“And what exactly is your message?”
Lynn turned around again, to keep tabs on her activists, but this time she seemed horrified by what she saw. “Ah, man!” she screeched.
“What?” Nikki asked nervously, turning around too. “What?”
“Abort! Abort!” Lynn ordered the protestors and then began waving them away from the scene.
And before Nikki could fully understand what was really going on, the protestors began dropping their tools and running as fast as their feet could take them. Sirens immediately roared and police cars began to surround them. Nikki was stunned, as she tried to keep up with the hurried protestors, but she was not nearly as practiced as they were. She stumbled, not once, but twice, and on her last attempt was caught up in the thick of the onslaught and her small body was knocked down. She fell to the ground and fought like hell to get back up, as those wonderful absconding activists, who would risk their lives for fresher air and humpback whales, but would kill her to avoid arrest, ran over her as if she were strategically placed as their escape mat.
The mayor’s garden was a nature preserve, filled with seemingly every genus known to man, and topped off with a glorious waterfall in the middle of the trail. Daniel stood at the fountain’s rail, watching the water flip up and over, up and over, and he started thinking about Nikki. And about marriage. Marriage was coming on his mind more and more lately, although Nikki, to her credit, had never brought it up once.
But as he leaned with his elbows on the rail, with his hands clasped, watching the waterfall, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was about time he took that final step. It wasn’t fair to her to string her along all of these years without that kind of commitment. Marry her or let her go. What was he waiting for? Yes, she was young. But she was always going to be years younger than he was. Yes, he loved her. And wanted her. What then, he wondered, was his problem? Then he exhaled. Was he afraid that she would resent him later, if he claimed her now? Or, on an even deeper level, was he afraid that he might ask her to marry him, and she might turn him down?
“Nice view,” a voice said behind him and he knew, even before he turned, that it was her.
“Hello,” he said as he turned and saw his suspicion confirmed. It was the woman in the sparkling gown.
“Nice view, isn’t it?” she asked again.
“Yes,” Daniel agreed.
She began moving, like a graceful Giselle, toward him. “Certainly less cluttered out here.”
Daniel didn’t respond. He was too preoccupied with her beauty. She was even more attractive up close. And those eyes, those big, bright eyes, were radiant.
“I didn’t expect to encounter so many people,” she said. “But I guess when the mayor throws a party, they will come.”
Daniel smiled. The lull in the conversation was a natural stoppage, as Daniel kept staring at her and she kept staring at the waterfall. But then she looked at him. “I’m sorry,” she finally said and extended her hand. “I’m Melanie Chandler.”
Daniel shook the soft, feminine hand. “Daniel Crane.”
As she had expected, he didn’t remember her at all. All of that pain, all of that heartache, and he didn’t remember her at all. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Crane. Or should I say Daniel?”
“You should.”
“And Melanie, please.” Daniel nodded. She was smooth as silk. “A friend of Todd Bainbridge?” he asked her.
“Once or twice removed, yes,” Melanie said and smiled. “No, I just decided I was going to treat myself tonight. So a friend of mine knew somebody who worked in the mayor’s office, who knew somebody else and, here I am.”
“Treating yourself?”
“Right.”
“Surely you deserve better than this.”
Melanie laughed, a soft, extended ha laugh. Then she leaned on the waterfall’s railing and tilted forward, as if attempting to see the bottom of the pool. Daniel watched her perfectly curved body lean over, her behind a tight, round monument to sexiness. When she turned toward him, catching him looking down at her, he pulled out an electronic cigarette.
“Have one?”
“No, thank-you. I quit five years ago and don’t want to risk it, even electronically.”
Daniel smiled. “Good for you.”
“Not so good. I gained twenty-five pounds in the bargain.”
Daniel glanced down at her. “You wear it well.”
She laughed. “You are too nice, Daniel Crane. Thank-you.”
Daniel puffed on his electronic cigarette that emitted water vapor rather than smoke. When he looked back up Melanie was staring at him, but only she was staring in such a hard, cold way that it made his skin crawl.
“So,” she said quickly, realizing her lapse, “with whom are you here?”
“Should I be here with someone?”
“I don’t know if you should. You just look like you are. I’d bet the farm there’s a Mrs. Crane lurking about.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yes. And I could see her now. She’s probably a wellspring of sophistication. Easily the most beautiful woman in the room.”
Daniel thought about Nikki. “And that would be Mrs. Crane?”
“Yes. I’d bet the farm on it.”
“You’d lose that bet.”
“You mean there’s no Mrs. Crane, or there is but she’s not the most beautiful woman in the room?”
“There’s no Mrs. Crane.”
“You mean you’re here alone? Like me?”
Daniel smiled. “That’s what it means.”
“Oh my. That is surprising. I’m not normally this lucky.”
Daniel took a slow drag on his cigarette and stared at her. She didn’t come across as a flirt, she appeared too well schooled to be that easily found out, but there was something going on there still.
