It was agreed, and after lunch Nicole announced she needed to go to the grocery store. “I won’t be long,” she told Bernie. “Maybe we can take a swim when I get back.”
“Cool.” Bernie nodded.
“Hey, can I come?” Alex asked. “I need some groceries too.”
Bernie gave them both a curious look and then slowly smiled, as if she thought she’d just broken the secret code.
“You guys have fun getting groceries,” she said in a teasing tone.
As they were leaving, Nicole caught Bernie winking at her dad, like she suspected this trip was about something more than just grocery shopping. Even though it was, Nicole knew Bernie’s assumption was wrong. And that worried her.
17
As Alex drove his silver BMW to the store, Nicole began to relay what Bernie had revealed to her during the past few days. She started by telling him about the bullying incidents at school but quickly moved on to what Bernie had confessed about her parents.
“The poor girl honestly believes that if you and Lori hadn’t had her—if you were childless—you would still be happily married.” She turned to watch his reaction.
“Seriously? She said that?”
“Bernie said her mother told her as much and that—”
“Lori said that to our daughter?” He slammed his hand onto the leather-covered steering wheel.
“Well, I obviously didn’t hear her say it myself,” she said. “I’m just relaying what Bernie told me. She seems convinced that Lori meant it. But it sounds so harsh, so coldhearted . . . well, it’s hard to believe a mom would actually say that.”
“You don’t know Lori.”
“No, I don’t.”
“She is a beautiful woman on the outside, Nicole. Not so much on the inside.”
“Oh.”
“I know what you’re thinking. If that’s true, why did I marry her?”
“I wasn’t really thinking—”
“Well, it’s a fair question. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors anyway. There was a reason Lori and I didn’t have a big wedding. She was pregnant with Bernie when we got married. My parents believed the pregnancy was intentional on her part. At the time I was pretty naive and couldn’t believe it. I guess I was smitten by Lori back then. As time went on . . . well, I started to wonder if Lori had ever loved me. Or if she was just looking for the money she assumed I’d have.” His laughter had a bitter edge to it.
Nicole didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t really expected him to divulge so much. Even though it explained a lot, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to hear all of this. How to put on the brakes?
“Lori has always been super materialistic. She never believed me when I told her that my dad expected Ryan and me to make our own way in the world. I mean, my parents have helped us, and they’ve been pretty generous. But they never handed things to us on a silver platter. When Lori wanted a bigger, fancier, newer house, she couldn’t believe my parents wouldn’t help us get it. But there was nothing wrong with our house. It’s big and well built, in a great neighborhood near Bernie’s school. My parents even gave us a good-sized down payment for that house as a wedding gift. Lori just got tired of it. She wanted something ritzier to show off to her materialistic friends. So I told her to get a job.” He hit the steering wheel again. “That was the beginning of the end.”
“Oh.” Nicole bit her lip, wondering how to stop him. Or maybe she shouldn’t. Maybe he just needed to talk.
“Lori finally figured out that if and when I do get an inheritance, which isn’t even for certain, it may not be for a very long time. People in my family usually live to a ripe old age.” He laughed with no real humor. “My grandma just passed away last fall. She made it to almost a hundred. And Grandpa passed on a few years ago at ninety-seven. Of course, my dad and uncle got the bulk of my grandparents’ estate—one reason my parents could afford such an extravagant cruise.” He shrugged. “I don’t hold it against them. It’s just the way it is. Besides, I’ve got a good job. Dad’s taken me as a partner in his firm. That’s no small thing.”
Nicole was well aware that Alex hadn’t fared too badly. Compared to her, he was very well-off. Sure, he wasn’t a trust-fund baby, but his parents had been extremely generous.
She tried to get back to the root of the problem. “Anyway, Bernie has a hard time accepting that she’s not to blame for your marital problems. Like if she just vanished from the earth, you and Lori would live happily ever after. I thought if you could have a good heart-to-heart talk with her, it would probably help.”
