Blind Love

by SUE FINEMAN

  As Fawn walked away, the pain in Catherine’s foot became too much to bear. She sat on the step behind her. Jenny and DeeNae helped her up and Tony carried her up the steps to the main floor, where Mr. Pettibone stood waiting with a wheelchair.

  And the cameras captured it all.

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  Fawn was so angry, she practically ran down the path. She wanted to go upstairs, get her things, and get the hell away from this place. Catherine Timmons was responsible for this, and she would pay.

  Two men in uniform, one on each side of the path, stepped out of the darkness toward her, and she froze. “Fawn Daley, you’re under arrest,” one of them said. The other officer pulled her hands behind her and cuffed them, while the first one read her rights.

  She’d told Mitzi her name was Fawn Bailey, but the cops knew her real name. She was in deep trouble, especially if the cops searched her car and her purse and her bags.

  Damn that little bitch! This was all Catherine’s fault. As soon as Fawn could get to a phone, she’d call Spike. If anyone could help her get out of this mess, he could.

  She’d pay him back by giving him the gate code and the layout to the Timmons’ house. By the time Spike was finished, Walter Timmons and his brat would be history.

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  While Catherine talked with the police, Tony went into the study to talk with Morgan. He didn’t want to do this tonight, but it was part of the show, and he couldn’t avoid it.

  Before the cameras started rolling, the director said, “We’re several days ahead of schedule, and Cat can’t handle the cooking segment anytime soon, so why don’t we kick back for a few days? We’ll send the crew home and re-evaluate the situation on Monday.”

  Tony nodded. It sounded good to him. He was more concerned about Catherine than the stupid show. She’d need a lot of rest and TLC to get through the next few days.

  He felt bad about what happened today. Catherine had told him she didn’t want Fawn on the show, and she told him that Fawn had drugged Walt. He should have listened to her. Catherine wasn’t a vindictive person, and she wouldn’t have lied about someone’s character.

  Like Melissa, Fawn’s beauty had dazzled him in the beginning, but beauty wasn’t enough to override a sick mind or a flawed character.

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  Catherine rode the elevator upstairs with a maid who’d offered to help her move to a private room.

  Jenny and DeeNae were helping the police figure out which clothes belonged to Fawn. DeeNae paid a lot of attention to clothes, and she knew right down to the last pair of pantyhose. Catherine’s money, credit cards, and checkbook were photographed and returned to her. Fawn had apparently gone into Cara’s suite and helped herself to makeup, perfume, lingerie, and two silk blouses. The maid identified the items. Fawn also had one of DeeNae’s credit cards and Jenny’s birth control pills.

  Catherine stared at the pills.

  Why did Jenny need birth control pills?

  Did she have another man in her life?

  Chapter Sixteen

  In the quiet of her own room, Catherine took two pain pills, propped her sore foot on a pillow, and slept until nearly eleven the next morning.

  Jenny and DeeNae tapped softly on the door and opened it. “You’re awake,” said Jenny.

  “Barely. I’m hungry and I need a shower, but I can’t get my foot wet.”

  “We got ya covered,” said DeeNae. “I’ll run the bath.”

  “And I’ll get your breakfast,” said Jenny.

  “Thanks, guys. Does anyone know what happened to Fawn?”

  “She’s in jail,” said Jenny. “The woman who was taking care of Jessie has been fired. I guess it was her responsibility to get the security checks done, and she didn’t do it on Fawn. If she had, she would have known that she’d been in jail before.”

  “That girl has a temper,” said DeeNae, clucking her tongue. “Did you hear her in the jewelry store? That cute little man implied that she was a hooker and told her to take it elsewhere, and the words that came out of that girl’s mouth? I wouldn’t repeat a single one of them. Tony told her off but good.”

  While DeeNae chattered, Catherine grabbed her crutches and used the bathroom. She started the tub running herself and poured in some bath salts.

  “Need some help?” called Jenny.

  “No, I’ll figure it out.”

  “How soon do you want breakfast?”

