Neil focused on Erika. “Perhaps you should find your clothing while I speak with my daughter.”
“We’ll be at your home in an hour,” Zee told him with a smile, his hand on the edge of the heavy door. “Next time you want to visit, Neil, call first.”
“I don’t believe I asked your permission.”
“Given the past few months Erika’s put up with, don’t push me, Neil. I’d hate to get on the wrong side of my wife’s family so quickly, but intimidating her and browbeating her to get something you want, isn’t an acceptable course of action.” Zee watched the color climb on the other man’s face. “We’ll be there in an hour but don’t expect us to stay long. We have plans for the weekend.”
Erika felt her body slide a little closer to Zee as the door clicked shut, the lock turned with a finality that echoed in the hall. Heavy, angry footfalls were heard on the stairway at the same time Zee backed her against the door, his hands firmly on her waist.
“Are you alright?”
“Oh, yeah…uh-huh…”
He laughed. “Erika, you’re shaking. What’s he done that has you so scared of him?”
“I don’t trust him,” she whispered. “I’m fine. I want my things. I’ll be fine. They don’t listen. It’s like talking to walls. The really strange thing is…neither of them ever were this involved in my life before this. I spent most of my life with my grandmother.”
“I’ll be a few minutes. Not long. I need to stop downstairs and make sure things are alright,” he didn’t release her. Instead, he turned her and guided her into the open living area and pressed her onto the sofa. “No phone calls, so probably everyone showed up who was supposed to be there.”
His gaze fell on the pack that she’d dropped. He handed her the sweater from the floor and continued to the back of the apartment.
Erika fell back against the sofa, her eyes closed.
Did it really just come down to which one you trusted most? Which would she feel safest with? The why part was bothering her a little. Okay, more than a little. They’d never given her reason to distrust them before. Mostly once she’d grown out of being a pose able and the perfect little show-off doll, they’d shunted her off to schools and nannies. She hadn’t really had a permanent place to live in a while and had only gone to her parents after the final course she had to take for her license.
But she’d never had a reason to distrust them before.
Why pick her? There had to be girls out there they could have found who would go along with their plans.
“He’d been working with father for five years. They had to plan this,” she said, talking to herself, she went to her feet and paced the room. “Why me?”
“You’re gorgeous, articulate and personable, and the boss’s daughter,” Zee answered the puzzled voice. He was tucking a wallet into a jacket pocket and held keys in his other hand. “And you have exquisite manners, even in the face of something very unagreeable. Shall we?”
Erika looked over the casual T-shirt, jeans, boots and a light jacket.
“I’m also unpredictable, brusque and impatient,” she returned immediately, patting the pockets of her sweater before sliding her arms inside the oversized deep green knit. “They’ve never tried to control me before, Zee. Why do they think they could now? How the hell was he going to pull off the honeymoon?”
Zee stared into the wide blue eyes, the tone in her voice making him laugh.
She whipped up a palm when he opened his mouth, about to explain about guys.
“I don’t even want to know,” she informed him, exhaling and straightening her shoulders.
“Never having been a guy who preferred guys, I’m not sure I have an explanation for you. However, I’d love to be in the room when you ask,” he listened to the sudden hoot of laughter from her.
“You’re as bad as me. This can’t end well at my parents, Zee. Seriously. I know them. They are…stiff…social…pompous,” she jogged lightly down the outside stairs, grateful she didn’t see her father’s limo outside.
“No touchy-feely moments?”
“Not really. I had nice nannies and my grandmother,” she said with a shrug. “Miss Janie was the best. She retired when I went off to college.”
“You’re fond of her,” he led her into the sandwich shop, the closed sign up for another thirty minutes as the breads were prepared and vegetables sliced.
“I’m okay, Zee. Go be a boss,” Erika went back outside, inhaling the fresh, damp air and leaning her palms on the thick railing that blocked his tables from the sidewalk.
She’d never put it into words before but she was fond of Janie. She talked to Janie and they visited. And talked. Janie knew her fears, her worries about herself. No matter the polished women the world saw. Maybe it felt wrong to claim she was closer to her nanny than her own mother, but it was the truth. Maybe that’s why she never said the words before.
Erika turned and perched on the rail, watching Zee talk to people inside his shop. They laughed with him, their expressions serious when they needed to be, though. She’d never seen people have fun at her fathers’ office. Maybe they hid it well. She sighed. And especially since she was the bosses’ daughter, people didn’t seem to relax much around her the few times she visited.
“That’s one serious face,” Zee said quietly, his fingers beneath her chin, lifting her sight from the ground she seemed intent on studying.
“I know how I chose to become a pharmacist. I remember classes I’ve taken that led there. I remember why,” she looked up into the patient, handsome features. “I don’t know how I was led to where I am now, Zee. I’ve been thinking back, trying to understand how I let something like this happen…”
“Let’s drive and we’ll talk,” he took her palm and led her to the SUV parked off to the side of the building. “I’m thinking there was an agenda all along, Erika. You told me about the proposal. If they knew your personality, they knew you’d be too polite to embarrass the fool like you should have.”
