What Nathan Wants

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “How do you mean?”

  “Another joke.” She giggled and sipped her wine. “I fear you take me too seriously.” Setting the glass back down, she added, “I mean no harm, I assure you.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry I misunderstood.” Amy wished the woman would get up and leave. “It’s been a long day, what with work and getting my hair done and all.”

  She gasped and placed a hand over her heart. “You work?”

  “Yes.”

  “What is it you do? You can’t be a model or actress. You aren’t proportioned right.”

  Amy frowned as her stomach tightened up into knots. “I’m a travel agent.”

  Veronica’s eyes grew wide. “You mean to tell me that Nate’s making you work in his company? As a low level employee? Why, my dear, you are at the bottom of the chain. You have every right to quit and demand better treatment than that. I’m appalled Nate would make you stoop so low.”

  Amy’s cheeks grew warm. “He didn’t. I wanted to keep the job.”

  Veronica stared at her as if trying to determine whether or not Amy was kidding. When she realized Amy wasn’t, she turned to her, concern written across her face, and said, “Why would you degrade yourself this way?”

  “I’m not degrading myself.”

  “But you’re rich now. You can do much better than signing up people for vacation packages. You have enough money to buy your own company and run the show or spend all your time taking those vacations.”

  “I like my job.” Even as Amy said it, her voice sounded weak.

  Veronica clucked her tongue. “Nate should have explained how things work. You are no longer one of them. You are now one of us. And we do not subject ourselves to menial tasks. We’re much better than that.”

  Amy was so overwhelmed by the woman’s vehemence that she had no idea how to respond.

  She placed a caring hand on Amy’s arm. “Nate is doing wrong by you. He should have cleared your desks and gotten you out of that place. Why, think of how it must look for him to let his wife work for him! I was jesting earlier when I said he was being a brute, but now that I hear this, it’s no longer in good humor. This is a serious matter. You need to demand your rights. He can’t go on treating you like this.”

  Amy struggled to find the right words, but her head was a mass of replies and she didn’t know which one to go with. Did she tell Veronica to back off and mind her own business or explain the situation? And then she couldn’t fathom why she had to tell Veronica anything at all. She glanced around them. Didn’t Veronica have anywhere else to go?

  “I’ll talk to him, if you want,” Veronica offered.

  “No!” Amy gathered her courage and straightened up in her seat. “I’m happy with things the way they are. Nathan and I have come to an agreement that makes us happy.” Why am I explaining this to her? It’s none of her business!

  “You can’t be serious,” Veronica replied. “You can’t possibly be happy.”

  “Well...I am.” She crossed her arms and jutted her chin out.

  “You poor, poor thing. Whatever was Nate thinking when he married you?” She grabbed her glass of wine and took another sip. “I suppose he must be getting desperate to have that kid he’s always wanted. When I was married to him, it was ‘let’s try for a baby, let’s try for a baby’. Give me a break. Do you know what pregnancy would do to my figure?” She motioned to her flat stomach. “Anyway, I started telling him I was trying, but I snuck in the pill the whole time.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a man wanting a baby,” Amy softly said.

  Veronica smiled in sympathy. “Oh, that’s why he married you. You agreed to have his child for him.” She patted her hand. “That explains everything, though he could still let you quit working so you can at least enjoy yourself while you destroy your figure. I mean, you’re giving up a lot. Not only will you have to give birth to the thing, but then you’ll have to find a nanny to care for it and the right schools to educate it. You’ll have to subject yourself to countless Mommy and Me parties with other notable mothers and their snot-nosed kids.” She shuddered. “That is definitely not a life I envy. More power to you.”

  Amy’s skin bristled at the condescending tone in the woman’s voice.

  Veronica’s gaze lifted over Amy’s head, and she called out, “Darling! Where have you been? I’ve looked everywhere for you.”

  The man with salt and pepper hair smiled broadly at Veronica. “I had to take care of a contact for you. The magazine agreed to feature you in its December issue.”

  Veronica squealed with delight and clapped her hands. “How splendid!” She gave Amy a meaningful look. “You see what I mean? It’s hard to compete in this business unless you’re perfect.” She motioned to the man. “Amy, this is my fiancé, Patrick Barr. Patrick, this is Amy Rudolph.”

  “Rudolph? As in Rudolph Travel Agency?” Patrick asked.

  “The same,” Veronica said, obviously amused. “Apparently, Nate’s taken it upon himself to remarry.”

  “Ahh...” Patrick nodded and smiled at Amy. “Then congratulations are in order. Precious and I will marry in one week.”

  Precious? Amy resisted the urge to show any reaction to what seemed like a fake term of endearment. She guessed that was what rich men called their rich soon-to-be wives.

  Veronica held out her left hand to show Amy the engagement ring on her finger. “Patty spoils me so. Why, I can hardly hold my hand up with a diamond this big.” Then she let out another one of her wind chimed laughs.

  “Nothing’s too good for you,” Patrick responded.

  Amy felt like she was going to puke. The whole thing struck her as amazingly superficial.

  “Oh, you and Nate must come to the ceremony,” Veronica insisted. “It’s going to be the wedding of the decade. I’ll have my assistant send an invite.”

