Built to Last

by Jean Page

  The woman led her through the rest of the house giving her a set of keys for the doors as well as the guesthouse and the rest of the outbuildings on one ring and another set of keys for the interior rooms of the house. Then she left. Noelle closed the front door behind her and just stood in the foyer and looked around. She definitely was going to earn every penny of her wages in the next three months. She walked around making herself a quick sketch of the building and marking each room with a memorable landmark so that she would be more familiar with the place. Whittaker Hall was huge. She finished her walk in the kitchen and decided that the first order of business would be to stock groceries for her own needs. Before she could take that trip, she would need to empty her car of all of her belongings. Noelle smiled, feeling a sense of purpose and started making a list.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Cade ran a hand through his hair with frustration. Cleaning up the vandalism at the work site had set them back even further. His foreman said it looked like some teenagers had jumped the chain link fence around the area but Cade had too much riding on the completion of this hotel to take a chance. He decided to hire a local security firm to have a guard put on site twenty-four hours a day. He’d been nursing a headache for the majority of the day, which didn’t help matters any. Neither did Griffin for that matter. He’d made a point of telling the rest of the crew that he had spent the evening two nights back helping Noelle. Cade didn’t care for the other man’s tone or insinuation that there was more there than what Noelle had said. He knew that part of his anger toward Griffin was due to jealousy. For whatever reason, Noelle had decided that she wasn’t good enough for Cade but apparently, she didn’t feel the same way about Griffin. So while Cade was spending his nights trying not to think about Noelle and ignoring the emptiness of his house, Griffin was welcome company it seemed. It galled him to no end. He decided it was time to convince Noelle that he didn’t need her to be anything more than what she already was. She had said he could call. He looked at his watch, quarter to six, and wondered whether it would be too late to call on her tonight. He climbed in his truck and stuck his cell phone in the dash holder so he could talk hands free. He punched her cell number into the phone and pressed send. His heart picked up pace with each ring. How was it he could be as nervous as a schoolboy, just at the thought of talking to her again?

  “Hello?” she answered sounding distracted.

  “Hi Noelle, it’s Cade.”

  “Oh Cade, hi!” she replied sounding genuinely happy to hear from him. His fears subsided a bit.

  “How are you?”

  “Good, busy, but good. And you? How is the vandalism clean up going? Is it bad? Griffin said it was inside and out.”

  Griffin again. His jealousy clenched in his chest. He swallowed hard trying to ignore it. “It could have been worse. I have to push the men into overtime if I’m to expect to get even close to deadline at this rate and one of my other projects fell through. It’s kind of been a long day. I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

  There was a pause on her end. “How about I make you dinner?”

  “I don’t want to put you out.”

  “I wouldn’t have offered if it was any trouble Cade. Besides I’d like to pick your brain a bit.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’ve got some building issues with some of the outbuildings. This place hasn’t been used in nearly a decade. There’s a roof problem, I think, on one and a couple of things. It’ll be easier to show you than explain,” she stated. “Are you done with work now? I’ll text you the address.”

  His phone beeped as he received the text. “Yes, I’m just about to my house. I’ll get cleaned up and head your direction in about a half hour if that works.”

  “That’ll be perfect. I’ll see you soon.”

  Cade felt giddy. Dinner with Noelle was exactly where he wanted to be. He was curious about what she might need his opinion on, when it sounded like she had straightforward problems, but more than anything, he was excited for the opportunity to see her. He pulled into his driveway and practically bounded into the house to get showered and cleaned up.

  ***

  Noelle had just made it back to Whittaker Hall when she received the call from Cade. She had been busy all day getting the kitchen cleaned up. The cupboards were now partially stocked with canned and dry goods and the refrigerator was full. She had spent more money today than on any other given day in her life. Between cleaning supplies and groceries, her car had been full to overflowing with items. The second trip had been just about buying new bedding and linens for the entire house. Whittaker Hall touted ten bedrooms and the guesthouse had two more. It had more bathrooms than bedrooms as well as a pool that needed towels. She had a list of stores to shop at for such things, and another list for what colors and patterns were acceptable. She could not believe she had paid over a hundred dollars per towel. She balked at paying over ten dollars a towel for herself. Until today, she hadn’t even known such expensive towels existed. The same went for the bedding, who knew that the sheets she’d been sleeping on her whole life could feel like sandpaper next to these high thread count Egyptian cotton Italian made sheets.

  She stood in the center of the kitchen at the huge granite topped island rinsing vegetables. She had an apron covering her dress so she wouldn’t get it dirty. She was making shrimp Alfredo with roasted asparagus spears and garlic bread. She had a store bought Tiramisu that she hadn’t been able to pass up for dessert. She also had a small salad planned. There was a formal dining room and a more intimate breakfast room off the kitchen. She hadn’t done more than a little bit of looking around in the formal dining room going through the formal wear in the cabinets and washing them as well as the insides of the cabinets themselves. While everything had been well covered in dust clothes and drapes, years of disuse would take time to bring back to usable standards. She did find some dishes she wasn’t afraid would cost more than she made in a week if she broke them to use for dinner tonight. Better than the everyday stuff, she had been using, but not the top of the line either. She shook out a freshly laundered tablecloth over the table in the breakfast room.

