As they ate breakfast she rang around some of Fraser’s friends mothers. Everyone was busy but one mother offered to drop Fraser off at Able’s on her way to taking her daughter to afterschool care. That was going to have to do for today.
“You’re coming to work after school today. But you have to promise to be on your best behavior.”
Fraser beamed. “Do I get to play with Santa’s reindeer?”
“No. They’re not in the store yet. Not till we open. And you’ll have to stay in my office. I’ve got lots to do.”
“Okay.” Fraser shrugged. “I’ll bring my coloring book.”
“Good idea.”
As Fraser finished his breakfast and packed his school bag Gabby checked in with herself. She still had a job, at least for today. Her nightmare had simply been the result of too much bad news all at once. There was no point declaring herself bankrupt today, not after she’d spent the last five years living off nothing. She had the rest of the week to figure something out. The words of her favorite self help book, flashed through her head, I am the sculptor of my own life, I create beauty and purpose in my every action. Well maybe today she wouldn’t create much that was beautiful, but she was going to make sure Fraser’s life turned out as gorgeous as she could manage.
“We’ll get through this, just like we’ve got through everything else.” They’d go to one of those shelters for a few nights if they had too, the anonymous ones so social services wouldn’t get on her case. And she’d see the bank manager about not increasing her repayments just yet. Just till she could get back on her feet. Interest rates be damned. Her repayment schedule would have to take the hit and she’d just take longer to get out of the mess her father had left her.
She’d go to work and do her job. So she felt more than she should for her new boss. So what? That was going to stop. Now. He had never felt the same way about her and he wasn’t about to start falling for her now. Especially not now he knew she had a kid. They were messy, and he didn’t do mess.
She felt better until she looked through the paper for somewhere to live. Prices had gone up. They’d have to move to New Jersey at this rate, and then what would she do about Fraser after school? The tears weren’t far away but she held them back as Fraser bounced back into the room. Today was the start of something new. The thought helped her keep a tenuous hold on her emotions as she shooed Fraser out the door. It was almost Christmas after all, who knew what the Santa spirit might bring.
Chapter Seven
“Bring me Gabrielle Philips’ contract.”
Nicolas paced his office. He’d been held up in meetings all morning and most of the afternoon and was itching to work out what havoc he could wreak on Gabrielle’s life. Cheat on him would she? Well she was about to learn what that cost. Mrs. Tollero placed the contract in front of him and stood back, waiting for something.
“What?” he snarled.
“I was just wondering what you were planning on doing to the poor woman. It’s not her fault her father’s a fool.”
Nicolas looked up, eyes narrowed, but Mrs. Tollero refused to look away. “What do you know about it?”
“No more than anyone else. But just because she…”
He waited for the rest of the sentence but his executive assistant didn’t finish.
Her face was flat. She’d obviously thought better of what she was going to say. “Will there be anything else for the minute, sir?”
He sighed and spoke in a calmer voice. “No. Thank you.”
Mrs. Tollero had been loyal to Morganti’s for over ten years. She had his back. Always. She knew the comings and goings of his office, knew that he was fair, if a little hard at times. Knew the history of his parents and where he’d come from. And she also knows every woman you’ve dated. She knew Gabrielle was the only woman he’d ever shopped for himself. And was the only woman who hadn’t received the break up box from Tiffany’s.
He shrugged. So what? He was just looking after his interests, it didn’t matter one way or the other if his assistant approved of his particular methods of revenge. It wasn’t like he was planning on killing children.
Children. Nicolas stopped the churning of his thoughts. If he destroyed Gabrielle, what would it do to her son?
She’ll work it out. She’s clearly resourceful.
His heart threatened to snap its muscle moorings again and turn his thoughts poetic and soft. He shut it down and concentrated on the contract in front of him. After reading it three times he gave up. Damn. Old Mr. Able had a reputation for being kind to his employees, and his lawyers were obviously cut from the same cloth. The contract didn’t leave any wriggle room for getting rid of Gabrielle. “Until I prove that you’re the corporate thief.”