He nodded as he turned into the Whole Foods parking lot. “You’re right, Nicole. I will definitely have that talk with her. As soon as possible. Maybe even today.”
“Great.” She felt relieved.
Alex parked the car, then turned to look at her. “I really appreciate that you took the time to tell me this. It means a lot to me that Bernie trusts you enough to tell you this stuff. That says so much about who you are, Nicole.” He smiled warmly. “Thanks.”
“You’re very welcome. Bernie is such a great kid, and I really like her. But she’s got some deep needs, Alex. I hope you’ll use this summer to get close to her. She needs you so much right now. Probably more than you realize.”
“I think I’m getting that.” He frowned as he removed his keys. “I wish I didn’t have to travel so much for work. But I’ll try to make the most of the time I have with her.”
As they walked up to the store, he got quiet again. It wasn’t until they were in the dairy section that he gave an exasperated sigh.
“Something wrong?”
He scowled. “I’m just so mad at Lori now. For saying what she did to Bernie. It’s a good thing she’s out of town. I’d probably want to go over there and give her a great big piece of my mind.”
Nicole grimaced. “But you know that wouldn’t help anything.”
“Might help me to feel better.” His smile looked uncertain.
“It would probably make things worse for Bernice. No matter what, Lori is still her mother.”
“Maybe she won’t be,” he said in a cold tone. “Maybe this custody thing is about to become a bigger issue than I thought.”
Nicole frowned. “You really don’t want a custody battle, Alex. Everyone gets hurt with those.”
“How do you know?” he asked as he put a carton of cottage cheese in his basket.
“I’ve had students whose parents were fighting. It turns into a lose-lose-lose situation. I had a girl who ended up getting emancipated from her parents because their battle turned so vicious. I had to testify on her behalf.”
“Oh?” His brow creased. “Yeah, you’re probably right. A fight with Lori could get pretty ugly. But I do plan to talk to my attorney about this. He might have some suggestions.”
“Yes, I’m sure he would. That’s a good idea.” Wishing to discuss something less volatile, she changed the subject. “So . . . I heard that you used to help with the bookkeeping at the gallery.”
“Yeah. Mom put me to work there after I finished college. I helped her set up the accounting system. But it wasn’t long before I outgrew the job. That’s when I went to work for my dad’s firm.”
“Is the accounting system difficult to use?” She set a package of grass-fed butter in her basket.
He peered curiously at her. “You want to take over the business side of the gallery?”
“It’s not that I want to.” She frowned. “I wish that Amyra was a little more congenial, and that we could both continue working there. But honestly, it feels like she hates me. I know she would like me to quit. She’s even threatened to fire me. But before your mom left, she told me that I was to be the manager.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, Amyra did not get the same memo.”
“I don’t envy you having to work with Vampira.”
Nicole smiled. “I actually think of her as Vampira sometimes too, like she’s sucking the lifeblood out of me. I needed a break from her today. It’s a huge relief
to know we won’t have to cross paths until Wednesday.”
“I can teach you how to do the bookkeeping,” he said as they got into the checkout lane.
“You can?”
“Sure. The program is really easy to use. Are you good with computers?”
“I’m okay.”
“Then you should have no problem. Mom, on the other hand, has this mental block when it comes to computers. That’s one reason Amyra’s managed to get the upper hand there. It’s like Mom thinks she can’t run the gallery without her.”
“I assume Amyra gets along with your mom.”
“I suppose she does okay, but it’s not like they’re close. Everyone else in the family pretty much hates Amyra.”
“I feel kind of sorry for her.” Nicole started unloading her few groceries. “Her mom is sick.”
Alex laughed. “I’m not sure I’d believe her about that. Don’t let her pull you in, Nicole. The best thing you can do for her is to send her packing. The sooner the better.”
Nicole considered this as she paid for her groceries. She couldn’t imagine actually firing Amyra. She would much prefer that they work things out. Yet it felt like that would take a miracle.
