Christmas Billionaire

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Christmas Billionaire Page 92

by Nella Tyler


  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “Well, it’s a little embarrassing, but you see, there’s a new officer at work…” Gilda began.

  “Ahhhhh, say no more. You want me to watch over the little one so you can have a date, don’t you?”

  “Oh, bless you — you do understand! Would you?”

  “Of course, any time. Just to tell me when you aren’t coming home, okay? I will let Carson sleep in my extra room if you want to stay overnight, too!” she winked.

  Gilda could have hugged her on the spot. She really did understand!

  “Would Friday be too soon?”

  “Ahhhh, you have a date?”

  Gilda nodded and grinned, flushing.

  “Bring Carson’s jammies with you.” She shooed Gilda out the door with a plate of fresh cookies. Gilda was glowing as she followed Carson into the apartment.

  It just might be that I have a social life again, she marveled to herself.

  Chapter 9

  Gilda felt the excitement of romance on Friday morning. She told Carson she would be out with a friend that evening, so he would be staying late with Mrs. Crutcher. Carson seemed to take it all in stride. Gilda framed it as a great adventure because she’d never been separated from him at bedtime and was concerned how he would respond to a break in his routine.

  She packed a small bag with makeup and a change of clothes. She planned to change clothes and pretty herself up in one of the exam rooms at work. She knew she’d have to let Dr. Keeler in on her plans; it would appear too suspicious otherwise.

  “Doctor?”

  He turned from the lab bench where he was working on tubes of blood and looked at her over his glasses.

  “I have a date this evening and wanted to clear it with you to use an exam room to change clothes later?”

  He turned back to his work and muttered, “Anyone I know?”

  “Well, yes, you did an exam on him at one point.”

  “Yeah?”

  She knew he was waiting for a name. “Cole Stephens.” She waited for his reaction.

  He turned again and grinned. “Figured as much. You had the boy all revved up.”

  “I…”

  “Save it. Seen it before. Have fun. Lock the door and turn out the lights when you leave, huh?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dr. Keeler tipped her a salute on his way out of the unit later that day. Gilda scampered back to an exam room and changed her clothes. She’d brought a cranberry-colored silk shirt over black leather leggings she had splurged on at a close-out sale. The cranberry color emphasized her brown eyes and she felt particularly glamorous in the black leather. She took some extra time with her make-up, outlining her eyes and applying lipstick that matched the shirt. She twisted her long hair into French braid that ran down the back of her head and locked it in with a silver clip she’d had since high school. Satisfied with her appearance, she flipped off the lights, locked the unit door, and headed out of the building.

  She flagged a cab and gave the driver the address Cole had given her. She felt like a tourist as they drove, her face plastered against the window and looking upward. She realized she’d never taken time to really check out the town; she’d focused on getting a job and learning only the basics of getting around.

  When the taxi pulled up in front of a luxury apartment building, she thought she’d given him the wrong address. “Are you sure this is the right place?” she asked, checking the text Cole had sent her again.

  “It’s what you told me, lady,” shrugged the Iranian driver, flipping the mirror around to see her. “Not the right place?”

  “Well, let’s see. I guess this is right. It’s just not what I expected.”

  “You want me to keep meter running?” he asked, only too anxious to earn money while he was sitting in place.

  “No, no, that’s fine. I’ll get out here.” She handed him the fare and opened her door to get out. She was barely out and had reached to shut the door when the taxi sped off, its door slamming from the acceleration. Gilda jumped back in surprise. She nearly fell backward over the curb and someone grabbed her from behind to steady her.

  She looked behind in surprise and saw a doorman in uniform. “Are you okay, Miss?” he asked in a conciliatory tone, his white glove at her elbow.

  “Yes, yes, I’m just fine, thank you.”

  “May I help you, Miss?”

  “I’m looking for apartment eight-oh-one?” she read from Cole’s text.