Nicolas stood and strode to the door. “I’m going down to the 34th Street store,” he called to Mrs. Tollero. Just because he couldn’t fire her yet, didn’t mean he couldn’t make sure every ‘t’ was crossed and every ‘i’ was in his favor.
Like he had only a few days ago, Nicolas browsed the window displays, nodding to a few of the store managers who now recognized him as their new boss and snapped to attention. Good.
His wandering brought him to the entrance of Gabrielle’s grotto. The splendor that lay inside was still hidden from the public, but even the outside hinted that there was a wonderland behind the red velvet rope that hung over the entrance.
The promise was ignored by a small boy underneath it. Pushing a scruffy green toy car through the fake snow on the floor, he chatted to himself, oblivious of the rest of the world. Nicolas watched for a moment then realized there was no parent anywhere close by. “Hey, what you up to?”
The child looked up at him then said cautiously. “I’m just playing.”
“It’s okay, you’re not in trouble.”
The boy’s face relaxed and he went back to pushing his car through the snow.
Nicolas frowned and stroked his jaw. “Is your mommy or daddy in the shop?” he pointed to the toy shop close by.
“This is my mommy’s store,” the child said without looking up.
“Are you sure? I thought this was my store.”
Sitting back on his heels the boy inspected Nicolas. The calculation in his eyes seemed strangely familiar to Nicolas. “I’m not allowed to talk to strangers.”
Nicolas’s ears prickled. The voice was suddenly recognizable as well.
“My name’s Nicolas, which means I’m not a stranger.”
“My mommy has a boss called Nicolas. He called me the other day.”
Hoping he hid the shock from his face, Nicolas said in a measured tone. “You shouldn’t be here on your own. And aren’t you old enough to be at school anyway?”
“School’s finished and my neighbor is getting a new hip. So I came here. Matilda’s Mom dropped me off.”
“Is your name Fraser?”
The considered look was far beyond the five years the boy possessed. “Are you my Mommy’s boss?”
Nicolas nodded.
All concern dropped from Fraser’s face. “Cool. I like your store. Mommy makes it look real pretty, especially at Christmas time. Easter is good too, but I like Christmas best.”
“Let’s go find your mother shall we?”
Fraser stood and grabbed Nicolas’s hand. Nicolas jerked initially, shocked to have such close contact with Gabrielle’s son, but the boy ignored his tension, or didn’t notice, and the two of them headed for the elevators.
What sort of mother allowed her son to roam about unchecked? It took a lot of concentration to keep up his chatty, friendly face, but inside, Nicolas’s thoughts spun. Find a neutral topic. “You hungry?” he asked.
Fraser shrugged. “I had a Twinkie on the way here.
Nicolas’s eyes bulged. “You had a Twinkie for lunch?”
“No, it was a snack, Matilda didn’t want it. I had egg sandwiches for lunch. I made them this morning.” Of course the kid had had lunch. Nicolas picked up his pace. He needed to offload the kid on
his mother before any of the patronizing platitudes that were racing round his head escaped. Nicolas wasn’t That Guy. Well, mostly.
“Fraser!” Careening round the corner, Gabrielle’s strangled cry greeted them. Nicolas softened. Gabrielle’s eyes were shiny with moisture as she ran towards Fraser. Dropping to her knees she pulled him into her arms. “Baby, where have you been? I told you to stay with Miriam. She said you were under her desk with your coloring and then…it doesn’t matter. You’re here now.” She covered him in kisses and hugged him even harder.
“I didn’t mean to. I was just bored. I left a note.”
“He was downstairs. Alone.”
Gabrielle looked up and Nicolas realized she hadn’t even registered his presence until that moment. She wiped at her eyes, clearly embarrassed.