  She had taken time to plan everything in detail for the night. She had been thinking about inviting him out even before he called. She had the pool service check out the pool that morning and then they filled it so she could start using it daily. There were several rooms she wanted to show Cade. She had fantasied about getting naked with him in the pool. In fact, there really wasn’t a room in the house that she hadn’t thought about what she and Cade could use it for. Even if she couldn’t admit it to herself yet, she missed his company.

  Between stirring dinner, and setting the table, time was burning away. She was too nervous and decided to have a glass of wine before dinner to relax. When the door chime sounded through Whittaker Hall, she jumped having never heard it before. She stripped off her apron and looked over her makeup in a hallway mirror as she made her way to the door. She felt excited and slightly out of breath from the quickness of her step and the distance when she swung open the door.

  “Why are you here Griffin?”

  “I brought a few more of your things that we forgot to pack in the car.” He responded and nodded his head toward the car.

  “You didn’t have to bring them out. I could have come and got them the next time I came in.”

  “It was no trouble and I wanted to see this place. Shall I bring them in for you?”

  “Okay but you can’t stay. I don’t want to seem rude Griffin but I am really busy at the moment.”

  “You look like you are expecting company. I’ll only be a little bit.”

  The unease Noelle had felt the other night was back. She didn’t care for his tone either. “I’m serious about you not staying,” she repeated after he had set down the second box and moved toward the parlor.

  “Ah, come on, Noelle, show me around. This place is huge. I wonder how much they spent building it.”

 
Noelle looked at her watch, “Fine but not long Griffin. We can start with the kitchen. I have to check on my dinner.” She walked to the kitchen and transferred the meal to the oven setting it on low to keep everything warm.

  “Looks like you went all out,” Griffin commented.

  Noelle took a long drink of her wine to hide her irritation at Griffin’s continued interruption. “I found I enjoy cooking when I have this much space. Let’s give you a quick tour so you can be on your way, she said and took off toward the formal dining room and the rooms beyond. Fifteen minutes later, she was showing him to the door and wondering where Cade was. She shut the door behind Griffin and leaned against it. Perhaps it hadn’t been a good idea to lease her apartment to Griffin after all. She stood again and walked back toward the kitchen.

  “I must be getting hungry,” she said to herself, putting a hand to her head that had begun to feel strange. It was the same feeling as she had the night of the blizzard. Dizzy like she’d had too much to drink and it hadn’t quite hit her yet. She was sure that it was just lack of eating. She’d been so busy today that she’d skipped lunch and now it was getting on into the late evening and she hadn’t had more than a couple of chucks of carrot from her salad and the wine.

  In the kitchen, she stooped to pull the food back out of the oven and when she stood again, she lost her balance and fell against the counter. Her body lay in a crumpled heap on the floor.

  ***

  Cade swore to himself as he tried to make out road names in the dark. He’d missed the turn, he was sure. He pulled over and checked the gps again. He turned the SUV around and headed back the way he came. A couple minutes later his headlights caught the street sign, Whittaker road. He turned onto it glancing at the clock. It had taken him twice as long to as it should have to get here. He hoped Noelle wouldn’t be upset. He had grabbed a bottle of champagne on his way and then had gotten stuck in traffic around an accident. As he pulled up into the long driveway of Whittaker Hall her whistled to himself, impressed with the size of the place. The architect in him appreciated the lines of the building, at least what he could see of it in the darkness.

  He got out of the SUV and straightened his shirt. He grabbed the bottle and walked up to the doors. He found the door chime and pressed it firmly. Anticipation of seeing her welled up in his chest. He hadn’t realized just how much he missed her. Several minutes passed and she didn’t answer the door. It was a big place so he gave her a little more time and then rang the chime again. When she didn’t answer the second time, he tried the door finding it open. Maybe she just couldn’t hear the chime. He stepped into the foyer and called out to her. His voice echoed back to him.

  He could smell food cooking and let his nose lead the way to the kitchen. He found the oven on warm and food waiting fully prepared for him. The next room had candles lit on the table and they looked like they had been burning for a little while. Cade called out to Noelle again but still received no response. This house was huge she could be anywhere in it, so he pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. It rang in his ear and then a louder ring sounded from behind him. He followed the sound and found Noelle’s cell phone sitting on the counter. He frowned at it and ended the call. His chest tightened and only the worst thoughts seemed to come to mind, though he tried to push them off with rationalizations like she was just finishing getting dressed or she had gone to the other end of the house for some other reason. So, he sat down at the table she had prepared and waited.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  It was dark when she woke. She was lying on a bed that didn’t feel familiar and she moved to sit up only then realizing her hands and feet were tied. Fear shot through her as she tried to remember what had happened. She had been waiting for Cade to arrive for dinner when Griffin had made a surprise visit.

