“It’s Nick now, remember? I hope I didn’t wake you. I know it’s late, but this is an emergency. How do you feel about doing some interior decorating that has to be completed by two o’clock tomorrow afternoon?”
“That gives me twelve hours. What would you like?”
“Do you still have the blueprints for this house?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll call them up on my computer. Wait a second … here they are.”
“Okay. Here’s what I want. I need the entire house furnished. I mean it, the whole place — the apartment and all the guest rooms — and you can decorate the attic suite to suit yourself. I’ll need you on site for a while. Will that be a problem?”
“No, sir.” He could hear the obvious pleasure in the young man’s voice. He’d missed his personal assistant more than he’d realized. It would be nice to see him again. Roberts was one of the few who really understood what the blindness meant to him.
“Good. Now, in the apartment upstairs, I need one room done up to suit two little girls, four-year-olds. They’ll need some toys, too. One of them lost everything in a fire tonight. Women will occupy the other two bedrooms, so make sure there are a few feminine touches, but everything has to be top quality. Decorate all the other rooms up there accordingly. Don’t forget dishes, lamps, and art for the walls. For downstairs, I’ll need everything except my bedroom and the music room done. Get a couple of television sets, some for upstairs, too. Take what you need from the penthouse and arrange to have it replaced. By the way, I assume everything of Rebecca’s is gone?”
“Yes, sir,” said Roberts. “The last of it was donated to a fashion arts school and collected last week. I gave her furnishings to a shelter for unwed mothers as you requested.”
“Good. I can always trust you to get the job done.”
“Shall I include linens, sir?”
“Yes, good thinking. Oh, and Roberts, have the woman who comes in to clean come tomorrow, and she might need to bring extra help. I’ll also need two security guards to patrol the grounds. They can stay in the cottage, so you’ll need to furnish that as well. Bring Katrina down, too. She can stay in the cottage and look after the guys and help out around the house if needed. I’m sure the penthouse staff can manage without her, and I know she’d love the country. Make sure they’re all armed.”
“Trouble, sir?”
“The fire I mentioned may have been deliberately set,” he said. “I forgot; I’ll need some playground stuff, maybe one of those little houses kids like and some patio furniture. Don’t forget a gas grill and a picnic bench.”
“Yes, sir; and I take it money is no object?”
“Do you need to ask?” Nick said with a laugh. “I’m sure I’ll pay through the nose for this.”
“Most likely, but this isn’t the first time you’ve had sudden and unusual requests. I can think of a few that really put me through my paces. Anything else I can do?”
“Call Vince and have him look into the following people: Alexis and Jake McKenzie — she’s a fire investigator, he’s a profiler. Amos Starr — he lives here — and Misty Smith Starr. Misty’s from Seattle; the last name was changed about eight to ten months ago, and she has a four-year-old daughter named Debbie. That’s it. Goodnight, Roberts; I’ll see you in a few hours. Use the chopper.”
“Yes, sir. Goodnight, sir.”
Nick hung up the phone. Laura’s idea that Misty cook for him had been a brilliant one and suggested his sister-in-law had figured out he was attracted to Misty. If Laura hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have thought to offer Misty a job and allow her to save face and accept his offer. He had more than his fair share of pride and knew how it stung to be beholden to someone. The more face-to-face time he and Misty had, the sooner they’d get to know one another better. He was certain that once she realized he wanted to keep her safe, he could get her to share her secrets. Before he could expect her to come clean, he’d have to do the same, but he didn’t think he could just yet. Besides, some of it wasn’t his to tell. It was a small price to pay, but nothing of importance came cheap.
He probably shouldn’t have included Misty on the list for Roberts to investigate, but in case it took a while for the lady to give up her secrets, he had to start looking somewhere. If the fire had been arson, whoever was after her wouldn’t stop at a near miss.
He stretched and headed to the bedroom. It would soon be morning, and he had no doubt Roberts would fulfill his every wish. Probably the only thing the young man couldn’t do was restore Nick’s sight. He wished he had his vision, if only to see the look on Micah’s face when he saw Nick’s fully furnished home and new staff. It would be priceless.
