Melinda stepped inside the darkened doorway of her building, praying Nathan was right. She had been waiting her entire life to discover that new world, and like Christopher Columbus setting out across an unknown ocean, she knew she had gone too far to turn back now.
* * *
“You’re moving?” Jack bellowed as he stood inside Melinda’s front door. He stared, dumbfounded, at the pile of boxes stacked against her living room wall.
Melinda’s eyes explored his rumpled T-shirt and faded blue jeans, and for a second she wondered what he would look like in a suit.
“Yes, I’m moving,” she answered, turning from the door.
“When were you going to tell me?” Jack slammed her front door behind him.
“It just came up,” she curtly replied, and walked to her kitchen pantry.
He hurried to her side. “You couldn’t come down to the Square and tell me before you began packing?” He waved his hand at the assortment of boxes on the kitchen counter.
She picked up two cans from her pantry. “I didn’t have time. I need to hurry up and move before I start my new job next week.”
Jack wrenched the cans from her and banged them down on the counter. “What job?”
The tension in the air made Melinda shiver with unease. “I’m going to be Nathan Cole’s private psychic. He says we can tell everyone I’m an assistant for the time—”
“When did you agree to this?” Jack roared.
Melinda picked up the cans he had thumped down on the counter and put them in one of the boxes next to her. “Just recently.”
“You should have told me you were considering taking that job.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve made my decision.”
As Melinda listened to Jack’s heavy breathing, she finished packing the cans from her pantry shelf.
“Are you moving in with him?”
Melinda fought back her instinct to scream at him. Instead, she closed the box and then slowly turned to him. “Nathan has an apartment for me in his building in the Warehouse District. It will be more convenient for me to—”
“I can’t believe that snake finally reeled you in,” Jack growled. “You can’t put yourself at his mercy. He only wants to use you, in more ways than one.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t need to spell it out for you, do I? The guy has wanted you since that first day he showed up at Jackson Square. You can’t trust him. He’ll use you like all the rest.”
Melinda slapped her hand on the kitchen counter. “I finally get a break, a chance to get out of this tiny apartment, like you’ve always begged me to do, and all I get is attacked for it.”
“Not with him, Maddie. You can’t do this with him. I warned you. I told you what I saw, and you still have a chance to change your mind. Don’t do this!”
“I don’t want to change my mind, Jack. Maybe I want to dine at fancy restaurants, drink expensive champagne, and not spend my evenings worrying if I can make the rent next month.”
“Dine at fancy restaurants? Drink champagne? Where is this coming from? This isn’t you.”
“It is me, Jack! It’s always been me!” She paused and tried to collect herself. “I never asked for this gift, but maybe I can use what I have to help get some of the things I want. If I don’t take this chance, I might never get another. Can’t you see that?”
Jack was silent as he ran his hand through his mop of brown hair. “What happened? Last week you weren’t talking about fancy restaurants or champagne. You were happy.”
“Was I? I’m not so sure anymore.” Melinda went to her sofa and plopped down on the soft fabric. “Mike came over and wanted to take me out to celebrate his new contract with the Zephyrs. He knew how much I always wanted to go to The Grill Room for dinner, so he took me. But he was also very drunk, and at the restaurant he got loud and obnoxious, then he was escorted out by security. Suddenly,” she waved her hand through the air, “Nathan was there. He ordered a bottle of champagne, we ate expensive desserts, and talked. We talked for quite a while, and I discovered something that night, Jack. I like the taste of champagne. I like being in a fancy restaurant, and I like feeling spoiled.” She closed her eyes and rolled her head back. “Does that make me a bad person because I want more than what I’ve got?”
Jack slowly made his way to the sofa. “No, it makes you human. I can understand why you want those things, Maddie … hell, anyone can. But why are you going to let Nathan Cole give them to you?”
She shrugged. “Because he can.”
