Michelle was on her way from ballet when her cell rang. She pressed the Bluetooth clipped to her ear. “Hello.”
“Hi, Michelle.”
She hesitated for a moment. “Hi, Erik.”
“Where are you now?”
“On our way home from ballet.”
“Just as I thought.”
“Is that my daddy?” Precious yelled from the back seat. “I wanna talk to my daddy.”
“Did you hear that?” she asked Erik.
“I heard that. But before you put her on, I called to ask you to bring her to the hospital.”
“The hospital?”
“Yes, um… There’s something I have to do tonight, and she’ll probably be in bed by the time I get home. I can’t let a day go by without seeing my daughter. You didn’t have any other plans, did you?”
She had planned to leave Precious with Mrs. Hayes and go down to the club for some alone time, maybe go for a swim. But Erik spending time with Precious was far more important. He was making a big effort to bridge the gap between him and his daughter, and she wasn’t going to stand in his way. “No plans. We were just going to hang out at home.”
“Is she dressed appropriately or do you need to go back to the house to change?”
“She’s dressed.”
“Good, then I’ll see you in a little bit. Just come into the main entrance and ask for me. They’ll point you in the right direction.”
“Okay.”
“You can put Precious on now.”
No goodbye. Nothing. Michelle pulled into someone’s driveway and made a U-turn. She parked the car on the side of the road, picked up the cell from the passenger’s seat, set it to phone, and handed it to Precious.
“Hi, Daddy. You know what?”
As Precious brought her father up to date on her day, Michelle put the car into drive and started down the main road that led to Route 101 and Manchester.
Erik had left earlier than usual this morning, so she hadn’t seen him since yesterday when he’d taken Precious to their father and daughter event. Last night, she would have thanked him for the money he’d given to the center, but by the time she’d gotten back from visiting Robert, both Erik and Precious were in bed.
Since that first morning when she interrupted him in the kitchen, she paced herself to come downstairs after he’d eaten breakfast, showered, and dressed.
She would lie in bed and listen to his footsteps past her bedroom door on his way to the master suite. She would imagine him stripping off his running clothes and standing naked under the shower. Her heart would race and her body would tingle from the vision of him soaping up a washcloth and rubbing the hard muscles of his chest and arms, moving lower to his washboard stomach, reaching around to his tight delectable buns, then sliding to the front of his strong thighs…
“Michelle! Daddy wants to talk to you again.”
Michelle blew a puff of air out through her mouth. From Precious’ tone, she imagined that the kid must have been trying to get her attention for a while. She licked her dry lips, took the phone from Precious, and pressed it to her ear. “Hi.” Her voice cracked on that one syllable.
“Hi again. Um… I need you to do me a huge favor.”
“What?”
“I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and the food here isn’t the best. I was wondering if you’d mind stopping at a deli on Elm and picking me up a sandwich. I’ll call it in.”
“Sure. No problem. Where is it?”
He gave her the name and location of the delicatessen.
“I know that place. They make the best sandwiches in town.”
He chuckled. “You want anything? It’s on me.”
“No. I’m good.”
“Thanks, Michelle. I’ll see you soon.” He ended the call.
Michelle tossed her cell on the seat. Her heart was beating with anxiety, but not just because she was going to see him. She wondered if she would meet Bridget, the ‘friend’ who interrupted them the other night. She was a colleague, a social match, and no doubt as couth as they came. The woman he’d told he was never too busy for, even though at the precise moment Bridget called, Erik had been asking her about her past life.
Maybe she should be glad Bridget had interrupted them since she had no idea how she would have answered Erik’s question about the person who’d hurt her. She couldn’t very well spill her guts about how her father had stolen her money then bailed. Instead of feeling jealousy toward Bridget, she should be thanking the woman for saving her hide, even if she was the woman Erik turned to for sexual gratification. Bridget was probably the ‘something’ he had to do late tonight.
Just as he’d promised, Erik hadn’t touched her since that first night. He was probably just curious about her. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t invited it. She’d made the first move by holding his hand, and he had responded.
