He nodded. “That would work. Don't be afraid to tell the truth. Some of the readers, bless their salacious hearts, will be attracted to any negative aspect of your life. There has to be some, surely?” he asked, his expression hopeful.
“I'm not sure what you mean. I was only on the streets for a few months. I wasn't a prostitute, and I didn't do drugs. Surely, you don't want me to make anything up, just to increase sales?” she asked, a tiny bit of sarcasm easing into her tone.
“No, but we'll need to delve into your family relationships, the reason you were on the streets in the first place."
Nikki took a deep breath, then shook her head. “I don't like talking about my mother. It's private."
Geoff sighed in exasperation. “You're writing an autobiography, not a text book. There has to be some guts to your book, or we could let my nine-year-old cousin write it on his computer from your press releases collected over the Internet. I warn you. I think you have a book in you, and I intend to dig in and pull it out of you—word by word—if I have to."
She stood up. “You be warned,” she said, still smiling, “You may have more difficulty with me than you think."
“Challenge accepted. I'm looking forward to it.” He stopped, checked his PDA, then continued, “I'd like to see your opening chapter, one week from today, at ten A.M. Is that possible?"
“Yes. You'll have it.” She extended her hand and received a firm grip in response, with none of those troubling electrical currents she received whenever Max touched her. Geoff McHugh, however, was a very tasty man. She liked his irreverent attitude, even the teasing adversarial way he treated her. No walking on eggshells with him.
“I'll see you then and your journal?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction.
“I'll go through them tonight and messenger something to you tomorrow. Okay?"
He nodded. “Fair enough. Until next Thursday then."
“Next Thursday.” Surprised at how much she was looking forward to their next meeting, she flashed a wide grin and left his office. She'd just taken up residence on Cloud Nine.
Finally, she had a goal.
Twenty-five
Friday morning rush hour was long over, but even at noon Union Station was still quite busy. Nikki glanced at her watch, then at the enormous clock at the far end of the grand lobby. Both time pieces reported the time as five after twelve. Alexa's train was due in at twelve-ten and Nikki was anxious to see the young teenager again.
“Nik!"
She looked up and saw Alexa running toward her, lugging one tote, her other arm outstretched. Grinning, she grabbed Alexa and gave her a big hug. “It's so good to have you back. Where's the rest of your stuff?"
“This is all I brought. Daddy's having the rest shipped. So, what's going on with you and Daddy? Are you two—uh, you know?” The teenager's eyes danced with mischief.
“Alexa,” Nikki warned, shocked Alexa would think such a thing, much less say it. “That's not what my being in the house is about, and you know it.” Hesitating to discuss personal matters in a public, she said, “Let's get a cab. We'll talk about it at home."
“Oh, come on. I was only kidding—sort of.” A pleasant mixture of contrition and humor was written plainly across the girl's face.
“I know. You just took me off guard.” Nikki placed her arm around Alexa's shoulders. At fourteen Max's daughter was only five-feet, four-inches, but the young teen was very pretty and showed every promise of being a beauty. Her light ash-blonde hair had been cut short in an attempt to control the wild ringlets she'd always hated. She had her father's crystal green eyes, ringed by spiky, dark lashes that contrasted with her fair hair. A light sprinkle of freckles were scattered across the bridge of her pert nose.
Arm-in-arm, they threaded their way through the crowd to the busy street.
~ * ~
Once Nikki and Alexa were settled in the taxi, the teenager maintained a flow of nonstop chatter. Only half listening, Nikki supposed Geoff McHugh must have the journal she'd sent by messenger earlier that morning. She wondered how long it would take him to get around to reading it ... and what he would think. The night before she'd hurriedly scanned the stack of journals and finally selected one from one of the more stable periods in her life. Eventually people would read her autobiography and know most of her secrets, anyway. She might as well get used to the idea of her editor delving into her past. But there just wasn't any point in overwhelming him with all her angst over Max right away.
“Nik?” Alexa's raised voice brought Nikki back to the present. “We're home, and you haven't heard a single word I've said."