• • •
After Nick left, Misty spent a little more time talking with Amos, letting him convince her everything was fine, but she feared the worst. She didn’t want to uproot Debbie again. At times like these, she wished she’d never spoken up. Kevin would still be alive, and she and Debbie could have disappeared quietly from the face of the earth. She’d learned after his death that he’d been an important member of the Irish mob, but would he have had the desire to keep searching for her like this? Would he have turned her disappearance into a vendetta?
While Amos was ready to believe the fire had been an accident, Misty knew he wasn’t prepared to dismiss the incident until he knew more. That was why he’d called in his expert. Alexis McKenzie would figure out how the fire had started, and once they knew for sure one way or the other, they’d proceed accordingly. Amos was convinced that Nick was the one person who’d be able to protect her, but Misty had her doubts. Although the thought of getting to know Nick better intrigued her, she couldn’t help but wonder what protection a blind man could offer against the Irish mob.
“Like you, Misty, he’s hiding here, but not because anyone is after him; he just needed to get away from his old life. Losing his sight cost him more than most people know.”
She ran her fingers through her hair. She was tired and confused. “Amber said he killed his wife, and he mentioned he’d lost a child. Was he driving drunk?”
“As usual, Amber’s got it all wrong,” said Amos, a touch of disgust in his voice. “Sometimes gossip does more harm than a bullet. I’m going to have to talk to that girl. Misty, I checked out everyone here before I brought you to Pine Falls, and that included Nick. I saw the police reports. The night of the accident, his wife was driving; there is no way anyone else could have been. Her body was wedged under the steering wheel; they practically had to take the car apart to get the body out. Although she’d had a few drinks, her blood alcohol level was barely above the limit. Nick hadn’t had a drink. It was the driver in the other car whose BAL was double the accepted level. He’d fallen asleep at the wheel of his pickup truck, crossed into their lane, and hit them head-on. They were in a BMW convertible; she was killed instantly. The drunk only had a few scratches, and Nick was left partially paralyzed and blind. The paralysis was temporary. The doctors thought his loss of vision was, too, but it’s been over eighteen months. As far as the child goes, I believe his wife had an abortion a few days before the accident while he was still in Europe. He wasn’t to blame for any of it.”
She hung her head, ashamed of herself for jumping to conclusions once more. That was a bad habit she needed to break sooner rather than later. She listened as Amos continued.
“Nick left New York City shortly after he got out of the hospital. Before the accident, he’d put a bid in on the Taylor estate. He had it gutted and redone. As far as I know, the only people who visit are some young guy from the city, Micah, and Laura. Until he agreed to help out with the musical, I don’t think he left the place except for medical appointments. It’ll be a good location for you. It’s as safe a place around here as you’re going to get.”
She thanked him, kissed him on the cheek, and said goodnight. When Micah came back for Laura, A
mos left, too. As soon as everyone had gone, the night nurse locked the doors.
Misty wandered back to the ward. The nurse had given her a cup of hot milk, and as she sipped the soothing beverage, she remembered childhood days when her mom had given her hot milk flavored with a touch of cinnamon when Misty’s brain just wouldn’t settle down and her thoughts kept her from sleeping. Tonight, it wasn’t her brain but her heart that had her confused and on edge.
She thought about Nick and the generous offer he’d made. It had been a long time since someone had done anything really nice for her. He was virtually a stranger, but she felt as if she’d always known him. She believed her mom and dad would have liked him. He was what her mom would have called a good soul. Well, that good soul wasn’t the only thing about him that appealed to her. She’d never been one to be swayed by good looks alone, or so she’d imagined, but hadn’t that been what had attracted her to Kevin?
Am I really that shallow? I thought Kevin was a great guy. He had a fantastic sense of humor and always said the right things. How could he have deceived me so completely?
