This surprised her and her lips formed an O.
He pulled her closer for another quick hug. “Now, I want the grand tour.” He put his arm around her as they crossed Tumpline Road.
*****
Nic stood in the area that would be her living quarters and studio space. She’d chosen the four classrooms at the far end of the school. They were two classrooms on each side of the hall on the second floor. The hall width added a considerable amount of space to the apartment.
The inner walls had been removed and replaced with I-beams where needed. At the moment, it was a huge, empty space.
Daniel was standing on the middle with a grin on his face. “This is going to be incredible.”
“You approve?”
He looked over at her. “I sure do... large loft style windows looking out over nature, not a city...” He shook his head. “It’s amazing.”
She grinned.
He said, “Now... show me what you and Karyn have planned.”
*****
They had lunch at the Riverside Cafe. Nic introduced Daniel to Ruth Ann, Janelle, and Nita. Nita had given Nic a big thumbs up out of Daniel’s line of sight.
Now they and Bentley were in the Jag, top down, and heading to Haver de Grace to pick up take-out for dinner.
“What about Bentley?”
He looked over at her. “I didn’t bring food for him, so if you don’t mind, I’ll buy some.”
“No problem.” She turned in her seat to scratch Bentley behind his ear. “We don’t want you to starve... do we, big guy?” After she loved on the dog she looked at him sideways. “Maybe you should buy enough for him to have breakfast tomorrow.”
His heart thudded. He looked over at her. She was smiling steadily. “Okay.” He called back to the dog. “You hear that, buddy?”
Bentley’s tail thumped loudly, and broke the tension. They laughed and the dog barked.
*****
The remains of their Thai take-out was on the small table. Sitting on the modest wicker couch, Daniel had his feet stretched out and resting on the coffee table — again with Nic’s permission - and she was curled under his arm.
Bentley was asleep nearby. As far as Daniel was concerned, today was going to be filed away in his favorite memories.
They’d been chatting casually, getting to know each other, alternating questions.
Now it was his turn. “Why did you leave Alexandria? It was clear during the board meeting that you planned to move here but I had the idea that you’d wait until your space in the schoolhouse was ready.”
“That was my plan... Then, my studio at the Torpedo Factory was vandalized.”
“What?” He was appalled. “What happened?”
“We don’t know for sure, but we think it was my friendly neighborhood stalker. Some of my newest paintings were slashed, sketchbooks were defaced. I felt violated.”
“Oh, Nic.” He pulled her close. “I should have been there for you... but I was too busy with my head up my ass. I’m sorry... what can I say. I was a jerk.”
She patted his leg. “That’s okay. I knew you needed to work things out. CeeCee is important to you, and she always will be. I understand that.”
He hugged her close. “I’m so sorry.”
“Anyway, Thomas sent over two of the M and T project managers and a bunch of interns and they had me moved out of Old Town and into Warfield’s Landing in about 48 hours.” She chuckled. “From my point of view, it was the easiest move ever. I’m promising myself I’m going to hire them to move me into the schoolhouse, when it’s ready.”
She twisted in his arms to look at him. Deliberately changing the subject she said, “It’s my turn. So, your turn... how about you and Luke and CeeCee?”
He’d been debating for days... did he tell her about his crush on Audrey or not?
This was his chance. “The summer before I started seventh grade, I was farmed out to my grandmother’s. She tried her best, but I was still reeling from my parents’ divorce, my shock that Dad had been given custody, and my fears about being sent to boarding school in the fall.”
Nic moved from under his arm. She swung around, sitting cross legged on the couch. She reached out, cradled his hand between hers and gave it a comforting squeeze.
He squeezed back and continued. “Boarding school was everything I feared. Luckily, Luke and CeeCee and I met in the first week... we bonded instantly, and we’ve been friends and family for each other, ever since.”
He paused and gathered his thought. She waited patiently, her eyes focused on his face.
He took a deep breath. “When I was at my grandmother’s that summer, there wasn’t much to do. She had a big old house with a huge attic. I spent a lot of time exploring the attic, looking in old trunks... stuff like that.” He paused and could feel his cheeks warm.
Nic gave his hand another squeeze and smiled encouraging.
“Anyway... there were bunches of old magazines from the 1950s. You know, the big format ones, like Life and Look?”
She nodded, her eyes fixed on his.
“I found one that featured a young movie star. She was on the cover. Audrey Hepburn?”
Nic nodded. He could tell that she didn’t know where this was going.
“Well, in the photo series, she was wearing a large white man’s shirt and skinny black pants... her hair was short, and, really... you look a lot like her.”
Her brow creased, and he laughed. He decided to go whole hog.
“I saw you on the Metro one day. I was going the other direction. I saw you and all I could think was — Audrey Hepburn.”
Final confession time... “I still have that magazine. CeeCee and Luke know about it. Luke saw your picture in the Torpedo Factory Art Class brochure... and then he found that you had a show at Gallery 22.”
“You still have the magazine?”
He was grateful that she focused on that and not on his borderline stalking behavior. “Yeah. It’s one of my most cherished possessions.”
