by R. R. Banks
“I’m sorry,” she said. “This is my son, Edmond. I didn’t have a babysitter for him, so I had to bring him with me. He needed a nap, so I laid him down in here while I did the ballroom.”
Before I could say anything, I heard the door to the apartment open and a loud voice echoing through.
“Ella! I’m back. I couldn’t find the rhinestone curtains. Oh.”
I turned and saw another woman who looked like an older, less delicate version of Ella standing in the doorway to the drawing room.
“Hello,” I said. “I’m guessing you’re Molly.”
“Yes, I am,” Molly said, a smile coming to her lips as her eyes scanned over me with a hungry look that made me briefly wonder if this was one of the women I had brought home recently.
Hopefully not one of the ones behind the flowers this morning.
Ella took the distraction as an opportunity to gather up the blanket and soft dinosaur toy that the little boy had been holding on the sofa with him and rush out of the room.
“I’m going to take Edmond home, Molly,” she called back. “Everything is under control here.”
“Alright,” Molly called back.
It was obvious that she wasn’t bothered that her sister was leaving, but I found myself wishing that the situation could be reversed and Ella would have stayed behind to finish the decorations. I would have liked to spend a bit more time looking at her, even if the thought of the child on her hip did throw me off a bit. Mothers were something I tended to steer away from. No need to make things complicated. I looked at Molly.
“I’m going to go to the gym and then to the spa for a massage. Please make sure that you lock the door when you’re finished if the housekeeper hasn’t gotten back by then.”
Molly’s smile faded, but I wasn’t interested in appeasing her. I still needed to get my brain into a space where I could host guests that night and that was going to require a massage. Before that, though, I felt the need to hit the gym and work out the adrenaline looking at Ella had sent surging through me.
Chapter Six
Ella
If that could have been just a little bit less awkward and embarrassing, that would have been awesome.
I rushed into the house, dropping my bag and the empty decoration boxes as fast as I could, as if getting away from it would somehow shake some of the discomfort of the interaction with Mason. I had been taken completely by surprise when he showed up at the apartment. When Molly left to find the supplies for the inspiration that the ballroom suddenly gave her, she reassured me I would be alone in the apartment. Mason was at work, Molly told me. The housekeeper and the cook were running errands, Molly told me. The rest of the staff was out, Molly told me.
Fail, Molly.
If Mason had arrived back at the apartment ten minutes later. Just ten minutes and the decorations would be finished, Edmond would be awake, and I probably would have left. He wouldn’t have walked in on me totally unprepared, looking like a mess, and heard the baby crying from where I had taken it upon myself to stretch him across a piece of furniture that was probably more expensive than the down payment on Molly’s house.
Because that’s how I roll, apparently.
Edmond ran into the kitchen and reached his chubby little hands toward me.
“Mama,” he said. “I can’t find dinosaur.”
“I’ll get it for you, Baby,” I said, heading back into the living room to get his beloved toy out of my bag where I had shoved it as we escaped from the apartment building.
I grabbed my bag and pulled it across the couch toward me. As I reached into the bag, I turned to glance over my shoulder at Edmond where he stood in the kitchen, staring up at the cabinet that held the cookie jar as though contemplating how he was going to get into it.
“I’ll get you one,” I told him. “Just wai—”
My words trailed off as my fingers hit something in my bag. It wasn’t the soft plush dinosaur that I was searching for. Instead, it was hard and heavy, the surface cold with raised designs that I traced with my fingers to make sure that I was really feeling what I thought that I was. My eyes closed, and I grimaced.
Oh, shit. Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit.
I gingerly pulled the object out of the bag and turned toward it, opening my eyes just a slit to confirm my suspicions. Yep. There is was. The fucking silver picture frame that had been sitting on the table in Mason’s apartment. Just as I was contemplating the end of my very brief career in event coordination, the front door opened, and Molly came in. She looked frustrated and I knew that she was about to start a tirade about Mason’s lack of interest in her, but she saw my face and her expression turned concerned.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Did something happen?”
“Yeah,” I said, holding up the frame. “I committed larceny.”
My sister narrowed her eyes at the frame and took a few steps toward it.
“What’s that?” she asked. When she was within a few feet of me her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent gasp. “Is that the picture frame from his apartment?” she asked in a harsh, conspiratorial whisper.
“It appears to be,” I said.
“Mama,” Edmond’s voice came from the kitchen. “Cookie.”
I set the frame down and went into the kitchen. I opened the cabinet, pulling down the cookie jar and handing Edmond a cookie as Molly came into the room, looking horrified.
“I told you that we were going to make plenty of money on this job, Ella.”
“I didn’t take it on purpose, Molly,” I snapped. “Seriously, what kind of person do you think I am? You think that I would steal a picture frame from some guy’s apartment while I was decorating it for a party?”
“You might steal a silver picture frame from a billionaire’s apartment while decorating it for a party in the middle of a financial slump.”
