Moonlight Over Seattle

by Callie Endicott

  Terri might tease, even poke Jordan about finding ways not to be objective, but Chelsea wouldn’t dare, even if Nicole wasn’t her boss.

  It would be great if they ended up together, but as much as Chelsea loved her brother, she knew he wasn’t interested in marriage or commitment. For that matter, she didn’t know if Nicole was interested, either, but she clearly had a soft heart beneath her polished exterior.

  Chelsea also wasn’t sure if Jordan realized how easily a guy could hurt a woman, even if he didn’t hit her. Ron would probably be appalled to be described as abusive or hurtful, but he’d controlled her and made her feel as if she couldn’t do anything right. Jordan would never physically abuse a woman, but he liked to keep his life orderly, or maybe he’d call it managed. More than that, he kept a distance between himself and other people. To a woman in love, craving tenderness and connection, that could be deeply painful.

  Her brain buzzed. None of this was her business, but she loved her brother and she cared about Nicole and hoped neither of them would end up with a broken heart.

  She got dressed and looked out the window again, wondering when she should leave for work. It would be awkward to run into Jordan. Maybe she should get an early start—there was plenty to do and she wanted to make up the time Nicole had given her for the baseball game. Or would Jordan leave early himself, to try to keep them from crossing paths in case she found it awkward? He was a cynic, but she knew that when it came to her and Terri, he tried to watch out for them, even if the way he did it could be overbearing.

  Oddly, she wished she could ask Barton’s opinion—except that would just underscore Jordan’s overnight presence in the neighborhood. Besides, she needed to make her own decisions.

  Grabbing a box of protein bars on the way out of the apartment, Chelsea hurried downstairs and into her car, breathing easier once she’d left the neighborhood behind.

  This way she’d have two full hours of phone silence at the agency. Well...two hours when she wasn’t obligated to answer the phone, giving her time to concentrate on the various forms Nicole had shown her. Nicole wasn’t crazy about paperwork, but Chelsea enjoyed the precision of seeing a task accomplished and was looking forward to taking full responsibility.

  Two hours later a hard rapping on the door drew her attention. Swiftly she unlocked the door and Ashley Vanders rushed inside.

  “Why is this door locked during work hours?” she demanded.

  Trying to quell the quaking in her stomach, Chelsea glanced at the clock. It was only five after nine and she could see Nicole coming in from the parking lot. Surely opening a few minutes late wasn’t a firing offense.

  “Can I help you, Miss Vanders?”

  “I’d like to know why the door was locked when the agency is supposed to be open.”

  Nicole had stepped inside, but the model paid no attention to the chime.

  “I apologize. I was concentrating on paperwork and didn’t realize it was past nine,” Chelsea said.

  “In any case, Ashley,” Nicole said briskly, “Chelsea isn’t your employee, she’s mine. If you’re interested in leaving modeling and becoming an agent, that’s your decision, but first you need to serve out the contract I negotiated for you at the car dealership. Plus you should know we won’t be able to consider taking you on as a junior agent at Moonlight Ventures.”

  Tory’s face turned flustered, though still belligerent. “No. I mean, I wasn’t saying that. I was just upset because she was here and the door was locked.”

  “So that’s why you dropped by today, to find out if my office manager was doing things to your liking?”

  The arrogance in the model’s face faded and she blushed. “No. I’m sorry, Nicole and, uh, Chelsea. I’m here because I need to talk.”

  “Then come back to my office.”

  After giving Chelsea the barest of winks, Nicole conducted Ashley down the hallway. Chelsea tried not to giggle. If only she could be so poised and quick-witted when someone was being difficult. But she was getting better at it.

  Settling back in her chair, she returned to the form she’d been studying, certain she could begin taking care of this part of the paperwork for the agency right away.

  The phone started ringing and she launched into the more challenging aspect of her job, dealing with people.

  Much as she loved working for Moonlight Ventures, the people part took a lot of energy. She was looking forward to this weekend when she was going hiking with Barton.

  A shiver of anticipation went through Chelsea. Doing something with Barton was another challenge because of the way he made her feel, but she was looking forward to it. He’d promised they wouldn’t do anything too strenuous—he just wanted to show her the Smith family’s favorite huckleberry picking sites.

  Her lips curved. Things in Seattle were good, even if Ron had sent another package and called again. Surely he’d give up soon and she could focus on her new life.

  * * *

  NICOLE FORCED HERSELF to listen as Ashley complained about how the car dealership commercials were being made. Then she explained, again, that it was normal. Ashley needed to remember that the product being sold was the car, not the actress.

  “But they want me to do the same thing over and over as if I hadn’t done it right and I know I did,” Ashley protested.

  “Ashley, you’ve modeled before and know that repetition is to be expected.”

  “Not like this.”

  “Live action commercials often require even more repetition. The photographer and the director are the ones who get to decide if something is right, not the models or actors. Are they asking you to do anything dangerous or treating you inappropriately?”

  “Uh, no.”

