Glancing over at Shannon he realized that he was seeing a part of her world that he had never been party to before. She was letting him into her personal life, not exactly because she wanted to but rather because she’d been forced to by circumstances. Hey, he’d take it however he got it.
Nodding in appreciation he turned toward Shannon. “Your home is lovely Shannon. The craftsman style suits you so well,” he said reaching down and unhooking the seat belt while smiling warmly into her carefully masked expression.
His words thrilled Shannon and she was instantly delighted that he appreciated how unique and wonderful her little home was. After her successful Hollywood movie premiere debut the staggering amount of money she’d been paid for her next few events allowed her to purchase what at the time had been a woefully run down craftsman fixer-upper. She’d spent the next sixteen months living in an extended construction zone as the entire house had been renovated and restored to her specific vision. She’d added a few touches here and there that were stylistically all hers. The kitchen in particular, although keeping its craftsman style, was completely modern and kitted out with all the necessary equipment.
Nick came around the front of the vehicle and opened the door to assist her out. As she carefully swung her legs down she looked at him with the smallest of smiles evident on her adorable little bow tie lips and acknowledged his complement about her home with a very shy, “I love this house, thank you for seeing how special it is, Nick”
Wait a second. Did his heart just burst in his chest at the sight of her smile and the sound of her sweetly shy words? Taking a deep breath to ensure that he was indeed still alive and breathing, the elation that burst inside Nick was enough to light up a million light bulbs.
In order to reach around Shannon to grab her bag and the discarded boot from the back seat, Nick had to stretch his entire torso across hers. Shannon was momentarily overcome with the desire to lean into him and put her lips on his exposed neck. He was so close and smelled so good that she was pretty sure she was going to do something stupid in the next second. Luckily he retrieved the two objects fairly quickly and placed them in her lap so he could put an arm underneath her butt and behind her shoulders as he effortlessly lifted her out of the car.
Kicking the door shut he strode up the path to three large wooden steps leading up to the wide open porch on the front of her home. Realizing as he approached the entrance to the house that he’d have to put her down to open the door and give her time to fetch the key, Nick was frustrated. Luckily for him she had anticipated this and was fishing through her bag to find the house keys which she located immediately, holding them up in front of him as they waved back and forth saying, “If you just swing open the screen door. I can reach the key into the door knob”
So they were working as a team again was what he thought as he did just as she instructed by yanking open the screen door and slightly leaning down so she had easy access to the door knob from her secure place in his arms.
Unlocking the door she gave a push and the beautiful craftsman door with the stained-glass windows on top swung open and in he stepped to what until this second had been her private sanctuary.
With her clutched securely in his arms Nick made sure the front door was shut and locked before turning to take in the interior of her magnificent home in the hills. More than a bungalow, the high ceilinged lay-out was beautifully restored with all the wood accents to be expected in a craftsman home. Beautiful hardwood floors, wood beamed ceilings, endless multi-paned windows, and a large stone fireplace dominated the open floor plan.
The décor incorporated soothing earth tones, natural colors, all muted and soft, just like the woman who lived there. Nick was enchanted, mesmerized and impressed all at once. Ever the problem solving, practical minded business man, he was also relieved to see how open everything was because that would certainly make it easier for her to navigate while she was up on crutches.
With her arm firmly around his shoulder as he carried her through the living room, Shannon realized in horror that without thinking she’d been lightly running her fingers back and forth on his neck. Doing so had seemed so natural to her. She thought back to her reaction when he called her little one; that he did so as if he’d been doing it every day for the last eight years. When she had stroked his skin it too seemed like she’d done just that only yesterday. It felt as though eight years of separation had simply melted away. The thought was staggeringly seductive to her long starved senses.
Lowering her onto the oversize sofa before settling a small pillow beneath her injured foot to keep it slightly elevated, his brilliant hazel eyes intent with purpose surveyed her with a raw hunger and a genuine concerned appraisal for her comfort. “What do you need Shannon, what can I get for you to make you more comfortable. Would you like something to drink?” he asked in a husky, concerned undertone.
Even though she knew she shouldn’t be, Shannon was stirred by his continued attention. Finding it hard to relax she was reassured by being in her own home again after a day which had strained her nerves and tested her resolve to be unmoved by this man’s sudden involvement in her life.
After a quick sigh that spoke more of comfort than pain, her thready little voice stated a hesitant, “I could really use a drink of water. If you don’t mind. The kitchen’s behind us.” she said gesturing with her head toward the wood and marble kitchen behind them to the left.
“There are usually a couple of cold bottles of water in the fridge if you wouldn’t mind getting one for me.” she said in that breathy little way he remembered so well.
Glad for something to do besides standing there feeling like a dope, Nick sprinted off in the direction of the kitchen to grab them both something to drink. Seemed like a better option than falling to his knees so he could tell her how glad he was to see her again
The kitchen was just as magnificent as the living room with the distinctive beams running across the ceiling highlighting the use wood all throughout the room from the glorious floors to the well-crafted cabinets and the interesting stove hood. A center island and all the countertops were covered in a beautiful, highly polished dark marble with gold flecks that reflected the lighting from the restored hanging lights, giving the entire kitchen a magical feel.