“Tell you what,” Alex said as they were putting their bags in his trunk. “I’ll help you figure out the bookkeeping if you promise to get rid of Amyra. Trust me, my mom will thank you when she gets back. She’s wanted to can her ever since Ryan broke up with her, but poor Mom . . . she just doesn’t have the nerve.”
Nicole got into the car. “Your mom is such a sweetheart.”
“Yeah, we’ve all told her she’s too nice to run her own business.” He laughed. “But she actually seems to do okay.”
As he drove them home, Nicole asked, “When do you think you could help me learn how to do the books?”
“Whenever you like. That is, if I’m around. I’ll be here a few more days. My next business trip isn’t until Wednesday morning.”
“How about tomorrow?” she asked. “Amyra has the day off, so she wouldn’t have to know. Or even on Monday. She’s off then too. And as you know, the gallery’s closed on Tuesday.”
“Sure, we’ll start tomorrow. If we need to, we’ll use Monday too. By the time Amyra comes back to work, you should be able to handle everything. And what you can’t handle, I’ll help you with. Just as long as you take me seriously. You have to deal with Amyra, okay?”
Nicole bit her lip. “I’ll do my best, Alex.”
He chuckled. “I know it won’t be easy, but everyone will thank you for it.”
Nicole let out a long sigh. It figured that they would all expect her to get rid of Amyra. Sort of like sending in Tweety Pie to take care of Sylvester.
As soon as they got back, Bernie, wearing her bikini with a T-shirt over it, reminded Nicole of their plan to swim and hang by the pool together.
Nicole put her groceries away, trying to think of a way to beg off without hurting Bernie’s feelings so Alex could have this time to talk to his daughter.
“While you get your suit on, I’ll make us green smoothies,” Bernie said. “Grandma showed me how to do it.” She set the blender on the counter.
“Sounds good,” Nicole said. “Give me five minutes.”
For the next hour or so, Nicole and Bernie sipped smoothies, played in the pool, and sunned themselves. Nicole could tell she was the substitute for Bernie’s best friend Gina, but she didn’t mind. She just didn’t want to be in the way when Alex was finally ready to converse with his daughter. Hopefully that would be sooner and not later. Then she would make herself scarce and head upstairs for a cool shower and some downtime.
After five o’clock, she’d almost given up when Alex finally emerged from the carriage house. Dressed in his swim trunks, he called out a greeting and came over to join them.
“I took a nap,” he said. “Meant to sleep a few minutes, and when I woke up it was almost four.”
Nicole stood, wrapping her towel around her. “That sounds good. I want to grab a little nap too.” She exchanged glances with Alex, as if to remind him this was his chance for a private conversation. He took her place in the lounge chair, so she scurried into the house and, praying their talk would go well, headed up to her room.
She really cared about Bernie and wanted to see the young girl freed from any misplaced feelings of guilt. She wanted to see Bernie blossom and grow, but at the same time, it was risky getting too close to her. Their paths were only going to cross briefly—until the end of summer. It wouldn’t be good for Bernie to become too dependent on her, to expect too much. And yet, it wasn’t as if she could just shove the girl away. She would have to travel this road cautiously.
18
The Pirates’ House had a definite air to it. Although it was smaller than Nicole had expected, it seemed to ooze with history and personality—and perhaps even a ghost or two like Bernie insisted as they waited to be seated. Ryan had arrived before them and was waving to them from a corner table. He stood as they approached, shaking his brother’s hand and pulling out the chairs for Nicole and Bernie. Not for the first time, Nicole realized that Southern etiquette was more polished than Northern. She liked it.
“I took the liberty to order the prawns and fried mozzarella for the table,” Ryan said to Nicole. “I know Bernie and Alex like that. But if you’d prefer—”
“That sounds great to me,” she assured him. Ryan had on a white collarless shirt that showed off his tan, as well as his ivory teeth when he smiled. She glanced from him to Alex and wondered why she’d ever thought that Alex was the handsome brother.
