by J. L. Ryan
“Mr. Conroy, it is always a pleasure to have you here at the Estate.” Mr. Stuart turned his attention to April and gave her a broad smile. “Ms. Edwards, it is good to see that you’re enjoying your stay with Mr. Conroy. My daughter sends her regards.”
April relaxed at the tone in Mr. Stuart’s voice. Whatever story had gotten to his ears, it was either not believed, or countered, perhaps by Chloe herself. April made a note to herself. If she could not find her friend this summer, she would do so during the school year – assuming she was able to get back down to New York City to attend the university. “Thank you. Please tell Chloe I said hello.”
Mr. Stuart nodded his head. “I will. She’s enjoying a nice trip in Europe right now. She’s spending the summer studying there as part of a fellowship. I will be sure to let her know when I talk to her. The both of you enjoy your evening.”
He walked away from the table and over to another. April looked to Nigel to see him smiling wisely.
“What?” she asked.
“You looked like a deer caught in headlights for a moment there,” Nigel said.
“The whole reason that I had a job here is because Chloe convinced her father to hire me. I was afraid that the worst of what happened reached him.”
Nigel shook his head. The server brought their wine and poured a glass for each of them. When she left, leaving the bottle on the table between them, Nigel spoke. “I doubt anyone would have dared saying anything to him. The whole situation would have had him asking too many questions and probably getting other people not you fired. He probably wouldn’t do anything to Worthington, though he should, but there are limits to what even Mr. Stuart can do.”
April sipped her wine. She had not thought about just how precarious of a position that Mr. Graven really was in with how he had fired her and why. It occurred to her that she could file a complaint, but she realized she did not want to. Mr. Graven seemed to really care about his staff. His attitude toward her did not mask that. She doubted the scene would have played out quite the same way if it had been anyone else. The situation may have been hushed. The girl may even have been reassigned to other duties while Mr. Worthington was here. She thought that other things aggravated the situation, and while it was not right for Mr. Graven to hold her accountable for her father’s actions; it was not worth him losing his job over.
“You’re a good person,” Nigel said.
April blushed, wondering if he read her mind, or if he just understood the situation itself. “Thank you.”
“I mean it, you are.” Nigel sipped his wine. “Anyway, I’m glad that you accepted my invitation.”
“I am too.”
They enjoyed their dinner together, using time to chat and get to know each other a little better. That tiny voice April’s head tried to ask her if that was the kind of conversation that playboys engaged in, and she refused to answer. Her life was complicated, very complicated. She did not need to complicate someone else’s as well.
After dinner, they wandered the estate house, seeing what festivities were taking place tonight. A company was holding an important shareholder meeting in one of the conference rooms. Both of them thought that was too boring to enjoy. Staff cleared the dining hall and the string quartet continued playing music. Guests who were not taking part in the shareholder meeting or any of the other smaller events filled up the dining hall, dancing to baroque music and enjoying the evening on the veranda.
April and Nigel joined in this. Nigel showed April a few simple steps for ballroom dancing, and they moved together to the music. With his arm around her waist, leading her in steps, April felt her desire swell up through her body again. She wanted to kiss him and knew that would not be proper here. They spotted the couple from the trail and exchanged smiles. As they danced past, April caught a snippet of their conversation and realized they were enjoying their anniversary here together.
“This is a magical place,” April said as Nigel guided her off the dancefloor and over to a table where drinks were set out for guests.
“Oh?” Nigel handed her a glass of punch and looked at her curiously.
“The couple on the trail today, they’re enjoying their anniversary here.”
Nigel glanced out to the floor. “Is that so?”
“Apparently. I wonder how many other people are here for special occasions.”
Nigel paused as he brought his glass to his lips and considered the people out on the dance floor. “I’ve never thought about it. I always just come up here and enjoy the mountains and the lake. I don’t really think about what is going on with the rest of the guests unless I know them personally.”
“I wonder about people sometimes,” April said. “When I was a child, I would watch people on the street and wonder where they were going to and coming from. When we would be in a restaurant, I would imagine what conversations people were having at other tables. I always found my life to be easy and boring, so it was a fun way to make things interesting.”
“Oh for things to be easy and boring.”
April looked and saw Nigel’s eyes turn dark with thought again. She supposed that for him, a boring life would have been ideal. She could not imagine what it would have been like for him. Did he have grandparents battle for custody of him, or did servants and lawyers raise him. He did not talk about that in the Playboy interview. April found herself curious again, and wondered if she would have the chance to explore that deep into him.
They danced for a few more songs before walking out onto the veranda and back up to Nigel’s cabin. They held hands as they walked, taking in the view of the stars above them. April concentrated on trying to remember the names of any of the stars and constellations she saw and was ashamed that she could not. She should know them. She had learned about them in high school.