I stared at my sister, stunned.
“Wow,” I said. “Just wow. Is that really what you think of me? That I’ve gone so far off the deep end that I’ve turned to felonies to make ends meet?”
“I’m sorry,” Molly said. “I should know better.”
“Yes, you should.”
I was hurt by her assumption, but at the same time I had to admit it wasn’t really that far of a leap. The truth was that I had been scraping bottom for long enough that most people wouldn’t think it was that outrageous to assume I might just crack a little and take an opportunity when I saw one.
“So, how did that thing end up in my house?”
“Right after you left Edmond got that burst of energy that he does right before he crashes out for a nap and he started running around the apartment. He grabbed the frame and I told him no and he put it back, but just a couple minutes later he did it again. I took it from him and he took off running. I had my bag in my other hand because I had been looking for his sippy cup and I guess I just shoved it in there without thinking about it.”
“Do you think he’s going to notice that it’s gone?”
“It was on the table in the foyer. I don’t think that it’s going to be too long before he realizes that it’s not there.”
I let out a long sigh and dropped down onto the couch, slumping down and resting my head against the back. Molly sat down beside me and looked at the frame in my hands.
“It’s a really beautiful frame,” she said.
I nodded.
“It really is.” I looked down and admired the complex, decorative scrolling along the sides of the frame. “I wonder why he had it on display.”
“Because it’s a beautiful frame?” Molly asked.
“No,” I said, holding the frame closer to her so that she would look at it. “Because it’s empty. There’s no picture in it. Why would he have an empty picture frame on display in his apartment?”
“Well, I’ve heard that he doesn’t really have any family or anything. Maybe he doesn’t have anyone to have a picture of to put in the frame.”
“Then why have t
he frame on display?”
“Maybe it was a gift from somebody that he works with and he figured that it would hurt their feelings if they found out that he wasn’t displaying it.”
“But wouldn’t they be upset if they found out that it didn’t have a picture in it? And if he was just keeping it up to appease someone, why would it be up when there was no one else in the apartment? Wouldn’t he only put it up when that person was coming over? And at least put some kind of picture in it? The basketball team? A dog? Something?”
“I don’t know,” Molly snapped, obviously frustrated by my questions. “Does it really matter why he had it on display?” She stood up sharply from the couch and turned to look at me. “The point is that he had it on display, so obviously it means something to him. He’s going to notice that that thing is gone, and when he does, he’s going to be pissed. Worse than that, he’s going to know exactly who took it.”
“He will?” I asked, swallowing hard.
I already knew that chances were very good that he wasn’t going to have to do much thinking to come to the conclusion that it was one of us who took the frame, but hearing it come out of my sister’s mouth was somehow so much more intimidating than me just telling myself.
“His entire staff was out of the apartment,” Molly pointed out. “We were literally the only people there. Unless he thinks that one of them just randomly decided to swoop down and steal it on their way out for their errands for the day, he’s going to know.” She pressed her fingertips to her temples. “Holy shit. This is going to ruin us. He’s going to fire us and then he’s going to tell anyone who is going to listen to him that we’re thieves. We are seriously never going to work again.”
“Calm down,” I told her, standing.
“You’re right. It’s going to be fine.”
“How?” I said, sliding in to take the place of the one who was panicking now that my sister had so graciously vacated it for me. “How is it going to be fine? I stole a picture frame. I stole it.”
“Mama, you aren’t supposed to steal.”
I looked over at Edmond who stood at the door to the kitchen, staring at me with his wide eyes. I had forgotten that he was there and now I felt a pang of guilt rush through me. This was not one of the childhood memories that I wanted to make for him. I reached into the bag again and took out his dinosaur. Kneeling down in front of him, I handed him his toy and kissed his nose.
“I didn’t really steal it,” I told him. “It was just an accident.”
“Accidents are OK.”
I smiled at him and ran my fingers through his thick baby hair.
“Accidents are OK. Why don’t you go play with dinosaur? We’ll have dinner in a little bit.”
He took the toy from my hand and rushed toward the bedroom and I turned back to Molly.
“So, what are we going to do?”
“We aren’t going to do anything. You are going to figure out a way that you are going to get that thing back into his apartment before the police show up.”
“Seriously? You’re just going to throw me out there all by myself? I’d like to remind you that you are the reason that I got myself into this in the first place. If you hadn’t left me there alone, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“Don’t blame this on me! Who just shoves things into their bag without realizing it?”
“Have a toddler and then judge me.”
“Alright, alright,” Molly said, drawing in a calming breath. “We aren’t going to get anywhere fighting with each other. We just have to figure out a way to get you in there, put it back, and get out without anyone noticing you.”
“Oh, just that? No problem.”
I groaned and dropped back down onto the couch, covering my face with my hands.
