by Petrova, Em
Prue popped her little girl down on the entry hall rug. “Why not ask Grandma for a cookie to tide you over?”
Nikki pouted. “I already did but she said it would spoil my lunch.”
“She used that one on us too. Wait here.” Prue headed to the kitchen and within a minute was back with a chocolate chip cookie in her hand. “It’s our secret, ok?”
“Thank you, Mommy.” The little girl’s eyes lit up. She took the cookie and ran off to the living room to watch the television.
“You rebel.” Toby smirked and wagged a finger at her.
“Yep. That’s me.” Prue went upstairs to change.
When she reached the top landing tears stung the backs of her eyes and she blinked to keep them from spilling down her face. She walked along the hall, stepped into her room and closed the door and that’s when they poured down her cheeks. She had opened Pandora’s Box and now there was no way to close it. What would Nicholas do once he had time to think about it? Would he seek legal advice? Would he sue for custody? She had no idea what kind of man he truly was. She had put her trust in the man she thought him to be but had it all blown up in her face?
***
Nicholas pulled his dad’s four wheel drive into the driveway and climbed out. He had driven back to his parents’ house on auto pilot thinking about everything he and Prue had discussed, especially the part about him having a five year old daughter he never knew existed. He felt a pang of guilt for being so harsh with Prue, but he had been thrown for a loop by her confession. Why hadn’t she tried harder to find him? He had missed so much of his little girl’s life. Time he could never get back, time he could have had getting to know her… to love her. He had always wanted kids. His heart ached.
When he stepped onto the front porch his sister came out the door shrugging into her jacket. “How’d it go?”
Nicholas frowned. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Connie had witnessed the excitement in his eyes when he’d been getting ready to leave for his coffee date with Prue, now all she could see was hostility. “What happened?”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it. Can you please leave it alone for now?” He headed for the front door.
“Wait a minute.”
Nicholas swung around, his irritated gaze resting on his sister. “Please, Con, not now.”
Connie sighed and raised her hands. “Ok. But when?”
“Later. Much later.” He pushed the door open and stalked inside.
***
Prue awoke to a knock on her bedroom door and realized she had dozed off instead of changing her clothes. She had been exhausted when she arrived home so it wasn’t any wonder. The door opened and her mother peered inside. “Lunch is ready, honey. I made your favorite. Lasagna.”
Prue stretched and sat up. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll change and be right down.”
Her mother studied her for a moment. “Everything ok, honey?”
She nodded. “Everything’s fine. I won’t be long.”
“Ok.” Lorraine closed the door and stood in the hallway. Despite her daughter’s confirmation that nothing was wrong she felt something was bothering Prue. As much as she wanted to know what it was she wouldn’t pry. Prue would tell her in her own good time.
After lunch Nikki laid down for a nap on the sofa. Toby stretched out on the floor and Prue’s mom and dad went out back to gather more fire wood. Prue sat down in an armchair and watched her daughter sleeping. She was an angel and she loved her with all her heart. What happens if things get ugly? What happens if Nicholas wants sole custody of our daughter? He couldn’t do that could he? Would he? Prue had so many questions and no answers. Perhaps it was time to get legal counsel.
Rachelle would be able to recommend a good New York lawyer. When Prue got home after the New Year came in she’d talk to her friend about who could offer her the best advice. Better to be prepared.
Chapter Thirty
Two weeks into the New Year Prue was back at work. Rachelle was still on vacation for another couple of weeks as her show didn’t recommence until the end of the month, but administration staff were required to do all the preliminary preparation before the new season began. Prue wanted to talk to her friend, tell her what had happened with Nicholas and ask about a good lawyer. Gabe came up to her office door and poked his head around. “Hi, lovely, have a nice weekend?”
Prue nodded. “Yep. What about you?”
Her colleague stepped into the room. “Quiet. But I like quiet sometimes.”
“Mm, me too.”