Then Melanie smiled. Just like that. “Oh, that song,” she said as the live band inside the mayor’s home could be heard playing the soft sound of Chuck Mangione’s Feel So Good. “I love that song!” She then closed her eyes and began to sway her body as the slow rhythm of the flugelhorn increased. Daniel puffed on his cigarette and looked at her, at her high cheek bones, at her beautiful black skin, at her mammoth-sized breasts.
When she opened her eyes, his eyes moved back up to her face. “You like jazz?” he asked her.
“Oh, I adore it. If you were to come to my apartment this very minute I’d astound you with my collection.”
“I’d astound you more.”
“What? You like jazz too?”
“Adore it.”
“Alright now. Now we’re talking. Let me guess. Charlie Parker’s your favorite. Right?”
“One of them.”
“Me too. Wow. Me too.”
Daniel smiled. Melanie appeared to him to have an anxiousness about her, as if she was trying too hard. And every little move he made, such as a simple smile, seemed to encourage her more.
“So,” she said, seemingly excited that they had something in common, “tell me a little more about yourself, Daniel.”
“Is this a job interview?”
“It might be.”
“I work at Dreeson.”
“I see. And what is it you do at Dreeson?”
“A little of this, a little of that.”
Melanie smiled. “Okay. My bad. Let me rephrase the question. What is your position with Dreeson?”
“Senior vice president, that’s my official position.”
“Senior Vice president of Dreeson? Oh my. Now I am impressed.”
“What about you?”
But this wasn’t about her. And Melanie wasn’t going to make it about her. “Tell me more,” she said. “Did you spent your entire career with Dreeson?”
“No, I’ve only been with them for the past six years.”
“Oh. Okay. So what did you do before?”
“I was a judge before.”
“A judge?” She smiled. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“What area of law?”
“Criminal.”
“A criminal court judge? Doubly impressed. For how long?”
“For about five years.”
“So why did you give up on your legal career? You just had enough?”
“Pretty much. What about you?”
“Not nearly as impressive. I’ve been an executive assistant most of my career. Did my four years at Sarah Lawrence, then a stint with Northwestern’s B-school, where I almost got my MBA but decided it was all so pretentious you know? So I dropped out. I recently left Johnson Marketing where I was the executive assistant to the president there.”
“Why did you leave?”
She smiled. “Is this a job interview?”
“It might be.”
“I left because the president was ousted. The ouster was wrong, I didn’t agree with it, so I left. Now I’m weighing my options.”
Daniel nodded. “A woman of principle. And loyalty. I like that.”
“Is that a job offer?” she asked with a grin on her face.
Daniel hesitated. For some reason his instincts were telling him to just say no. “I don’t know about that,” he said.
“But you can always use a good assistant, right?”
“Certainly.”
“Would you encourage me to apply?”
“No.”
Melanie didn’t expect that response. “Well, that’s honest,” she said, smiling it off. “Let’s put it this way: am I welcome to apply?”
“Yes, of course you’re welcome.”
“Well there’s that. But I truly don’t know what I’m going to do at this point, DanieI. I promised myself that I would take my time for a change and weigh all options carefully.”
Daniel nodded. “Good strategy.”
And then his cell phone rang. He knew without checking the caller ID that it was most probably Nikki, since she was one of only a few people who had his private cell number. “Hello?” he said into his phone and glanced at Melanie. She slowly moved away, to give him at least the appearance of some privacy. He liked that.
“Hello, is this Daniel Crane?”
There was a hesitation in Daniel’s response. The voice on the other end was female, but it was a stranger’s voice. “Yes,” he answered cautiously.
“This is Wakefield Memorial Hospital, sir. A Miss Nikki Graham asked that we contact you.”
Daniel’s heart began to pound. “Nikki?”
“Yes, sir. There was an accident. She’s okay. She wanted to make sure I told you that. But she wants you to come.”
Daniel’s heart fell through his shoe. An accident. Involving Nikki? It felt like his worst fear realized. Something had happened to Nikki! He told the hospital staffer he was on his way, put away his phone, and began hurrying out of the garden, completely forgetting that Melanie was there.
It wasn’t until he was near the exit did he realize his error. He turned quickly toward her. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but I have to leave.”
“Is everything all right?” Melanie yelled after him, but he was already on his way.
CHAPTER TEN
When Daniel arrived, Nikki was seated on a gurney in what appeared to be a holding room inside the E.R.. He entered the room in his expensive white tux, and presented as a stark contrast to Nikki’s hospital gown and socks. He stood without movement when he first saw her sitting there.
He walked over to her. He placed his hands on the side of her arms and looked over her entire body, from her feet to the crown of her head. But for a tiny scratch on her forehead, she appeared fine.
He exhaled.
“Where were you?” she asked him.
“Todd’s party, remember? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
He kissed her, on her small, almost invisible scratch, and looked into her eyes. She looked up at him, anxious for an answer, an answer she knew he wasn’t about to give.
“What happened?” he asked.
Nikki rubbed his coat lapel. “You’re wearing a tux.”
“Nikki.”