Erika sighed. “It doesn’t make me look good, Zee. It makes me feel stupid. I’ve been thinking about places he took me. Things I enjoyed doing that he incorporated into the dates but he seemed to have little interest in. And the conversation…” she rolled her eyes. “I noticed…but figured it was normal male need to explain how good a catch he was,” her palm went up to her lips.
“Good thing I don’t feel the urge to brag,” Zee winked at her and started the SUV. “It sounds to me like they were collectively grooming you along the path they wanted, Erika.”
“But why? There has to be an easier female who would have gone along without them having to worry about controlling her,” she said with an exasperated flounce into the seat.
“That one I can’t answer. It all seems a little more complex than it needed to be.”
“As in why would conservative people want this type of situation.”
“Unless they were being forced into it,” Zee said after a quiet couple minutes.
“Blackmail? Good grief, each new theory is crazier,” she laughed, shaking her head and settling back, tapping the address into the GPS on the dash.
“Consider yourself fortunate to be on the outside at this point,” Zee told her, laughing along with her. He managed to spend the next thirty minutes launching them into topics that ranged from the reclamation to the casino to favorite books and movies.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Zee? I could go up to the house by myself.” Her hands twisted nervously as she watched the gates appear as they rounded the last curve.
“You’re under my protection. You want my reputation to suffer?” He felt a little better when she laughed, the palm he had slipped between her hands, though, had immediately surrounded the cold fingers that only seemed to get colder.
“I don’t want them hurting you.”
“Erika, I own my building and my shop. There isn’t anything anyone can do to me, unless they hurt you,” he said honestly, watching the surprise on he
r face.
“You don’t know me.”
“But I’m willing to learn and I like what I’ve come to know so far,” he pulled to the side of the house where the large overhang was. “We made it just before the storm started again. Shoulders back and head up, princess.”
“They know we’re here,” she whispered, her fingers gripping his and not letting go.
“I need that hand now and then,” he used his other hand and peeled her fingers from around his with a frown. Woman had the grip of a python after its next meal.
“Sorry. I’ve never been nervous at my own parents’ house before. I’ve dreaded it, but never been nervous,” she admitted in a low voice, her head close to his shoulder. He’d wrapped his arm around her and held her close as they walked to the door that was already opening.
“Miss Erika,” a man stepped forward. He was in his late fifties and stood dressed in solid black with a stark white shirt beneath the jacket.
“Keith,” Erika cleared her throat and smiled. “This is Xavier Moore.”
“Mr. Moore,” he tipped his head and stepped to the side, gesturing them inside.
“I parked my SUV to the side, if it’s a problem, let me know,” Zee told him politely.
“No problem at all, sir,” Keith said with a warm glance at the man and the way he held the young woman. He nodded in silent approval of what he saw in Xavier Moore’s eyes.
“I’m just picking up my clothes,” Erika headed for the stairs, coming to a stop when Zee didn’t move forward with her. “Oh, no,” she reached out, took his palm and pulled him after her up the wide, curving staircase. “I have suitcases and you can carry them.”
“Please allow me to help you this time, Miss Erika,” Keith looked shocked at her statement about suitcases.
“I think I can manage, thanks,” Zee told him. “Why is he nervous?”
“Because my way of getting them down the stairs is less than…” She looked over her shoulder at Zee. “I lay them down and let them slide to the bottom. It’s easiest.”
“Alright.” He decided to hold his thoughts inside on that one along with his laughter at the image she planted in his mind. “Maybe they changed their minds about talking to you.”
“You’re so cute,” she mumbled, striding to the door at the far end and shoving tit wide. She had packed all her things with the exception of the wedding clothes her mother had bought for her. The suitcases sat by the closet and her room looked just as it had when she left five days ago.
Zee looked at the two large cases and one small. “This is it?”
“I’m not much into things. Other than maybe books and music and my computer,” she said with a little frown. She went into the bathroom and collected an armful of bottles and dropped them onto the bed, her head swiveling around and landing on the small case she had the few make-up items in. She tightened the caps and arranged them inside the case, carrying it and the smaller case out of the room and down the stairs to the open door.
“Erika Grace,” Valerie Vincent was as tall as her daughter, her hair falling in a smooth curtain to just below her ears in a shade of silver-gold that fit the tanned, mature features. Dressed in comfortable slacks and a fitted blouse she extended her palm to Zee. “Valerie Vincent.”
“Xavier Moore,” Zee responded, politely shaking her hand. He could easily see the resemblance in the bright eyes that studied him with interest.
“Hello, Mother,” she set the small case on the floor and moved forward to hug her mother.
“What happened? We’ve been searching all over for you,” before Erika could move away, her mother had looped her arm through hers and was leading her into the large drawing room. “We’ve been so worried, Erika. I spoke to the police but they aren’t overly helpful.”
“I left a note, mother. It was a mistake. A very big mistake and I apologized to Adam for allowing it to drag on as long as it had,” Erika tried pulling free without making it look too obvious until she realized they weren’t alone in the room. Her eyes swept almost frantically behind her, relieved to see Zee striding easily behind them.