It was never good to mix business and pleasure, anyway. Getting involved with her boss would only complicate both their lives. Things usually turned sour after a hot affair, and she was sure that’s all it would be between them. The likes of Erik LaCrosse didn’t get serious with women like her. And when the affair ended, she would have no choice but to leave her post, contract or not.
She was falling in love with Precious and really enjoyed taking care of her. She didn’t want anything to mess up their relationship. And since sleeping with her father could definitely ruin that, it was out of the question.
***
“I really appreciate all you’re doing to help solve this case once and for all, Garret,” Erik said to the detective on the other end of the line. “It’s been on ice for too long. The fingerprints in that car belong to somebody and if I have to tear Manchester apart to find the man who owns them, then so be it.”
“I understand your frustration, Erik, but you need to step back and let the experts handle it,” the detective admonished. “I’ll be briefing some of my best men later, and when we meet tonight you can give them a first hand account of the accident. Until, then, stay away from inner city back alleys. They’re the most dangerous places at nights. The people who frequent those spots are seriously unstable and they look out for each other. Your daughter has already lost one parent. Don’t cause her to mourn for another.”
“I won’t do anything stupid. I just want this nightmare over once and for all. “I have to go, Garret,” he said when he heard a knock on the door.
“Alright. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Come in,” Erik said as he hung up the phone.
The door opened and Bridget walked in, flipping her long blonde stresses behind her shoulders. She threw him an easy smile. “My last appointment canceled,” she said. “Since we’re both free, I thought we could run down to the café and grab a bite. We still have to finish that conversation we started the other night.”
Just what he needed—Bridget’s unwarranted attention. Erik walked to a window overlooking an open field at the back of the hospital. It was a beautiful day and some employees were seated around picnic tables having lunch. A couple children played in the sandbox while others climbed a monkey bar. The sights took him back to the times when Cassie would bring Precious in to have lunch with him. He missed those days.
“I’m waiting for Precious, Bridget. Her nanny is bringing her in so I can spend some time with her. I didn’t see her this morning and I have somewhere to be tonight. She’ll be asleep by the time I get home.”
“What, you have a date?”
Catching the anxiety in her voice, Erik pushed his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. Maybe if she thought he was dating someone else, she’d stop coming on to him. It was getting old and tiresome. A woman as intelligent, successful, and attractive as she shouldn’t be wasting her time trying to seduce him—a man who was clearly not interested. “I’m reopening Cassie’s case, Bridge.”
She rushed to his side. “Why, Erik? Haven’t you put yourself through enough pain already?”
“Perhaps, but I’ll never be able to move on until the bastard who killed Cassie is behind bars. I need closure.”
A musing look cloaked her face. “Are you saying you’re ready to move on?”
Erik gazed out the window again. Was he ready to move on? He didn’t know. He just knew that his cravings for Michelle were growing by the day. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. He had deep feelings for her. Feelings he hadn’t had for a long, long time. Yet every time he looked at a picture of his wife, he knew he had to close that door completely before he dared open another. He didn’t want that cloud hanging over his head any longer. He’d known the minute he saw Michelle walking up his driveway. She’d barged into his life and thrown open doors he’d closed two years ago, evoked feelings he’d buried with Cassie.
In addition to having Garret reopen the case, he’d also started his search for his old friend, Clayton Monroe. He hadn’t really gone looking for an explanation about that night in Clay’s kitchen because he’d been afraid of the answers. He was ready for the truth now, to unearth whatever secret Clay and his wife had been hiding.
Bridget’s arms closed around him from behind, and her head fell against his shoulder. “Erik, if this is what you must do, just know that I’m with you. I’ll help in any way I can.”
“Um, Bridget—”
“Daddy.”
Erik stiffened at the sound of his daughter’s voice. He turned, with Bridget’s hands still clasped around him. He wanted to die when he saw the stunned look on Michelle’s face as she stood just outside the office, holding a brown paper bag in her hands. Why hadn’t he closed the door when Bridget came in?
