In Plain Sight

by Susanne Matthews

  It had been equally difficult to keep her mind and body from revisiting the incredible kiss they’d shared. She’d almost incinerated in his arms. The molten lava that had pooled in her nether regions had been a sensation unlike any she’d ever felt before. She most certainly hoped he kept his promise to kiss her again soon. This was probably the worse time to get involved with someone, but Misty thought she’d already gone beyond the point of no return.

  She was carrying the tray past the breakfast bar when her cell phone vibrated again. She’d turned it back on when Nick mentioned that he wasn’t sure Amber had his number; he’d forgotten to hand it out at the rehearsal on Thursday night. The blocked calls she kept getting weighed heavily on her mind.

  She put down the tray and reached for her cell.

  “Hello?” The sound of empty air at the other end was unnerving. “Hello?” She heard the distinct click of someone hanging up. She checked the caller ID, and it said “number unavailable” just like before. If the number of calls was correct, her phantom caller had phoned more than a dozen times. She noticed that she only had one bar of service. That could also be the problem — the calls weren’t connecting properly. She sighed. The flip phone was an older model, and she’d purchased it specifically because it had no GPS in it. The last thing the FBI wanted was to make anyone in the Witness Protection Plan easy to trace. She turned off the phone and went into the dining room. If Amber wanted her, she’d have to wait until tomorrow.

  Nick had finished his lava cake with amazing speed. “There’s one left; would you like more cake, Nick?” she asked.

  “If there’s more, sure,” he answered quickly, and Laura laughed.

  “I told you he was a fan of all things chocolate. That was the best meal I’ve had in ages. I love that maple glaze on the salmon. You’ll have to share the recipe,” she said.

  Micah laughed. “Why would she do that? A good chef keeps her secrets. If we want her salmon again, we’ll just have to invite ourselves to dinner.”

  It was good to know everyone had enjoyed the meal. It was the least she could do for the kindness Nick and his family had shown her.

  “Unless Nick has some objection, you’re welcome to come and have dinner anytime, but I don’t mind sharing my recipes.” She looked over at Debbie, whose eyes had started to glaze over, a sure sign she’d been up too long. It was after eight, and bedtime was usually seven. She stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get that little one to bed before she drops face-first into her plate. Come on, munchkin. Time for bed in that fancy new bed of yours.”

  Debbie stood and walked over to Nick. She touched his arm. “Mr. Nick, can I kiss you goodnight?”

  “You certainly can,” he said, and Misty could tell he was touched by her child’s words. “You can kiss me anytime you want.”

  “Thank you for my play yard and my toys and my room and my bed,” she said, planting a kiss on his cheek each time. “I like your house, and I’m going to go to bed and sleep with my eyes closed, so when I open them in the morning, I’ll be surprised all over again. I wish I could live here all the time.”

  The adults at the table smiled at the child’s words. Everything seemed so simple when you were four years old.

  “You can stay as long as you want, princess,” Nick answered.

  “Come on, Christy,” said Charlotte to her daughter, who was no less tired than Debbie. “Let’s get you settled, too.” She turned to Misty. “Once they’re down, I’ll help you clean up the kitchen. They’ll be fine upstairs with the intercom on. We’ll hear them if anything happens.”

  Laura stood up. “Well, that’s our cue to exit, too. I’m on duty at the clinic from nine until midnight, so we have to go. Micah promised to keep me company, but I have a feeling he’ll be watching hockey more than he’ll be talking to me.” She turned to Nick and hugged him. “Thanks again for having us, Nick.”

  “You know that you’re always welcome here, Laura,” Nick answered and added as if as an afterthought, “and you can bring Micah, too.”

  Micah stood, walked over to Misty, and gave her a hug. “You’re an exceptional cook; in fact, you’re exceptional in many ways. Don’t forget, we have rehearsal in the morning. Will you bring Debbie with you?”

  “No, as long as Charlotte is here, she’ll watch her while I’m gone. Since the restoration company said two weeks, she’ll be here for the opening, and she’s offered to come back the following week if I need her, so that problem is solved.”