  “So you need to do it as many times as they decide are necessary unless you want them to try and break the contract. Trust me, the last thing you want is a reputation for being difficult. It can kill a career.”

  Ashley gulped and left, looking both alarmed and chastened. Nicole sighed. Dealing with her most annoying client wouldn’t have been her first choice to start the morning.

  The night before had been pleasurable in the extreme, and it had gone on until after midnight. She would have preferred Jordan to leave at that point, but they’d fallen asleep before any discussion could take place. In the morning she had woken up and managed to dress and slip out without disturbing him.

  Jordan’s life seemed so polished and planned. Maybe she should have made sure he saw her with mussed hair and creased skin from wrinkles on the pillow case. Instead, she’d simply left written instructions on how to leave the house without setting off the security system and then headed for the office.

  She checked back with Chelsea and realized she must have come in early. Chelsea waved it off, pointing out that she’d left before closing on Monday to attend the ballgame. While they were still discussing paperwork, Nicole saw Jordan pull into the parking lot.

  She groaned to herself.

  So she hadn’t totally avoided the “morning after.” Knowing Chelsea might realize where her brother spent the night made it even more awkward.

  Nicole straightened. She had made a decision; she hadn’t been coerced or seduced into something she didn’t want. Now she simply had to deal with the fallout.

  “Good morning,” she said as Jordan came through the door. “I didn’t expect to see you today.”

  “I wondered if you have time for more interview questions.” His face and tone were admirably casual. Perhaps he didn’t feel any awkwardness since he must have plenty of experience with morning-after encounters. Though maybe not...he might be the type to get dressed and be out the door as soon as the fireworks ended. Besides, he’d spent the night with someone he was interviewing for an article. That put a whole new, uncomfortable twist on it.

  No recriminations or regrets. That was what she’d proposed, so
it was time to practice it.

  “If you can wait an hour, I’ll give you about ninety minutes.”

  “Sure.”

  Turning, he walked out the door.

  “I’d better get busy,” she said to Chelsea and went to her office where she dealt with several requests and returned a number of phone calls. The hour passed swiftly, too swiftly, without a chance to think ahead.

  “Nicole?” Chelsea stuck her head through the door. “I saw Jordan coming from the far end of the parking lot. Just thought I’d alert you.”

  “Thanks. I’ve got one more call to make, so keep him in the waiting area until you see the light on my phone blink off.”

  She called the director who’d been working with Ashley and caught an earful about sulky models who’d gotten too bigheaded. After she promised she had already discussed the reality of making television ads with her client, he calmed down and agreed to give it another shot.

  Hanging up the phone in relief, she settled back in her desk chair and waited. It didn’t take more than a minute for Jordan to tap politely and come inside.

  “Is everything good with you?” he asked. He wasn’t hesitant or uncertain—something like that would be out of character—but he was intently focused.

  “Absolutely. What are your questions?” Nicole kept her voice and expression brisk and neutral. Nothing had changed provided they didn’t make a big deal out of it, though she couldn’t help wondering if Jordan’s cynicism would make him decide she’d slept with him to influence the article. If he said something, he’d find out just how forthright a former model could be.

  * * *

  JORDAN HADN’T KNOWN what to expect from Nicole since her reactions generally didn’t fit what he expected from women. The obvious and rather embarrassing explanation was that he usually sought out a certain kind of feminine company, so naturally Nicole didn’t fit his preconceptions.

  “Should we talk about last night first?”

  She shook her head. “It isn’t necessary to talk about it at all. We didn’t unexpectedly lose control, so we aren’t faced with any ‘oh no, what have we done,’ questions. Or is there something you need to discuss?”

  “I suppose not.”

  “Then let’s get to the interview.”

  Jordan couldn’t decide which seemed most unreal, the night before, or Nicole’s calm dismissal of it.

  “I was thinking about your popularity as a model,” he began. “Are you frequently asked to return to modeling? I don’t mean in the way that photographer tried to manipulate you, but on legit jobs.”

  “My former agent has sent me a number of offers and I occasionally get them directly.”

  Jordan wrote something in his neat little notebook. “How do you feel about that?”

  “It’s flattering. Who doesn’t enjoy being in demand?”

  “But does it make you regret changing careers?”

  “Wouldn’t that be normal?” she said casually.

  “There you go, answering a question with a question.”

  “Sorry. I warned your editor that I wasn’t a good interviewee.” Nicole leaned forward. “But I keep wondering something...why did you agree to do these articles? Was it just the loyalty to Sydnie Winslow that you mentioned? While you seem on board now, you didn’t seem in favor of it when you first started.”

  “I wasn’t,” he admitted. “The only reason I agreed was because Syd asked. I had no interest in a supermodel’s decision to change careers and I didn’t want to interview you because I knew I wasn’t objective, not with our history and, er, other things.”

  She cocked her head. “I keep getting the impression there’s something you aren’t telling me.”

  “It isn’t relevant,” he said. What good would it do at this late date for Nicole to learn his mother had tried to seduce her father and how it had poisoned the relationship between the two families? Or that he’d witnessed the hideous event.