She nodded, shrewdly. “I can see that. It’s all tied up with that difficult time... and maybe became like a talisman for you? Life can be so complicated, can’t it?”
“It doesn’t have to be.” He pulled her into his arms. “Here with you...” The dog snored loudly. “And with Bentley.”
She melted into his kiss.
CHAPTER 31
The morning after in Warfield’s Landing, MD
The next morning, Daniel woke to the sound of Nic talking with Bentley in the other room. She had gotten up early and when he’d stirred, she’d told him to go back to sleep. He drifted back into dreamland.
He woke a bit later and looked around the bright, sunny space. He recognized Nic’s furniture from her tiny place in Old Town. This condo was several times the size of her Alexandria apartment.
From what she’d told him yesterday, she’d made the move to Warfield’s Landing about a week ago. He’d been impressed at how completely she was moved in. When he and Luke moved into their condos years ago, it had taken him months to get unpacked and organized.
He heard a door snick shut and realized that Nic was taking Bentley outside. Feeling guilty he sat up and looked for his clothes.
He padded out to the living area and found that Nic, bless her heart, had left coffee and a note. She and Bentley were going to bring back breakfast from the Riverside Cafe.
His phone rang. Luke.
“Hey!”
“How’s it going? Since you and Bentley didn’t come home, I’m assuming that she was too nice to toss you on your ass like you deserve?”
“She was... and believe me, I intend to remember and appreciate her graciousness... Thank god, she’s a dog lover.”
Luke laughed long and hard. “It sounds to me like you owe Bentley big time... maybe you need to invest in an avocado ranch.”
“Ha! I can’t believe that avocados are good for dogs. Anyway, one of Nic’s many house plants is an avocado and she’s already explained to B
entley that we do not eat family members.”
“I love it. Tell Nic I said hi and I look forward to meeting her... soon. Take care, man.”
Daniel put the phone away and poured a mug of coffee. Sipping it, he wandered around the living room, looking at the sketches on the walls, and the books in the bookcase. When he’d been in Nic’s Old Town apartment, things happened so fast, he hadn’t gotten a feel for her living space.
On impulse, he stepped into the room Nic was using as her studio. The work table was covered with sketches, mostly landscapes. He recognized the ruins of the abutments for the Port Deposit Bridge and views of Port Deposit from this side of the Susquehanna.
There were a couple of sketchbooks on the table and with only the slightest prickle of conscience, he leafed through them.
He frowned as he realized that some of them had been defaced. Maybe when her studio was vandalized?
In one he was startled to find sketches of himself. Red marker had been scribbled over lively sketches. Instantly he knew that Nic hadn’t done it... no matter how upset with him she might have been.
A couple of the drawings were of him in her Old Town bedroom. She must have sketched them the one time he spent the night there. Others were obviously drawn from memory.
He closed the ruined pad and idly flipped the cover sheet on a matted drawing.
He froze. It was a brilliant sketch of Nic. Nic asleep... and it was signed by Max Hayes. The bare shoulder and the beautifully rendered sheet told the story of lovers. The exquisite detail clearly demonstrated the love of the artist for his dreaming model.
He stared... sick... CeeCee had been right. Nic and Max had been having an affair.
“Daniel?” He heard Nic through a haze of pain and he felt a large furry head nudge his hand.
“Daniel, are you alright?” Nic moved over to the work table. She glanced down at the drawing. To his horror, a look of guilt crossed her face. She reached out and slid the drawing around so she could see it, too. “I guess it’s time we had a talk about this.”
“I guess so.” There was a harsh rasp to his voice.
“In my defense, I had planned to tell you everything after that first night together, but Courtney called and your car was vandalized. Then... I was going to tell you when you got back from that last trip. I just couldn’t tell you over Skype.”
Nic picked up the sketch and carried it out of the studio. Daniel followed her and Bentley followed him. How absurd, he thought. Your life implodes and there’s a parade.
“Do you want coffee? Oh, you have some.”
Surprised, Daniel realized he still clutched his coffee. He moved toward the couch and sat stiffly, holding the mug between both hands. It was a bright, warm July morning, but he was chilled from the inside out.
Nic was rustling around in the kitchen. A few minutes later, she came out with a mug of her own. Gracefully, she folded herself into the mamasan chair and started talking.
“I met Max when I was in grad school. He’d attended VCU years earlier. I think the first time, he was in Richmond making arrangements for a show at the Virginia Museum. He saw me, I guess.”
Daniel was still in shock. He sat and prepared to listen to the confession he never wanted to hear...
Would he tell CeeCee?
No.
He couldn’t...
And he’d make sure that Nic never told her. His jaw tightened. He’d sit here and listen to this terrible confession, then he’d take his dog and leave. He never wanted to see Nic again.
“... my father?” Nic finished and looked at him expectantly.
He stared at her.
“Well?” she asked impatiently.
“Well, what?” Daniel realized that he’d been so lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t heard what she said.
“I was asking if you thought this was a good time to tell Courtney that Max was my father, or if I should wait until she’s less upset?”
“Max is your father?” Daniel sounded the words carefully. He was speaking English and Nic was speaking English, but nothing made sense.
Max was her father?
