Paris Lights

by C. J. Duggan

  ‘I’ve dreamed of New York City all my life. The fact that something I love to do brought me here is a blessing and I know it. I am so grateful to Dr Liebenberg for setting up this interview for me; I know he is a very good friend of your family.’

  Penny simply stared at me; there was a long, uncomfortable silence as I waited for her to say something, but she was giving me nothing. I cleared my throat and glanced at Nikki, who smiled and nodded, encouraging me to continue.

  ‘The moment I stepped off the plane I knew that anything that lay ahead of me would be a challenge I’m willing to accept.’ I looked directly at Penny and Emily. ‘I feel I am more than ready for this new chapter of my life.’

  ‘So you believe you can handle a challenge?’ Emily asked, her perfectly sculpted brow curving with interest.

  ‘I’m the eldest of four from a working-class family so I’ve been surrounded by children all my life. I don’t shy away from anything, and my stomach doesn’t turn, and the tears don’t flow. I mean, I’m not a robot or anything, but I come from tough stock. I will love the children and I will care for them, I know this from working for the Liebenbergs. I cared for their boys, Alex and Oscar, since they were babies, which was definitely a challenge at times, but I loved my time there.’

  ‘Dennis did provide a rather impressive recommendation for you,’ Penny said finally. ‘And I am going to be completely honest with you: if it wasn’t for his recommendation, I seriously doubt I would have let you through the door.’

  Okay, ouch.

  ‘You see, I don’t much care how many brothers and sisters you have – that really doesn’t affect me one way or the other. Nor do I care for any girlish fantasies you have about traipsing around New York City. What I care about is you being fully present, in your mind, in your heart. That your dedication is solely to my grandchild.’

  Bingo – grandchild, not children.

  ‘You are to ask no questions, you are to simply do what is required and nothing more. If you are successful, you will be given a full induction on what is expected of you. You will sign a non-disclosure form.’

  ‘And how am I to know if I am successful?’ I asked, perhaps not as confidently as I would have liked.

  ‘Well, we have a fair few questions to go through first,’ said Emily in a no-nonsense, business-like tone.

  ‘And another interview for you to complete,’ said Penny.

  ‘Another?’ Nikki and Emily both looked at Penny, confusion creasing their brows. Well, creasing Nikki’s anyway; something told me Botox was keeping the wrinkles at bay for Emily.

  Penny gave her daughters a pointed look. ‘Yes, another.’

  ‘You don’t mean—’

  ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’ said Nikki, cutting off Emily’s question.

  Penny sighed.

  ‘We can’t hold off any longer, we have to get him involved.’ Their faces looked grim, worried. Like they were about to encounter the bogeyman. Their dread was palpable, and although I had just banged on about being able to handle anything, now I wasn’t so sure.

  ‘Get who involved?’ I asked tentatively.

  Penny’s eyes cut sharply to mine, and I regretted my words immediately.

  ‘First lesson to learn, Miss Williams: ask no questions.’

  I glanced at Nikki, hoping to find some comfort in an eye roll or a wink, but I saw nothing more than her sad, worried expression, and my heart began to pound hard against my chest.

  I swallowed, nodding my understanding even as I thought, What the hell have I gotten myself into?

  Chapter Two

  It wasn’t over. It would never be over and I would be hearing ‘if you are successful’ for the rest of my days. I went down the steps of the brownstone and made my way back to the car, feeling rather deflated despite the VIP experience. The driver was holding the car door open. Such a different world, I thought, as I smiled my thanks to him. Not really knowing the rules, I had tipped him on the way here, and at a guess I would tip him again on the way back. I was seriously going to run out of money at this rate. Maybe there was something in my NYC guide that would tell me if I even needed to tip private chauffeurs. I searched through the pocket guide, wondering how this could be my biggest drama right now.

  Then the door opened. ‘Slide over, sweetie.’

  I did as the voice asked, juggling my book, too surprised to think. Then I recognised the body of Nikki as she slid in beside me.

