by Amelia Rowe
18
Nina
I left Luke’s early to get back to the penthouse before the sun came up. After Nikki called I was barely able to sleep a wink. Without question, I was going to meet my father in only a few hours. The father I’d spent so much time wondering about. The one who I was convinced I would never get to meet. He wanted to meet me. He’d requested the pleasure of my company for breakfast.
What if he recognizes me from the news? Luke had reassured me that the news changed so fast that nobody even cared anymore. In all likelihood, a man as important as Patrick Blake hadn’t heard about the exhibit at all.
Instead I focused on the eternal question of what to wear the first time you are going to meet your father. I tried to keep my emotions in check. Luke’s reminders were impressed in my mind everywhere I turned.
Don’t trust him. He’s not who he says he is. Find out what he’s hiding.
If he was hiding anything in the Jasper Hotel, I was going to figure out what it was.
This time, the view of the Jasper Hotel cresting over the city excited me. So many things would be answered in the next hour.
Nikki was waiting for me in the lobby, as if I were an honored guest. “Miss Parker, thank you for coming.” I made a note that her tone was more gracious and accommodating than the day before. Perhaps it was something I’d bring up with my father at some point, once the niceties of meeting each other were out of the way.
“My pleasure,” I responded. She lead us toward the back of the lobby.
“There is a private elevator up to your father’s penthouse,” she explained, inserting a silver skeleton key into a keyhole. The door immediately opened.
“How long have you worked here?” I asked as we soared upward.
“About two years, ever since I graduated,” she explained matter-of-factly. I wondered I was mistaken when I noticed a twinge of jealousy in her reply. “I started at the front desk and then was brought on as Patrick’s PA.”
The way she said my father’s name, Patrick, with such familiarity upset me. Still, she was clearly in his inner circle. Luke’s instructions came back to me, and I determined to keep an eye on her.
The elevator door opened right into the penthouse. I smiled that it was like mine, only smaller and more modern-looking. There were vast sweeping views of the city on three sides of the room. In front of the window, a table for two was set for breakfast.
“Please take a seat, your father will be in momentarily.” And with that, Nikki turned on her heels and disappeared.
Not wanting to be over-eager in my exploration, I sat at the table and allowed my eyes to survey the room. The penthouse was different from the lobby. Everything was clean, white, and sterile. There were no pictures of family, and I immediately wondered about my grandparents. Who were my father’s parents? I made a mental note to ask.
From behind, the sound of heavy, quick footsteps ricocheted off the marble floors. My entire being was ignited with the enormity of the moment. I turned to face the approaching individual. He was tall and had the same thick, wavy hair as me. His eyes were the same piercing green as mine, and they were brimmed with tears, just like mine.
“Is it really you?” He approached me and took my face into his hands. I breathed him in, and the strong scent of an unfamiliar cologne assaulted my senses. “My daughter?” He searched my face.
Unable to restrain myself, I broke down, sobbing into his arms. We held each other, crying, before our tears turned to happy laughter. When he finally stepped back, I searched his face for any sign of evil, and it didn’t exist. Finally he took his seat across from me. Almost on cue, a waiter brought in a cart of food.
“I didn’t know what you like,” he laughed. His eyes were kind and his voice was confident. Just looking at him, he was someone you immediately wanted to be around, someone you wanted to listen to. “So I ordered everything.”
“It’s perfect.” I choked back tears as the waiter loaded food onto plates for us. My father didn’t move his eyes from me.
“You’re the spitting image of me,” he marveled. And I saw it too. I didn’t have his height, but everything else, we shared. “I don’t see your mother in you at all.” The mention of my mother brought a new surge of hope within me.
“My mother?” I wanted to know every detail.
“Nikki tells me your mother left you at a…police station when you were born?” There was an anger in his voice that told me this was not going to be a happy conversation. He pushed up the sleeves of his shirt as if he was going into battle.
I nodded. “I was hoping you’d know where she was.” Clearly they weren’t together.
“Once I found out she was pregnant with you, she left me.” He started to get emotional again. “Just disappeared. Didn’t let me know when you were born. I know we were young, but…” His eyes were despondent and he paused, shaking his head. “Your mother never wanted kids.” He took my hand in his. “But I could have taken care of you. I wanted you.”
The revelation was too much, and my appetite was gone. I sucked down some tea to quell the anxiety causing my stomach to do flips.
“How did you two meet?” I dared to ask. It was a part of my history and I deserved to know.
“She worked for me,” he said nonchalantly, like it was a fact he hadn’t given much thought to in years. “Nina, look, I am so sorry that things turned out for you the way they did, but we’ve found each other now. And I promise I’m going to do everything I can to make it up to you.”
Seeing him overcome with genuine regret moved me. My mother was not the person I’d imagined her to be. It had been the one small shred of hope I’d had since meeting Luke and being introduced to the fact that my father was potentially a criminal. There was always hope that my mother wanted me.
