Nicole blushed. “When you didn’t answer your phone I thought you might still be sleeping. I told Maddy we should wait, but you know how she is.”
Maddy placed the tray and bag on the living room coffee table, then plopped down into one of the chairs. “You’ll understand when you have children. This morning was a scheduled break. I’m am not losing my hour of adult time for anyone.”
Rena settled into a chair across from her. “I’m surprised you don’t have a nanny.”
Maddy took out a muffin and laid it on a napkin, then handed a coffee container to Rena. “Black with sugar. That’s how you like it, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Rena said with surprise. She and Maddy had spent a significant amount of time on the phone over the last several months, yet their friendship was still in the early stages. “Thank you for remembering.”
Nicole hovered, then sat and took her own coffee. “She does have a nanny, but she refuses to let her do much.”
Maddy shrugged. “I whine now and then, but there isn’t a single part of my life that I would change. Richard is doing well with his restaurants. I love being home with the boys. Okay, most of the time. I don’t think there is a mother alive who doesn’t sometimes crave a few moments to herself. I could hand them off to the nanny more, but when they look back at their childhood I want them to remember me more than someone we paid to be with them. That’s how my parents raised me, and that’s how I’m raising my children. I won’t apologize for that.”
Rena sipped her coffee, then said, “You shouldn’t. Your children are lucky to have you.” She turned to Nicole, who was eating her bagel as daintily as if she were visiting the Queen. “How is married life, Nicole? Enjoying it?”
Nicole put her bagel down and folded her hands in her lap. Her eyes misted over as she said, “It’s still unbelievable to me—how much my life has changed in just a couple of years.” She reached out and took Maddy’s hand in hers. “Even Maddy. She is crazy, but I can’t imagine not having her in my life.”
Maddy squeezed her hand and shot her a huge smile. “We feel the same way about you, Nicole. Well, we don’t call you crazy, but you fit into our family perfectly. And Stephan is finally happy. Love can do that.”
Rena took another sip of her coffee.
“Which brings us to why we’re here, Rena,” Maddy continued. “Can you help us find the perfect woman for Nick?”
Rena gasped, choked on her coffee, and started coughing wildly. Nicole leaned over and gave her a pat on the back. “I’m sorry,” she said when she caught her breath. “I swallowed the wrong way.”
“I hate when that happens,” Maddy said sympathetically, oblivious to Rena’s state of surprise.
After a brief pause, Rena asked, “What makes you think Nick needs help finding a woman? He certainly seems to surround himself with enough of them.”
“He’s not happy.” Maddy shook her head sadly. “And look at how hard he’s taking his mother’s illness. You’d expect he’d be concerned, but he’s just miserable with worry. He needs someone in his life he can lean on when times are tough. Everyone does.” She rolled her eyes. “And I’m not talking about the bimbos he’s always photographed with. I’m talking about someone of quality. You know him well. What does he look for in a woman?”
“A low IQ and huge cleavage.” Even as the words came out of Rena’s mouth she regretted them. After what happened last night, I’m in no position to judge anyone. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me. Trust me, though. Nick isn’t looking for anything serious with anyone.”
“That’s a shame,” Maddy said and took a bite of her muffin.
“Why?”
Maddy leaned forward and tapped Nicole’s leg. “We should tell her.”
“How are we going to win if we keep telling everyone everything?” Nicole asked with a laugh.
“Tell me what?”
Nicole shrugged and nodded at Maddy.
Maddy wiped her hands on a napkin. “I’ll tell you, but you have to keep this to yourself. Do I have your word?”
Rena looked back and forth between them. “I think so.”
Nicole wrung her hands in front of her. “You have to promise to keep our secret. Stephan wouldn’t like the idea of us meddling like we are.”
Maddy gave an exasperated sigh. “You worry too much about what Stephan thinks. If he gets upset, he’ll get over it. Who could stay mad at us?”