  “Thirty minutes.”

  When Catherine came out of the bathroom in her terry robe, the girls were gone and Tony sat at the table with her breakfast. He’d also brought a plate for himself. “Good morning, Princess.” He kissed her and the towel fell off her head. “Sit down and eat.”

  She ran her fingers through her damp hair. “I hope I didn’t miss anything this morning.”

  “Nope. Henry and his crew left early this morning. They’ll be back in a few days to shoot the next segment, whatever that is.”

  “Cooking with your mother. Tony, I know Henry didn’t have it planned this way, but I think you should tell the others who she is and why she’s coming.”

  He buttered a croissant. “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want anyone to say I cheated. I want to win you fair and square.”

  His dark eyes sparkled. “What makes you think you’re going to win?”

  “I know you’re thinking about it or I wouldn’t still be here. There are only three of us left, and DeeNae isn’t really a contender. No matter how charming she is, she’d drive you crazy. That leaves me and Jenny.”

  He stared at his plate for a few seconds and then put two strips of bacon inside his croissant and took a bite. His silence made her uneasy, and she knew if she wanted him, she’d have to tell him how she felt about him. But the words wouldn’t come, and her throat was so full she couldn’t eat.

  “Eat, Catherine. You didn’t eat dinner last night and I know you’re hungry.”

  She picked up her fork and set it down. “Do you feel anything at all for me? Or are you in love with Jenny?”

  Instead of answering her question, he said, “I’ll tell the others about my mother. Now eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”

  Catherine felt like crying. Tony loved Jenny, but she had to believe that a little part of him loved her, too. If she didn’t believe that, she couldn’t finish the show.

  She ate everything on her plate except a strip of bacon. “Can I give this to Riley?”

  “He’s out playing on the beach with Jessie and Jenny and DeeNae. He loves kids.”

  “So do I,” she whispered, and if Tony didn’t pick her, she might never have any.

  Tony helped her get dressed and pushed her outside in the wheelchair. Her right foot was elevated to keep the swelling down, but she looked like she was in pain. “Catherine, did you take a pain pill this morning?”

  “No, I forgot.”

  “Where are they?”

  “In my purse, but I think I left it in the suite.”

  “I’ll find it.” He jogged up the stairs and into the suite the women had shared until last night. Jenny and her little girl were staying there together now. He had no idea what Catherine’s purse looked like, but he found a purse and dug inside. And found birth control pills. Only these weren’t Catherine’s. They were Jenny’s. She also had several condoms tucked in the side pocket.

  “What the hell?” Was she just being prepared in case things worked out on the show, or did she have something going with another guy?

  He put it all back the way he’d found it and grabbed the other purse. Catherine’s pills were inside, so he put the pills in his pocket and took the purse to Catherine’s room.

  Catherine was on the patio right where he’d left her, and Riley was now standing guard. The dog seemed to sense that she needed him. Tony handed her a pill and a bottle of cold water. “Where are the others?”

  “They didn’t come back yet.”

  He pulled up a chair and waited until she took her pill. “Catherine, I want
to ask you about the other women.”

  “Say what you mean, Tony. Is this about Jenny?”

  “I didn’t mean to snoop, but I picked up the wrong purse, and—”

  “You found her birth control pills? I saw them when the cops were going through Fawn’s purse. They had Jenny’s name on them. Are you surprised?”

  “Hell, yes.” Jenny said Jessie’s father was out of the picture, but she didn’t say she didn’t have another man in her life.

  “Maybe she’s taking them to regulate her periods or something.”

  Maybe so, but that didn’t explain the condoms. “What do you know about her?”

  “We went to boarding school together. High school. Her father had passed away, and her family didn’t have any money, so she was there on scholarship. I didn’t see her after high school until this show. A lot can happen in twelve years, Tony. I don’t really know her now.”

  Tony tried to find the words to ask, but he wasn’t sure Catherine would know if Jenny had another guy in her life. Why would she be here if she had someone else?