Then what about the sketch?
He must have asked the question, because this time she was the one parroting back.
“What about the sketch?” She sounded confused.
“What about that sketch of you?” Daniel pointed to it, on the coffee table between them.
Now it was her turn to look at him uncomprehendingly. “What...” she started, her eyes following his finger.
She leaned forward and picked it up, flipping the cover back. “What about it?” She looked at it and frowned, then her face cleared and to his disgust, she began to laugh.
He scowled as her laughter chimed through the room.
Excited, Bentley got up from his spot on the rug and nudged at her. She petted the big golden head while she hiccupped to a stop.
Daniel crossed his arms over his chest, and barked, “Explain, please.”
Her eyes widened at his tone, then narrowed. “I did just explain... but somehow you seemed to have missed it. I’ll explain again, and this time you can pay attention.”
She spoke tightly. “I’ll give you the Cliff Notes version... Maxfield Hayes was my birth father. I didn’t know about it until he found me when I was in grad school.”
She picked up the sketch and held it up beside her face, her finger pointing at it, like a pre-school teacher reading a picture book. “This is my mother. See the mole beside her eye? Max drew this more than 30 years ago... see the date under his signature?”
She flipped the cover closed and frisbeed the drawing to the coffee table.
Now she crossed her arms over her chest, and challenged him, “Any questions?”
Her tone was a slap across his face. Abruptly, he realized what an asshole he was being... again. Almost immediately, relief flooded his body. He hadn’t been wrong. She hadn’t had an affair with Max.
She was his daughter.
Holy shit.
CHAPTER 32
Later that day in Warfield’s Landing, MD
Nic was pleased... all things considered.
They had come through with flying colors after that rocky start and the discussion about the Maxfield Hayes sketch. Nic put mental air quotes around the word discussion.
She still wasn’t sure what had happened. Daniel had been so upset... Still, they’d managed to discuss the situation in a rational manner, so she chose to consider it a win.
Now, the two of them and Bentley were headed back over to the construction sites. Nic liked to stop by everyday... a luxury she could afford, now that she was living in Warfield’s Landing.
As they stepped outside of the condo building, they could hear kids shrieking. Daniel raised his eyebrows in question.
Nic smiled broadly, and led Daniel and Bentley around the building to the river side, motioning them to be quiet.
Madison saw them first and whisked around a trash can, out of range of her brother’s deadly stream of water. “Hey, Nic. Wanna play?”
“Hi, Madison.” Nic waved her arms. “Ceasefire. Ceasefire.” Both children dropped the barrels of their water cannons and came forward. Jaden seemed the most interested in meeting Bentley.
“Guys, this is my friend Daniel and his dog Bentley.”
“Hey, he’s big. What kind is he?” Jaden asked eagerly as he rubbed Bentley’s ears.
Daniel answered, “He is a Golden Retriever and he IS pretty big.”
Madison held back behind her older brother. “Does he bite?” Her question was elaborately casual.
Squatting down to her height, Daniel answered her question. “No, he doesn’t bite. In fact, he likes girls a lot.” He glanced over his shoulder at Nic. “Just ask Nic.”
As Madison looked at her, Nic grinned and reassured the little girl. “Bentley is a lover, not a fighter.”
That comment flew right past the child, so Nic explained further. “Bentley likes everybody, but especially kids.”<
br />
She stepped forward and showed Madison how to hold out her hand in a non-threatening way. “You did good to ask first. Always ask the dog’s owner, before you go up and pet a strange dog. Not all of them are as nice as Bentley.”
Madison mirrored Nic’s gesture and giggled when Bentley gave her hand a big lick.
While Jaden met Bentley, Madison checked to see that her brother was busy, then grabbing Nic by the hand, pulled her down the sidewalk.
To Nic’s amusement, Madison checked on the guys again. Jaden was busy discussing the traits of the Golden Retriever breed, man to man with Daniel.
Madison stood on tiptoes and whispered in Nic’s ear, “I hid a water gun. For the next time.” She glanced back to make sure her brother was still busy. “It’s over there, beside the building, under the bushes in the corner where the steps go up.”
Captivated, Nic nodded gravely. Madison pulled her closer. “I filled it up first, so it’s ready to go.” She winked at Nic, who winked back.
They walked back to man, boy, and dog. Daniel stood and finished what he’d been saying to Jaden. “I know I don’t have the best situation for a dog, living in an apartment, so Luke—my best friend, and I make sure that we take Bentley on a couple of long walks each day.”
He gathered up Bentley’s leash, finishing, “That’s why it’s so nice when Nic lets us stay here and we can walk around town. Having a dog is a big responsibility. I had to wait a long time until I had a good situation and enough time to take care of Bentley.”
Jaden nodded gravely, and watched as Nic, Daniel, and the coveted dog walked down the sidewalk toward the main road.
“I take it that someone wants a dog?”
“Yeah. He and his sister...” Daniel paused and Nic supplied the name.
“Madison.”
“He and Madison go to boarding school.” His voice was tight.
“And you’re remembering when you, Luke, and Courtney were in boarding school.”
Dreams Claimed (Warfield's Landing, #1) Page 13