Receptionist Under Cover

by C. J. Carmichael

  When Nadine had been receptionist, she had always been able to find something to do during lulls in business, but she didn’t point this out.

  The day of reckoning was approaching for Tamara…she’d been working here three weeks. When the trial period was over, Nadine would have more than a few observations to bring up with Lindsay and Nathan.

  Nadine took the subway to Kate and Jay’s place, which now looked more like a day care than a sophisticated New York City apartment. Kate met her at the door, with Alice in her arms.

  “Eric’s out of school for the holidays, so he and Jay have gone to the gym to shoot baskets. Jay’s trying to spend extra time with him, so he doesn’t end up resenting this little one.” Kate touched her nose to the baby’s. “Because Alice really is an attention-hog.”

  “No kidding.” Nadine dropped the papers on Kate’s kitchen counter and went to hold the baby. “She is some major cute. And how about you? Are you getting much sleep?”

  “Honestly, no. But she is so worth it.” Kate’s red hair was in a bun and she was wearing an outfit that straddled the line between sweat suit and pajamas, but the happiness on her face made her truly beautiful.

  She grabbed the handful of invoices. “I take it these need my approval?”

  “Yes, please.” Nadine cuddled Alice close, then noticed a sour smell. “Does she need her diaper changed?”

  “I just fed her, so probably. Here, hand her back—”

  “I’ll do it.” Kate had a temporary changing station set up in the corner of the living room, and Nadine took the baby there.

  “Hmm.” Kate shuffled through the papers. “These all look fine. You’re doing a great job handling my cases, Nadine. Are you enjoying the work?”

  “I sure am.”

  “And what about Patrick? Is he going to be home soon?”

  “On Christmas Eve. I can’t wait.”

  “Yeah? Then what’s bothering you? Last week you looked like you were walking on air. Today, I hate to say it, but you seem depressed.”

  Nadine hadn’t intended to tell Kate her problems. But as she unsnapped the baby’s sleeper, the story came gushing out of her. “I had a big confrontation with my parents the other night. For some reason they don’t approve of Patrick. I told them if he wasn’t welcome in their home, then I wouldn’t be coming for Christmas dinner, either. I keep expecting them to phone and tell me they’ve changed their minds. But it’s been over a week and I haven’t heard a word.”

  Kate couldn’t possibly understand how unusual that was. Nadine usually had at least one call a day from her mother. Now—nothing.

  “Oh, dear. Are you sorry you gave them that ultimatum?”

  “I didn’t have a choice. But I never thought they would be this rigid.” Nadine cleaned Alice’s bottom, then positioned a fresh diaper under her.

  When the job was done, Nadine washed her hands, then held Alice close to her chest, in her favorite position. For once Alice didn’t fall asleep. Her big blue eyes gazed up at Nadine. “She’s focusing better now,” Nadine noticed.

  “It’s amazing how quickly she changes,” Kate agreed. “Hard to believe that one day she and I might be arguing about her boyfriends, too.”

  FINALLY IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE. As she watched Patrick sign books and talk to his fans, knowing that in just a few hours she would have him all to herself, Nadine thought she was close to perfect happiness.

  The only stain on this nearly flawless day was the fact that she still hadn’t heard a word from her parents. She couldn’t believe that they would rather she didn’t come to Christmas dinner at all, than come with Patrick.

  She pulled out her cell phone and checked the display. No missed calls. No messages.

  Apparently they were holding firm to their ridiculous position. Well, so be it.

  She smiled as she noticed Patrick heading toward her. Behind him the store employees were tidying up after the signing and putting away the few copies of the book that hadn’t sold.

  “Sweetheart. Finally.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “It’s over. We can go home now.”

  Before he’d started the book signing, he’d read snippets from various sections while a video had played in the background, showing him scuba diving and surfing and hang gliding. In all the footage, his body was amazingly tanned and fit, and he made whatever he was doing look easy and effortless.

  Nadine had noticed the looks the women in the crowd gave him. She realized that Patrick had been attracting this sort of attention in every city on his tour.

  And yet, he had come home to her.

  He wanted her.

  She clung to his arm as they headed outside to find a cab. It was a cold, clear night and she had stocked her apartment with everything they would need for at least three days.

  That was how long he had, until he had to leave to complete the publicity tour.

  “I can’t wait to get you all to myself,” he said, once they were cuddled in the backseat of a cab. He cupped her face and kissed the tip of her nose. “Thank you for being so patient.”

  She was still blown away by how many people had come out to hear him, to meet him, to buy one of his books. “Until tonight I didn’t realize how much of a celebrity you are.”

  “Hardly a celebrity. But I must admit I’ve sold a lot of books the past three weeks. I think even your parents might be impressed. I assume we’ll be seeing them tomorrow?”

  Outside, the Christmas lights were passing in a blur as the cab emerged from the heavy Midtown traffic and picked up speed. “No. We have the whole three days all to ourselves.”

  “I love the sound of that. But surely we need to spend some time with your family. For Christmas dinner, at least.”

  She shook her head. During a few of their phone conversations, Patrick had raised the subject of seeing her parents over the holidays. Each time she’d managed to divert him onto a different topic.

