room.
“I didn’t realize I was late.” Nicole waited a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light, then checked her watch. “It’s only two minutes past ten.”
“We open at ten,” Amyra said. “Employees are expected to arrive before we open. At least fifteen minutes. Although half an hour is better. If that’s not too much to expect.”
“No, not at all. What does one do before opening time?”
“Straighten, dust—”
“Vivian’s notes mentioned a cleaning service.”
“They vacuum and clean the bathrooms and whatnot, but the finessing is our job.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve made a list of daily chores for you.” Amyra cocked her head to one side. “Interesting outfit.”
“What?” Nicole glanced down at her no-nonsense outfit. She’d hoped that it looked as together as Amyra had seemed last night. She looked more closely at Amyra, who had on a linen sheath dress in a pewter shade. Wearing a sleek string of gray glass beads and a silk scarf in shades of gray, she looked very cl
assic. Very uptown. “Should I be dressing more formally?”
“It’s not like we have a dress code.”
“I do have some dresses—”
“Never mind.” Amyra looked amused.
“What is it then?” Nicole demanded. She was having a flashback to middle school—and mean girls. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”
“It’s just that you look like you should be a waitress.” Amyra chuckled. “Or maybe a busboy.”
Nicole bristled but tried not to show it.
“Oh, don’t mind me.” Amyra put a hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “You look okay. But you could borrow one of the handmade silk-screen scarves from the display case. That might help.” She pointed to her own scarf. “This one is from there.”
“It’s very pretty.”
“Or maybe a necklace.” She fingered the glass beads. “A local artist makes these, and Vivian encourages us to wear them. Good advertising.”
“Thanks.” Nicole smiled in relief. Perhaps she had misjudged Amyra. Perhaps she simply wanted to help. There was no denying that Nicole’s ensemble was pretty stark and colorless. Black and white, no accessories—what had she been thinking? Sure, it was buttoned-up and neat, but much more bland than her normal style.
“Here’s your daily chore list.” Amyra handed her an index card with tidy, small handwriting on it.
Nicole tried to keep a poker face as she skimmed the mundane list filled with boring activities like making coffee, fetching and sorting the mail, restocking business supplies, leveling the paintings, going to the bank, and so on. She looked up to see Amyra smiling smugly. This had probably been Amyra’s chore list when Vivian was functioning as manager. So much for Vivian’s instructions that Nicole was supposed to “manage” Amyra during her absence. It was clear that Amyra planned to lord it over her. And there was probably nothing to do about it.
6
“Did you clean out the coffeemaker?” Amyra asked after Nicole returned from an early lunch break and bank errand.
“Not yet.” Nicole set the cash bag in the locked drawer where she’d been told to keep it, then looked at her watch. It was about twenty minutes before Amyra had scheduled herself to leave. As far as Nicole was concerned, it wouldn’t be a minute too soon. “I figured I could clean it at closing.”
“Well, it really should be done by now,” Amyra said. “The kitchenette needs a wipe down too. And we usually clean out the fridge on Sundays. Just like I wrote on your list. You didn’t lose that, did you?”
“No, of course not.” Nicole knew it was time to bite her tongue. She wanted to point out that Amyra had kept her occupied all morning long with mindless chores, many of which felt like busywork, such as dusting the already clean picture frames. As a result, there’d been no time to see to the coffeemaker. “So the maintenance people don’t clean the kitchen?” she asked Amyra.
“Certainly they clean the floors, empty the trash, and give the countertops a sloppy wipe down. But that’s about it. They never touch the fridge.”
“Right. Well, I’ll take care of all that before I close tonight.”
“Do you need me to walk you through that again—closing?” Amyra sounded like a grumpy kindergarten teacher. Nicole had probably asked too many questions during her lessons on setting alarms and securing the building. But with all this valuable art, why risk it?
“No, I’m fine,” she said. “And I have my notes and your cell phone number if I need it.” She patted the little notebook in her pants pocket. If she lost that, she would be lost.
“It’s not that complicated.” Amyra gave a weary sigh. “Nothing like the gallery I worked at in Manhattan. That place was locked tighter than Fort Knox.”
“You worked in Manhattan?”
Amyra confirmed this in a bored way, as if Nicole should already know her entire personal history. Amyra glanced to the front of the store, currently empty of visitors. “I could just leave. It’s always quiet this time of day. Folks are probably having a snooze after a boozy lunch.” She chuckled. “It won’t pick up again until after five. Even then it’s never really busy.”
Nicole stared at the sales counter, trying to remember the details of ringing up and writing up a sale. “I sort of hope no one wants to actually buy art. I mean, I’m okay with selling small things, but I might get rattled if it was a large purchase.”
“I don’t think you need to be worried. Our primary clientele is somewhat predictable. We know when someone is interested in something and when they’re close to buying. I haven’t seen anything on the horizon this week.” Amyra frowned. “If I thought there was a large sale pending, I’d stick around.”