Untangling Bridget’s arms from around him, he picked up his daughter and hugged her fiercely, raining kisses on her face. “How’s my little muffin?”
“I’m a big muffin, Daddy. And it’s gonna take a whole tub of butter to butter me up.” She giggled and wriggled around in his arms as he tickled her tummy.
“Hello, Precious. How are you, little darling?” Bridget tried to ruffle her curls.
“Hi,” Precious responded with minimal interest and turned her head to avoid Bridget’s touch.
Erik smiled to himself as he analyzed Precious’ relationship with the two women in the room. Precious had known Bridget for about five years, and she could barely tolerate her. She’d known Michelle for less than a month, and they’d already formed a solid bond.
“Who’s that?” Bridget asked, jutting her chin in Michelle’s direction. “I thought you said Precious’ nanny was bringing her, Erik.”
“That’s my nanny.” Precious eagerly brought Bridget up to date as Erik walked to the door.
Erik heard Bridget gasp behind him. “Come in, Michelle,” he said.
She shook her head. “I can wait downstairs ‘till you’re done visiting with Precious. Here’s your sandwich.” She held the bag out to him.
“Nonsense.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the office. He took the bag from her and set it on his desk. “Meet Bridget Ashley, my colleague,” he said, putting extra emphasis on the word colleague. “Bridget, this is Michelle Carter, Precious’ new nanny.”
“Not what I expected,” Bridget said, looking Michelle up and down. “What happened to the older, experienced nanny, Erik? She looks like a child herself, hardly a woman. You trust her with your daughter?” she asked silkily.
Her claws were definitely unsheathed, Erik thought in dismay. Was she going to start a catfight in his office, and in front of his child? He was about to say something when he saw Michelle’s back straighten and her dark eyes glimmer with belligerence.
“I assure you, Dr. Ashley, I’m no child. I’m all woman in every way that counts. I’m definitely not inexperienced. Your concern is touching, but just so you know, Precious and I have already bonded in a very special way. Our relationship is working out quite well, thank you.” She finished with a smile Erik swore could melt the icecap on Mount Washington.
Brava, he wanted to shout at the top of his lungs. She could hold her own against snobs like Bridget. He’d been concerned about how she would react to his circle of friends and colleagues, but he should have known Michelle Carter could take care of herself, and with such class and composure. Hadn’t she quite eloquently put him in his place the day he met her?
Erik glanced at Bridget’s dumbfounded face. Served her right. “Bridget,” he said, “can you take Precious out for a few minutes? I’d like to talk with Michelle.”
“Sure, darling. Anything for you.”
She smiled as if she thought he was going to scold Michelle for her insolence. He wanted to laugh. He set Precious on the floor. “I’ll just be a minute, then you’ll have me to yourself for one full hour. Okay, baby?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Michelle said the minute the door closed behind Bridget and Precious. “I didn’t mean to—”
Erik did laugh out loud then. “Please don’t apologize, Michelle. Bridget had it coming.” He gestured for her to sit in the chair in front of his desk while he perched on the side of the desk. “She was rude.”
“She felt threatened.” She clasped her hands on her lap.
“And how would you know? Ah, I forgot you’re all woman in every way that counts.” He grinned down at her.
She pursed her lips and turned her eyes up at him. “That was just talk.”
“Sure.” He studied her beautiful flushed face, drinking in the sensuality of her delicate features. The only makeup she wore was lip-gloss. Her skin radiated like luscious caramel syrup. Definitely a woman in every way that counted. “Do you feel threatened by her, Michelle?” he asked softly.
“I was when she called the other night.”
Which meant she liked him, wanted him all to herself. Her honesty was so refreshing. “And now?”
She shrugged, nonchalantly. “Now that I’ve met her, I can tell she’s not your type.”
Erik balked. “And just what is my type, Ms. Carter?”
She peered up at him. “You’re a real man. You’d want a real woman. Not a superficial Barbie like Bridget Ashley. She’s so obvious. You’d think a woman in her position would use a lot more decorum about what she wants, especially when she’s trying to land a man.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Erik’s mouth. He wanted to ask her if she was being subtle about what she wanted. “You’re very perceptive,” he said instead.