  She picked up her daughter, who looked ready to fall asleep on her feet. “I’d better get the munchkin up to bed. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.” She walked toward the staircase that led upstairs. Before she started up, she turned toward Nathan and Nick.

  “I’ll be back down to clean up as soon as she’s settled. We need to inventory the pantry and make a list of menu ideas for tomorrow and next week.” She felt herself blush as she asked, “If you don’t have anything else to do, I wouldn’t mind some company, and I’d like to get to know your food preferences. All things chocolate is a broad description.”

  Nick laughed. “But it’s oh so good. They even make chocolate-covered cereal! We’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready. Nathan, why don’t you open another bottle of wine?”

  Misty followed Charlotte up the staircase to the second floor. It had been a long day for both girls, and Misty worried that, overtired and overexcited as she was, Debbie might have a night terror, but there was nothing she could do about it other than hope it would be a short one if it came.

  While Debbie and Christy dutifully brushed their teeth, Misty set out the new clothing her child would wear tomorrow, as did Charlotte.

  “I’m glad you were able to get that laundry done while they played,” she said to Charlotte. “Hornakin smells a whole lot better, as does Green Blankie.” Charlotte had washed the pajamas, too, so everything smelled clean. Misty went into the bathroom and washed the girls’ faces and then herded them back to the bedroom.

  Once the girls were in their pajamas, they took another five minutes debating which story Misty would read. Charlotte settled Christy into the bed, kissed her, and went downstairs to clean up. Misty pulled the rocking chair up between the beds so the girls could both see the pictures in the book they’d chosen and read the story about a little blue hippopotamus, or hippo horse as Debbie called him, who went out to find new friends. When she’d finished reading, she closed the book.

  “That was a good story, Mommy. There’s a lot of new books on the shelf and some the same as my old ones. I saw The Lonely Fairy. You can read that one tomorrow night.” She yawned and settled back onto the pillow.

  “This is a nice bed. I like Mr. Nick. Do you think I can ask him to be my new daddy? Christy wants a new daddy, too. Everybody at daycare has a daddy except us. Don’t you want a new daddy?” she asked Christy.

  The shy little girl nodded and buried her face in her pillow.

  “Maybe Mr. Nathan could be your new daddy, and we could live here together for always.”

  Not prepared to get into that discussion at this time, Misty smiled and gave her usual noncommittal answer. “Let’s wait and see. You two can make wish-secrets, but don’t say anything to anybody about them. We don’t talk about wish-secrets if we want them to come true.”

  “Okay, but if we don’t ask, how will he know we want him?”

  Misty settled her into bed, covered her, and kissed her goodnight. “He’ll know, sweetheart, he’ll know. Now don’t think about it anymore. Goodnight. I love you.”

  “Love you too, Mommy.”

  “Goodnight, Christy,” she said, but the child was already asleep.

  Misty turned on the nightlight that made stars appear on the ceiling and turned off the bedroom light. She’d bought the lamp earlier and hoped Debbie would like it.

  “Mommy, it’
s magic,” she said and yawned, asleep almost before Misty left the room.

  Misty shook her head. How she envied a child’s ability to just drop off like that. Now, if only she stays asleep. She hoped tonight would be a good night for both of them.

  She’d have to deal with Debbie’s daddy request sooner rather than later, since her daughter was like a dog with a bone when she got an idea into her head. Did she get that determination from Kevin? She allowed herself to think of Nick as a father. He would make a wonderful daddy. In a few short hours he’d been more of a father to the child than any man ever had.

  Misty was attracted to Nick on so many different levels, and the wonderful things he’d done for her daughter was just one of them. She thought of her crying jag earlier. Why having someone do something nice for her had been more than she could handle, she didn’t know, but she could get used to having someone hold her once in a while. She’d felt so safe.