She thought of Nick’s gorgeous, gray-blue eyes and sighed. She’d seen blind people before. Some had pigment where it shouldn’t be, others had no visible pupils, more had cataracts with a film covering their eyes, and still more had eyes that rolled back exposing only the whites. It was one of the reasons so many blind people wore dark glasses, because their eyes could be so disconcerting.
Nick’s eyes seemed perfectly normal, and if you didn’t realize he couldn’t see, you wouldn’t suspect it from his eyes. She realized he never wore dark glasses and wondered if he knew he looked just as sighted as the next person. His eyes might appear to be looking right at you, and he well could be, but she guessed that whatever was imprinted on his retina was a message that, for one reason or another, didn’t reach his brain. Like everyone else’s eyes, they moved when he turned his head and seemed to look at whoever had captured his attention — probably an unconscious response from his sighted days — and the pupils dilated or contracted based on light exposure. She’d have to ask Laura more about his lack of vision tomorrow; she didn’t want to say or do anything he might find offensive.
What he’d offered her tonight — a safe place to stay — was the most precious gift anyone could have given her. She’d make sure he had no cause to regret it. Just as she’d done before, she’d arrange these pieces of her life and do the best she could. If she knew how to do anything, it was how to survive.
She’d talk to Charlotte about moving in with her until her own house was ready to be occupied again. Nick had no problem with it, and having Charlotte and Christy there might make it easier on all of them. If Charlotte had other plans, Debbie would miss Christy, since they were rarely apart during their waking hours, and a new home without friends might be hard on the child.
The idea of spending hours alone in the house with Nick excited her. She’d enjoyed being held in his arms, and when she’d kissed his cheek tonight, the feel of his beard-roughened skin had sent desire flooding through her. She’d wanted to take his face in hers and kiss him properly. Having Charlotte as a chaperone might keep Misty from doing something stupid.
When she was near him, she felt a strong yearning for his touch. She wanted to be with him, talk to him, get to know him. She sensed that she could care deeply for this man. She had to know if what she felt was real or just part of the gratitude she owed him. She wanted to confide in him, and that frightened her. She couldn’t tell him the truth. She knew he’d have questions. He’d said as much when he reminded her of his hearing acuity. He’d heard everything she’d said to Amos. Nick wasn’t stupid. He’d want answers.
Misty would make the best meals she could and chocolaty desserts galore. Cooking for six wasn’t any harder than cooking for two, easier in some ways; lately she’d been avoiding some of her favorite dishes because she’d have had leftovers for a week. Tomorrow she’d check to make sure he had no food allergies or dislikes, and he’d get his first epicurean meal for dinner. Unless he had a problem with fish, she’d make baked salmon au gratin with a maple sauce served over wild rice, with asparagus as the vegetable, and chocolate lava cake for dessert.
Satisfied with her choice for their first meal, she got into bed, pulled up the covers, and closed her eyes. She drifted slowly into sleep, images of Nick lulling her into peaceful, relaxing dreams.
Chapter Eight
The sound of people moving around the house woke Nick, and he hurried to dress. He checked the time on his alarm clock. He’d removed the cover of an analog clock and told time by touching the minute and hour hands and the raised numbers to which they pointed. By his estimate, it was after eight. No doubt Roberts had worked his magic, and the house was in the process of being furnished. Good. It would give him time to learn where the furniture was so he wouldn’t make a complete idiot of himself when Misty arrived.
He walked out of the hall and headed for the kitchen. He could smell coffee brewing. He entered the room, aware that his young assistant was standing not six feet away from him. From the sound of it, the man was unloading dishes from a carton.
“Good morning, sir,” said Roberts, acknowledging his arrival.
Although Nick couldn’t see him, he knew his personal assistant would be dressed in khakis with a button-down shirt; he wore the same thing all the time. The studious young man, with dark, horn-rimmed, square-framed glasses, came from Jamaica. His background was an eclectic one; he was part Jamaican, part white, and part Chinese. At his job interview, Nathan had joked that he was black and white and Asian, but he wasn’t a panda. Nick had liked him instantly. He wore an aftershave that had a crisp, clean scent to it and reminded Nick of the ocean. He chuckled softly to himself. Since when have I become such an expert on fragrance?