“Downstairs? Fraser, how did you get down there? You know you don’t go where I can’t see you.”
“The elevator came got me.” Fraser cast his eyes down, guilty, Nicolas realized.
“Shall we go into your office?”
Taking Fraser’s hand she lead the way, her shoulders slumped and all the spring gone out of her step.
Settling Fraser with his coloring books, this time in her office, Gabrielle turned to Nicolas. “Thanks so much for finding him. I don’t know how it could have happened. Miriam is usually so great with him.”
“He’s been here before?” The words came out harsher than he intended.
“Only when it’s absolutely the last option.”
“This is not a place for children. You’re the head of a busy department, how do you think it looks if you’re slacking off on the job.”
“I never slack off.”
“Him being here is a complete distraction. There’s no way you could be giving this company your full attention with your child in the room.”
Gabrielle put a hand on his chest and her contact seared through him immediately, as if she’d touched his skin rather than his suit jacket. Nicolas clenched his fists. Concentrate.
“Do not raise your voice in front of my son. If you want to talk, we’ll go outside.” The hand gave him a gentle push and Nicolas acquiesced, turning and walking into the outer office.
“Miriam, can you give us a minute? Fraser’s in my office.”
The assistant dropped her head. “I’m so sorry Gabby.”
Nicolas stopped her. “Fraser is Ms. Philips’ responsibility. We won’t be long, if you don’t mind.”
Miriam left and Nicolas rounded on Gabrielle. “Not only do you interrupt your own work, but you insist others take time out to look after your child, and then blame them when things go wrong. I don’t know which is worse, Ms. Philips, but I’m sure it’s in breach of your terms of employment…” Before he could finish the diatribe, Gabrielle burst into tears.
Slumping into the chair her assistant had just vacated, Gabrielle sobbed. Clenching his hands, then putting them in his pockets, Nicolas tried to ignore the tightening his heart was doing. Don’t be a fool, she probably wants you to comfort her. But when she didn’t stop he couldn’t help himself, and put a hand on her shoulder, stroking her, kneading the tension out of her neck.
Eventually, her tears dried and he stood back. She looked up and his hands moved to touch her again. She was a mess. The tears had carved up her face, leaving her eyes red and puffy, her mouth drawn and her cheeks streaked with salt and makeup.
His dismay must have shown because she put a hand to her mouth. “Oh god, I must look awful. I’m so sorry. I never do this. Never.” Hurriedly she pulled a tissue from a box on the desk and dabbed at her face.
It was true, Nicolas realized. He’d never seen Gabrielle cry. His heart contracted again.
Gabrielle heaved an enormous shuddering sigh and put her hands palms down on the desk as if she was looking for balance. “I swear to you Fraser doesn’t usually come to work with me. We were stuck today. It won’t happen again. Please. I can’t lose this job.”
Nicolas tried to stay firm. It could still be an act. “Fraser told me your neighbor is getting a new hip today. She’s your babysitter I assume?”
Gabrielle nodded.
“A hip replacement doesn’t get better overnight. Have you got someone else lined up?”
She gave a barely discernable nod.
“I could have been anyone. Fraser took my hand and walked up here as if he’d known me all his life. What have you been teaching him? Surely he knows to not wander off with strange men?”
Gabrielle dissolved into tears again and this time Nicolas was at a total loss. What had he said that had triggered her off this time? He knelt down beside her and took her hand. “What the hell is going on?”
Speaking through her tears Gabrielle stuttered something he couldn’t make out, then spoke in a rush. “We have to move out in a week so Indira couldn’t look after him even if she wasn’t getting a hip replacement. I can’t afford a new place, and because they sold the building the power bill came and I can’t afford that either. I don’t have anyone else to babysit. We might really have to go live in a shelter and oh god, if you fire me, I’ll really have nothing. I should have just…”
“Hey, hey.” Nicolas shushed her. So she really was paying off her father’s debt. Either that or she was one hell of a bad money manager. Nicolas looked at her again, misery written large over all her features. This was real, the world was completely closing in on Gabrielle Philips.