She shrugged again. “When you grow up in an inner city neighborhood, you learn to read people, or they’ll take you every chance they get.”
Erik felt a certain sadness for the kind of life she’d lived. He wanted to fix that. Give her everything her beautiful heart desired. His eyes raked over her slender body, garbed in white slacks and an aqua top that exposed just a hint of cleavage.
He longed to brush his lips against every millimeter of her silky flesh, especially the sweet swell of her breasts, and bury his face in the valley between them. He still remembered the feel of her in his arms, the fresh scent of her honey skin. What was it about this woman that evoked an untamed passion in him? She generated feelings he’d never had before, feelings he never even knew were possible.
Even as he felt his loins stir under his coat, a surge of betrayal ran through him. He’d never felt this overpowering hunger with Cassie. Making love with her had been satisfying, he supposed. But what if there was a deeper level of passion to be achieved? He had no one to compare Cassie to because she was the only woman he’d ever been with.
“Um, Erik,” Michelle interrupted his reverie. “I want to thank you for the money you gave to the youth center. We’re hoping to build a new one with state of the art everything. Your contribution will go a long way. Thanks.”
“You’re quite welcome, Michelle.” She was so altruistic, warm and sweet. Most women her age didn’t do charitable deeds. They were too immersed in their own lives and careers to care about people less fortunate than themselves. If, and when they gave, it was usually money. Time was too precious.
Those inner city kids needed more than money. They needed someone to spend time with them, someone to show they cared. That’s why Michelle had been so hard on him about spending time with Precious. He was grateful for her insightfulness, her concern for his child.
“I know there’s a world outside the one I live in,” Erik said, smiling at her. “A world in which you survived and became this incredible, loving woman whom I admire greatly. I just felt that if I could help in some small way to produce more like you, I would have done a great thing. The most amazing of all, is how wonderful you are with my daughter.”
Her eyes brightened with warmth. “Precious is an exceptional kid, the kind I’d like to have one day when I meet the right man.”
“How many do you want?”
“About seven or so, and I want a house with a white picket fence and a big backyard for them to play in.”
Erik smiled. “Cassie and I wanted more children.”
“Why didn’t you have more?”
Erik sighed and rubbed his palms up and down his thighs. “God knows it wasn’t for a lack of trying. She just never got pregnant again. I guess her body said one was enough.” He chuckled. “When Precious was born, she took one look at her and said, ‘Oh, Erik, she’s precious.’ That’s how Precious got her name.”
“It suits her. How did she get her nickname?”
He chuckled. “Cassie, again. When she was pregnant with Precious, she used to say she was baking a little muffin in the oven.”
“Well, she is a precious little muffin. I hope all my little girls are just like her. But that won’t happen for a long time. At least, five years. Remember, I signed a contract.”
Erik nodded. “Yeah, that contract.” Best thing he ever did. It gave him ample time to find his wife’s killer and the truth behind their last argument. Which brought him to the reason he wanted to talk to Michelle. “I’ve reopened Cassie’s case,” he said.
Michelle held her breath. “Oh. Any particular reason?”
“I need closure. There were fingerprints in that car. I need to match them to their owner.”
Michelle looked away then moved restlessly on the chair. “Didn’t the police already try matching them with the ones in their data base?” She hoped her anxiety wasn’t evident in her voice.
“Yes, but there was no match, obviously. New prints are added daily. Hopefully, the drunk was picked up for something else since we closed the case. But just in case the police still can’t find a match from their pool, I’ll be providing them new ones as often as possible.”
Doubts and fears clouded Michelle’s mind. She crossed her fingers. God, please don’t let those prints match my father’s. She couldn’t bear the thought of her father causing such pain to two people she’d started to care so much about. Not to mention how Erik would feel about her. All the wonderful things he’d just said wouldn’t mean squat if her biggest fears came to life.