  Jenny and DeeNae came up from the beach with Jessie, and Riley’s tail started to thump. Tony motioned with his hand. “Go see Jessie.” Riley took off running, tail wagging.

  “Why don’t you spend a little time with DeeNae today, Tony?”

  He groaned. “The woman never shuts her mouth.”

  Catherine was still laughing when Jessie ran up to Tony and asked, “Are you gonna be my new daddy?”

  Jenny smiled, but DeeNae’s jaw tightened and her lips pressed tightly together. The mood had shifted. And people said men played rough. An NFL linebacker couldn’t compete on this level.

  Catherine changed the subject. “Tony was just telling me that the next segment will include his mother. She’s flying down for the show.”

  “Oh, I’d love to meet your mother, Tony,” said DeeNae.

  “We all would,” said Catherine, and Tony knew he had to warn his mother not to let on that she’d already met Catherine.

  For the first time since he’d met her, Tony was having doubts about Jenny, but holding her little girl on his lap, those doubts faded away. This was what it was all about—finding someone to love and making babies like Jessie. With this woman, he’d have a head start on the family part.

  Two months ago, he wouldn’t have thought of having a wife and family of his own, but the more he thought about it now, the better it sounded. No more prowling singles bars, no more sleeping in strange beds, and no more sex with women he didn’t really care about.

  Could he settle for one woman?

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  Fawn was arraigned and Spike bailed her out. She knew Spike would expect something in exchange for the bail money, so she told him everything she knew about the Timmons estate and the Andrews estate. Cara Andrews had a ton of security and a lot of people in the house, so there was no easy way to get into that place without getting caught.

  The Timmons place was a different story. The cops had searched her car and found Walt’s ring and two of his credit cards. They’d also confiscated the gate opener. But she knew the code to open the gate without the opener. Sanchez kept an eye on the place, but he was no security guard. He didn’t even carry a gun.

  Walt had surely been released from the hospital by now, and if he was in the house, he wouldn’t be any threat. He was an old man. He probably had a nurse and cook and housekeeper with him, though.

  There was another, smaller house on the property, the house Walt’s sister lived in before she married and moved to France. The house was partially hidden on the back of the hill, and it stood empty now, except for the furniture Walt’s sister had left behind. Fawn had found the hidden key one day when Walt was out playing golf and Sanchez was busy cleaning the pool.

  She needed money to hire a good attorney. With the three strikes law, a conviction could send her to prison for life. The only other option was to leave the state, but if she did, Spike would come looking for her. He expected her to work for him now, not just to help him clean out the Timmons estate, but to return to his stable of prostitutes.

  A few weeks ago, she thought she’d marry a rich man and eliminate all her worries. Now she’d lost her freedom. If the State of California didn’t take it away, Spike would.

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  Over the next few days, Tony tried to spend an equal amount of time with each of the women. He played in the pool with Jenny and Jessie, and walked on the beach with DeeNae. Catherine’s foot swelled if she stood on it long, and she couldn’t get it wet until after it healed, so he watched movies with her.

  When he was with Catherine, it was like no one else existed. She wasn’t afraid to be herself, where Jenny and DeeNae always seemed to be on their best behavior. DeeNae was a nice woman, attractive and charming. Her continuous stream of chatter could be from nerves, but it never stopped. Everyone in his family talked, but they also listened to each other. DeeNae didn’t listen. She just talked.

  Jenny didn’t talk too much, and the only time he’d seen her angry was with Fawn. None of the women had liked Fawn. Jenny was attentive and loving with Jessie, and she was without a doubt the most beautiful of the three women left to choose from. When he was with her, it felt right. If he’d never met Catherine, the choice would be an easy one. But he had, and he wasn’t prepared to choose between Jenny and Catherine. Could a man love two women at the same time?

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  Monday afternoon, Henry and the crew returned to the estate, and the women all moved back into the suite. Catherine shared a bed with DeeNae, and Jenny’s little girl slept with her mother. Mitzi had been fired, so the people on Cara’s staff pitched in to help baby-sit.