She cast Alexa a wan smile over her shoulder, while she paid the driver. “Sorry, kiddo. I've a lot on my mind. By the way, your dad is taking you out to lunch. I wonder if he's home yet,” she said, changing the subject.
“Great. I missed him—well, a little. You know they kept me pretty busy with finals and stuff. Mario called me every day. I can hardly wait to see him, but he doesn't come home from school till next weekend. Do you think Daddy will let me go out with him? I mean, you know, movies, stuff like that?”
“That's between you and your dad. I'm not second guessing him."
Together they ran up the stairs and entered the townhouse. In the entrance hall they found Max talking with great animation to a tall woman with short blonde hair. At least five suitcases stood stacked to the woman's left. A sinking feeling struck Nikki in the pit of her stomach. Oh God. Please let it be anyone but...
Max and the woman turned.
...Mama.
“Guess who's come to visit her favorite daughter?” Max asked, the corner of his mouth quirking upward.
Unbelievable! How like her to show up uninvited. Absolutely, the very last complication she needed in her already complicated life. Five suitcases. Damn. Looks like she plans on staying a month. Well, Nikki would have to see about that.
“Mama. What a surprise,” she said, recovering quickly and rushing to her mother's side for a hug and a Hollywood-style air kiss.
“Well, I hadn't heard from my baby in so long I just had to see how she was doing. Max was about to take my things upstairs. I knew you wouldn't want me staying in a hotel."
The more her mother simpered, the more Nikki wanted to dig a hole and crawl in it. Oh, she wasn't surprised, just appalled. Her mother always acted that way around handsome men ... even if they were fifteen years younger.
Nikki watched in disbelief—her mother actually fluttering her—they had to be fake—eyelashes at Max.
“Oh, no, Mama, I wouldn't want that,” she said with more sincerity than she felt. And the dark gleam in Max's crystal green eyes. Damn him. He thinks this is funny, she thought. But she knew her mother too well to think Max would be amused for long.
During this war of wills, Alexa had stood stock still in the foyer. “Hi, Daddy,” She walked to his side and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Max smiled and hugged his daughter. “Welcome home, ma petite.” Then turning to Nikki's mother, he said, “Mrs. Prentice, this is my daughter, Alexa. Alexa, this is Nikki's mother, Mrs. Prentice."
“Oh, little Alexa? Why she's all grown up, isn't she?” The woman advanced with arms outstretched to hug Alexa, whose eyes grew wide. “You're such a pretty little thing."
“Thank you. It's nice to see you again,” Alexa said, giving a tentative hug in return.
Looking askance at the pile of luggage, Nikki managed a stiff smile. “How long are you staying, Mama?"
“Oh, just long enough to do a little shopping and take in a few shows. You can get tickets, can't you, Max?” Jessie turned to him coquettishly.
“Of course, I'll be happy to obtain tickets for you, Mrs. Prentice."
Again, it seemed that Max actually relished his role of host. As usual, her mother was oblivious to how grasping and ridiculous she appeared.
“Please, Max, just call me Jessie. Why we're almost family."
“Mama,” Nikki warned, seve
rely tempted to kill her mother ... or herself. “I'm sure Max doesn't have time—"
“Of course, he does, hon. He just said he would."
Nikki closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. It gagged her, seeing her mother acting coy. In the past, her mother had never had a kind word to say about Max. What had changed?
Max intervened. “Let's get your mother settled. What do you say, Nikki? How about your old room?"
“Yes, that'll be great. It's a very nice room, Mama."
A crafty look crossed her mother's face. “Where's your room, Nikki?"
Max, perhaps in an attempt to prevent bloodshed in his foyer, started retrieving suitcases, picking them up easily as if they held nothing. “Nikki has Renée's suite. She has more privacy that way."
“Oh, I see. She has your mother's suite. How thoughtful of you, Max. I have to hand it to you. You certainly have taken good care of my little girl."
“Mama,” Nikki protested, knowing it was useless. If she'd had a sock she would've stuffed it in her mother's mouth. Better yet, murder was still an option. Surely, no court would find her guilty of murder ... justifiable homicide, maybe.