“You aren’t welcome here, Moore,” Adam Wayne stepped forward, about to reach for Erika only to draw back with she threw her palm up in front of her.
Chapter Six
“This isn’t your house, Adam Wayne! How dare you say who is and who is not permitted here? Zee is with me and I’m a member of this family, you are not,” she informed him angrily. “Did you set this up to ambush me? This is your idea of how well we get along? I left you a very clear note. I do not want to be married to you. It was a mistake.”
“Did you believe that before or after you met Moore?” Adam’s face was filled with anger. He had plans that had abruptly gone up in smoke when she simply vanished. “Why did you leave, Erika? What happened?”
“Is it difficult to believe she’s not in love with you?” Zee moved behind her, his hands settling on her waist and urging her to rest possessively against him.
“I didn’t come here to argue with you,” Erika said quietly. “With any of you.”
“You were content enough, Erika. What happened?” Adam reached for her only to have her shrink against Zee.
“It doesn’t matter. Why aren’t you listening? And father…mother…I’m sorry, but this is not your concern. I hope you’d want me to be happy. I’ve been trying to find time alone to end the engagement but every time I found a space…I didn’t want to just end it in front of everyone!” She declared in frustration. “Unlike how you manipulated me, I do not believe making all this public is necessary or anyone’s business.”
“And you think people don’t know now, Erika? How is that different?”
“Then you shouldn’t have asked me in front of god and everyone at a dinner party,” she exclaimed, two hands up dramatically. “We don’t suit, Adam. If it’s easier on your ego, I made a mistake. It’s my fault. We do not fit together.”
“We were suiting fine until you disappeared without a word.”
“Without a word? I left you a note. Did you get it? Did you read it? How many words do you want?”
“Maybe he wants to know that you saw him in the garden with Ross Richardson, Erika,” Zee said calmly, immediately aware of the frosted silence that filled the room around them. “Maybe…just maybe…Erika isn’t the kind of woman who is content to be a trophy for the advancement of your career.”
Erika closed her eyes tightly. Somehow she’d pictured that as going differently.
“Whatever you believe you saw, Erika, I can explain,” Adam said, the control held with the strictest of lines.
“I did not need an explanation of what I heard or what I saw,” she opened her eyes and looked from one to the other. “I’m not stupid and I really hate that all of you treated me like I was some naïve little girl you could lead around. And I also accept that it was my own fault for just not ending it before it went anywhere. But it is ended. It is over.”
“Especially since she has a husband who doesn’t share and is very crazy about his wife,” Zee told the audience firmly. “If the interrogation is finished? We have plans for the weekend before Erika begins her new career.”
“You can’t just end this, Erika. I care about you,” Adam grasped one of the palms from her side.
“Weren’t you listening, Adam?” Erika pulled her hand away and took a step back, her body immediately coming against Zee’s. “I am married to Xavier Moore. Here. Behind me. Big. You can’t miss him.” She poked her elbow back into his ribs when he chuckled. “Period. End of discussion. Mother, call me, we’ll have lunch. I’ll tell you all about my new job. Love you…bye…let’s go,” she gripped Zee’s palm and quickly led him from the room. “Just keep walking and please do not say another word.”
“Yes, dear.” Zee reached down as they moved. He snagged the handle of her make-up case and continuing toward the door.
“This isn’t funny. You shouldn’t have told him, Zee. It should have just been left at it wa
s over,” she said tersely, grabbing the smaller case from him and carrying it around to the SUV where her larger cases waited.
“Why wouldn’t you want him to know the truth, Erika?” He asked flatly, meeting her gaze across the front of the SUV. “Because you didn’t want to hurt him? He didn’t seem to give a damn one way or the other about your feelings in the whole thing.”
“I don’t know,” she said after taking a deep breath. “I just know it was better if they thought you were the reason I left.”
“As far as they’re concerned, I am the reason you left,” he told her. “Males have egos and just let Wayne suffer a bruised ego. He’ll survive, trust me.”
“You sound pretty positive of that,” she sighed.
“You can’t make it to thirty-five without having your ego bruised.”
“Did some girl break your heart?” Erika shifted to the side, watching him drive. She saw his hands tighten around the steering wheel. “I’m sorry.”
“After all the things you’ve shared with me? It goes with the bruised ego, Erika. Maybe accepting that it’s part of life after the fact is a lot easier than when it’s actually happening,” he saw her absently nod. “And maybe all that happens to prepare you for the one good thing that comes into your life so you don’t blow it.”
“Are you leading me along a path, Zee?”
“I hope so,” he laughed. “But I can promise you, I don’t have a boyfriend in the background.”
“Sooo…why don’t you have a girlfriend?” She continued to stare, taking in the strong profile and those kissable full lips that pursed in thought. “I know…you were waiting for the right girl to come along. And you want me to believe that’s me.”
“I believe it. You need me so you don’t forget to take a bath,” he teased, laughing when she flushed and aimed her fist at his thigh. “We’ll go pick up your car then you can arrange your stuff in the bedroom. I have to spend a couple hours downstairs this afternoon.”
WindSwept Narrows: #22 Erika & Vianne Page 5