“Nothing happened,” she said, removing her hand from his coat, knowing that he was going to have a fit if he really knew what she had been up to. “I told them to tell you I was fine.”
Daniel glared at Nikki. She knew him better than that.
“I was working on an assignment, alright, just a tagalong, and then there was this police raid. And I got, I suppose, because those activists were running, I got trampled a little.”
Daniel frowned. “You were trampled?”
She nodded, as her eyes showed signs of wariness. “Yes.”
“And what kind of assignment would involve a police raid, and people running?”
“Luke wanted me to interview FAN---”
“Who?”
“A local group called FAN. The Fresh Air Now activists. Luke wanted me to interview them during one of their message nights.”
Daniel frowned and shook his head. “Their what?”
“Message nights.”
“What’s a message night, Nikki?”
Nikki sighed. “A message night is when FAN members get together with paint and posters and make their views known.”
“They vandalize people’s property, in other words?”
Nikki paused. “Yes.”
“Why is this Luke sending you to something like that? Something illegal?”
“I wasn’t participating, Daniel. I was just a reporter finding out why they did what they did and what they hoped to accomplish.”
“Oh, that’s utter nonsense! I could have answered those questions for you. They’re a ragtag band of radical thugs who have no regard for the rule of law or the sanctity of private property. They don’t like something, they destroy it. You didn’t have to go out there and practically get yourself killed to get those questions answered!”
“It wasn’t even that serious. I didn’t practically get killed.”
“Thank God! But it’s no thanks to that editor of yours.” Daniel’s cell phone began ringing. He exhaled and angrily grabbed it from his inside coat pocket.
“I didn’t practically get killed,” Nikki said again, as he flipped open his phone. “That’s overstating it for real.”
“Yes, hello?” Daniel said harshly into the phone.
It was Phillip Grayson.
“Hey, bud, what’s up?” he asked in his usual lively voice. “I’ve been looking all over the place for you. You’re supposed to be here representing Dreeson, remember?”
“Yeah well, something came up,” Daniel said with little punch, his stomach beginning to churn.
“Yeah, I figured something had happened. It’s not like you to just leave like that. What is it?”
Daniel glanced at Nikki again, who was frustrating the hell out of him, and then he began pacing the room. “My lady had a slight accident. I was called away to the hospital.”
“Whoa. An accident? Nikki? She okay?”
Daniel ended up against the side wall beside the room’s entrance. He leaned against the wall and pressed the sole of his wingtip shoe against it. “She’s okay, yes,” he said. “Thank God.”
“Yes, thank God,” Phillip echoed. “But Nikki again, hun? She’s an active woman, isn’t she?”
Daniel looked at Nikki, as she sighed and folded her arms. “Yeah,” he said. “That she is.”
The room’s door opened suddenly and Luke Finley, in jeans and a parka, hurried in, walking past Daniel without realizing he stood against the side wall. “Nikki!” he said with a sigh of relief as he hurried to her hospital bed.
“Hello, Luke,” Nikki said, trying to smile, trying to quickly assure him that she was okay. It seemed to her that he looked more worried than Daniel.
“Ah, man, I am so sorry. I am so sorry!”
“I’m all right.”
“You should hate me, Nick. You should just hate me. I had no idea the cops would show up. I would have never sent you out there if I had known
that.”
“I know.”
He smiled and stared at her. “Here I am putting you in harm’s way after only two weeks back on the job,” he said, his round, blue eyes unable to conceal his grave concern. Then he placed his hand on the side of her face and rubbed it. Daniel looked up from his cell phone conversation when he touched her.
“I’m fine, Luke, really,” she said as she removed his hand. She glanced at Daniel. She knew Luke meant well, but she knew Daniel.
And Luke kept rubbing it in. He allowed her to remove his hand from her face, but he then placed it on her narrow shoulder. “It’ll never happen again, sweetheart,” he said to her. “I promise you that.”
“I’ll call you back,” Daniel said into his cell phone and then flipped it shut. On hearing a male’s voice behind him, Luke quickly removed his hand.
With the sole of his shoe, Daniel pushed himself away from the back wall and then walked slowly toward Nikki’s bed. His security chief’s investigation of Luke Finley turned up little controversy. Never married, no children, no lawsuits or arrests. The only information worth even mentioning was the fact that Luke loved the ladies. And he loved them excessively. And none of them had ever gotten close enough to him to so much as feel hurt when he didn’t phone them back. He changed women the way other men changed clothes.
Luke turned toward Daniel and attempted to smile. What the security chief failed to mention, Daniel immediately noticed, was just how good looking the young man was.
“Well, hello there,” Luke said, in what Daniel could easily see was an overcompensation. “I didn’t see you back there, sir. I’m Luke Finley.” Luke extended his hand.
Daniel shook the hand, without putting on fake smiles, but was staring instead at the man before him, looking deep into his eyes, sizing him up on the strength of his lust for Nikki alone.
DANIEL'S GIRL: ROMANCING AN OLDER MAN Page 12