  ‘Where are you staying?’ she asked, holding her belly and catching her breath.

  ‘Park Central Hotel,’ I said, looking at her, slightly worried we might be taking a detour to the hospital.

  ‘Oh, nice. Hey, Dave, drop Sarah off first then drag me home, I know how much you love going to Brooklyn.’

  A smiling pair of brown eyes flicked up in the rear-view mirror. ‘I would drive to the ends of the earth for you, Nikki Fitzgerald.’

  ‘Aw, bless,’ she said, tilting her head and offering a high-wattage smile.

  ‘You live in Brooklyn?’ I asked.

  ‘Much to my mother’s disgust.’ She laughed.

  Silence fell as Dave indicated to pull out into the street.

  ‘Hey, don’t worry about that interview, it’s just a process my mother and sister like to go through to ensure they are in control, when they’re actually not. The job is yours.’

  ‘You really think so?’

  ‘They haven’t even interviewed anyone else, and if the recommendation came from Dennis Liebenberg, you could be an axe murderer and they would be hard-pressed to go against it.’

  ‘Well, I’m not an axe murderer so hopefully that will work in my favour too.’

  ‘I should think so,’ she said, examining me. ‘I would pack my bags if I were you, I don’t think you’ll be staying at Park Central too much longer.’ She turned away to look out her tinted window.

  I was afraid to hope, but all I wanted to do was drill her with a thousand questions, all the ones I was forbidden to ask. Then I thought, if I was going to be the au pair to her baby, shouldn’t she have a say?

  ‘When are you due?’

  Nikki sighed, her hand going to her belly. ‘Never. I am never, ever having this baby. I feel like I have been pregnant for twelve months already.’

  ‘Your first?’

  Nikki burst out laughing. ‘Oh no, but definitely my last; I have four more rugrats waiting for me back in Brooklyn. As much as my mother complains about my location, I am sure a big part of her is relieved that I don’t visit with the grubby-fingered little munchkins often; I mean, you’ve seen how white that place is, that couch would be totally smashed within seconds.’

  I actually wondered if Nikki had been adopted at birth, although there was no mistaking the physical resemblance. She had a warm, genuine aura about her; she had alleviated the thick tension the moment she entered the room. I really liked her, but I couldn’t help but swallow at the thought of five children. Oh God, was I destined to become the au pair for them? Was this what all the cryptic interviews were about? Capture my interest and then hit me with the big reveal?

  I cleared my throat, knowing I wasn’t meant to ask questions, but I wouldn’t sleep tonight unless I had a certain amount of clarity.

  ‘So have you had au pairs before or is this your first time?’

  Nikki looked at me and frowned. She really resembled her mother. Then her eyes widened and her face lightened as she broke into laughter. ‘Oh God, no, I’m not hiring an au pair, oh gosh, no no no, I would never subject any poor soul to my brood. Oh, you poor thing, is that what you thought? No wonder you’ve gone white.’ She continued to laugh, which really didn’t make me feel any better, because that left a far worse alternative: I was going to be an au pair for Emily Mayfair – ice queen. I felt sick.

  ‘Oh, okay, so how many children does Mrs Mayfair have?’ I asked tentatively.

  ‘Emily?’

  I nodded.

  ‘Emily has a boy and a girl, precious little poppets who
have been sent away to the best boarding school that money can buy, so don’t stress, my sister’s au pair days are well and truly over.’

  Now I was confused. Why was I even here? Who could I possibly be employed by? I knew they were being cryptic but this was just getting ridiculous. The no-questions rule be damned, I had to know.

  ‘So you’re thinking, why are you here?’ Nikki said, as if reading my mind.

  ‘Exactly.’

  She smiled. ‘Well, you’re about to find out. Dave, can we take a detour to Lafayette, please?’