“So how old is the Pirates’ House?” she asked. “I’m surprised that the building actually looks old. For some reason I thought it would be more like a tourist attraction. Like Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. But this place looks authentic.”
“It should look authentic,” Ryan told her. “Although they’ve had various renovations over the years, this building originated before the Revolutionary War.”
“Really?” She looked around, impressed. “I wouldn’t have guessed that. It’s amazing how much history Savannah has. It’s almost as if this town was never even touched by the Civil War.”
“Savannah’s buildings might have survived, but we suffered from the Civil War in lots of ways,” Alex told her. “Savannah’s agricultural economy, like the rest of the South, was crushed for quite some time.”
“But at least you still had all your lovely buildings and parks and sculptures,” she reminded him.
“A lot of our surviving antebellum architecture was thanks to General Sherman,” Ryan explained. “He was a general who, as the story goes, spared Savannah as a Christmas present to President Lincoln.”
“Sherman?” she repeated. “Isn’t that Cassidy’s last name? Is her family related to that general?”
“Not that I’ve ever heard.” Ryan shook his head. “General Sherman was a Northern general with the Union Army. Cassidy’s family has been Southern for as many generations as our family. Pre-Revolution.”
“Oh.” Nicole nodded, thinking that made sense. Ryan and Cassidy—with their families’ Southern pedigrees—probably belonged together. “Well, I’m glad General Sherman spared this pretty city.”
“So are we.” Alex chuckled. “Even more glad that Lincoln didn’t decide to relocate Savannah to the north.”
“That couldn’t have happened,” Bernie declared. “No one can transport a whole city.”
“Stranger things occurred during and following that war,” her dad told her. “The North really pounded the stuffing out of the South. Fortunately, Southerners are strong and resilient. We know how to bounce back.” He playfully poked Bernie in the shoulder. “Right?”
She smiled brightly at him. “Right!”
The conversation lulled as the waiter set their drinks and appetizers on the table, then took their orders. After he left, Ryan turned to Nicole. “Did you know that a pirate friend of Robert Louis Stevenson was rumored to have st
ayed here in the Pirates’ House?”
“Really? Did Stevenson have pirate friends?”
“How else would he write about pirate adventures with such authenticity?” Ryan’s eyes twinkled.
She frowned. “But wasn’t he Scottish? Was he ever in Savannah?”
“He was Scottish, but he wrote about places like this, and about victims who were shanghaied from somewhere just like this. Some people believe that Treasure Island was inspired by some of the happenings right here in Savannah. And the owners of the Pirates’ House have some rare editions of the book on display upstairs.”
“That’s so interesting.” Nicole smiled at Ryan. “You’re quite the historian, aren’t you?”
Ryan shrugged. “It’s probably because I like old buildings. That lends itself to history.”
“Dad.” Bernie nudged Alex. “Tell Nicole about that other famous author. The one with the crazy parents.”
Alex gave her a blank look.
“You know, the dad killed the mom, then—”
“Oh, that’s probably not a good story for dinner,” Alex said.
“Nicole doesn’t mind.” Bernie turned to Nicole. “Do you? I mean, you went on the ghost tour with Uncle Ryan and me. You weren’t afraid.”
Nicole smiled at Alex. “What’s the story?”
“Have you heard of Conrad Aiken?”
“Not that I recall, but I’m not a real literary buff.”
“He was probably best known for poetry,” Ryan filled in. “Although he wrote several books too.”
“Anyway, as Bernie mentioned, Aiken’s father shot his mother.” Alex grimaced. “Then he killed himself. Aiken was just a boy, and he discovered his parents’ bodies.”
“The house is still there,” Bernie said. “Haunted, of course.”
“Of course.” Nicole nodded.
“But it’s Conrad Aiken’s grave that’s interesting,” Alex continued. “It’s at Bonaventure Cemetery, the same place his parents were buried. Apparently Aiken spent a lot of time there, so naturally, he wanted to be buried there too. He wanted his own grave to be shaped like a bench.”
Under a Summer Sky--A Savannah Romance Page 15