  “Yes, Miss… That would be Mr. Stephens in his apartment. Right this way. May I have your name?”

  “Sawyer, Gilda Sawyer.”

  “Yes, Miss, you’re expected. Right this way; you can take the express elevator to the apartment.”

  “Are you sure?” Gilda looked again at the text.

  “Miss?”

  “I mean, I don’t think I have the right man. There’s no way Cole would live in a place like this, much less an apartment like this.”

  “I can assure you, Miss, he does indeed. And you are on the guest list.”

  “I am? Well, then let’s check this out,” Gilda nodded and followed him to the revolving door where he led her to an elevator that contained no exterior button, merely a keyhole. He pulled a key from his ring and inserted it.

  “Miss?” he offered as he stood back to allow her to enter.

  Gilda looked at him and then inside the waiting elevator. It was somewhat smaller than normal, but if it was private, that would explain it. It was decorated tastefully with thick carpet and a tapestry-upholstered seat. She walked in and the door closed. She could feel its upward momentum as it sped to the top floor, opening into a private lobby. The door to the apartment opened and there stood Cole. He was dressed in casual, but expensive, tailored slacks and a monogrammed sweater.

  “Cole?” Gilda questioned in amazement.

  “Sure! Who else? Come on in.” He held out his hand and pulled her forward.

  “Who lives here?” Her voice was filled with awe.

  “Well, at the moment, I do. Is that a problem?” His voice indicated he was puzzled.

  “Problem? No… It’s just that I expected…” Her voice trailed off as she fumbled for the right words to say.

  “A trashy, little walk-up on the eighth floor?” His green eyes were sparkling at her discomfiture.

  “Well… Yes, to be honest.”

  “Paybacks are hell, aren’t they?” he teased her, and she knew again it was about his physical exam.

  Cole noticed the brown paper bag Gilda was holding. “What’s in the bag?”

  She crumpled it against herself, attempting to hide it.

  “C’mon, let me see it.”

  “Oh, no, I’d be embarrassed.” Gilda was blushing and he thought it was cute.

  “No, no, don’t be that way. What did you bring with you?” He reached for the bag and pulled it away. Opening it, he looked inside and saw two cans of cola. “What are these for?”

  “I thought I’d bring something for us to drink. Now I’m really embarrassed. Your apartment is nothing like I expected, to tell you the truth.”

  “Really? Why? What did you expect?”

  “I guess I expected something more in keeping with a guy who has been out of work.” She was embarrassed at her obvious assumption.

  “Well, why don’t you come in and sit down. I’ll open a bottle of wine and we can talk. How about if I save the colas for dinner?”

  “Oh, now I really am embarrassed.” She smiled as she blushed, and Cole thought she was adorable.

  He put his arm around her and led her into the living room. She gasped as she saw the New York City skyline through his floor-to-ceiling windows. “Oh my God, this is gorgeous.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”

  Although Cole was standing next to the sofa, she stood still for a few minutes just to look around. His apartment was probably the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Everywhere she looked there were signs of utter luxury. T
he walls were covered with either deeply recessed paneling or a soft, gray leather wallpaper. There were recessed lights in the ceiling highlighting oil paintings hung as they would have been in a gallery. There were what Gilda believed to be painted Chinese lamps with black shades sitting on various tables around the room. The effect was muted and very elegant. Like the wallpaper, the sofa was a soft gray and faced matching club chairs. An oriental room-size rug covered much of what was a Brazilian wood floor.

  “It is just absolutely gorgeous, Cole,” she told him, her voice filled with awe. “But how can you afford to live here on a cop’s salary?”

  “Come over here and sit down.” She walked toward where he held out a glass of red wine. “I hope you like this.”

  “It’s delicious,” she said, taking a tentative sip.

  “So, don’t be afraid. Sit down and I will explain.” She did as he asked, taking a seat on the sofa and carefully sitting erect so as not to spill any of the wine.