Taking a cue from her father, Alexa stepped forward to take one of Jessie's smaller pieces of luggage. “You'll be in the room next to mine, Mrs. Prentice. Let's go up. I'll help you unpack."
Bless the child and her bright smiling face, Nikki could have kissed her. On her way up the stairs, Alexa turned toward Nikki and gave her a sly wink.
Alone.
Time to regroup.
She sagged against the wall. Her mother absolutely drained all her energy. Mama was much easier to tolerate at long distances. Oil and vinegar—that's what they were—and no matter how many times she counted to ten, a blow-up was inevitable.
Nikki took a deep breath. Might as well get it over with. She started the climb to the second floor. Haunting specters of hesitation and dread sat on each shoulder, whispering to her. This isn't gonna be fun. It's gonna be hell.
~ * ~
Jessie watched Alexa point out the armoire and the adjoining bathroom. Max's daughter was a pretty little thing, not a beauty like her Nikki, of course. No one was as beautiful as her daughter. It was just too bad she'd lost her head over Max. Nothing would come of it. No man would buy the cow when he could get the milk for free.
“Mrs. Prentice?” Alexa's soft voice interrupted Jessie's train of thought.
“Yes, dear, what is it?"
“Would you like me to help you unpack?"
“I thought you had a maid or servants to do that."
Alexa shook her head, “Not anymore. I've been away at school, so the housekeeper doesn't live in. Daddy has someone who cleans weekly. He's not here much anyway."
“Oh really?"
“Well, he says he'll try to be here more now that I'm home from school, but he works a lot. That's why Nikki is here—to look out after me and stuff. She's like my big sister, anyway."
“I see.” Jessie drew her mouth into a tight smile.
~ * ~
Nikki rapped lightly on the door to her mother's room, then entered after hearing Jessie's, “Come in."
“Are you settling in okay?” she asked hesitantly. “Is there anything you need?” She didn't want to appear ungracious, but her mother's unannounced visit had upset her more than she could ever have imagined.
“Why yes, Nikki, little Alexa has helped me quite a bit. This is a very nice room, and this is where you stayed when you lived here before?"
“Yes, Mama. This was my room.” She looked at the familiar poster bed and the ornate French armoire. The walls were still covered in the same blue and white etoile de jouy print with matching full draperies and comforter. Her old room had always been a haven, but now her mother was ensconced in it. It would never be the same.
“Well, it's certainly nicer than anything I ever had growing up."
The taut edge to Jessie's voice grated on Nikki's nerves.
Alexa shot Nikki a questioning glance. She nodded, relieved at the girl's perception.
“I'll leave you two to catch up,” Alexa said in a sprightly voice, as she eased from the room.
Nikki watched her mother's smile fade. Now what?
“Well, you've certainly got a nice little set-up here, don't you?"
“It's not like that, Mama, and you know it.” Nikki started pacing, hands clasped behind her back ... mainly to keep from strangling her mother.
“I'll tell you what I know, Missie. Men are out for what they can get. The way I figure it, Max must be getting plenty of something from you, if he's got you installed in his dead mother's suite. You're the worst kind of fool,” she said, with a sneer.
Nikki took a deep breath, turned toward her mother. “A fool?"
“Yes, to let him use you this way. Nothing will ever come of it. You're right here under his thumb, at his beck and call. He'll use you and toss you out when he gets tired of you. You can bank money on that, young lady.” Jessie stood with hands on hips, nodding her head vigorously with each pronouncement.
“He's not using me. I'm here because of Alexa. She needs someone."
“Well, I guess you'll just have to find out the hard way. You've always been stubborn as hell, running off, living on the streets, moving in with his mother, like you didn't have one of your own, who was worried to death about you."
“Worried to death about me? That's rich, Mama. You threw me out, remember?” Nikki struggled to keep her tone low.