Nicole remembered the commission. It was probably a nice perk. Not that she needed to be concerned about that.
“But you might sell something small. That would be good practice.” Amyra toyed with her necklace. “Tomorrow will be slow. Mondays are the worst. Don’t expect to rack up any sales tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Nicole was hoping Amyra was going to leave now. Instead, she leaned against the counter, folding her arms in front of her with a slightly interested expression.
“So how do you know Vivian?” Amyra asked, her thin dark brows arched.
Nicole suspected Amyra was simply killing time until one o’clock. But she explained how Vivian and her mom were old friends, even telling her about how the families had vacationed together.
Amyra frowned. “So you know Alex and Ryan?”
She shrugged. “Well, I used to know them. It’s been a while. Alex and I were just getting reacquainted this morning.”
“That Alex.” Amyra scowled. “He’s a piece of work.”
“You don’t like him?” Nicole tried to sound nonchalant.
“Not much.” She seemed to reconsider this. “Although he is back on the market . . . I suppose he’d be a good catch.”
“His divorce isn’t even final yet.”
“Who pays attention to insignificant details like that?” Amyra went around to the other side of the counter to get her purse. When she stood, her brow was creased as if she was deep in thought. “The Grahams are quite wealthy.” She narrowed her eyes as she studied Nicole. “Of course, you already knew that.”
Nicole simply nodded, uncomfortable with the insinuation.
“But then I assume your family is wealthy too.” Amyra fished through her purse.
“Then you assume wrong.” Nicole slipped her hands into her pants pockets.
“Really? Are you saying the Grahams were friends with people without money?”
“Well, it’s not like we were destitute.”
“Then I’m surprised you were never interested in the Graham boys.” Amyra peered curiously at her. “Or maybe you are.”
“No, I am not,” she said firmly. “I recently got out of a dead-end romance. Believe me, I’m not ready to start a new one.” That was mostly true. Her interest in Alex had been piqued this morning, though. At the least, she was curious.
“Well, if you were looking for a relationship with potential, you couldn’t go too wrong with either of the Graham brothers—at least when it comes to their bank accounts. Some women are willing to sacrifice certain things for financial security.”
Nicole suppressed the urge to tell Amyra what she really thought. “I was always under the impression that Robert and Vivian expected their sons to make their own way in the world. At least that’s what I used to hear as a child. It seemed a good policy to me.”
“Their own way? Well, maybe, but with a little help from the family fortune.” Amyra extracted her car keys from her purse. “Someday their parents will die, you know. What happens to the family fortune then?”
Nicole bristled. Was this woman as coldhearted as she appeared? Why? It almost sounded as if she despised the Grahams. Yet she’d remained in their employ. It made no sense. Even so, Nicole wasn’t sure she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
“A girl could do worse.” Amyra closed her purse with a snap. “But
if I were choosing between the brothers, I’d definitely go for Ryan.”
“I think someone mentioned that you and Ryan used to date—” Nicole immediately wished she’d kept her mouth shut. This conversation needed to end. Wasn’t it one o’clock yet?
Amyra gave a half shrug. “Yeah, well, that was a long time ago. Not that I wouldn’t give him another shot, if he was game. But the truth is I outgrew the boy. Of course, that was a few years ago. He might’ve matured some since then.” She jingled her car keys. “I’m outta here, Nicole. Good luck closing tonight. And being on your own tomorrow.” Her smile looked catty. “You have my number. But don’t call me unless there’s an emergency.”
“Right.” Nicole assured Amyra that she’d be fine as she walked her through the back room. She waved goodbye, grateful to have her gone. It wasn’t until she was locking the back door that she realized Amyra had forgotten to return the borrowed silk-screen scarf and beads to the display case. Nicole considered running after her. She could offer to put them back, but that would probably lead to even more animosity. Who needed that?
Hopefully Amyra would realize her mistake and bring them back when she returned to work on Wednesday. If not, well, Nicole would have to remind her.
As Nicole returned to the gallery, she noticed that it wasn’t even one o’clock. Amyra had left twenty minutes early. So much for setting a good example.
Since the gallery was mostly vacant, Nicole decided to attack the kitchenette in the back room. It really was a bit on the grimy side. It probably hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned in months. She was just finishing up the fridge when she heard the buzzer signaling that someone had entered the gallery. She quickly washed her hands, smoothed her hair, and hurried out.
“Hey.” Alex gave her a friendly grin as he approached. “I was just dropping some papers at the office and thought I’d pop in to see how you’re doing. Everything okay?”
She returned his smile. “Yeah. Pretty good. I was just cleaning the kitchenette.”
“So . . .” He lowered his voice. “Amyra hasn’t scared you too much?”
Under a Summer Sky--A Savannah Romance Page 5
