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Chapter Fourteen
Vivian
Iknock on Nate’s door, expecting him to answer.
Odessa answers instead. “Right on time, Ms. Vandemark. Don’t worry, I’ll be out of your way in a flash.” She’s wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. We had a house staff when I lived with my parents. Muriel made the best enchiladas in the whole wide world. Dad stole her entire savings and retirement funds. He convinced her to invest with him and promised to 10X her money. The last time I saw her she was in court shooting daggers at me from her eyes. When a good woman like Muriel turns on you, there’s a decent chance God’s not your biggest fan, either.
“It smells wonderful in here,” I tell Odessa.
“It should. I’ve been cooking all afternoon.” She waves the towel to invite me to follow. She’s not formal, which suits Nate’s style. “Prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes and French-style green beans await you.”
I set my purse on a chair in the living room. Tilting my chin, I take in the tall, open ceilings, the black-framed glass separating this room from the staircase that leads to the bedrooms. I smile at the memory of what Nate and I did in this room, and upstairs in the shower. Odessa slips back into the kitchen. She’s humming.
I’m still wearing the green dress and wedge sandals. I considered changing, but this outfit was meant to be worn on our lunch date and I figured wearing it to dinner was the least I could do to make up for leaving him hanging.
“Decide to show up after all?” Nate comes downstairs in jeans and a snug T-shirt molding his firm chest. I’ve never seen him in jeans before and the look is, well…it’s fantastic. Worn denim and sneakers suit him. His upper body was built for gray cotton. His hair is damp and combed against his head like he’s freshly showered.
“Are you upset with me?” I ask, a little nervous he might be.
“You worried?” He comes closer, and I don’t answer, running my hand over his chest instead. He embraces me and we stand there, soaking each other in. He’s not supposed to feel this comforting and I’m not supposed to be this needy. I can’t help it. Today my brother stopped and restarted my heart.
“I’ll take my leave.” Odessa clears her throat from the foyer. “I trust you can handle serving dinner.”
“I can. Thank you.” He watches her go and I watch him. His eyes crinkle in the corners, sexy. Comforting. His mouth loses its smile when he looks at me.
“I’m sorry for not canceling lunch,” I blurt out. I owe him that.
“I understand.”
Funnily enough he sounds like he understands. He doesn’t seem angry that I didn’t join him for lunch, even though I’d have deserved it.
“Wine?” He releases me and walks to the bar.
“I’d love a glass.”
He pours us each one. I take a sip and let out a low hum of approval. It’s a fruity red. “This is very good.”
“It better be after what I paid for it.”
The men I used to date liked to brag about what they paid for wine. They’d die before admitting it was overpriced. “You don’t talk like a billionaire.”
“You do.”
I cradle my glass against my chest, my heart thudding against my breastbone. His was a loaded statement, and paired with an unerring stare feels borderline accusatory. “Do I?”
“You’re Walter Steele’s daughter.”
My face goes cold and I literally take a step away from him. I don’t know why. It isn’t like I’m going to make a run for it. I’m not a felon. He’s not a cop with a warrant for my arrest. The urge to flee is there all the same.
“I recognized your brother when you interrupted his introduction. I remember him from when the press was covering your father’s court case. There wasn’t as much focus on you.” He sets his glass aside and plunges his hands into his front pockets. So casual.
Meanwhile, my heart is racing, my palms sweating. I haven’t been confronted since I changed my name. I thought I’d escaped my past. But here it is, ironically arriving with Walt.
“You were the good kid,” Nate continues. “Walt made for a better story. Drug addict. Alcoholic. In and out of several rehab joints since he was a teen.”
“You’ve done your research,” I say carefully.
“When I saw him across the street I thought he was the guy who originally hurt you. That you’d lied to me about him being dead. I had to make sure you were safe.”