On the end of the island counter was a large stone bowl, deep and long, filled with bananas, apples, and kiwi fruits. Next to that was a piece of paper and a pencil which Nick saw was the start of her shopping list. It was amusing to see such mundane and everyday items as dish soap, creamer, and a dozen eggs.
On the other side of the sink sat a beautiful potted hibiscus flower with delicate white tinged purple leaves which was in full bloom. The vibrant splash of tropical color against the muted earth tones and dark wood throughout the house touched his heart. It struck him that the flower was just like Shannon in his life; a touch of color in an otherwise bland and neutral existence. With his throat suddenly tightened by emotion, Nick moved swiftly to the refrigerator to grab the water which he now desperately needed.
After grabbing a bottle and taking a quick swig to relive the choking dryness in his throat brought on by a flood of emotions he hadn’t seen coming, Nick hurried back into the living room to hand Shannon the refreshing cool water. Like him, she immediately ripped off the cap and took a long pull of the ice cold fluid.
Not quite knowing what to do but deciding that something was better than nothing, Nick moved over to a chair situated next to the sofa where Shannon rested silently. Sitting down and still drinking from his water bottle Nick surveyed her with intense interest. She seemed relaxed and though everyone was calm he knew that the time was fast approaching for them to speak beyond generalities and inquiries in to her condition.
Shannon beat him to it of course because after all, as a woman, it was her prerogative to shake things up and do the unexpected.
“After the way we parted I never imagined that one day you and I would quite literally stumble upon one another ever agai
n. I’ve known your sister Jules for several years and honestly until this afternoon, I never made the connection. She talked about her brother, but usually in abstract terms, and mostly we talked about Dominic and our work together.”
“Well it’s good to know we can both be surprised” Nick said with a self-deprecating laugh. “Honestly, Shannon, I’ve never been so flummoxed in my whole life, and yes I did just use the word flummoxed in a sentence.”
She had to laugh at that even though she knew softening her attitude towards him even an iota was inviting danger, but the simple truth was this was the Nick she remembered. Clever, quick witted, funny. Oh yeah, and seriously good-looking and very, very good for her ego because he watched her with a searing intensity that rocketed happiness to her soul. That much it seemed had not changed for regardless of how they parted he was still the only human being who had ever seen so effortlessly into her most secret thoughts and desires.
It was as if he could read her every word and thought, and while this should probably bother her she knew that instead she found the connection, unbroken by time and circumstances, deeply, deeply moving.
“Shannon, why don’t we acknowledge the elephant in the room.” he queried softly. “I can see by the look on your face and the way you’d obviously like me to jump off a cliff that you are none too pleased that we have, in fact, run into each other.”
Turning his body towards her so that they were less than a foot apart he continued, “What I say next is more important than anything that came before, and hopefully you’ll hear what I’m trying to say even through a well-deserved case of suspicion”
That last comment certainly got her eyes flying directly to his, which was what he wanted, and once he had her firmly in his view with all the sincerity that he could muster, something which was right on the edge of a cry from his soul, he simply looked into her eyes and said, “What I did was wrong. The words I said to you were not how I truly felt. None of what took place after I’d been called back to New York was right. It was all wrong. Everything. Every stupid word in that wretched note I left for you. I was a complete coward for having done that by the way. And every heartless thing which came out of my foolish mouth that last time we spoke contained not so much as an iota of truth. There’s so much more and I hope you’ll give me a chance to explain but nothing else is more important than this ….I’ve missed you, Shannon.”
His eyes and the message they sent were riveting and he seemed so moved and genuine in what he was saying but at the same time the thought screaming through Shannon’s head was he missed me? Really, he missed me? He said that as if my absence from his life was somehow my decision. As if I had gone off and left him. As if he had the right to miss me because I was the one who’d gone away. She wanted to strangle him in that moment.
Something long denied snapped inside her; not being able to stop herself she bit out at him, “You missed me?” a bit more hysterically than she’d intended. “That’s what you have to say? You missed me?”
All the hurt and pain which had visited her over the past eight years piled into her lap as a reminder of what he put her through. She turned on him with anger blazing in her eyes and said, “Explain to me exactly how you could miss something that you voluntarily threw away?”
Whatever Nick expected it certainly wasn’t that. He had to hand it to her; she never was one to dance around the subject. Whatever she felt, you knew about it because she sure as hell was going to let you know. Any fool who took her sexy good looks, tousled blond hair, expressive turquoise eyes and sweet as hell bow tie lips for granted and thought that she was an empty airheaded female was in for a huge surprise. This little lady really did pack quite a wallop.
Taking a deep breath then heaving a bottomless sigh, Nick was sure there was more to come, and there was.