With a sad smile, Nicole added, “I wish I could see the world like you do, Maddy, but we had very different childhoods. I’ve never been part of a family like yours. They are so loving and supportive. I don’t ever want to do anything that would take them away from me.”
Rena blinked back tears and pretended to reach for a bagel.
Maddy scooted closer and hugged Nicole. “No one is going anywhere. You’re stuck with us.”
Nicole hugged her back and composed herself. “We didn’t wake Rena up for this. Let’s just lay it out there and then let her get on with her day.”
Maddy said, “Rena, you don’t have to swear on a Bible or anything, just keep this between us, okay?”
Curiosity piqued, Rena gave one curt.
“Nicole and I are on the same team . . .”
“Team?”
Nicole interjected, “It all started as a joke at Lil and Jake’s wedding. Then it grew.”
“What grew?” Rena asked.
“I was telling everyone how much I missed Gio, Nick, Luke, and Max, and we sort of all decided that helping them find love would bring them back to the family.”
“You decided,” Nicole gently reminded.
Maddy smiled and shrugged. “Anyway, all the women are in on it. Dominic’s wife, Abby, has teamed up with Marie. Her sister, Lil, is working with her best friend, Alethea. Nicole and I are pooling our resources. Whoever matches one of the cousins up with someone he decides to marry, wins.”
“Wins what?”
As if it should have been obvious, Maddy rolled her eyes. “The right to call themselves the best matchmaker in the family. Until now it’s always been me, and I am not giving up my title easily.”
As Rena processed this, she said slowly, “So Julia, Gio’s fiancée, was your doing?”
Nicole shook her head. “No, none of us knew her.”
Maddy clapped her hands together. “Isn’t that what makes this amazing? She was an unknown and took the prize. . . . It was as if the universe planted its own contender.”
“Planted?” Rena closed her eyes and covered her mouth with one hand as a realization came to her. “Those beautiful women who started getting hired at Cogent . . . you did that?”
Nicole folded her napkin carefully in her lap. “We helped it happen, but not all of them are ours. Lil and Alethea sent the IT woman.”
Maddy slapped a hand on the cushion beside her. “So, no one won round one. Except Gio, because he looks happy with Julia. But we have three chances left. And I think Nick is our best bet. Especially if you join our team. No one knows the brothers better than you do. You could help us hone our choices. Please. Say you’ll do it.”
Is this punishment for the kiss I gave Nick in front of all the photographers? Someone sure has a sick sense of humor. Rena didn’t believe for a moment that Maddy or Nicole knew anything about what had gone on between Nick and her.
And there is no way I’m telling them. “I don’t think—”
Maddy leaned forward to drive her argument home. “Love makes everything better. I’m not suggesting that we force anyone on him. We’re merely surrounding him with possibilities. That’s all love needs—a chance to happen. Look at how much happier Gio is now that he found his match. Don’t you want the same for Nick?”
Rena stood up. “It’s an awful idea and I won’t help you.” I can’t help Nick fall in love with someone else.
Maddy gathered up the leftover food and placed it in the bag. She looked offended, and Rena didn’t see a way she could explain herself without revealing how confused she was ab
out last night. She was worried enough about how she was going to weather the storm that would arise if the pictures surfaced somewhere. “Maddy, I’m sorry.”
Maddy gathered her purse. “Don’t be. I shouldn’t have expected you to understand.”
Nicole took Rena by the hand, leaned in, and whispered, “She doesn’t like the word no. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her.”
Giving herself a mental shake, Maddy smiled. “Rena, your problem is that you haven’t been around me enough to trust my genius. I’m right about this. When Nick finds someone who loves him for who he is, his whole world will change. You watch. We’ll find the perfect woman for him. They’ll be so damn happy together we’ll see them all the time, just like Julia and Gio. I’m never wrong about this stuff. I can understand why you are hesitant now. But you’ll see. And then you can team up with us to find someone for Luke.”
After Maddy and Nicole left, Rena leaned against the door and let out a long sigh. Her cell phone vibrated with a cryptic text.