She never applied herself, and that knowledge drove home her precarious situation. She always assumed that he father’s money would be there to take care of her. She would just move from that security to the security of a man. Now, that option was not open to her. She was not marriageable material. She was fine for a fling, but she did not want to live her life being the naughty fling of rich men.
She was going to have to decide on a direction for herself. She realized that depending on her mother was not the answer either. She was an adult. It was time that she acted it, and took on the responsibilities that brought.
Nigel let her into the cabin and followed her inside. He walked to the fireplace and turned on the gas starter. The logs, April realized, were only for show, to create a simulated fireplace. It was still beautiful, however, and she found herself pushing aside her thoughts and worries for another day.
She walked over to the couch and sat down. Nigel joined her and when he leaned close to her, April welcomed his kiss and his arms around her waist. She thought of making love to him in front of the fireplace and her excitement grew.
He broke the kiss and brought his hand up to April’s cheek. She looked into Nigel’s eyes and wondered at what thoughts were behind them. His eyes still looked contemplative and serious.
“I want you to stay with me,” Nigel said.
April smiled. “I can sleep in your room if you’d like.” She knew that was not what he meant, even as she said the words. She did not want to have the conversation that was coming. She realized that she had been running from it since their shower today and she thought she understood why now.
“That will be nice, but that’s not what I mean,” Nigel said.
April put her finger on his lips. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, bringing it back down to her lap.
“It is not fair,” he said. “You’re going through something you should not have to go through. Nothing that happened is your fault, but you’re suffering for it.”
“Lots of people suffer for things that aren’t there fault.” April suspected that Nigel suffered a lot. What was it actually like, growing up the son of a woman who killed herself and her husband? How many years
did he spend wondering if that would happen to him? How many people treated him as if it would?
Nigel let out a sigh. “They do. I would help every single one of them if I could. We can’t. We can only help those we can.” He paused and sat back. “Do you know about what happened when I was a child?”
April nodded her head. “I read an interview where you talked some about it.”
“The woman who took me out of the fire, she was my nanny. She was a kind woman. She was stern, and I grew up thinking she was mean sometimes. She took care of me. She did not have to stay with me. She could have let my family’s lawyers find someone else. She was burned very badly in the fire. I lied when I told the interviewer I didn’t remember the night very well. I did, but I didn’t want to talk about it. She refused to let the paramedics treat her or take her to the hospital until she knew I was okay. She ended up being scarred very badly because of that, but it was the kind of woman she was. She stayed because I was the person she could help.”
April took in a deep breath and squeezed Nigel’s hand tightly.
“I want to help you. You were not working here because you wanted to. You were here because you had to be. No one should have to work like that. I don’t want you to have to work like that.”
April felt her heart filling and breaking at the same time. She cared about Nigel, more deeply and more quickly than she thought she would ever care about anyone. She could see herself easily falling in love with him, if she were not there already. She appreciated what he wanted to do, and she thought she understood what it meant to him.
That did not mean she could just accept it.
“Did you know I couldn’t name a single constellation in the sky tonight?” April asked.
Nigel gave a small laugh. “I think I know the Big Dipper and Little Dipper. Not everyone knows the constellations.”
“No, but people can point to the things they do know,” April said. “I can’t. My whole life I have depending on other people. I depended on my father to put me through school. I knew I just had to wait to get married and have another man to depend on for my livelihood. If it didn’t work out, I would be able to get a nice alimony settlement and probably more money from Daddy again.
“I can’t do that anymore. It doesn’t matter that it’s not fair. It matters that it life now. If I go back to school, I can get a real degree. I can figure out what I want to do with my life and do it, and not have to depend on anyone else.”
Nigel brought his hand up to her cheek again. “It’s a hard place, I know. The most important person in your life let you down, and depending on another person after that is scary. What happens if I let you down?”
April felt her heart break. She did not want to look at Nigel that way, but he was right. That was exactly what she was scared of. It was more than that, though. She could not expect him to pick up where others left off in taking care of her. It was not just a matter of what he might do anymore. It was what she had to do.
“You’re such a wonderful person,” April said. She leaned against the back cushion of the couch and let herself gaze into Nigel’s eyes. “From most of the stories I’ve read about you, you’re this carefree playboy who does philanthropy and just enjoys his money. You really are so much more than that. It’s not that I think you would hurt me. I’m scared of it, but I know better. It’s also what I have to do for me.”
Nigel leaned his head against the back cushion and looked at her, silent in whatever contemplation he was in.
“I have no idea how I’m going to do this. A lot of people work their way through college. Some of them take student loans. I can do that too if I have to. If I talk to the financial counselors, they’ll help me find a job and work out a schedule that I can pay for. I can always change schools if I need to. People do it every day. I’m no one special; I just thought I was for a long time.”
Nigel let out a deep breath. She could see understanding and acceptance in his eyes.
“I could see you with a career. I think if you find something that you’re passionate about, you could really put yourself into it and do something amazing,” he said. “I would like to see that.”