“I’m glad for all your help today, Nick and I thank you for your assistance.” she thundered in a prissy, prim, mother superior voice as she tried to look down her nose at him. She drew a shroud of long-ago hurt and pain around her like a cloak before continuing.
“But don’t think for a second that accepting your assistance in a crisis means that I’ve forgotten your cruelty when we parted. You made your contempt for me and our relationship quite plain, quite clear. And thank you very much, that’s not something I’m likely to forget.”
The unladylike snort of disbelief which followed pretty much summed up what she thought of his admission. Shaking her head in disbelief she muttered, “You missed me? Cut me a break.”
“Shannon, we clearly need to talk. I understand your anger and your disappointment in the way I behaved. Hell sweetheart, if I’m being honest I’m angry and disappointed in the way I behaved towards you too. You deserved better. WE deserved more and I grant you that I didn’t handle myself or the situation I found myself in very well.”
Sitting back some in his chair to lessen the intensity of a conversation which had the potential to get fiery, emotional and out of control if they weren’t both careful, Nick opted for calm sincerity; hoping that right here and right now he could defuse some of her anger and disillusionment. Before he could get another word out in his defense she erupted in an emotional tirade that shut him up pretty damn quick.
“You want honesty Nick? Really? That’s what you want? Let me give you a little of my honesty.” she spat out in a blazing blow by blow account of how devastated she’d been by his denial of their love affair.
“You were the sun the moon and the stars to me, and while I realize that’s a bunch of romantic foolishness, it’s how I felt. I will grant you that I’m responsible for my own feelings but I have also had to totally own the fact that while you were my universe I was your…well, I don’t even know what.”
She was mad, that was clear. He had to let her be mad and he had to allow her to vent on him because after all, it was his actions that brought all this about. He had decided for her; made conclusions about what was best for her future when he had shut down their relationship. Nick knew he was an arrogant fool, what guy wasn’t? But at the time what he had done was absolutely necessary. She was right about her romantic notions, but not in a bad way. He loved that she saw him in starry-eyed terms. In his mind that actually gave them room for the future.
Unleashing the full measure of her glaring turquoise eyes on him he marveled for just a second at how fiery that icy scowl actually was. God, she was magnificent when she was worked up. The fringes of those frosty orbs were dancing with deep golden sparks of emotion that accentuated the changing cast and hue of her unusually colored eyes. They told a story and as he watched her get ready to lay in to him verbally he also caught and marked each emotion as it played on her face and tucked those impressions away for later. Now was certainly not the time to remind her that he could read her like a book. Those eyes of hers were like a study guide above a mouth so shockingly sensual that even when she tried to look stern and serious she still just looked lush and begging for his attention.
He also knew from the tone of her voice and the way she pulled herself in so rigidly as to give the words up and tight new meaning, that he had just stumbled into the hornet’s nest at the heart of their predicament.
“And let’s not forget that you had a secret fiancée the entire time you were sleeping in my bed so don’t talk to me about honesty” Shannon hurled at him.
There it was. This was the issue he had to face truthfully and completely for her to have the assurance that she could trust him if there was any hope of them moving forward. She’d obviously done her research if she knew about his ill-fated engagement because it was barely public knowledge at the time of their final encounter.
Getting to his feet, Nick moved away from the sofa towards the windows across from the fireplace. If they were going to get into this he felt a little distance between them might be in order. Well, it was now or never… just go for it he thought. That’s all he could do, stop dancing around and just tell her the truth.
Acknowledging her ac
count of what had happened with a small nod he went for broke. “What you’re referring to is only the tent poles of the story Shannon. Truth is, there’s so much more. I never should have allowed the engagement to gather oxygen in the first place. I wasn’t in my right mind. There were literally thousands of people’s lives dependent on the company; the engagement was part of a business deal my grandfather had made with one of his long time cronies. Neither of us had even known about it until Randolph’s will was read. Believe me when I tell you we were both desperate to find a way out. It was just one wrong thing in a bigger picture of a thousand wrong things. I was not secretly engaged. We were pawns in a business deal and that was all, no matter what the press might have been reporting at the time.”
He turned away from her and while staring blindly at the vista outside he let the whole story come flowing out. She deserved this much at least. Deserved to know the entire situation and hopefully see what a god-awful mess it had all been.
“When I came back from Africa everything changed in a heartbeat. It didn’t matter what I wanted. When my grandfather died everything had been replaced with a crushing responsibility that left absolutely no room for anything but duty and responsibility.” Whispering, remembering those confusing days when he battled with his needs and desires against the cold hard reality facing him, Nick let the words pour forth.
“You see, it wasn’t just about me and it wasn’t just about taking care of my mom and sister. That was almost nothing compared to the thousands of employees around the globe whose livelihoods and futures rested in my hands. So many people were counting on me to do whatever was necessary to keep things moving forward.”
The shadows in the room were deepening as the sun continued to set on what had started off as a brilliantly beautiful southern California Saturday. The uncomfortable energy swirling through him with this line of thought moved Nick even closer to the windows which looked toward the setting sun.
The Billionaire's Second Chance Page 8