  “Oh God...” she moaned. She listened around her in the dark. The wind was blowing very hard against the building and she could make out dim light around a door across the room from her. She could smell pine wood and as her eyes adjusted somewhat to take in the little bit of light she could tell she was in some sort of cabin. She struggled into an upright position. Her head was pounding and her mouth felt dried out. She leaned her back against the wall and used her teeth on the binding around her wrists but it appeared to be plastic and unbreakable.

  Griffin had been standing on the other side of the large doors of Whittaker Hall when she had opened them. She had frowned at him. That was all she could remember. Her head throbbed and she carefully touched it with her bound hands. She winced at the stab of pain as she touched the gauze bandage on her head. What the hell had happened to her? Her heart was threatening to pound right out of her chest. Did she dare call out? Whoever had tied her up apparently wasn’t afraid anyone would hear her or she felt they would have gagged her as well.

  She had no idea how long she had been out, with no window in the room, she didn’t know whether it was day or night. She heard footsteps in the next room and blinked back tears as the door opened and light poured in on her.

  “Good, you’re awake.” Griffin’s voice filled the room. “Let’s look at that head of yours. You know I was beginning to think you would never wake up. When I came back, I found you on the kitchen floor with blood everywhere. You made a horrible mess for me to clean up. I couldn’t have Cade calling the police right away. I needed time to get you here. Of course, I was worried that you’d figure out what I had done before I could circle back for you. It’s hard to tell sometimes how a person will react to the drugs.”

  Noelle gave him a startled look as she realized what he was talking about. “Why?” she whispered her throat feeling dry. “The club the other night…”

  “Yes, I slipped something in your beer the other night too. I figured half a pill would be enough to loosen you up, but no, you had other plans. Tell me, did Cade reap the benefits of my sowing?” he asked nastily.

  Noelle looked away from him quickly and blushed profusely.

  “I thought so. You ran right from me and into his arms. You tell me that you don’t want a relationship. You aren’t in a good place right now. But you kissed me, Noelle. Then you run off and hole up with Cade for two days.” He sounded angry.

  Noelle searched her thoughts for anything that she could think of that would have given Griffin any indication that she wanted to be with him romantically. How had he known about her staying with Cade? Did Cade… no she knew Cade well enough to know he wasn’t the type of guy that shared locker room gossip.

  “I tracked your phone. It’s amazing what you can do with technology these days.” Griffin answered her thoughts.

  “Griffin you don’t need to do this. I thought we were friends?”

  “But we can be so much more Noelle. I just know you will come to your senses about us. I just needed to get you away from Cade. Now let me look at your head. I certainly don’t want you to get an infection.”

  “I didn’t kiss you.”

  “You did. I did not imagine it Noelle. I know you find me attractive. You told me so.”

  Noelle flinched away from his touch when he pulled at the bandage on her forehead.

  “Sit still.”

  “Griffin, you don’t want to do this. Untie me please and let me go home and I’ll forget all about this. I won’t tell anyone.” She begged as he cleaned and bandaged the wound again.

  “What would be the point in that Noelle? Cade has you under some kind of spell. You’d just go running back to him. No, you and I are going to stay here until you come to your senses. You’ll see, once he’s out of your system you’ll remember how you feel about me. Then we can go home together. Now I am going to make us some food. If you behave yourself then I will let you feed yourself, understand?”

  Noelle nodded. Her mind was racing and she searched the room for anything that might be able to help her. With the door open, she could see a bit better even though it was still really dark in the room. “I’m afraid of the dark Griffin,” she lied to him, “Could I
have a light in here, please?”

  Griffin sat back on the bed and looked at her for a moment. “I suppose it is dark in here and a little bit of light isn’t going to change anything. I’ll bring one of the lamps in. Right now though, you need to get some more rest. You took a good blow to your head when you fell.” He stood and walked back to the door closing it behind him. She heard him turn a key in the lock, effectively sealing her in the dark once more. She watched his shadow move away from the door and then frantically tried to scoot herself to the end of the bed. She had briefly glimpsed a screw in the footboard of the log-framed bed and hoped she might be able to get it out enough to use. It was sunk into the wood though and she had nothing to use as a tool to loosen it. She felt around in the dark trying to find anything. The walls were log as well and fairly smooth. Nothing appeared to hang on the walls around the bed and her feet were tied in a way that prevented her from standing at all. She began to cry softly into the pillow on the bed. She only hoped Cade would call the police when he found her missing and that they would be able to find her.

  ***

  Cade had waited another fifteen minutes with his gut in a twist before he began to search the house. Each room he checked caused his fear to rise. Something had happened to her. Another half an hour had passed by the time he made it back to the kitchen. He’d found her room and nothing seemed out of place, her purse still sat in her reading chair. In the coat closet, her winter coat still hung on a hanger. He pulled out his phone and called the police. Since she had not been missing for more than a couple of hours they seemed unconcerned asking him to call back in the morning if she still hadn’t showed up. He hung up the phone in frustration and then thought to dial Del.

  “Hello?”

  “Del, it’s Cade. When was the last time you talked to your sister?”