“Please Nina, eat,” he begged, gesturing to the food. “And tell me about you and your life.” He sipped his coffee, waiting attentively for any tidbit I felt compelled to offer. As far as I could tell, he had no indication that I was the Gigi Noir from the exhibit. As far as I could tell, the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
I tried to remove the emotional cloud hanging over me that was interfering with my judgment. Luke had promised that my father would be loving and charming. Everything he told me to expect was true.
“Nikki tells me that you live in…Queens,” he said with an air of arrogance. I tried to remember the details from the application to ensure my story was straight.
“Yeah, I just have a small apartment that I moved into when I moved out here from Jersey after college.” I shrugged, feeling judged. “I don’t need much space.”
“Jersey.” He meditated on the fact as if it meant something. “Is that where the police station is where your mother abandoned you?” It was a strange thing to ask now that we’d moved on from the subject of my mother.
“Right into the arms of a cop,” I said. “What was her name?” I asked, even though I’d read about her in Luke’s file.
“Rachel,” he said with disdain. “Rachel O’Leary.”
“I’m Irish?” I said out loud, startled. It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment, standing there with my father, that my mother’s surname was distinctly Irish.. My father laughed, nodding his head.
“Of course you are. One hundred percent, in fact. Both your mother’s parents and my parents were from Ireland. That’s how we first connected.” The memories flashed over his face.
It was so strange to find out about myself in layers. It wasn’t a big deal, but figuring out my identity felt profound. I was Irish.
Nothing seemed amiss about him. He was bitter about his ex, and why shouldn’t he be? She left him when she was pregnant because she didn’t want the baby. Hell, I was bitter for him.
“Were your adoptive parents good to you?”
I sighed, finally opening up to him about life growing up, always being second to the miracle brother, and desperately wanting to escape after college.
“How
funny it is you were inclined to come here.” He smiled at me. “It’s like your heart was telling you that your family was out here.”
Family.
I had family. For the first time in my life, I had family. I had someone watching out for me.
“So there’s another issue we should discuss.” He placed his napkin onto the table, finished. “Your lack of employment.”
I felt my cheeks flush with heat. It was true. I was jobless now. “I’m looking for something.”
“Have you ever considered getting into the hotel business?” He folded his hands and leaned on the table toward me. I tried to recall the details of my résumé.
“I studied business in college.” I rolled my eyes, trying to downplay fake accomplishments. “But I’m not exactly qualified for that line of work.”
“Of course you are!” he announced. “Look around you, this business runs in your blood. Your grandfather ran a successful chain of hotels in Ireland. None of us went to college.”
So this was a family business.
“Why did you open hotels here, then?” I asked.
“My father wanted more for our family, so he sold the hotel business in Ireland before I was born. He came to the United States with my mother and provided generously for us. That’s something every father should get the chance to do. That’s why I started up my own business right out of high school.”
I couldn’t help but be in awe of what he had accomplished. With seventeen high-end boutique hotels around the world, my father was practically a mogul.
“Anyways,” he continued, “you could be my apprentice of sorts. I could show you the ropes.”
It was tempting, the allure of having a tradition to carry on. It was all I’d ever wanted and here my father was, handing it to me.
“And for God’s sake, please, let’s get you out of Queens.” He laughed, recalling the detail from my résumé. Panic coursed through me as I wondered if there actually was an apartment rented out in Queens with my name on the lease. “You’ll come here and stay in one of the suites until we get you situated.”
There was no request in his tone. It was how it was going to be and that was that. It wouldn’t be so bad to leave the big empty penthouse for just a little while and stay, I thought.
“I can’t believe it,” I breathed. “I just can’t believe any of this. I want to run down Madison Avenue and tell the world.” I was near tears again.
“That’s one thing I wanted to talk to you about.” His face straightened. “For now, let’s keep this amazing news between the two of us.”
The suggestion was strange. Why wouldn’t he want to tell the whole world?
“I want to plan a perfect coming-out party for you. I want to give you the celebration that you never got.” He paused to grin. “I everyone to see you.”
His effect on me was incredible. I wanted nothing more than to agree with him. I would agree to anything he suggested, so I nodded. Already images of a glitzy party with all of his celebrity friends were treading through my mind. I could smell the flowers he would order, I could taste the food. I could imagine the applause of the crowd when he made the announcement that he’d found me.
“Good, so it’s settled. Unfortunately, business never stops and I’ve got a number of meetings to attend today. But Nikki will be fully at your service. I’ll have a car take you to get any of your things you might want from your place and we’ll get one of the suites set up for you here. I hate the thought of you wasting away in a small box.”
I wanted to protest, and tell him I could go retrieve my things on my own time. If it turned out that there was no apartment in Queens, and my father found out about it, my entire cover might be blown. But before I manage to get a word out, he pushed back from the table and stood up, holding out his arms.
I rose to meet him and he pulled me into the tight safety of his fatherly embrace. I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted him to stay for the rest of the day. I wanted to talk to him forever. I wanted to know everything.
“I promise I will never let you go again,” he told me, tightening his grip. He kissed my cheek and pulled away, taking me in one last time. “You are perfection.”