  She turned up the sound level on the intercom as Nathan had shown her. She was glad Nick had installed such a system; otherwise, she’d have had to stay upstairs after Debbie was in bed. Now she could look forward to spending time alone with him — well, not really alone, but she’d take what she could get.

  Chapter Eleven

  Misty went down the stairs and walked toward the kitchen. Everything had been cleaned up, and the dishwasher hummed. Nick, Nathan, and Charlotte were all seated at the kitchen table chatting, a full glass of wine in front of each of them and another waiting for her. Someone had placed a pad and pen on the table.

  “Here she is now,” said Nick, turning toward her.

  “Let me guess,” she laughed, “you smelled me coming; I’m going to get a complex over that.”

  Charlotte frowned. “What do you mean? I can’t smell anything.”

  “Neither can I,” added Nathan, his expression as confused as hers.

  Misty reddened. “That’s good to know, but Nick’s nose is more sensitive than yours. He can smell my body lotion.”

  “The patchouli? Really? You hardly wear any of it.” Charlotte looked at her, cocked her head to the side and turned to look at Nick.

  Nick laughed. “Actually, I heard the bottom step creak, but I do like the way she smells.”

  Misty sat at the table, and together they began to inventory the kitchen, pantry, and freezer. With the exception of ice cubes and two cartons of chocolate ice cream, the freezer was empty.

  “You don’t have to worry about meat. I’ve ordered beef, lamb, pork, and chicken, and Joe Swenson will have it cut and wrapped by the end of the week,” said Nick.

  The rest of the job took less than fifteen minutes. Charlotte and Nathan had taken the pantry, while she’d checked the kitchen and Nick had kept her company making small talk while she checked cupboards, drawers, and the fridge. When the lists were given to Misty, she chuckled.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t have much on hand. Other than four boxes of presweetened cereal, half a loaf of bread, more candy than I’d allow Debbie to have in a year, and coffee, tea, and various condiments, everything else is something I brought or had Swenson’s deliver. If that’s the kind of junk you’ve been eating, it’s a wonder you haven’t gained a ton of weight.” She stopped, embarrassed by her outburst. He had a beautiful body that didn’t appear to have an ounce of fat on it.

  “Well,” Nick said. “I did have vegetables last night. I finished a bag of potato chips. At least you know I was serious when I said I needed a cook. As far as the weight goes, I have a roomful of exercise equipment. I use the treadmill daily. I love to walk, but walking alone in unfamiliar territory isn’t the smartest thing to do. Now that you’re here, maybe we can do some exploring together. Nathan can cook. He can make mac and cheese, heat up soup, and slap together an excellent peanut butter and jam sandwich, but that’s the extent of his culinary skills. My diet was about to improve.”

  Nathan chuckled. “I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think the FDA classifies potato chips as a vegetable. My cooking skills aren’t quite as bad as you think, but I’m no chef. After tonight’s meal, I don’t mind letting Misty do the cooking. Take-out gets a little tiresome when it’s every night. So, menu planning! What gourmet delights do you have simmering for next week?”

  “Do they include chocolate chip pancakes?” asked Nick.

  Misty laughed. “You seem to have the same tastes as my daughter.”

  “I love chocolate chip pancakes. My mom used to make them every Saturday morning when I was a kid.”

  “What other foods did you enjoy?” she asked wanting to prepare as many of his favorite dishes as she could.

  “I’m a big fan of pasta, as you can imagine. Bread and pasta were staples around our house. I eat rice and quinoa, but give me good old semolina any day. I love most fish, and I enjoy seafood. If the main course is salad, it’ll need to include lots of protein. Just about the only thing I won’t eat are organ meats; you can keep the liver and onions.”

  “Gee, and that’s what I’d planned for tomorrow night.” The look of utter revulsion on his face made her laugh. “Just kidding. I know it’s supposed to be good for you, but Debbie doesn’t like it either, and it’s not worth the fight to get her to eat it.”

  The relief on his face made her laugh. “That’s great — not that she won’t eat it, but that you probably won’t cook it. I can’t stand the smell of it, and you know how sensitive my nose is.”