“Want to take in a movie Friday night? There’s a new thriller on offer, now what was its name?” He brought his hand up to his chin and thought for a moment. “Oh well, anyway it sounds great. How about it?”
For the past few weeks, Prue had been so preoccupied with wondering when Nicholas would call that she hadn’t been anywhere and was sure a night out would do her a world of good. “Thanks, I’d love to go.”
“Cool. I’ll organize the tickets. Do you want to go the whole hog and have dinner first?”
“Why not. Sounds like a fun night.”
“Excellent. Looking forward to it.” Gabe turned on his heel and marched down the corridor.
Prue sat and stared at her cell phone. Why hadn’t Nicholas called? What was he planning? She sighed and willed the phone to ring. And it did, causing her to almost jump out of her skin. She snatched it off her desk not recognizing the number. “H – Hello?”
“Miss Prue Granger?” the male voice asked.
“Yes. Who’s this?” Her stomach did an uneasy flip flop.
“My name is Benjamin Newman of Fitzgerald, Newman and Sayer law firm. I’ve been instructed to meet with you concerning a legal matter that has recently come across my desk. Can I make a time for you to come into our office?”
Her heart was ready to leap out of her throat. Prue couldn’t breathe and she felt light-headed. Nicholas had hired lawyers. She sucked in a strangled breath and opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She cleared her throat. “Uh… I beg your pardon?”
“Miss Granger I need to meet with you. This is time sensitive so the sooner you can come into the office the better. I need certain information from you before we can proceed.”
Prue’s heart hammered so hard she thought it would explode in her chest. “Um, I – I guess so. Can you tell me what it’s about?”
“I’d prefer to discuss the matter with you in person. How does tomorrow at two sound?”
“I – I’ll have to check with my manager first.”
“Why don’t I pencil you in and if there’s a problem you can contact our office to reschedule.”
“Oh, ok.” Prue’s body was trembling. “Would you give me your number please?”
Benjamin provided Prue with the relevant details and, before ringing off, told her he looked forward to meeting with her the next afternoon.
Prue sat dazed. She couldn’t believe it. Nicholas was going to try to gain custody of her daughter.
Anger outweighed anxiety and Prue whipped her phone off the desk and keyed in Nicholas’ number. He wouldn’t get away with it. The call went to voicemail and Prue didn’t leave a message. Of course he wouldn’t talk to her now.
She pressed speed dial and called Toby.
“Hello, Black Stallion Ranch…”
“Tobe, it’s me.”
“Hey, sis, I was just thinking about you.”
“Nicholas hired a lawyer. He was just on the phone with me making an appointment to meet with him tomorrow afternoon.”
“That sonofabitch! I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“What? No. You can’t drive all this way. I’ll be fine.”
“I want to be there with you when you speak to the lawyer. Why would Nicholas do something like this without talking to you first?”
Prue rested her head in her hand. “I don’t know. I guess he’s decided a court battle will give him the results he wants. Why would he bother telling m
e about it? Talk about blindsided. He has all the resources to win, Tobe. I don’t.”
Toby sighed. “Look, I’m coming across. I should be there by seven. We’ll talk about it then.”
“Thanks, Tobe. I didn’t expect you to come all this way, but I’m glad you are.”
“Where else could I be.”
“Please don’t say anything to mom and dad. I don’t want them involved in any of this.”
“I won’t. I have to go pack. See you later.”
“Ok.” Prue pushed her cell onto the desk. Now she knew why Nicholas hadn’t called.
She didn’t much feel like going out at the end of the week. All of a sudden her world had come crashing down around her and all she wanted to do was take her daughter and disappear. How could she have been so stupid to even think Nicholas would be decent about the whole situation? As she had said before, nice men do nasty things and he had proved that.
Chapter Thirty One
The next afternoon Prue and Toby sat in the sophisticated foyer of Fitzgerald, Newman and Sayer waiting to meet with Benjamin Newman. The law firm’s office was on the 11th floor of a modern high-rise overlooking Third Avenue.