On my way over. We need to talk. Kane.
Rena took the stairs to her bedroom two at a time. Looks like today is going from bad to worse. If I’m to have any chance of surviving it, I’d better shower.
Thirty minutes later, Rena greeted her brother at the door. Round two. At least she’d had time to wake up and get dressed. Amazing what a good pants suit and the right makeup can do for a person’s confidence. “Kane, I thought you were driving up to Mom and Dad’s tomorrow with me. I didn’t think I’d see you today.”
He walked past her and turned, holding a newspaper up for her to see. “I wasn’t expecting my sister to be on Page Six of the Post making out with a man she knows better than to get involved with.”
Rena closed the door with a resigned sigh. “It was just a kiss. Everyone was taking pictures of us and I guess I wanted to give them something to photograph.”
Kane slammed the paper down on the shelf behind him. “So being with a half-naked man in public wasn’t enough to ensure press coverage? You had to seal the deal with your display?”
Rena picked up the paper and studied the photo. “What are you really upset about, Kane? My face is hidden and they didn’t list my name. No one will know it’s me.”
“I know.”
Rena dropped the paper and folded her arms in front of her chest. “I get that you’re here because you care, Kane, but honestly there is nothing going on between Nick and me. I went to see him last night because I knew he’d gotten into an argument with Gio. We talked. He told me to mind my own business. I got offended and walked away. He followed me to apologize. That’s it. That’s all that happened.”
Kane frowned down at her. “That doesn’t explain why he was in his underwear.”
Rena hated lying to her brother so she stuck to the truth in her story. “I don’t know why Nick does half of what he does. I found him that way. I assumed it was because he’d been with someone upstairs at the club earlier. You’d have to ask him.”
Kane’s eyes narrowed. “So, nothing happened between the two of you.”
“We talked.” And kissed, but Rena wasn’t about to stoke the fire with that admission.
Not ready to relent, Kane said. “I don’t understand the kiss, then.”
Rena forced a casual shrug. “It was Nick. We were being photographed. I thought it would be funny.”
“I didn’t laugh when I saw it,” Kane drawled. “Luckily, you’re right—most people wouldn’t recognize you. No one would expect you to be there in the first place, so this might blow over.”
They were both quiet for a moment before Rena said, “Kane, would it be so awful if I did like Nick? We’re both adults. What harm could come from it?”
Kane’s nostrils flared and a muscle in his jaw clenched. “Stay away from him. You are to have nothing further to do with him. Do you understand?”
Putting her hands on both hips, Rena faced her brother. “You realize I’m not a child anymore, right? I am perfectly capable of making decisions for myself.”
Kane growled, “Are you? Nick is everything I hope you’re smart enough to avoid. He considers work a disease. He has no respect for women or their marital state. He’s a player, and players don’t change. Stay away from him.”
Rena sighed and let her arms drop to her sides. “You’ve made your point. Can we drop it now?”
After studying her face for a moment more, Kane’s expression softened. “I will as long as you’re sure nothing is going on between you and Nick.”
Linking her arm with her brother’s, Rena said, “I’m done talking about this. I will, however, make you breakfast if you’re hungry.”
Kane reluctantly let her lead him to the kitchen. “Pancakes?”
Rena smiled. “If you want. Or I could make French toast like our old cook Millie used to make. Do you remember? She taught me the recipe before she retired.”
“Since when did you start cooking?” Kane asked as he took a seat at the kitchen counter.
Rena chuckled again and pointed at her head, then down at her toes. “Not twelve anymore, Kane. I’ve been doing all my own cooking and cleaning since I bought this home. You’re just always too busy to realize it.”
“Why don’t you have staff? You know Mom and Dad would happily pay for them. Hell, I can have my secretary hire someone by tomorrow if you’re interested.”
Rena opened the door to her refrigerator and started hunting for the necessary ingredients. “Kane, I don’t need a maid or a cook. I’m happy just the way I am. I’ve built a good life for myself and I’m proud to be paying my own way. Mom and Dad raised us to be responsible and independent. And I am. Now can you stop worrying about me? I’m fine.”