  She’d hoped that in time, she’d be able to discuss this without crying. But the subject was still too painful.

  “What’s going on? Why won’t you look at me?”

  “W-we had a falling out.”

  “You mean, you and your mom and dad?”

  She nodded.

  “But—” Suddenly he understood. “Because of me?”

  She nodded again.

  “Oh, hell. Sweetheart, I’m sorry. Tell me what happened.”

  In a faltering voice she relayed the essence of their conversation. And resolutely she insisted that she wasn’t sorry she’d said what she’d said.

  “I hadn’t realized how much I’d let them control my life. Working at Fox & Fisher was really the first time I defied them. I thought they were finally coming round to the idea that I was an adult and responsible for making my own decisions. But obviously not.”

  “I hate being the cause of this rift.”

  “It’s not your fault. I should have stood up to them years ago. I just—I always wanted to please them. Their approval meant so much to me. Too much.”

  The cab stopped in front of her building. Patrick clasped her shoulder. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, we have some catching up to do.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  IT WAS CRAZY HOW MUCH HE’D missed her, Patrick thought. He’d never imagined he would feel this way about a woman. Want her so much. Love her so much.

  He’d always been a man of passion, but those passions had been for other things. For travel and adventure and living on the edge.

  Women had always been in the picture, but on the periphery, when it was convenient.

  “Three weeks is much too long to go without you.” He carried her over the threshold and took her directly to the bedroom. “I hope you don’t have any plans for the next three hours.”

  “I promised you the next three days,” she reminded him, her fingers on the top button of her blouse.

  He watched as she slowly unfastened the row of buttons. With teasing slowness, she drew the fabric from her
shoulders, revealing a red satin bra, her perfect ivory cleavage.

  “My turn.” He took a moment to enjoy the view. Her dark hair had fallen over one shoulder, the curls just reached the top of her breast. Though she wasn’t airbrushed perfection, she was more beautiful to him than any cover model ever could be.

  He ran his hands over the satin material, felt her breasts budding under his touch. Then he reached around her to unfasten the bra and slip it off her body.

  He continued unwrapping her in this way, like a treasured Christmas present, and at the end he shucked his own clothing and drew her to him.

  “I need you inside me. Now.”

  He felt her shudder in his arms, heard her sigh, then gasp, then cry.

  Too long. It had been too long. He tangled his fist around her hair and tasted the skin at her neck, her throat, her breast.

  It was happening too quickly, but he couldn’t make himself slow down. She was too perfect. Everything, everything, everything he wanted.

  Was with her.

  THERE WASN’T MUCH SLEEP that night, only a few hours. When Nadine opened her eyes and saw that light was slipping through the cracks in the blinds, she couldn’t believe it.

  “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.” She kissed the back of Patrick’s neck, but he didn’t budge.

  At home—at her parents’ home—breakfast would be served casually, by the enormous twenty-foot Christmas tree in the living room. Hanging from the oak mantel would be three beautifully embroidered stockings—only two this year. It had been a childish tradition, she supposed, but she felt sad that this year marked the end of it.

  She rolled onto her stomach and noticed a strange movement amid Patrick’s discarded clothing on the floor. She stretched out an arm to investigate and found his cell phone, set on Vibrate.

  “You have a call,” she said. “Do you want to answer it?”

  He moaned and rolled onto his back.

  She glanced at the display. The name was familiar, and then it hit her. “It’s from Diane Stone.”

  “What?” Patrick lifted his head. “June’s sister?”

  “Yes.” She passed him the phone and he quickly turned it on.

  “Patrick here.” He listened for a minute, his eyes growing wider. “Yes. I see.”

  More waiting on her part. Then Patrick spoke again. “Of course you can.”

  He sat up, brushed the hair back from his forehead. “I have to go out of town on the twenty-seventh. Any chance you could make it tomorrow?”

  He was making plans for one of the few precious days he’d promised to her. Nadine clutched the bedding to her chest as he ended the call. For a few moments he stared at the phone disbelievingly, then gave her a rueful smile.

  “That was Stephen.”

  “Really?” She couldn’t believe it, either. “How wonderful that he called. But his aunt’s name was on call display. Isn’t Stephen still in Canada?”

  “You know how I wanted to send him something for Christmas? Well, I gave him an air voucher. Turned out they’d had no snow for the past three weeks. He was able to shuffle his work schedule around so he could get a week off. Last night he flew to his aunt’s. And he wants to see me tomorrow.”

  IT WAS THE MOST UNIQUE Christmas Day Nadine had ever spent, and also the most romantic. Patrick had bought her one memento from every city on his book tour, and he had a cute story to match, explaining how each item—from a bottle of Cashmere Mist perfume, to a huge assortment of Ghirardelli chocolates—had reminded him of her.

  They drank champagne and orange juice while they soaked in the tub, then later they feasted on roast turkey breast, cranberry chutney and vegetables from the cooked-food counter at Dean & DeLuca, while they watched Miracle on 34th Street at her pleading.

  As the sun began to set on the day, they decided to go for a walk in Central Park. She hoped the fresh air and exercise would take her mind away from what she was missing—a six-course Christmas dinner with her mom and dad.