“Good morning, Nathan,” he said, using Roberts’ first name, something he did rarely but that he planned to do from now on. “Nice to see you again; did you get everything?”
“Yes, sir. I called Eric at Stern Decorators, and he made all the arrangements. It’s all quite nice, and frankly, I’m impressed. I don’t know how Eric managed to get everyone to open up in the middle of the night, but he did. There’s only one glitch. The playground equipment won’t be here until after lunch.”
“How did you get everything here so fast? Since there’s no freeway that you can take to Pine Falls, it takes at least six and a half to seven hours to get here from New York City.”
“Eric contacted his suppliers in Syracuse — that’s less than three hours away. But I’m sorry about the playground equipment. It’s coming from Albany.”
“Not a problem. My tenants won’t arrive until four. I’m sure I have a hefty check to sign for all this, but time was of the essence. As usual, you’ve done an excellent job.”
“Thank you, but you haven’t seen it yet. I emptied my rooms in the city, and all of my things are being set up in the attic. Cell service is terrible around here. They’re putting in a landline for a phone system and Wi-Fi for my computer as well as the televisions. I ordered new furnishings for my rooms in the penthouse, and the stuff should arrive next week. Marta will take care of that end of things. I figured you’d need me here as long as you were in residence, especially since everything has changed. It’s good to see you, too,” the young man added.
Nick smiled ruefully. “My eyes haven’t changed. I meant see as in having you around again, but you’re right; I will need you here for the foreseeable future. Tell me, how do you feel about kids?”
Nathan’s tone was apologetic. “I’m sorry, sir. I guess I misunderstood. I just thought — ”
“Calm down, Nathan. I’m glad you’re here. I know you weren’t implying that the only reason I would need you here was if my vision had returned, and I wasn’t being the sarcastic jerk I’ve been lately. The woman moving into the apartment has a four-year-old daughter. She
may have a friend staying here as well with her own daughter for a couple of weeks. Your presence will make things more comfortable for all of us.” And I won’t be tempted to jump her bones and make a fool of myself, he thought. “Do you have any experience with kids?”
“Yes, sir; my sister has six-year-old twins. I’ve babysat quite a few times for her.”
Nick nodded. Another obstacle cleared. Once Charlotte returned to her own home, or if she decided to go elsewhere, he’d have a sitter on site for Debbie, one she’d know from the first day. Katrina would also be available. He knew she loved kids. She was also a martial arts expert and a crack shot.
Like many other stars, Nick had gotten his share of crazy fan mail, and given his second job, it paid to make sure no one could sneak up on him. As a CIA courier, he’d made a lot of friends over the years and had kept in touch with many of them after they’d retired. One of them, Vince Howard, had started his own security company, and Nick had used his operatives on more than one occasion. He also used Vince when he needed information that might be difficult to find. Nick didn’t know if he’d ever be able to perform well enough to tour again, but if he did, and his country still needed him, he’d go back to that job, too. It was best not to burn his bridges. He wasn’t giving up on his eyesight.
“Any chance I can get a cup of coffee?” he asked Nathan. “I’ve missed your coffee and your company. I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you. I’ve only recently decided to stop wallowing in self-pity and get on with my life, and I will need your help.”
“Of course, sir; coffee’s coming right up!” Nick could hear the pleasure in the man’s voice at the compliment. “It’s in front of you — twelve o’clock,” he said, setting the mug in place. “Cream, two sugars.”
Nick heard him go back to his task of putting things away in the kitchen. When he’d come home from the hospital, the young man’s patience had helped him cope with the loss. No matter how big a self-centered bastard he’d been, Nathan had stuck with him. When the New York penthouse with its memories had become a prison, Roberts had supervised the renovations on this house and had stayed with him until Nick had become familiar with the layout of the house and its grounds.
In Plain Sight Page 9