“Well, I never meant for you to go. I-I was just trying to get you to go back to school, but no, you had to run away, and I didn't know where you were for months on end. Then out of the blue your fancy French boyfriend and his la-ti-dah mother call me, demanding I come to his office to sign a bunch of papers so they could make money off you."
“Well, you certainly didn't let it keep you from bargaining a pretty sweet deal for yourself, did you? I'm not stupid. I was there, remember. I gave you fifty percent of my earnings for two years."
“Well, it was my right. I'm your mother, after all. I deserved to have a good life too.” Her mother's mouth twisted into a simpering smile.
“Yes, you certainly did.” Nikki couldn't keep the irony from her voice, but as usual, her mother was oblivious.
“Well, that's water over the dam. I just wanted to make sure you were happy here. I warn you, you better hold out for the little gold band. Then you'll really have it made. A nice, rich handsome husband—not like they grow on trees. Besides, if you divorce, you can really take him to the cleaners."
“I hope that's it for motherly advice today.” Unable to take any more Nikki whirled around and fled down the hall—her mother would live longer that way.
All the way down the hall, she muttered obscenities under breath. She didn't see Max until he placed a warding hand on her shoulder. “Sorry,” she apologized. “Seems like I have a bad habit of not watching where I'm going."
“You all right?"
“No.” She shook her head. “I'm on the verge of committing murder. I'm so sorry. I don't know what my mother was thinking ... showing up here like this."
“You don't have to apologize. She's your mother, and she's welcome to stay for a visit. She'll be treated as any guest would."
“Thank you."
“There's no need to thank me. I owe you. After all you're staying here for Alexa."
“No, I owe you so much,” Nikki protested, turning away from his soft gaze."
“We're not in a contest to see who owes whom.” he said, taking her chin, gently forcing her to look him in the eye. “We're friends, aren't we?"
She held her breath a second, before answering. “Of course."
“Then I don't want to hear anymore about how much you owe me. Our business arrangement was beneficial to us both. As a result we are, at least, friends. Friends do each other favors. You're doing me a favor by being here for Alexa."
Unable to think, much less speak, clearly, she nodded.
She tried swallowing the lump in her throat, finally succeeding. “Of course. I'm fine."
“Good.” Max looked about the hall. “I have a daughter somewhere around here. Wonder if she's hungry yet?"
“Aren't all teenagers hungry?"
“I suppose you're right. Are you sure you'll manage ... with your mother, I mean?"
“Really, I'll be fine."
~ * ~
Max left Nikki standing in the hallway. Her mother was quite a character, but she was Nikki's mother. Nikki had inherited Jessie's fair skin, blue eyes and height. However, the resemblance ended there. Max had never met Nikki's father. Apparently, her father had been a drifter who'd skipped out on them early in the marriage.
“Daddy,” Alexa called from the upper landing.
Max looked up at his daughter who was neatly dressed in a jade green top and white jeans. “Are we still on for lunch?"
“Of course, what did you have in mind? I wasn't sure if you still wanted to be seen in public with your old man."
“Of course, I do, Daddy.” She rushed downstairs and gave him a hug. “You're the best-looking of all the fathers at school. Why wouldn't I want to be seen with you?” She paused, glancing around furtively. “Can we? I mean, shouldn't we invite everyone?"
“Not if we sneak out right now.” Max suggested with at grin. “I think we ought to let Nikki and her mother have some space."
Alexa nodded her agreement, her eyes sparkling. “Right."
Having lunch alone with his daughter would give him the opportunity to talk to her about the future. Alexa would want Nikki to stay indefinitely, but living side by side with her had proved more difficult than he'd ever imagined. He'd thought their proximity would be enough to sway Nikki in his favor. Instead, they were farther apart than ever.
“Where do you want to go for lunch?” he asked.
“Hard Rock Café."
“What?"
“You know,” Alexa prompted, pulling him toward the front door. “It's a lot of fun. The waiters come out and sing the “YMCA” song. Everybody stands up and sings, ‘Y M C A.'” She began forming the letters with her arms, giggling as she did. “Besides, they have great burgers."
See You In My Dreams Page 24