So why wasn’t he happy about it? He paused and his heart did its best to disentangle itself from messing with his head. For a mass of muscle, it had a big impact on his emotions. Nicolas focused on clamping it behind his ribs again. He looked at the woman in front of him. He was supposed to be the one to destroy her. That was what he wanted. Wasn’t it? Or was seeing her in real trouble more painful than you realized it might be?
“Oh god. Fraser.” Gabrielle looked behind her, aware finally that her breakdown had been more than a little audible.
Nicolas stood and looked through her door. Fraser was where they’d left him, happily coloring in a corner, a shaft of sunlight highlighting the fairness of his complexion. “He’s fine.” He turned to her. “So you don’t have a babysitter?”
She dropped her eyes again and shook her head.
“Or anywhere to live?”
Again the headshake.
This was where he should have gone for the jugular, ended her completely. But it was too easy. And then I won’t be able to prove she’s the thief. The excuse was enough and he made a snap decision. One that even surprised himself. “You’ll both move in with me.”
Her head shot up. “What? No. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You’re calling me ridiculous?”
“No. I mean, well, yes. We can’t move in with you. We won’t. Just because you and I are good in bed together doesn’t mean…”
“You think I’m doing this so I can sleep with you?” He paused. Why was he doing this? So you can catch her out. Find the proof she’s managed to hide from everyone else. And if she ended up in his bed as well, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. He shrugged.
“Well, I’m not like that. I won’t prostitute myself just to get a place to stay.”
“Prostitute yourself?” He snorted. “And what about Fraser? You’re going to tell him you turned down an offer of a warm bed, good food, my housekeeper looking after him after school? Just because of your stupid pride?”
She bit her lip.
“What other options do you have? Really? You start commuting for work from the bus shelter and you would be able to do your job for ten minutes.”
“You’d fire me for living in the wrong place?” Her eyes flashed indigo fire.
“Of course not, that would be illegal. But you’d be a mess and I’d fire you because you wouldn’t be able to do your job. You want to test that theory?”
She shook her head then bit her lip. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“What do you get out of having us stay?”
>
“Perhaps I just want to keep an eye on my investment. If you really are paying off your father’s debt, I might get a few pennies back once the lawyers and bureaucrats have had their fill. Can’t have you vanishing on me again.”
The pause that descended seemed to go on forever. He could almost see the cogs whirring inside her head as her options played out in her mind.
“I won’t lose my job?”
“Not unless you deserve to.”
Another pause.
“Okay.”
“Okay what?”
“Okay, we’ll move in with you. Just until we get back on our feet.”
“I’ll have my driver collect you and your things tonight.” He pulled out his cell. “What’s your address?”
“I can’t get everything packed up tonight. We don’t have to be out right away and…”
“Have you got a babysitter for tomorrow?”
She sighed.
“My housekeeper will organize everything.” He held up his hand as she went to protest again. “Hi, I need you to organize some movers for me. And we’ll have guests tonight. Yes a woman, and her five year old son. If you could set up the bedrooms. Yes.” He put his hand over the phone. “Is there anything Fraser doesn’t eat?”
She shook her head.
“That will be fine. Good. Yes, I’ll pass you over and she can give you the address.” He passed his phone to Gabrielle. While she gave her details to his housekeeper he watched her eyes flash dark. What was going on in her head? Relief? Frustration? Probably all the above. Rather than feel any sense of unease at this new turn of events, he found himself looking forward to ensuring she was close.
Gabrielle finished talking to his housekeeper and handed him back the phone. “You’d best finish early,” he said. “Go and get what you need for a couple of nights. The movers will take care of the rest. We can put most of it into storage.”
“For now,” she said firmly.
He just nodded. Taking the few steps to her office door he opened it and called, “I’ll
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