Kane made a noncommittal sound deep in his throat. “I hope you’re being honest with me.”
Rena swung back from the stove with a spatula in her hand. “Do you want to eat your breakfast or wear it?”
Kane chuckled. “I’d prefer to eat it.”
“That’s what I thought,” Rena said, not yet lowering her kitchen utensil. “Hey, you didn’t say anything to Gio, did you?”
“Not yet, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t seen the paper. Or that no one else will bring it to his attention. If I recognized you, others might.”
“Kane, what I did last night was impulsive and stupid. I don’t want that to make things worse between Nick and Gio—especially when they’re already arguing. Promise me you won’t say anything to him.”
“I may eventually have to tell Gio. If I find out Nick is messing around with you, I’ll have to explain to Gio why I killed his brother.”
Rena closed her eyes and shook her head. Luckily she had no intention of seeking out Nick again. Impulsive and stupid. That’s what she’d told Kane last night was—and it was an accurate description.
Along with—unrepeatable.
Rena raised a hand to touch her lips lightly.
And—unforgettable.
***
Monday morning, with a towel draped loosely around his hips, Nick bypassed the casual attire hung in his hotel closet and chose a dark blue Gucci suit. He was more than a little surprised the suit had traveled with him from the last hotel he’d stayed in. He didn’t have much as far as actual belongings went, which worked out well since he preferred to stay in hotels rather than rent or buy an apartment. He’d always considered both unnecessary commitments.
Without so much as a goldfish to care for, he’d been free to go skiing in the Alps one week and bum around in Bali the next. Money made a good personal assistant. Enough of it and anything was possible.
Well, not anything. He couldn’t say it had ever made him happy.
Or like who he saw staring back at him as he brushed his teeth each morning.
He adjusted the collar of his shirt over a tie and studied his reflection. He looked tired. Not surprising, since he’d hardly slept at all that weekend. He hadn’t gone out or answered his phone once.
He’d needed to think a few thin
gs through and, although he normally found peace in the chaos of a nightclub, he’d spent the weekend with something more chaotic—himself.
And his desire to see Rena again.
He’d almost called her the next morning, after he’d spent the night reliving how eagerly she’d kissed him up in his VIP balcony. To know she was as attracted to him as he’d always been to her was a heady temptation.
And he’d never been one to deny himself pleasure.
He didn’t call her, though, and he couldn’t fully understand why. Something in him had changed when he’d told her he’d stopped drinking. She’d been genuinely proud of him. Although their kiss upstairs had been more sexually intense, the kiss they’d shared near the bar was the one that haunted him the most.
He wanted to recapture that moment. More than anything else, he wanted her to look at him that way again.
Why do I care what she thinks of me?
Would fucking her end this obsession?
He turned away from the mirror and shrugged on his suit jacket. That weekend he’d asked himself a plethora of questions that didn’t have ready answers, yet he’d come to some decisions.
Rena had said he hadn’t given Gio a chance to explain himself. He’d replayed his conversation with his brother a hundred times in his head. Gio claimed to want Nick to be a part of the family company. He’d brought up that damn office that he’d kept open and staffed for him.
Gio and their mother had opposing versions of many subjects. Someone wasn’t being honest.
Nick decided he could either deal with this as he always had—by flying off to hang out with his friends and numbing himself past caring, or he could get to the truth for once. Unfortunately, in his family, that wouldn’t happen by asking anyone. He’d have to uncover it for himself.
The driver Nick had hired for the day called upstairs to announce his arrival. Nick strode out of his suite with growing determination. By the time he was seated in the back of the town car, he was confident his plan would work.
A short while later, Nick walked into his office. A short, blonde woman in her early twenties stood when he entered. She was attractive enough that if he’d met her months ago, Nick would have asked her for her phone number. Today, he wasn’t interested.
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