April smiled. “Thank you.”
“Can I pay for school?” Nigel sat up again.
April was stunned and unsure how to answer his question. He had turned this around somehow and she felt as though she had been flipped on her head. “Pay for school?”
Nigel nodded. “I see the people who work their way through college. Sometimes they can pursue what they want. Sometimes they have to compromise. I want you to find and pursue whatever you want. I can pay for your school. You can stay on campus or with me, which ever you want. I won’t pressure you there, though I would like to keep seeing you after this week.”
April’s mind was still trying to catch up to this strange change in their conversation. She tried to find words, and could not get anything to make sense from her mind to her mouth.
“You can say yes,” Nigel said. “I would really like that.”
April let out a laugh and sat up. She shook her head and looked down, trying to let her mind finish playing catch up. Nigel was serious about helping her. She did not think it was just some passing fancy of his. His understanding and his persistence told her how intent he was on this. She looked up and smiled at him. “Okay. But I get to pay you back for my school, even if I’m just donating it to your foundation. I appreciate it, but I want to be able to give something back to you.”
Nigel returned her smile and broadened it. “I can accept that. You will have to apply yourself, though. I fully expect you to find a career that you can follow through on.”
April moved closer to him on the couch. “I promise. I’ll think about it this summer and decide.” She paused before kissing him and pulled back. “What do I do during the summers?”
Nigel put his arms around her waist and pulled her down to him. “I’m sure we can negotiate something.”
He kissed her. April welcomed his tongue through her lips. She thought again of making love to him in front of the fireplace and moved her hands up to unbutton his shirt.
It was a good place to start.
The Billionaire's Caregiver
People often think a new beginning is something that happens when there is a tragedy. Shelby Watson, on the other hand, disagrees entirely. Sometimes, a new beginning can simply happen to someone, and not be some epiphany out of the ashes of what was once a mess.
Simply put, life happens, but starting over is never easy. Shelby sighed and stretched out her legs on the sofa. Tomorrow, she would start again. Never one to be defeated, she knew she could pull herself out of this “new mess” she was in.
There was something about the way her big toe poked through the worn socks that made her rethink that idea entirely.
“You and me, Puppy Dobbs...she scooped up her puppy who had buried its head under the thick blanket. “All we really need is each other.” Dobbs was a Chihuahua mix. Shelby found him by the door of her apartment one day, and when she opened her apartment door, he ran right in, in front of her.
He had been there since. It may have been the forlorn look he had about him that Shelby found endearing, or just the fact that he was standing there soaked to the bone. Whatever it was, Shelby knew she couldn’t leave him out there, so let him stay.
The sound of banging caused Shelby to wince slightly. The pipes in this old building were always making some awful noise whenever someone was taking a shower. Shelby looked around at her efficiency apartment.
Clean and tidy it, was her home. She lived in the 3rd block of town. The lower the number indicated the worse sections of town. This was no exception. Her neighbors all consisted of drug dealers and prostitutes, though none unfriendly. Shelby would work early mornings and try to be home before dark. As long as she kept to herself nothing bad would happen to her…well less likely to, anyway.
All of the details of her life had changed now. The part-time morning job she ha
d been able to find, she had lost. Nothing of her doing, simply a cut in positions at the senior home she was working at. They had pulled her aside that morning and given her the bad news.
“Shelby, your work here has always been wonderful. I hope you realize this is not a reflection on the quality of your work. It's simply based on the financial needs of the company.” Dr. Brenner sighed and looked over at her as he delivered the news.
“Many of the seniors are moving into better equipped facilities and they…well they already have staff there. He ran his thin bony fingers through is even thinner hair.
It was obvious to Shelby this wasn’t something he enjoyed doing and decided to help take the pressure off.
“I understand Dr. Brenner. I really do. I just don’t know how I'm going to make it now.” Life had always been a series of ups and downs for Shelby, and this was just one more set back. She stood to stand and extended her hand to Dr. Brenner.
“Thank you for helping me get things going here Dr. Brenner. The last three years have been wonderful. I hope you will let me use you for a reference.” He stood and methodically pumped her hand, covering the hands with his other one.
“I really am sorry, Shelby.”
There was a sense of helplessness that Shelby felt when she headed home. Now, she and her pup gracefully sat on the old worn sofa she had gotten from the thrift store down the street. Shelby decided it was time to start sorting the factors of her life out. She jumped up and grabbed her notebook from the counter.
Determined, she created her spreadsheet, lists of bills, things to do, what not to do, etc. Balancing her checkbook, Shelby calculated that she was ok for the next three weeks, but when the rent was due, she would be in trouble. She walked into her kitchen and pulled out a family-sized can of spaghetti from the cupboard, methodically putting it into a bowl and then the microwave. Her eating habits were terrible, but instead of trying to shed the extra 30 pounds she gained over the winter, she ate even more.