  “I’ll bet you’d try it if I coated it in chocolate.” She chuckled. “You’re safe. I wouldn’t want to upset my new boss.” A look of discomfort crossed his face, but he masked it quickly. She frowned. What did I say to upset him?

  “Actually, we have a tradition on Saturday nights in the Starr household that I’d like to continue — that is if it’s okay with you. Debbie and I usually have homemade pizza for supper, with do-it-yourself sundaes for dessert, and then we watch a movie together. I can make you and Nathan something else — maybe a steak on the grill? The four of us ladies can spend the evening upstairs and give you some guy time.

  “Actually I’d like pizza and a movie.” Nick said. Silence greeted his comment. “Hey, I may not be able to see it, but I can listen to the dialogue.”

  Nathan laughed as if it were the funniest thing he’d heard. “You probably just want the sundae, but if you don’t mind one more, Misty, I’ll have pizza and the movie, too.” Misty saw the way he looked at Charlotte and smiled.

  “I’m not sure you’ll be too keen on this movie. The girls haven’t made up their minds, but it will definitely be a princess movie of some kind.”

  “I’ll have you know I love princess movies,” Nick stated, looking as serious as he could, but Misty could see the sparkle in his eyes. “I’m particularly fond of the one with the talking dishes and the organ with the bad attitude.” Wanting to spend time with her and Debbie to listen to a movie he probably wouldn’t have listened to in a million years endeared him to her even more.

  “Okay, but I don’t think Beauty and the Beast is on the short list; we watched it last week. Fair is fair. After the girls go to bed, you can choose something else or we can watch the basketball game. Isn’t there one on tonight?” Micah, Nathan, and Nick had talked basketball over dinner, so she knew they enjoyed the game.

  “There is,” Nathan answered. “It started about an hour ago. There’s a hockey game, too. Will menu planning take much longer?”

  “We’re done.” She stood and picked up her glass of wine and the pad of paper. “Now that I know what you won’t eat, I can come up with menus on my own. Thanks for helping me. I’ll go up now.”

  “Stay and watch the game with me?” asked Nick, reaching for her hand. The look of uncertainly on his face touched her.

  “I’d like that.”

  The four of them went into the living room. Misty and Nick sat on the s
ofa while Charlotte and Nathan took the matching love seat. Nathan had turned on the gas fireplace so the room was warm and cozy despite the rain that fell incessantly outside. The sound of raindrops on the window, loud until the television was turned on, reminded her she’d forgotten to get rubber boots for Debbie. She’d have to see to it after rehearsal tomorrow. She pulled her mind away from thoughts of why she was here in the first place and tried to relax next to Nick.

  What Misty knew about basketball and hockey could probably be written on one sheet of paper, but she knew she could learn to love the sports. Sitting with Nick’s arm around her, held tightly to him as if he were afraid she’d leave if he let go, Misty was more content than she’d been in years. She snuggled closer and he moved to fit her more comfortably in his arms.

  Despite his blindness, Nick had no trouble using the remote to flip between the hockey game and the basketball game. The hockey game ended first, with Boston beating out the Senators, an outcome that pleased both men. Once the hockey was settled, the television stayed on the basketball game, which went into overtime. Cradled in his arms, like this, Misty could hear the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek and felt secure. The game ended just after eleven with Michigan State victorious once more.

  “It’s late,” she said, sitting up reluctantly. “I’d better get to bed. Debbie doesn’t understand the meaning of ‘sleeping in’ and will be up by seven. I believe I have pancakes to make for breakfast.”

  “Chocolate chip?” he asked hopefully.

  “Could be,” she answered.

  “Come on. I’ll walk you home.” Nick winked at her and stood when she did. He did so many things that made her forget his blindness.

  “We’ll take the elevator,” Nathan called as he and Charlotte headed back to the kitchen.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Nick took her in his arms and pulled her tightly to him.

  “Misty, I had a wonderful evening, but I don’t want to be your employer.” His hand rubbed her back as it had earlier.