Her gaze followed Erik as he moved over to the window and gazed out with his back to her. She knew this must be hard for him. The investigation would take him back to that night and the months of pain that followed it. She also knew that it couldn’t have been her father who’d committed that ghastly crime. Cassie LaCrosse was killed months after her father disappeared. He wasn’t in Manchester, maybe not even in New Hampshire at the time. She’d already lost her job and moved to South Carolina with Ryan when it happened. That’s why she hadn’t known about the tragedy until Erik told her. It was a cold case by the time she moved back home. Michelle wondered if she would have taken that interview if she’d known that a drunk driver who hadn’t been caught yet had killed her potential employer’s wife. “How are you going to provide finger prints?” she asked Erik.
He turned and leaned a shoulder against the pane. “I’ll walk the streets of Manchester, myself. I’ll talk to people and take the name of every crack head and drunk out there. I’ll offer them coffee, sodas, food, whatever they want, and when I walk away, I will have the containers with their prints on them. Those I will turn over to the police.”
“Is that why you’ll be coming home late tonight?”
“Yes. I’m meeting with the city detective to recount the details of the case.”
Michelle glanced around the barely furnished office. It was nothing compared to the elaborately decorated study in his home. There was a huge desk with a laptop on it, a couple chairs, a bookcase, and several diplomas and certifications from Harvard Medical School tacked to the wall. The man was a doctor, not a detective nor a street thug, and he shouldn’t be running about in the city alone at nights. She’d grown up in the place and she never went out at night if she didn’t have to.
Michelle rose and strolled over to him. “The back alleys of Manchester are not places you should walk at night, Erik. You can be putting yourself in real danger.”
“I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“Maybe I should come with you. I know the streets. I know the people.”
“I’ve hired a P.I to work with me.” He touched a finger to her cheek. “I won’t think about putting you in danger. You stay home and take care of Precious. She needs you.”
“She needs you, too.” And I need you. Michelle’s heart went out to him. She wanted to hold him and comfort him, tell him that everything would work out just fine. That he’d be able to put all this behind him soon.
But the last time she’d tried, they’d ended up locked in a passionate kiss. The last thing she wanted was to seem as desperate as Dr. Ashley. All she could do was pray for his safety. He had to be safe for Precious, and for her.
***
“Michelle! Michelle!”
The screams jarred Michelle from the depths of a deep, pain-free sleep. Immediately realizing that they were coming from Precious’ bedroom, she bolted out of bed and ran next door. She rushed over to the sixty-gallon tank where Precious was standing with tears streaming down her face. Michelle dropped on her knees beside her. “Precious, what’s wrong?”
“Charlie’s choking on a rock.”
Michelle’s eyes followed her finger to the far side of the tank where the goldfish was struggling with a green rock fastened between its gills. Michelle had no idea what to do. Goldfish weren’t her specialty. A bruised knee she could patch, a runny nose she could wipe. What do you do with a goldfish with a rock stuck in its throat?
“Do something, Michelle!” Precious was in hysterics.
“Precious, I don’t know what to do.” She felt sorry for the fish and anguish over the fear in Precious’ eyes. The child loved her fish just as if they were her siblings.
“He’s going to die…” Precious collapsed on the floor and broke into a storm of heart-rending sobs.
Michelle looked at the fish that was staring back through the glass with bulging eyes, as if begging her to save him. “Oh, Charlie,” she groaned, pushing to her feet. She pulled the cover from the tank and stuck her hand in the cool water. She tried to grab the fish, having no idea what she would do if she caught it. But he kept avoiding her and whirled around the tank.
“Hurry, Michelle!” Precious was on her feet again.
“I’m trying.” Michelle remembered hearing that fish could die from too much stress. She could see it happening. It wasn’t just Charlie she had to worry about, either. Sippy had also started to swim about in an agitated state.
She pulled her hand out of the water to give them time to calm down. Charlie swam behind an artificial plant. Sippy took refuge in a log.
“Why aren’t you helping?” Precious dropped to the floor again.