  Amy tried to smile but feared she only winced instead. Attending their wedding was the last thing she wanted to do, and she was sure it wasn’t something Nathan wanted to do either.

  “It was very nice to meet you,” Patrick told Amy, extending his hand to her.

  Amy reluctantly took it and shook it. “Nice meeting you too.”

  Amy said that because it was one of those things she was expected to say, and she had no doubt they were being polite to her and giving the invitation because it was something they were expected to do.

  Veronica stood up. “Good luck on having Nate’s kid. Of course, you could opt for the surrogate mother thing. Just an idea.”

  Amy dumbly watched Veronica as she gracefully walked back into the house with her fiancé who slipped his arm around her waist. They stopped so Veronica could whisper to a woman who glanced at Amy and laughed. Amy’s entire body grew hot with anger. Who did Veronica think she was to make fun of her or to mock Nathan’s desire to have a child? Women weren’t the only ones who wanted children. Men did too.

  Sean had talked about having a family one day, and Amy remembered picking out possible names and musing about whether they’d have girls or boys or both. Then she got the news of his death and all those dreams came to an abrupt end. She forced them aside, thinking that she wouldn’t bother marrying again. But she was married again, and those long-forgotten dreams had found their way back into her heart.

  She turned away from the patio doors, not wishing to see what else, if anything, Veronica would do. Who cared what Veronica thought? She didn’t run Amy’s life. And Veronica’s opinion was just that: Veronica’s opinion. It didn’t matter. Veronica didn’t have an impact on her life.

  Amy worked through the thoughts, but even as she tried to assure herself that it didn’t matter, her mind raced with all the witty comebacks she could have told the snob.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Amy waited for a couple of minutes when she heard familiar footsteps. She glanced over her shoulder and relaxed. It was Nathan with a glass of wine in one hand and something behind his back.

  He handed her the glass of wine and sat nex
t to her. “Feeling better yet?”

  Hardly. But she decided not to tell him about Veronica and how much the conversation with the woman bothered her. Veronica was better off where she belonged: in the past. She could only imagine what he’d been through with her.

  “I have something you’ll like,” he said with a knowing gleam in his eyes.

  “What?” She tried to sneak a peek behind his back but he expertly dodged her attempts. “Are you going to show me or do I have to guess?”

  “I’ll show you.” He produced a piece of fudge that was on a napkin.

  “Chocolate!” Her mood immediately picked up. “It looks great.”

  “It is. I snuck in a piece while I was in the house talking to Ryan Jackson about the commercial for Bently’s cruise line.”

  “Was there a problem with it?”

  “Not really. There was a debate over which one of the women would be in the shot by the pool.”

  “Is it that big of a deal?” she asked in surprise.

  “Believe it or not, it is. Ryan says it’s a real headache when women argue over which part they want.”

  “Sounds petty to me.”

  “It is, but it’s how things can be.”

  “She sipped the wine before she sampled the fudge. “Wow. This is good.”

  He grinned. “I told you.”

  “So, did the women resolve the dispute?” she asked.

  “No. Jack Bently has to make the final call.”

  She bit off another piece of fudge and rolled her eyes. “That must give him a god complex.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “You don’t care for rich men, do you?”

  “I don’t care for men with over-inflated egos.” She glanced at him. “I thought you were that way at first.”

  “And now?”

  She shrugged. “Not so much anymore.”

  “Not so much?”

  She giggled and finished her treat. “But you are attractive, generous to a fault, and intelligent.”

  “It’s nice to know I have some redeeming qualities.”

  “It doesn’t hurt that you’re a good lover,” she slyly added.

  He leaned forward and gave her a wicked grin. “You better watch out. My ego may get bigger.”

  Unable to resist the urge, she gave him a light kiss on the lips. “I guess I’m asking for it then.”

  He brushed the hair off her shoulder and kissed her neck. “You know I love you, don’t you?”

  Her gaze met his and she smiled. “I do now.” With a slight flush that could have been from his declaration or the wine, she added, “I love you too.” She reached out and took his hand. “I want a child, Nathan. I’d like to be able to fly to my parents for Christmas and tell them I’m pregnant.”

  He squeezed her hand. “It’s not just a child I want. I also want a lover and a friend.”

  “Hmm... You got the lover. Wherever will you find a friend?” she mused.

  He chuckled, and all lingering memories of Veronica departed.

  She finished her glass of wine and asked, “What else do you have to do here?”

  “I have to sign a couple of documents when Jack Bently is ready. He’s currently indisposed.”

  “Indisposed? When he has a bunch of people flocking to hear his every word?”

  He shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe he had to visit the little men’s room.”

  “Speaking of which...” She stood up and grabbed her purse from the table. “I should go to the bathroom. Do you know where it is?”

  He got to his feet and shrugged. “Somewhere in the house. I’m sure there are half a dozen.”

  “Oh good. I was worried I’d have to visit an outhouse,” she joked.

  Looking amused, he led her into the house which was swarming with people. She stayed close by his side and gave her wine glass to one of the servers who asked if she needed anything.

  “Which way to the bathroom?” she asked the woman.