  “It’s okay,” he told her. “Just relax, please? I want you to feel at home here.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, running her hand over the soft, luxurious fabric. “So, tell me. Fill me in.”

  He grinned at her words, choosing to ignore the pun. Perhaps, he thought, she isn’t even aware of what she is saying. “Okay, so, what you see around you is obviously above the paygrade of a new cop. I will say, first of all, that even though I’ve been in the military, it’s also above that paygrade. The truth is, Gilda, my family has a little money.”

  “A little money?” Her voice was incredulous.

  He flushed and shifted from foot to foot. “So, they have a lot of money. But don’t think that money is everything. In fact, it can sometimes be the worst thing.”

  “Well, you couldn’t prove it by me,” she told him. “I’ve never had enough to worry about it.”

  “Money can be corrupting. Sometimes, some people think that money takes the place of integrity, good manners, or kindness.”

  “You’re talking like someone who has experience with that?” she prompted, sipping her wine.

  “I suppose you could say that. I’m an only child… Look, I don’t want to bore you with all this,” he said.

  “Oh, you are not boring me. Not one bit. Actually, I would like to hear a little how the money people live.”

  He laughed. “Money people? Is that how you think of me?”

  “Well, I didn’t before, not until just a few minutes ago when I walked in here.” She looked around the room and saw a grand piano sitting at an angle in the corner. “Like that, for instance. Do you play?”

  He nodded. “I’ve been known to tinker a bit.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet. I’ll bet you’re really good tinkerer,” she observed aloud. “In any case, I know for sure you are worth a whole lot more than I am.”

  “My father was strict about my taking lessons. He saw to it that I learned to play the piano, then I golfed, fenced, played billiards, games of strategy, I speak four languages, and know my way around art.”

  Gilda shook her head. “Cole, I think this is a mistake.”

  “What do you mean? Mistake?” He was puzzled, and the atmosphere was instantly tense.

  “I’m just saying that people where I come from don’t mix with the people where you come from. Get it?”

  “You can’t be serious, Gilda. Are you suggesting that you are some sort of money snob?”

  She stood up, setting her glass of wine on the marble-topped coffee table. “What I’m saying, is this. No, I am not a money snob, as you call it. But I do think that you have way more money, education, and contacts than I could ever hope to have in my life. I don’t think I’m your type of girl. I wouldn’t fit into your life. So, for me to stay and to pretend otherwise isn’t going to end well.”

  “You have got to be kidding me, Gilda. Most women would be wrapped all over me, wanting what I have.”

  She frowned, disappointment all over her face. “I’m not most women.” She headed toward the door. “I’ll see you around.”

  “What? Are you serious? You are leaving? I don’t understand. What did I say wrong?”

  He felt a sudden desperation. He had never experienced a woman running out on him before. He was totally unprepared how to handle it. He stood there, momentarily bewildered, and then realized that Gilda had already reached the door, opened it, and was standing outside the elevator. “Wait! Gilda, wait!”

  If it weren’t for the fact that Gilda didn’t know how to open the elevator, she would’ve already been on her way to the lobby. She turned around on her heel and faced him, obviously displeased.

  “Hold on,” he pleaded with her. “What did I say?”

  “It’s actually more of a matter of what you didn’t say,” she told him, softly rebuking him. “You should have warned me. You gave all the signs of someone who is just getting started in life. That led me to believe that we might have something in common. I never expected…well…all this.”

  “Gilda, I had no idea this would be so important to you. I wasn’t aware that I gave you any impression. This is just me. It’s how I live. It’s how I was brought up. It has nothing to do with how I feel about you. Can’t you tell?”

  “Where I come from, people are real. They don’t go out into the world pretending they are someone else.” She felt frustrated and didn’t understand why.

  “Gilda, think about it. In my world they do the same thing. The only differences that my family has a bigger bank account. Everyone thinks he or she is being authentic.” He couldn’t understand why she was getting so upset.