  Lafayette Street is a major north–south road in New York City’s Lower Manhattan. I didn’t know anything about it beyond that, but I could sense some questions would be answered, or at least I was counting on it, seeing as Nikki, who had previously been quite open and forthright, had suddenly clammed up.

  ‘Are you sure you want to make this detour?’ Dave’s eyes flicked up into the rear-view mirror again.

  ‘Oh, it’s okay, he’s not there today,’ she said, waving dismissively as she tapped away on her BlackBerry.

  ‘And Mrs Worthington—’

  ‘It will be our little secret.’

  Dave began to mumble under his breath.

  ‘Don’t worry, Dave, she hasn’t put a tracking device on your car … yet.’ She said the last word under her breath, and as much as I was looking forward to the mystery being solved, I didn’t want to get Dave fired.

  I leant across the leather seat. ‘You know, I think I’ll just wait until tomorrow’s interview. I mean, what’s one more day anyway?’

  ‘Absolutely not, I don’t want anyone else for the job, and I certainly don’t want you having a night to think about it and changing your mind.’

  ‘Why would I change my mind?’

  Dave’s eyes flicked up again, meeting Nikki’s briefly before she looked back out to the street. ‘Oh, no reason,’ she said in the most unconvincing of ways. Now I was worried; from the moment Dr Liebenberg had spoken of helping with a ‘situation’ it was obvious that I had flown over shark-infested waters into circumstances I was still not clear on. If I woke up in a bathtub of ice with my kidneys sold to the black market, I was going to be seriously pissed.

  Acknowledgements

  To Michael, for believing in and supporting everything I do with your unwavering love and understanding. For being patient with the stress I bring, with my deadlines and insanely odd hours. I know it’s not easy, but you are the beautiful part of my reality and I wouldn’t want to share it with anyone else.

  To the entire Hachette family. It has been an absolute honour to continue to collaborate with such a reputable and prolific publishing team such as yours. Fiona Hazard, Kate Stevens – I have said it before and I will say it again: you ladies are a class act. Your passion, support and encouragement make working with you a sheer joy.

  To Anita, Keary, Jess and Lilliana, for always pushing me and helping me to the finish line even when it seems impossible. Your friendship, patience and smarts are what help govern my success; I cherish each and every one of you.

  To my amazing family and friends for putting up with my lockdowns and never-ending deadlines, for constantly reminding me of things I tend to forget; you remind me to live and be balanced, your love is the best anchor I could wish for.

  To all the readers, bloggers, reviewers of my stories, for taking something away from my words and for loving and embracing the characters, for wanting to read Australian voices: our rich literary culture is worthy of any local or international platform. In a world that is often dark enough, it is a pleasure to inject it with a little bit of sunshine and a whole lot of passion.

  And, of course, to Paris! For being such a gracious, inspiring host, you were everything I hoped you would be and so much more. Je t’aime pour toujours.

  C.J. Duggan is the internationally bestselling author of the Summer, Paradise and Heart of the City series who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales. When she isn’t writing books about swoon-worthy men you’ll find her renovating her hundred-year-old Victorian homestead or annoying her local travel agent for a quote to escape the chaos.

  CJDugganbooks.com

  twitter.com/CJ_Duggan

  facebook.com/CJDugganAuthor

  Also by C.J. Duggan:

  The Paradise series – sexy Australian new-adult romance full of sun, surf and steamy summer nights. There’s bound to be trouble in Paradise …

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  Copyright

  Published in Australia and New Zealand in 2016

  by Hachette Australia

  (an imprint of Hachette Australia Pty Limited)

  Level 17, 207 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000

  www.hachette.com.au

  Copyright © C.J. Duggan 2016, 2017

  This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be stored or reproduced by any process without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

  A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the National Library of Australia.

  978 0 7336 3665 3

  978 0 7336 3666 0 (ebook edition)

  Cover design by Keary Taylor

  Cover photograph courtesy of Shutterstock

  Author photograph by Craig Peihopa

  Text design by Bookhouse, Sydney