Then he left me alone in his apartment, depleted of air and any will to resist wanting this family.
Moments later, Nikki returned. “Let’s go, Nina. I’ve had the car pull up out front so we can go pick up your things from your apartment.”
“Okay,” I managed, following her out of the penthouse, into the elevator. When her back was to me, I quickly fished the burner phone from my back pocket and texted Luke.
NINA: Help need Queens apt address & #
“I think it’s pretty amazing you were able to find your father.” Nikki gave a cool smile as she pushed the button for the lobby. “It’s almost like some higher power guided you toward him.”
I tried to ignore the hint of skepticism in her voice. After coming this far, I wasn’t going to let my father’s assistant jeopardize this. This. I no longer knew which reality I was moving in. The one where I was spying on my father, gathering information to bring him down? Or the one where I desperately wanted to be accepted as his daughter?
“Family always finds their way back to each other,” I said.
We exited the lobby and stepped straight into the waiting town car. I concealed the burner phone with my thigh, keeping it out of Nikki’s sight. It was unusual that Luke hadn’t responded immediately. I’d figured the entire team would be waiting to hear from me.
“Astoria please, Richard,” Nikki instructed the driver.
He weaved the car through Manhattan’s morning traffic, until we veered into the shroud of the Queens–Midtown Tunnel. Finally, as we crossed beneath the East River, the burner phone vibrated. When I was sure Nikki wasn’t paying attention, I lifted my thigh to read the incoming message.
LUKE: 26th and 14th Place in Astoria. Apt. #4 in the only yellow bldg. on 14th.
On my new phone, I pulled up directions to the address. Thank God for technology. At least I wouldn’t blow my cover due to being unprepared.
“Take a left onto twenty-first,” I instructed our driver when we emerged through the tunnel, as though I’d made the same trip a hundred times. I continued to guide him the rest of the way, as Nikki scrolled through her phone beside me, unaware of my deceit.
We turned onto fourteenth, a narrow lane of brick apartment buildings. Just as Luke had promised, one yellow building stuck out from the rest.
“Just up there on the left,” I instructed. Richard put the vehicle in park and I tried to make my way out as quickly as possible. However, I wasn’t quick enough, and Nikki had unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car before I could stop her.
“You don’t need to come in.” I kept my voice even, so as not to give away the panic that was strangling me.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She slammed the door shut and began walking toward the entrance. “I can help you carry your things.” A girl like Nikki looked entirely out of place in a blue-collar neighborhood like this. Back at the Jasper, her tailored skirts and expensive blouses fit right in with the luxe surroundings.
“Alright,” I began, trying to come up with a plan. “That’s very kind of you.”
It wasn’t until we entered the building that I realized I’d overlooked one crucial thing: I had no key to enter the unit. But by then it was too late to come up with any excuses. I could only hope and pray that Luke’s team had planned for everything.
We reached the front door of unit four and I was surprised to hear soft music coming from the inside. Had I misread Luke’s text and walked to the wrong apartment? Nikki raised her eyebrows at my hesitation.
“Any day now.” She motioned for me to get on with it.
I responded with the first thing that came to mind. “I think I lost my key.”
“Well, it sounds like your roommate is home…”
Roommate?
Before I could put the pieces together, the door swun
g open. Chloe Fournet, Watchtower’s lead coordinator, greeted us with a smile. “I thought I heard voices out here!” She held up a small golden key and shook it at me with mock disapproval before placing it in my palm. “Seriously, this is the third time this week you’ve forgotten your key.”
I followed her inside, only to find a fully furnished apartment. Only, there wasn’t just furniture and decoration filling the space. It looked lived-in, with a stack of dirty dishes filling the sink in the small kitchen and articles of clothing tossed carelessly over chair backs. The garbage can was even three-fourths full. It looked like a typical small apartment. Luke’s team had thought of everything, down to giving me a roommate.
“Sorry Chlo.” I referred to her as if we were old friends. “It’s been a strange week. By the way, this is Nikki.” I introduced the women. “Looks I’m going to be staying in the city for a while. I just came to grab some things.”
“Oh God, did things work out with your dad?” Chloe asked while clearing off the small kitchen table. Nikki shot me a disapproving look at the mention of my father. As I’d discussed with him this morning, we were keeping that fact a secret for the time being.
“Look.” I grabbed her by the shoulders, stopping her movement. “Promise me you won’t say anything, okay? He and I still have a lot to figure out and I don’t want anything to jeopardize my relationship with him.” We played the act of friendly roommates to perfection.
“Of course,” Chloe smiled. “Let me help you grab your stuff.”
We left Nikki again staring at her phone as we retreated into the small hallway. There was one bedroom on either side. Not knowing where to go, I started to turn into the room on the left but Chloe pulled me by the sleeve into the room on the right.
“What’s going on?” she whispered to me, beginning to open drawers and stuff clothing into a bag. They were my clothes, but I followed her lead and began gathering perfume bottles and cosmetics from the dresser.