  “No, it starts with a bigger bank account. It goes on to include elegant apartments, fancy art on the walls, and glasses of wine instead of cola.”

  “Gilda, please come back in and sit down. Let’s talk about this. I’m not sure where things went wrong; it wasn’t in my plans to mislead you in any way. Surely, your good manners allow a guy to explain things, don’t they?”

  She frowned at this. He made a good point. She had leapt to conclusions, and that really wasn’t very fair. She supposed he couldn’t help having a lot of money, any more than she could help having none.

  A bit ashamed of herself, she went back into the room and sat down on the sofa. “Okay, tell me all about yourself. Maybe I wasn’t being fair to you. It’s just that my life is very different from yours.”

  “I get that. I don’t blame you. I’ll tell you a little now and maybe more later, if you still want to hear it. After all, we still haven’t had dinner,” he pointed out.

  She nodded and motioned for him to go ahead and talk.

  “Okay, well, the money started with my grandfather. He was in manufacturing, near Chicago. It just so happened that he manufactured engines for small airplanes. This was back in the late thirties.

  “I don’t have to tell you that the war came right after that time, and my grandfather was, as they say, in the right place at the right time. He picked up several contracts from the U.S. government and was turning out engines as quickly as his plant could handle them. He even added on and hired more people when the war didn’t end as quickly as everyone hoped.

  “So, my dad was brought up with money. He was used to having it. Those who know him say that it was used to having him, as well. My father is not a good man, Gilda. He’s used to getting his way, even if it hurts the people around them.

  “He and I were not close. He had his friends, his country club, his business, his mistresses, and there was no room for me in that world. There wasn’t even room for my mother.”

  “I’m sorry, Cole,” Gilda murmured.

  “Nothing for you to be sorry about. It was what it was. Between my father’s lack of interest in my life and the fact that I was raised around other guys in fairly similar boats, there was a period of my life when I was quite an asshole. You need to understand that about me.

  “It began when my mother died. Cancer. The bad kind. My father hired nurses and doctors, but they’re not the same
as family. He sent me away to boarding school on the East Coast because he thought it would be better if I didn’t watch her die. I hated him for that. It wasn’t his call. She deserved to have someone who loved her by her side, even if it was only her son.” He paused and looked out over the city, lost in his memories.

  “Anyway, when she was gone, there didn’t seem to be any reason for me to go home again. So I stayed boarding school, became a bad boy who hung out with other bad boys, and the result was that my father found more reasons to not like me. I’m not really sure that I ever disappointed him; I think he was rather proud of the fact that I was possibly more of a reprobate than he was. Who knows, I may have even gotten some of it from him.

  “But the fact remains that there came a point when I realized that I hated my father. In fact, I hated everything about him.”

  Cole coughed as though emotion was choking him. “From then on, I made it my business to be better than him. I wanted to earn things, not to have them just given to me. I wanted to be able to look myself in the mirror and know that I was standing on my own two feet. You, not being a man, may have trouble understanding that.”

  “No, not really. I didn’t have a daddy, at all. At least, not one that Mama would admit to. I’m not really sure if she knew who he was, tell you the truth. I love my mama. She was always good to me.

  “But, I won’t say that I’m proud of her. I think she could have made better choices, even if they meant that I wouldn’t be sitting here. But she did what she did, and I am sitting here, and actually, I’m very embarrassed that I jumped to conclusions about you. I suppose in some ways, I’m even better off than you are. I still have my mama.”

  Cole joined her on the sofa as they sipped their wine and contemplated their past. “Well, we’ve become a cheerful pair, haven’t we?” He smiled and held his glass out for a toast. She lifted hers, as well.

  “Here’s to us,” he improvised. “One of us had and didn’t want; the other one had nothing and could have wanted more.”

  “I’ll agree to that,” Gilda acknowledged. “I wished the same about my mama — still do. I wish I could provide more for her. But there are limits to what I can do.”

 

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