“Actually,” Molly said, her voice sounding hopeful enough that I took my hands away from my face and looked at her. “It might not be as much of a problem as we think.”
Chapter Seven
Mason
“Where is it?” I shouted. “Where the fuck is it?”
I stomped through my apartment toward the guestroom where the maid was finishing vacuuming. She looked up at me, startled.
“Excuse me?”
“Where is it?” I demanded.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. Where is what?”
Her eyes were wide and I could see a shimmer of fear in them. I hadn’t meant to scare her, but in that moment, I was so angry that there was really nothing else for me to do. My body was shaking, and I felt my hands tightening into fists and then relaxing, remaining that way for only moments before clenching again.
“My picture frame,” I said. “The silver picture frame from the front table. It’s missing.”
Emma looked at me quizzically.
“It’s missing?” she asked.
My teeth clenched, and I had to take a moment to calm myself before talking again.
“Yes, it’s missing. That’s why I’m looking for it. It was on the front table like it always is when I left for work.”
“When did it go missing?”
“I just noticed it,” I said.
I felt horrible admitting that. How could I not notice if the frame was there when I got back from work? Or when I came home from the spa? It hadn’t been until I was starting downstairs again that I reached out to touch it and realized that it wasn’t sitting there on the table, in the place where it had been for years.
“Is something wrong?” the housekeeper asked as she came into the room carrying a stack of clean towels to replace those in the bathroom to ensure that anyone who may come would have fresh towels rather than those that may have been sitting there for a few days. “Emma, I can hear you in the other room.”
The young maid looked embarrassed that her superior was pointing out behavior that would be considered unacceptable in their professional service and glanced away. I hadn’t even noticed that the woman’s voice had gotten any louder, but Faye seemed appalled at the interaction.
“My picture frame is missing,” I said. “I can’t find it.” I took a breath, trying to calm myself. There was no reason for me to believe that anything had happened to the frame. There was probably a completely innocent explanation. “I was hoping that maybe one of you took it to clean it, or maybe you moved it to protect it during the party.”
The way that Faye was looking at me, I knew that she didn’t actually believe that that was why I stormed into the room. They could tell that I was furious, but neither of them was going to say anything about it. The only person who might have would be Bettie, and I had given her the night off so that she didn’t have to deal with the caterer in her kitchen. It was probably better for me that she wasn’t there. The last thing that I needed as I dealt with the potential loss of the frame was a lecture.
“No, sir,” Faye said. “I didn’t move it and I’ve instructed the rest of the staff that they shouldn’t touch it. It was there when I cleaned this morning.”
The revelation made the panic rise up in me even more and I struggled to control my emotions. I had to find that frame. I couldn’t have lost it. It was all that I had left.
“Then what could have happened to it?” I asked.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t notice that it was missing, sir,” Emma said. “My arms were full when I got back from running my errands and then when I was finished putting everything away, I was so taken by the decorations around the apartment for the party tonight that I didn’t even pay attention. I’m sorry.”
Her words struck me and I held up a hand to stop her. I could see the tears forming in her eyes and I didn’t want to make her feel any worse than she already was.
“It’s alright,” I said. “It’s not your fault. You wouldn’t have any reason to notice that it was gone. The event coordinator was gone by the time that you got back from your errands, right?” I asked.
Emma nodded, blinking away the tears.
“Did they leave a car
d or anything?”
She shook her head.
“You can ask for their information at the concierge desk,” Faye said. “They had a key to the apartment.”
I nodded and rushed out of the apartment. I remembered the way that Molly looked at me when we were standing in the drawing room. I had seen that look of almost aggressive interest countless times before. I had shut it down as fast as I could, but sometimes that had the exact opposite reaction that I wanted it to. With the way that she was throwing herself at me even after Ella rushed out of the apartment, I wouldn’t put it past Molly to snag the easiest thing that she could get her hands on as a souvenir of her time in my apartment.
My anger was getting more and more intense as I rode the elevator down toward the concierge desk and approached the man standing behind it. His eyes brightened slightly when they rose up to look at me.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Dupree,” he said. “Is there something that I can help you with? Tickets to the theater? Make you a dinner reservation?”
I shook my head adamantly, hoping to stop him mid-stream before he went down the entire list of services that he could provide. It was one of the luxuries of living in The Avalon, and I took advantage of it frequently, but in that moment, I just needed him to stop talking so I could ask for Molly’s information.
“There was an event coordinator in my apartment today,” I said.
“Yes,” he said, looking to the computer in front of him. “I have the record of her arrival right here. She assured me that you expected her and that she was preparing your apartment for your event this evening.”
He was starting to resemble Aidan and I nodded.
I seriously need more stable people in my life.
“She was,” I told him. “That’s not the problem. Did she return the key to my apartment?”
“Of course,” the concierge said. “I insisted that she give it back to me before she left the building.”
This piqued my interest.
“Did she try to leave with it?” I asked.