He took a seat next to her. “You have to promise me that if things get to be too much, you’ll leave. Call me and I’ll come right away and get you. Don’t stay if you’re not happy. Promise me.”
“I promise.” She patted his thigh. “You’re a good friend.”
He abruptly stood from the sofa. “Yeah, I’ll always be your friend, Maddie. That’s why I have to tell you I think this is a big mistake.”
Melinda sagged against the cushions. “Your reservations have been duly noted, but I’m not going to change my mind.”
Jack hurried to the front door. “Just tell me one thing.” He stopped and wheeled around to her. “Is it just the fancy lifestyle, or is it him?”
Melinda shook her head. “Jack, I—”
He held up his hand. “Never mind. I already know the answer.” Jack quietly slipped out her apartment door.
There had been a sense of finality to their conversation, and Melinda debated if he had just walked out on her for good. Placing her face in her hands, she fought against the urge to cry. Where was it written that to get what you wanted, you had to give up those you loved?
Love? The word lingered in her head and she wondered why she had chosen it.
Melinda did love Jack, but in the way she loved her brothers and father. Her emotions for him were clear-cut and definitely unromantic. A long time ago she had chosen not to go down that path with Jack, despite his intense desire to do so. He would always be a better friend than lover, but Melinda began to speculate if she could show the same resolve when it came to Nathan Cole. Her common sense told her not to get involved with her employer, but certain parts of her anatomy were beginning to have other ideas.
“Great,” Melinda grumbled as she rose from the sofa. “I haven’t started working with the man, and already I’m debating about whether or not I should sleep with him.”
Melinda heard her grandmother’s voice in her head. Only give yourself to a man who has the will to make you happy, and the heart to love you back.
“Yeah, right, Grandma,” she whispered. “You’ve never met Nathan Cole.”
* * *
“I heard,” Ellie said as Melinda bellied up to her table next to the fence around Jackson Square.
Wearing a long-sleeved, loose-fitting white cotton dress, Ellie had teased her shocking pink hair to maximum fullness. Melinda thought her hot pink lipstick and long pink fingernails detracted from her delicate features and clear blue eyes.
Melinda scanned the Square. “Where is he?”
Ellie promptly snorted. “He came back here after he left your place, screamed for ten minutes at everyone who would listen about how you’re making the biggest mistake of your life, and then went off to Harry’s Bar to get drunk.”
Melinda plunked down in the chair in front of Ellie’s table. “I only came down here to try and reason with him.”
Ellie reached across the table and patted her hand. “Honey, we’re talking about Jack, remember? There’s no reasoning with that man.”
“Do you think I’m making the biggest mistake of my life, Ellie?”
Ellie sat back in her chair. “You can’t knock a steady paycheck and a roof over your head, Melinda. I was an accountant for twenty years with the same firm until they laid me off. I know what that kind of security means.”
Disheartened, Melinda shook her head. “Why doesn’t Jack see it like you do?”
“You know why, Mel
inda. He doesn’t see that man as an opportunity, he sees him as a threat. Jack’s afraid of losing you.”
“He’s never had me, Ellie. You know that.”
“But he always had the hope of having you one day. After you go to work for that handsome, wealthy patron of yours, Jack knows his chances of winning you are slim to none. We both saw the way that man looked at you, Melinda. It was pretty obvious what he wanted.”
Melinda rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t want me, just my ability.”
Ellie watched her reaction with keen interest. “Do you want him, Melinda?”
Melinda gazed nervously about the Square. “He’s different from any other man I’ve known, but that doesn’t mean I want to sleep with him. He’s going to be my boss.”
“You wouldn’t be the first or the last woman to get involved with her boss. How do you think I ended up with Bill? He was my superior when I started with the accounting firm where I worked. One thing led to another, and when his superiors found out, they gave him an ultimatum: dump me or quit. So he quit, and six months later we got married.”
Melinda frowned at her friend. “Bill isn’t Nathan. He sees me as an investment to further his aspirations, not as a woman.”