  “I’d like to know,” Nicole said firmly.

  “Later, maybe. For now, I’d like to hear about when you first considered leaving modeling.”

  As they talked, he could see she was making a genuine effort to answer his questions. It was probably better than he deserved. At the same time he kept wondering why he’d been determined to speak with her. Less than twelve hours earlier they’d been entwined in her bed. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have avoided seeing her in the immediate future. Of course, he’d never been in this kind of situation, either.

  If he was any judge, spending the night with a man wasn’t something Nicole did often. He’d found it thoroughly pleasurable, but something in her responses had made him think she wasn’t highly experienced.

  According to the research notes, at one point she’d been engaged to a man she’d met in Italy. Her engagement had ended without an explanation to the press and Jordan couldn’t help questioning whether her ex-fiancé, Paulo Gianetti, was the man who’d compared kissing her to dessert. If the breakup had been painful, that might explain her reaction to someone else saying it.

  He made notes as Nicole talked, yet his brain kept circling the subject of their intimacy.

  She’d worked with men considered to be among the most handsome in the world. Adam Wilding was just one example, a guy his sister had described as dreamy. While there had been endless speculation, Nicole had been adamant there was only friendship between her and her business partners. So why had she chosen to become intimate with him last night?

  All too soon the ninety minutes she’d agreed to were over and he was no closer to understanding.

  “That’s great,” Jordan said, closing his notebook without any prompting. “I want to respect your time limitations.”

  “Thanks. When do I get to hear the great mystery you keep avoiding?”

  “It isn’t something I want to discuss here.” He sighed. “How about getting together for dinner tonight?”

  Nicole’s eyes narrowed and she studied him carefully. “That’s hardly a promise to give over with the facts.”

  He was highly uncomfortable at the thought of telling the whole story. Years ago he’d decided it was something no one else needed to hear about, at least from him. The problem was that things had changed with Nicole. How could two people really know each other if one of them was keeping a secret? And he couldn’t even explain to himself the desire to know her on a deeper level.

  Jordan shrugged. “At the very least I’ll tell you some of the story. I’ll get food and come to your place so we can talk in private. Do you like chicken pad Thai?”

  “Yes, but don’t plan on spending the night.”

  “I would never assume that.”

  Deep down he expected Nicole to kick him out once she heard the story he had to tell, so he definitely didn’t think he’d be sharing her bed again.

  * * *

  SCHOOL WASN’T IN session that Friday, so Barton was spending most of the day with Girard and Sylvia, helping his old college friend with the addition they were putting on their house. With a second baby on the way, the two-bedroom starter home they’d picked up wasn’t enough. Sylvia wasn’t due for almost six weeks, so they were trying to add on a nursery before she delivered.

  As much as he loved teaching, Barton looked forward to summer break and couldn’t help considering the other things he’d like to do...such as taking Chelsea camping or riding the ferry over to Bainbridge Island for lunch.

  He’d have to be careful; his plans seemed to include a lot of time with his new neighbor. Almost without thinking, he drove past Moonlight Ventures and had to resist stopping to say hello. He mustn’t forget they were simply friends and this was a new job for Chelsea.

  He frowned, recalling the uncertainty he often glimpsed in her. There were serious cracks in her confidence that he found hard to understand. Chelsea was a gentle, beautiful woman who was int
elligent and competent, yet also unsure of herself. Perhaps it wouldn’t be as striking if her siblings weren’t the opposite. Terri and Jordan exuded so much self-assurance that it seemed to emphasize their sister’s lack of it.

  Perhaps it was due to the bad breakup with her boyfriend, but he suspected there was more to the story. Maybe she would eventually tell him if he proved a good enough friend.

  Yet Barton made a face, knowing he felt more attraction to Chelsea than he should for a strictly platonic relationship.

  Was it possible they could be more someday?

  No, he shouldn’t be speculating in that direction. If nothing else, he didn’t want to be a rebound guy for her. The sanest approach was to enjoy her company without anticipating romance. Otherwise, he could be inviting another emotional crash.

  Perhaps he should stop thinking so much and go to the store and pick up the supplies needed for tomorrow’s hike. After all, he wanted to show Chelsea how terrific it was to live in the Pacific Northwest.

  As a friend.

  * * *

  NICOLE WORKED FURIOUSLY hard the rest of the day. Even what she called a break—sitting with Chelsea and having coffee together—was about seeing how things were going with the office manager.

  Chelsea had already mentioned a recent end to a relationship, and, during their talk in the afternoon, referred to it again.

  “Uh, my ex-boyfriend has called here a few times,” she said apologetically. “I don’t answer when I see Ron’s number on the caller ID, so please don’t think I’m ignoring the phone.”

  “I don’t know if it’s possible to block his incoming calls on a business line, but contact the phone company to see what’s available. In the meantime, if anyone questions you, just say it’s a private matter and you’ve been authorized to deal with the situation at your own discretion.”

  “Thanks.”