  “Down that hall,” the server said. “It’ll be the second door on your left.”

  “Thank you.” She turned to Nathan. “I’ll only be a minute.”

  “I’ll wait here,” he told her and leaned against the wall.

  She made her way past a good twenty people and breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way down the vacant corridor. The second door on her left was open. She slipped into the empty bathroom and did her business before she did a quick check on the pink panties with black lace tracing it. Her strapless bra matched.

  Despite her reluctance to buy the items, she was glad Danielle talked her into it. Now to come up with the excuse to go to his office. She’d been debating that one and still couldn’t come up with a good one. Worse came to worse, she could just tell him that she was going to fulfill his fantasy, though the element of surprise was something she rather enjoyed. That settled it. She would think of something, even if it was as lame as asking for more pens.

  She checked her hair and make-up. Satisfied, she picked up her purse from the counter and opened the bathroom door in time to see the door across from her open.

  Jack Bently buttoned the top button on his shirt and turned.

  Amy’s gaze drifted further into the bedroom where Veronica was slipping back into her dress. Then Amy looked back at him, too stunned to say anything.

  “Angie, is it?” Jack asked as if nothing was wrong. He shut the door and waited for Amy to speak.

  Clearing her throat, Amy said, “Amy.”

  “Oh right. Rudolph’s new wife.” He adjusted the shirt collar and pointed to the bathroom. “Are you done?”

  She blinked and quickly moved out of his way. “Yes.”

  “Thanks.” He went right by her and into the bathroom where he locked the door.

  Shock held her in place for another three seconds before she bolted down the hallway. She’d like to be naive enough to think nothing happened, but she was old enough to put two and two together. She shouldn’t have been surprised. If Veronica cheated on Nathan, it’d make sense that she’d cheat on her fiancé.

  She reached the end of the corridor and entered the foyer where she caught sight of Patrick Barr talking and laughing with one of the other guests. She glanced over at Nathan and debated in which order to do what she felt was right. If her fiancé was cheating on her, she’d want to know, and she couldn’t leave without warning Patrick. If he married Veronica and she cheated on him, then his hurt would be on Amy’s conscience.

  Making her decision, she strode over to Nathan who frowned as she approached. “Is something wrong?”

  She glanced at the clusters of people around them. It wasn’t the place to go into details. “I have to talk to someone really quick.”

  “Is it serious?”

  She began to nod when Jack Bently came over to them and patted Nathan on the back.

  “You ready to sign those papers?” Jack asked, not even bothering to look in her direction.

  “Yes,” Nathan replied.

  “Good. I’ll get the reporters rounded up, and we’ll make it official.” Jack walked by her as if he didn’t see her and called out to several people on his way to the room where ads for his cruise line decorated the walls.

  She turned her attention back to Nathan.

  “As soon as I sign those papers, we’ll go,” he promised. “You want to come and watch?”

  “Uh...” She shifted from one foot to the other, unsure of how to proceed. “I don’t know.”

  “You need a minute to think about it?”

  “No. It’s...” She lowered her voice. “I saw him coming out of the bedroom, and it was obvious that he and your ex-wife were...” She paused and shot him a meaningful look. “You know.”

  Nathan gave a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  She pulled him closer to the wall where they had a small amount of privacy. “I don’t like him, Nathan.”

  He studied her expression and waited for a few seconds before he spoke. “You think his personal life
will lapse over into his public one?”

  “How can you trust someone who can’t keep his hands off another man’s fiancé?”

  He took a moment to consider her words and nodded. “Let’s go home.”

  She blinked in surprise. “Really?”

  His lips turned up into a smile. “Is that a surprise?”

  “Well...yes.”

  “You have a good point. The way a man conducts himself when people aren’t looking will probably be similar to how he treats people when they are. People can’t hide who they are forever.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll have the valet pull the car around, but I owe it to Ryan Jackson to tell him Bently’s part in the commercial won’t be necessary. Do you mind if I go find him?”

  “No. Of course not.” She was still stunned that he was basing an important decision on what she thought. Stunned...but also very pleased. Her thoughts and feelings really did matter to him.

  As he disappeared into the crowd, she scanned the room and found Patrick Barr still chatting with the other man. Bracing herself for being the bearer of bad news, she made her way over to them, just in time for the man to head off to talk to someone else.

  Taking a deep breath, she asked, “May I talk to you?”

  Patrick turned his gaze to her and smiled. “Of course, Amy. What’s on your mind?”

  She glanced around the room to make sure no one was paying attention to them. Clutching her purse, she got ready for what she was sure to be either disbelief or anger. “I hate to do this,” she softly said, “but I feel it necessary to tell you that...” She took a deep breath. “I feel terrible about this, but if it was me, I’d want to know.”

  “Know what?” His gentle voice and kind smile did little to ease her discomfort.

  She gulped and quietly blurted out, “I saw Jack Bently and Veronica in the same bedroom, and she was undressed.”

  There. She said it. She winced and got ready for his denial or rage.

  He chuckled. “Is that all?”

  “Is that all?” she dumbly repeated.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “It’s nothing?”

  Waving his hand, he explained, “Veronica and I have an agreement.”