Ellie took in a deep breath and her face grew unusually somber. “Melinda, I’m not going to sit here and lecture you about the right and wrong kind of guy to get involved with. You’re a grown woman and you need to make your own choices, but I can see you have feelings for this man. If you go to work for him, are you going to be able to be the investment you think he wants, or are you going to be the woman you think he needs?”
Melinda squirmed in her chair. “What are you talking about?”
“My first impression of your Nathan Cole was that he’s a calculating business man who uses people to get ahead. Dominating and ruthless when it comes to his desires. I still think that, but obviously you discovered something else in him that changed your mind. What was it?”
Melinda briefly searched for an explanation. “The other night, Mike came over and took me to The Grill Room, wanting to celebrate his new contract.”
Ellie nodded. “Jack told me Sausage Neck got hauled off by security, and your Mr. Cole came to the rescue. Then what happened?”
“Nathan and I got a chance to sit down and talk, really talk, like normal people. Not like a psychic and a client. It was the first time I could remember being with a man where I wasn’t grilled about my gift. He asked me questions about me, wanted to know about my life, my family, and he made me feel … important.” She reviewed their evening together. “I also got the impression he’s a very lonely man. The funny thing is I don’t think he knows how lonely he really is. He talked of closing deals and speculative ventures, but never mentioned family or friends.”
“Maybe he’s not interested in them. Some individuals seem to do pretty well without a lot of people in their lives. Perhaps Nathan Cole is one of them.”
Melinda ran her fingers along the edges of Ellie’s metal table. “I don’t think so. Or at least that’s not what I feel. I’ve been trying to see more but I can’t, and it’s frustrating the hell out of me.”
Ellie pressed her index finger against the center of Melinda’s forehead. “Stop using this. Let whatever is going to happen, happen. Stop trying to see the future, Melinda. For once in your life, let the future surprise you.”
“I’m not sure I’m going to like that.”
Ellie let out a throaty chortle. “Welcome to the real world, kiddo. A place where you take chances, hope for the best, and live with whatever happens. It may not always be easy, but it’s how life is meant to be.”
“I guess if it’s meant to be …”
Ellie winked at her. “Then just let it happen and see where this new adventure takes you.”
Chapter 5
Tuesday morning, Atmosphere Movers showed up on Melinda’s doorstep at precisely eight o’clock. Hired by Nathan, the moving company was responsible for relocating Melinda to her new apartment. It took the three men less than two hours to load all of her possessions into the back of a large truck.
Just as the truck was about to drive away, a black Mercedes-Benz S550 pulled up in front of Melinda’s apartment building. An older man in a black suit and tie exited the car. He came up to Melinda and gave a welcoming smile, revealing a row of perfect white teeth.
“My name is Bob, and Mr. Cole sent me to take you to your new apartment, Miss Harris,” he said in a raspy voice.
Melinda looked from the driver to the car. “I thought he was sending a cab.”
“No, miss. He sent me. Mr. Cole doesn’t use cabs.”
Melinda examined the shiny black car. “I’ve never been in a limo before.”
Bob raised his hand to his mouth, trying to hide his grin. “It’s a chauffeured car and not a limousine, Miss Harris.”
Melinda glanced back at the man. “I’ve never been in one of those, either.”
Bob stepped to the back door and opened it for her. “Then this will be a new adventure for you.”
With Ellie’s words from the previous day repeating in her head, she felt like a timid deer as she slowly made her way to the back door of the car.
“Do you have any bags you wish to load into the trunk, Miss Harris?”
Melinda pulled her brown backpack closer to her body. “No, thank you, Bob. Everything is loaded on the truck.”
“Very good, miss.” He motioned to the car and stood by as Melinda tentatively climbed into the back seat.
Once she was settled, Melinda ran her hands over the array of buttons on the door. She closed her eyes and smelled the newly cleaned leather with a faint hint of air-freshener mixed in.
