It Happened One Night(7)
Author: Melinda Curtis
The man before her had held her close and listened to her exasperation about her emotionally-dependent mother. She’d ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair and listened to his frustration with his cold, controlling father. It had been the most important night of her life and she’d run away in the gray light of dawn because she couldn’t face the repercussions when he found out who she was and who she was related to.
Because he’d think I was exactly like my mother.
In the present, Chad stared at Nora’s hand, still outstretched, a perplexed look on his face.
Don’t let on you know him.
Nora stepped free of the past and reached for Chad’s hand.
His grip was warm and encompassed hers in a gentle but firm hold that said he knew how to handle himself. His grip wasn’t limp. Nor did he crush her bones. It was just right.
He was just right.
Nora relived another memory from that night…
“Don’t tell me your name,” she’d said to him, mostly because she hadn’t wanted to share hers for fear of how the conversation would spiral if he knew who she was. “I just want to talk to someone.” She’d sought refuge in his family’s cabana down the beach from her mother’s wedding reception and it was there that he’d discovered her.
“Sure. I get it,” he’d said with something akin to relief in his tone. “Anonymous, like stepping into the confessional at church.”
And they’d confessed things, all right.
Heart pounding, Nora drew her hand back, forcing her lips into a shape she hoped resembled a smile.
I can do this. It’s not like Chad is my client.
Nora cleared her throat. “And what about the boy Dotty called me about? Her grandson. Where is he?” She looked around.
Chad’s brow furrowed. “That would be me.”
He’s Dotty’s grandson? He’s my client?
Nora froze once more, gaze darting toward the door.
But she couldn’t leave. She’d tucked Dotty’s check into her tote. She’d mentally allocated those funds to rent and replenishing her savings. She’d already been rehearsing how to ask Dotty for a referral at the end of the week. She couldn’t back out now, especially with her mother staying in her apartment and more than eager to say, “I told you not to go to work looking like that.”
Looks now had nothing to do with performance and everything to do with hiding her identity. If she’d arrived here with her hair down, top button of her blouse undone, and without her unattractive glasses, Chad would have been more likely to remember the woman in a neckline-plunging, form-fitting cranberry evening gown whose hair he’d released from an intricate updo.
“Whiskers has been working himself to death.” Dotty pointed to the coffee machine and its pot of coffee. “Surviving only on caffeine.”
“That’s a problem,” Nora the dietician said, responding on autopilot. “The body doesn’t function properly on coffee alone.”
“Have we met before?” Chad was still frowning at Nora.
“We’ve never been introduced.” That wasn’t a lie. But holy mackerel. It was all falling into place now. He…
He must be Chad Summer of Summer Diamonds, often mentioned along with his four handsome brothers as one of the most sought-after bachelors in New York City. She’d heard of him, but not being a serious reader of the social pages or on social media because of her mother’s cult following, she’d never seen his picture. But…Chad Summer. The implication of who he was sank in. A man like that was a playboy, which meant the night they’d shared would be one of many one-night-stands he’d had with women. She would have been one of many. Part of a crowd. Forgettable.
Calm settled over Nora. She added almond milk to the oatmeal-filled bowls. “I apologize for the mix-up. Why don’t you sit down and tell me what your health goals are while I make breakfast?”
Chad took a seat next to Dotty on the other side of the island from Nora, giving her some much needed breathing room.
Dotty explained about her early dementia diagnosis and recent medication prescription, adding, “As for goals, I want to keep my brain as sharp as it ever was.”
Chad rubbed a consoling hand over Dotty’s back, but there was mischief in his blue eyes. “As sharp as your brain ever was? That’s not a stretch.”
“Joker.” Dotty jabbed Chad with an elbow, making him retreat to his own space. “Just wait until you’re old.”
“You mean ancient?” Chad’s mischievous gaze found Nora’s. His impish smile invited her to join in on the fun.
And for a moment, Nora imagined what it would be like to belong here in this penthouse with him, to share moments like this every day. A smile played on her lips and…
That was how that night had started.
A little attraction. A little humor. A little mischief.
Nora turned away to put the two servings of oatmeal into the microwave, hoping to turn off the attraction she felt zinging between them.
“I’m aging better than you, boy,” Dotty was saying, full of sass. “I’ve never passed out from lack of food or sleep.”
Nora glanced at Chad, not through the perspective of a former conquest, but as a health care professional. Those prominent cheekbones of his were too prominent, too sharp, too pale. And his eyes were shadowed with exhaustion.
Chad made a derisive sound. “I just need to eat…better.”
Nora recalled Dotty’s words last night: That boy doesn’t eat.
Chad needed to take in enough fuel, and a better grade of it.
“The body is an amazing thing.” Using hot pads, Nora removed the two steaming bowls from the microwave and placed them on wicker trivets. She added a bit more almond milk and stirred the contents. “The body shuts down when it wants you to notice your environment is too stressful or it needs something more than it’s being given.”
“That’s exactly what happened to Whiskers.” Dotty nodded. “He shut down.”
“And now we’ve got to reboot him.” Nora topped the glass bowls with fresh blueberries and a sprinkle of brown sugar. She slid the oatmeal across the black marble countertop, only then realizing the bowls she’d brought had cartoon characters emblazoned on them.