Michelle noticed the fishnet on the stand next to the tank. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? She grabbed the net and plunged it into the water, this time hoping to capture the fish in the net and somehow squeeze the rock from its grasp. “Come on, little fellow.”
Charlie swam up to the top and in his haste to avoid being caught in the net, catapulted through the water and bumped his head on the side of the tank. The rock dislodged from his gills and floated to the bottom of the tank. A frightened Charlie swam into the giant log alongside Sippy.
Michelle exhaled a sigh of relief. “He’s fine, Precious. Come see.” She picked the whimpering child up from the floor and held her so she could look into the aquarium.
Precious smiled when she saw both fish were okay. “He almost died.”
“But he didn’t. He’s okay. Maybe now they’ll stop munching on the stupid rocks.”
“Daddy says they suck on the rock to get algae because it’s nutritious for them.”
Michelle couldn’t voice her thoughts about folks always trying to grab things they thought were good for them and choking in the process, but still grabbing anyway. Precious wouldn’t understand. She set her down and added some stress-guard to the water.
Precious began calling at them, hoping to entice them from their hiding place. Michelle added a few flakes of food hoping to help lure them out. The fish stayed where they were.
“They’re probably tired,” she said, replacing the cover on the aquarium. “They’ll be back to their old selves tomorrow.” She went into the bathroom and closed the door.
When she came out, Precious was still at the tank. Michelle would have liked to give her all the time she wanted, but her cramps were coming back. She needed to lie down.
“Precious, it’s time you get back to bed.”
“I have to use the bathroom. That’s why I woke up, and that’s when I saw Charlie was choking.”
“Okay. Hurry up.”
Michelle slumped down on the window seat and rubbed her hand across her belly, willing the pills she’d just taken to work their wonderful magic. She looked up as Precious emerged from the bathroom, closed the door, and rushed back to the aquarium to check on her fish. Michelle struggled to her feet. “Bed, Precious.”
Precious reluctantly said good night to her fish. Michelle got her settled in then sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her damp curls from her face.
“If Charlie had died, would he have gone to heaven with Mommy?”
Michelle briefly transferred her gaze to the photo of a very pregnant Cassie LaCrosse in the picture frame on the nightstand. She was standing on the porch of a summer cottage, and seemed one with the blue open ocean behind her. “I’m sure, honey,” Michelle said, smiling at the little girl. “But he didn’t die. He’s fine now, and probably will be sucking on the rocks again tomorrow. We just have to keep an extra eye on him.”
Precious giggled. “That’s what Mommy used to say. But we don’t have extra eyes.”
We do now, Michelle thought to herself as she glanced at the picture of Cassie again. She was sure Cassie was watching over her daughter, just as she was sure her own mother had been keeping a watchful eye on her throughout her life. She just wondered where she’d been the night her father walked into her apartment and destroyed her life. She must have blinked.
“Night, Precious,” Michelle said as another cramp ripped across her stomach. She started to rise from the bed.
Precious grabbed her hand. “Don’t leave, Michelle. Please stay with me.”
She didn’t want to be kicked in the stomach tonight. And knowing that Erik always came in to check on his daughter when he came home late, she couldn’t risk being caught asleep in his daughter’s bed. He wasn’t home, yet. “I can’t, Precious.”
“Pleeease…”
Michelle softened when she gazed at the pitiful face. “Okay, just until you fall asleep.” She shooed Precious over, eased under the covers, and turned off the bedside lamp. Moonlight slivered in through the open window.
Precious fitted her body into the curve of Michelle’s, and settled down.
Michelle wrapped her arms across the small body, welcoming the feel of the warm bundle in her arms. Actually, the warmth from Precious’ body was a healing balm for her aching belly. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes.
“Michelle?”
“What?”
“I miss my mommy.”
“I know.”
“Do you have a mommy?”
“No. She died a long time ago.”
“Is she in heaven with my mommy?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Go to sleep, Precious.”
A tired sigh echoed in the darkness.
“Good night, Michelle.”
“Good night, Precious.”
“I love you.”