“Is there anywhere you wish to go before heading to your apartment?”
Melinda opened her eyes to see the older man sitting behind the wheel, watching her through the rearview mirror.
She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
He put the car into gear. “We’ll head right over to your new place then, Miss Harris.”
Melinda leaned toward the front seat. “You can call me Melinda, Bob.”
“Yes, Miss Melinda,” he replied in a mater-of-fact tone, and pulled into the street.
“Do you drive for Mr. Cole all the time, Bob?”
“He prefers to drive himself around town. He usually just needs me for parties and taking care of his clients.”
Melinda sat back in her seat and became distracted by the passing French Quarter homes in her window.
“Mr. Cole told me you’re taking a position as his new assistant. Congratulations, and welcome to the family.”
“The family?” Melinda questioned as she eyed the back of Bob’s head.
“All Mr. Cole’s employees are like family to him. He’s very selective about his staff. He won’t let just anyone live in The Shallows.”
Melinda scooted forward in her seat as an eerie feeling crossed her depths. “What’s The Shallows?”
“His apartment building in the Warehouse District, where you’ll be living. He only leases a few floors to tenants. One floor he keeps for his employees. The top floor is where Mr. Cole’s penthouse is located.”
“Why is the building called The Shallows?”
“The land the warehouse sits on used to belong to a slave trading company in the mid-1800s. When the warehouse was renovated in the 1920s, a lot of shallow graves were found while they were digging out the foundation. It was nicknamed The Shallows for all the graves found there, and the name eventually stuck. Many believe the graves were those of slaves who died at the warehouse before being auctioned off.”
Melinda recalled the vision she’d had of a field of shallow graves. That was the problem with visions—you could never truly understand the interpretation until it came true.
“So is the building haunted, Bob?”
Bob laughed, a hoarse-sounding chuckle. “No, Miss Melinda. It’s just an old warehouse with nothing paranormal going on, I assure you.”
“Paranormal doesn’t bother me, Bob,” she joked. “Do you live there?”
Bob nodded. “I have a small apartment on the third floor, in case I need to be on call for Mr. Cole. Otherwise, I live in Metairie and come in when Mr. Cole needs me.”
“How many other employees live there?”
“Mr. Cole’s secretary, Edna Barker, lives on the third floor. She’s an elderly widow who handles all of his appointments and paperwork. There is Phil Boudreaux, who works as a security guard for the building, and Marv Spell, who handles the building maintenance. You’ll meet everyone in time. Most people keep to themselves at The Shallows.”
Melinda turned the information over in her head, and then that eerie feeling grew more insistent.
“Is there something else about the building I should know?”
Bob wrinkled his brow at her through the rearview mirror. “Something else?” He pondered her question. “It’s a nice building, real clean, and Mr. Cole makes sure his tenants are satisfied. Other than that, I don’t know what to tell you, miss.”
Melinda searched his eyes and sensed his apprehension. “Just trying to get a feel for the place, Bob, that’s all.” She gazed out the window at the passing tourists on the street. “So who will be my neighbor at The Shallows?”
“Your apartment is on the top floor. Mr. Cole will be your neighbor.”
Melinda’s gut clenched. “Mr. Cole? You said only Mr. Cole lived on the top floor.”
Bob grinned at her in the rearview mirror. “Mr. Cole insisted you be close by and had Marv get the apartment next to his penthouse ready for you.”
The dread slowly climbed up Melinda’s throat. “Who else lives on the top floor besides Mr. Cole?”
Bob turned his attention to the road ahead. “No one, ma’am.”
“Then who lived in the apartment before me?”
Bob shrugged. “Mr. Cole’s decorator lived there briefly before moving out of town a while back. The place has been vacant ever since.”
Melinda sat back in her seat as a knot formed in her stomach. Suddenly, her new adventure had taken a turn toward the unexpected.
Dark Perception: The Corde Noire Series Page 5