  She supposed Patrick would have found the event dreadfully dull, but she had always loved the tradition, and Christmas was the one holiday when she actually enjoyed putting on a pretty dress and making a fuss.

  A gust of wind whipped her hair and sent her scarf flying as they rounded a corner. Patrick caught the end and twisted it back around her neck.

  “I wonder what made Stephen decide to visit now?”

  “He said he’d finally managed to get that letter from Zach. Maybe something June wrote made him willing to give me a second chance.”

  She squeezed his hand. “It’s really your first chance. I hope he understands that.”

  “And I hope you don’t mind that we aren’t going to be able to spend tomorrow together. I promised you three days. It’s ending up to be more like one and a half.”

  She ignored the empty feeling in the pit of her stomach at the thought of him leaving again. “That’s okay. Spending time with Stephen is important. Anyway, you only have two more weeks until the book tour ends.”

  “True enough.”

  “Though I was wondering about New Year’s Eve…Is there any chance you could fly back to New York for Lindsay and Nathan’s wedding?”

  It would mean a lot to her if he could come, she almost added, but she didn’t because a frown was forming on his face.

  She waited, preparing herself for disappointment.

  “I don’t think it’s possible to get back early, sweetheart. I’m sorry. My plan was to fly you to Los Angeles for New Year’s.”

  “I can’t. The wedding.”

  “Right. Well, we will have some time together after the book tour. At least a few weeks.”

  She stopped walking. “Only a few weeks? And then what?”

  “I’ll be off to Canada to work on the next book. I did tell you I’d signed another contract, right?”

  “Yes. But I didn’t realize you’d be starting it so quickly. Don’t you ever take some time off between projects?”

  “Like I said, I’ll take a few weeks. Maybe a month this time,” he added with a smile.

  A month. She kicked at a sad pile of leaves left over from the fall. “How much time do you usually spend in the city? On average?”

  “In the past, one or two months a year.”

  His apartment wasn’t a home. It was a pit stop. And where did that leave her?

  “It’s not that I want to be away from you. You knew about my job right from the beginning. But we’ll figure it out. I know we can make this work.” He grabbed both ends of her scarf and twirled her around until she was facing him.

  Despite her worries, she had to laugh at his playfulness. At his optimism. Perhaps it was too soon for her to stress about the future. He was here now. She wanted to enjoy every minute. She leaned forward to kiss him.

  He pulled her close and kissed her properly. Then he said, “I’ll tell you one thing all this time apart is good for. It’s making me realize how much I care about you.”

  She waited, hoping to hear from him the words that she was feeling in her own heart.

  “I’ve never felt like this about any other woman. I think I’m falling in love with you.”

  He thought he was falling in love? Didn’t he know?

  She did. She’d fallen completely for this man. So completely that she’d estranged herself from her family in order to be with him.

  She didn’t regret the choice she’d made, but she couldn’t help worrying. Just how committed was Patrick to her?

  PATRICK WOKE UP THE NEXT morning alone in his own bed. He’d hated giving up a night with Nadine, but Stephen was arriving early and he hadn’t wanted to be in a position where he was rushing her out of his apartment. At some point the three of them would spend time together. But he thought it was important that he get to know Stephen one-on-one first.

  Fortunately Nadine had understood. She was very sweet that way.

  He leaned over to get a look at the alarm clock. Twenty minutes to nine. Stephen should be here shortly—he’d
told him to grab a cab from the airport and he would cover the fare.

  Patrick showered quickly and dressed in jeans and the sweater Nadine had bought him for Christmas. They’d had such a wonderful day together. Or at least he had. He hoped she had, too, but it hadn’t escaped his notice that when he’d told her he thought he was falling in love, her only answer was a kiss.

  The kiss had been great, but he wouldn’t have minded hearing some words about love, too.

  As he strapped on his watch, he noticed the time. Jeez, his son would be here any second. Maybe he’d go out to the street and wait for him.

  Patrick was only outside ten minutes before a cab pulled up with a redheaded young man in the back. As Stephen stepped out to the sidewalk, Patrick leaned in to cover the tab. The driver pulled away and left them looking at one another.

  His son traveled light. All he had was a backpack that didn’t look very full.

  “How was Christmas at your aunt’s house?”

  “It was okay.”

  “I remember my first Christmas after my mother passed away. She was my only family. It was one damn sad day.”

  “Yeah.”

  Patrick placed his arm over Stephen’s shoulders. It was only then that he realized they were the exact same height. “Want to grab some breakfast? There’s a good place up the street, if you like omelets.”

  “Sure.”

  Patrick dropped his arm, then headed west, toward the restaurant. Stephen stepped along beside him.

  “So…I take it you finally caught up with your friend Zach?”

  “Yeah. I don’t think he was seriously after your money. You just caught him by surprise when you phoned.”

  “And he still had your mother’s letter?”

  Stephen snorted. “He’d forgotten all about it, if you can believe that. He had to check through all the pockets on his ski jacket before he found it.”

  “Thank God he hadn’t sent it out for dry cleaning.”