Prue fidgeted with her hands while she waited, nervous about the meeting. Would Nicholas attend? She hoped not. As far as she was concerned she never wanted to lay eyes on him again. She had suspected this would happen. Why had she been so foolish to tell him about their daughter? Why had she placed her trust in a man she didn’t really know?
The attractive, young brunette at the reception desk replaced the telephone receiver, looked over at Prue and smiled. “Mr. Newman will see you now. Just down the hall, second door on the left.”
Prue and her brother stood up, glanced at each other and headed along the hallway. When they reached the door with Benjamin Newman’s name on it the door opened. “Good afternoon, Miss Granger. Nice to meet you.” The lawyer held out his hand.
Prue shook it. “Good to meet you too, Mr. Newman.”
Benjamin eyed the tall man standing beside Prue.
She glanced at Toby. “This is my brother, Tobias. He wanted to be with me today. That’s alright, isn’t it?”
The lawyer held out his hand. “Of course it is. Good to meet you, Tobias.”
“Please, call me Toby.” He shook hands.
They entered the office and Benjamin offered them each a seat in front of his desk. He moved around to his expensive, leather executive chair and sat down, picking up a pair of spectacles and placing them on his nose before opening the file in front of him.
Prue watched him with nervous eyes, wringing her hands. “What’s this all about, Mr. Newman?”
Benjamin glanced up from the paperwork in his hand and smiled. “Well, Miss Granger, I’ve been instructed by Mr. Nicholas Colton to…”
“So this is about my daughter, Nikki?”
“Yes.” He motioned to the documents. “May I?”
Prue nodded. “Of course,” she said, her voice quiet.
“Mr. Colton has instructed our office to set up a trust fund for his daughter, Nicole Granger.”
Prue and Toby gaped at each other.
“I’ll need details of your daughter’s full name, date of birth and other necessary information to finalize the account for her. And a copy of her birth certificate. You can provide that today, can’t you?”
Prue was speechless. She nodded. She’d brought along copies of Nikki’s documents just in case.
“Good. Mr. Colton has appointed $500.000 for any medical, educational and college expenses required now and in the future. Of course in the next sixteen years this sum will grow substantially and by the time it has matured your daughter should have over one million dollars in the account. In the interim, should she require any medical, dental or other expenses covered in the trust fund provisions that can be arranged through our office. You only need to contact us and provide original invoices. Nicole will be able to access the remainder of these funds when she reaches the age of twenty one. Clear so far?”
Again Prue nodded.
“Alright.” He passed a questionnaire across the desk to her. “If you could complete this while I step out of the office for a moment we’ll get the account in motion today.” Benjamin stood up and left the room.
Prue glanced at her brother sideways. “I was sure this was a custody meeting. I never dreamed he’d do something like this. Five hundred thousand dollars? Toby that’s incredible!”
“You’re not kidding. Nikki’s set for the rest of her life. And you don’t have to worry about where the money’s coming from for her education, college… anything.”
“I can’t believe it. Pinch me so I know I’m not dreaming.”
“You’re not dreaming. This is real.”
Prue studied the paper in front of her. Standard information. She picked up the pen and filled it out.
“How can I thank him when he won’t talk to me?”
Toby rested a reassuring hand on her arm. “Give him time. I think he’ll come around.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Benjamin returned to the office. “All done?”
“Yes.” Prue passed the document to the lawyer.
“Great. Once the trust fund has been set up, which should take about a week, the money can be accessed for the specified necessities. We’ll file a copy with the state and mail a copy to you in the next week or two, so you can peruse the documents at your leisure to get a better understanding of the requirements of a trust fund. Please read them carefully. That’s it. Pretty painless.” He smiled.
Prue and Toby stood up. “Thank you so much, Mr. Newman. It wasn’t at all what I expected.” She held out her hand.