  In the sitting room, with the camera on them, DeeNae said to Catherine, “I wonder if it would make a difference if one of us had a child. Tony seems caught up with little Jessie.”

  “I know. Jenny is using her, and I don’t like it. Tony can’t eliminate Jenny without feeling guilty about Jessie. That means one of us will be leaving tomorrow.”

  “And the other one on the last night,” said DeeNae.

  Catherine hoped that was what Henry wanted to hear. She knew DeeNae would be going home next. Competing against Jenny was one thing.

  Competing against an adorable three-year-old was another.

  Catherine tried to tell herself that if Tony wanted another woman, she was better off without him. Her head said if he didn’t love her, she didn’t want him. Her heart told her he was her one true love, and she’d lead a miserable life without him.

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  Tony’s mother arrived, and he met her at the plane. On the ride to the house, she talked about the family, filling him in on what his siblings and cousin were doing. Since the day Nick ran away from his drunk mother and appeared on the doorstep of their tiny house in LA, he was one of them. Poor kid was skinny and scarred, inside and out, but Ma took care of him the same way she took care of her own kids. With love.

  They were almost back at the house when she asked about the cooking segment. “Catherine is one of the women here, Ma. Nobody is supposed to know you’ve met before, so don’t treat her any different than the others.”

  Ma’s eyes lit up. “Catherine? Oh, Tony.”

  She loved Catherine, and she was probably already planning the wedding. “Don’t go calling the priest or anything, Ma.” She patted his cheek and smiled, and he knew she’d have those rosary beads clicking tonight, praying for another wedding and more grandbabies.

  “There’s a change in the plans for the cooking lesson. Since Catherine knows you’re my mother, she thought the others should know, too, so all three girls—DeeNae, Jenny, and Catherine—know you’re my mother. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Oh, and Catherine hurt her foot, so she can’t stand up too long.”

  “Oh, poor baby,” she said, and he knew Catherine would be getting a big dose of TLC from an expert in dishing it out.

  “Jenny has her little girl here. Jessie is three.”r />
  “She’s divorced?”

  “I don’t think she’s ever been married,” said Tony, but he didn’t know. Jenny said Jessie’s father left after she was born and that he was a mean drunk. She didn’t say they were married. After finding the birth control pills and condoms in her purse, he didn’t know what to think. He just knew it made him uneasy. This woman had secrets, important things she hadn’t told him.

  Things he needed to know.

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  Catherine trooped into the kitchen with Jenny and DeeNae. Sophia wore a big white apron and a sweet smile. DeeNae walked up to her first and offered her hand. “Mrs. … You know, I don’t know your last name.”

  “It’s Donatelli, but you can call me Sophia.” Sophia pulled her into a warm hug.

  Catherine watched Jenny’s face when she heard the name Donatelli. Either she didn’t recognize it or she already knew, because she didn’t react. Tony might have told her, but that was unlikely. He didn’t want anyone to know. DeeNae didn’t know before, because she was gushing again, asking if Sophia was related to the man who’d married Cara Andrews.

  “Nicky is my nephew, but I love him like my own son,” Sophia replied. “Nicky and Tony are like brothers.”

  The camera was on them, and Catherine knew Henry would be delighted. The Donatelli name would pull in viewers, and they were shooting here in Cara’s home. Henry would play this for all it was worth. Someone should have warned Sophia.

  Jenny introduced herself next, and Sophia hugged her and asked her about her little girl. DeeNae kept shooting Catherine wide-eyed looks. Now that she knew who Tony was, the game had changed for her. Nothing had changed for Catherine. It didn’t matter to her what Tony’s last name was or if he was rich or poor. She loved him. He had a great family, but she’d love Tony without his family.

  She should have used the fireman on the show and kept Tony for herself. If she lost him to Jenny, she had no one to blame but herself.

  Sophia hugged Catherine and fussed over her sore foot while DeeNae launched into the story about the relative with the gout. The girl from Tennessee was nice enough, but Catherine had grown to hate the sound of her voice.