Benjamin shook it. “You’re welcome, Miss Granger.” He turned to Toby and shook his hand. “Mr. Granger. It’s been a pleasure meeting you both. Take care now.”
In the elevator on the way down, Prue needed to take a minute to get her head around what had just happened. She thought today would be the end of her world as she knew it but Nicholas had surprised her with his generous gift to Nikki. She had to thank him. Somehow.
Chapter Thirty Two
Nicholas sat on the front porch of his Monterey cliffside home, gazing out at the foamy waves rolling into shore. The sky had turned charcoal gray, a sure indication that rain was on the way. His best friend, Peter Moncrieff, would arrive any minute with an extra-large pizza and a six pack of beer. They were sharing take out and watching a marathon run of the Die Hard movies, all six of them if they could manage it. It was Friday so Nicholas could afford a late night of entertainment for once.
He had to do something to take his mind off his current circumstances. Not that he could. He had a daughter. A little princess. It elated and scared him at the same time. She didn’t know him and he didn’t know her and may never get to. He wondered what she was like.
Nicholas wasn’t sure he could face Prue again. He felt betrayed and it outweighed the love he held in his heart for her. Setting up the trust fund for his daughter was the best he could offer right now. He pulled himself out of the porch chair, headed for the door and stepped into the house. His friend had just pulled into the drive.
Peter waltzed through the front door carrying the over-sized pizza box, a six pack of beer and a large packet of potato crisps. “Hey, pal, ready to get into Die Hard with a vengeance?” He grinned and wriggled his eyebrows.
“Ha, ha, very funny,” Nicholas said with an unamused chuckle.
“Yeah, I thought so.” Peter stood the beer on the coffee table and set the pizza box down. He dropped the bag of potato crisps on the floor next to the table leg and took a seat on the sofa. “So start the movie already, I’m starved.”
“Ok. Ok. Keep your shirt on.” Nicholas picked up the remote control and switched on his 85” high definition smart TV. The Blu-ray disc was in the player ready to go. He sat down next to his friend and was about to hit PLAY when Peter spoke.
“So when are you going to cu
t the girl some slack and go talk to her?”
Nicholas gave him a sideward glance and sat the remote on the coffee table. “It’s not that simple.”
“Sure it is.” His friend turned to face him, resting his elbow on the back of the sofa. “Be honest with yourself, Nick. You couldn’t find her so how was she supposed to find you? Why are you being so hard on her?”
“Because in the end I did find her.” He folded his arms. “And she could have found me if she’d tried.”
“You’re a well-connected author with certain resources.” Peter pointed at himself. “She didn’t have those advantages.”
“Ok. Fair enough. But she could have at least made some effort.”
Peter gave him an incredulous frown. “How do you know she didn’t?”
“Because she volunteered that information.” Nicholas flipped open the cardboard carton and stared at the massive pepperoni pizza. The conversation had diminished his appetite and he sighed.
“You know you’re not being fair, don’t you?”
“I can’t help how I feel, Pete.”
Peter folded his arms. “Well maybe you should try. You have a little girl out there who wants to meet you. Don’t you want to meet her?”
Nicholas frowned. “Of course I do.” He gave a frustrated huff. “Look, I don’t need psychoanalyzing. Are we watching the movie or not?”
His friend sighed. “Yeah, yeah, we’re watching the movie. I think you’re making a huge mistake, though. But don’t take my word for it. Just remember, if you leave it too long it might be too late.” He pulled a beer from the pack, twisted the cap and took a generous swig.
Forty five minutes into the first Die Hard instalment Nicholas couldn’t concentrate on the movie. His mind was conflicted over what to do about the unfamiliar situation he had found himself in. Deep down, he knew Pete was right. He should get over himself and call Prue, but something inside him wouldn’t allow him to. Maybe it was pride.
“Argh, Alan Rickman’s character is such an asshole in this movie,” Pete remarked, taking a bite of his left over pizza slice. “I wish someone would shoot him already.”