CHAPTER 37

Nadine parked her car and knocked on the Sullivan's door with a jar of homemade strawberry jam in her arm, bleary eyed. She had been unable to sleep in weeks and it was beginning to catch up on her. She felt unnecessarily tired and had been cranky towards her guest. She wasn't even eating well to boot.

And it was all Nicholas Cole's fault.

He had not stopped with his white roses and written notes but added arrays of chocolate to the mix. If he was trying to make her really fat and ugly, he was succeeding.

The chocolates were all she had appetite for recently and it was the one ruining her appetite for food.. She prayed the man would not be the death of her.

She was still yet to reply his requests to meet up and she was never going to.

The door opened suddenly, jarring her out of her sad thoughts. Her daughter rushed into her arms.

"Hey baby," she bent placing a kiss on her head.

"I missed you mummy," she said, hugging her tightly. She had not seen her daughter since two days ago when she came for her shift in town. It was a Sunday and the Sullivans had invited her for lunch and she was grateful for that. Sheila had probably noticed the lost look in her eyes but had asked her no questions and she was also grateful for that.

Nichole ushered her in excitedly. "Hey, are you OK?," Sheila asked her after she was able to drag her away from her mother.

"I'm fine." She wasn't the least bit fine and she was pretty sure she looked it. But she didn't want to hold up lunch, her aunt was going to rail hell at her.

Nadine was able to eat a few bites under the watchful eyes of her concerned family. She pushed away from the table to help with the dishes when he uncle said he wanted to speak with her.

"This old man is just worried about you," he said as he led her out to the patio.

"I'm fine."

"No you are not. It's obvious to the blind something is up with you. No pressure but I'm just a little bit concerned you are dealing with too much.."

"I just have a lot on my mind," she admitted sadly.

He sighed resignedly. "I want you to promise me you'll let me know whenever you need help. I'll be here," he patted her back affectionately.

"Thank you," she smiled into his kind, worried eyes.

"I don't know if I should be telling you this but I really think you need to know."

He moved to sit in one of the cane chairs arranged on the patio and she followed suit.

"About eight years ago, Old Will approached me about your place. He wanted to buy the place but I refused. I hope I made the right decision," he paused and she nodded jerkily.

He smiled "I know the place is more than a building to you. But I don't think my decision sat well with Will."

"Why?." She saw no reason he'll be unhappy about it. The property was nothing to him.

"Because he approached me twice after that. The last time, he suggested I hasten things between you and the Cole boy, maybe you'll put the place up for sale after getting married. I told him not to meddle in you kids' life."

"Why are you telling me all these now?"

"The last time was a few days ago."

"But why would Will want my place?"

"I've no idea honey," he replied, his frustration evident in his kind eyes. He had obviously asked himself the same question over and over again.

"Did you ask him?"

"I did. He said he just wants to expand his place. But I didn't buy that. He lives alone so I don't see the reason for the expansion."

She sighed. Everything seemed to be working against her.

"I just want you to be fine," he said giving her an affectionate smile.

"I will," she smiled back at him.

After that, Sheila cornered her to talk about Nicholas. She wasn't sure what happened, but she suddenly had good things to say about him.

"What's with the sudden change of heart?," she asked suspiciously.

"I didn't change. I just want Nichole to see you both happy. I'm not saying you should give him a second chance but just hear him out."

She continued staring suspiciously at her persuasive cousin. She could bet her savings towards her daughter's college tuitions Nicholas met up with her.

"Will I see you at the store tomorrow?," Nichole asked her when she was ready to leave.

"If you miss me so much, you could move back home to spend every waking hour with me," she replied rolling her eyes.

Nichole giggled, shaking her head. "It's easier getting to the park from the store. Dad and I have been hanging out all week there. You should come tomorrow, we are having a picnic."

The little blackmailer! She had not failed to mention her father in every sentence she had made all afternoon. She felt like her ears were going to fall off from hearing the word 'daddy' over and over again. Maybe Nichole was making up for the years she didn't get to use the word.

"I'll think about it honey," she smiled down at her. She didn't want to refuse outright but she wasn't going to show up for a picnic with Nicholas.

............

Just as he had been trying to get Nadine all week, Katrina had also been trying to get him. He was at the end of his rope with her incessant calls and visits, with her talking around town about being there because he asked her to.

Not what he needed while he was trying to make things right with the woman he loved but he couldn't do anything about it, left for drugging her and putting her on a flight back to New York.

"How did Katrina find me?," he asked Emma when he called her.

"Katrina? Your Katrina?," she asked in surprise.

"She's NOT my anything!," he thundered.

"I'm sorry," she said chuckling, not feeling that way at all and he knew it.

"She's been hounding me and I want very much to find the person on my payroll who divulged my location."

"I'll find out and get back to you."

"Please do that, fast."

"Will do. Is your housekeeper still a pain in the ass? Do I need to give her a bad rating on the site?"

"NO!"

"You didn't need to shout boy. Just asking."

He didn't want anything to hurt Nadine. He had done enough of that for a lifetime.

"I'll talk to you later." He hung up quickly to avoid any more talks about his 'housekeeper'.

As if on cue, his doorbell started ringing. He knew who it was even before he opened the door.

Katrina stood there in all her elegant grace, giving him a flirtatious smile as she pushed her way in before he knew what she was up to.

"You shouldn't be here," he said calmly, trying to control the urge to throw her out bodily.

She strolled into the living room and he followed hot on her heels. He didn't want her in his space.

"Why? I've every right to be here Nicky," she said as she dropped gracefully on the sofa, dropping her designer bag gingerly on the coffee table. The woman loved her accessories like a mother loved her children.

"Says who?"

"Me. Common on, drop the hard to get act. I know you still love me," she said, giving him a 'come-hither look' as she reclined on the sofa seductively. The action parted the high slit of her floral dress, giving him a tantalizing view of a red thong underneath.

Watching her did nothing to him and he realized Nadine had spoiled him for any other woman.

"I don't think I ever gave the impression that I love you. You must have misconstrued some of my actions. I'm sorry if it led you on a fantasy drive," he said stonily, bracing his legs apart and crossing his arms.

She threw back her head and laughed shrilly, raising her leg and exposing herself to him waist down. He had to admit she was hot, and she knew it and was trying to get a sexual rise out of him.

But it wasn't working. He was watching but all in his head was Nadine. For someone who enjoyed sex, he knew he was doomed if she didn't take him back.

"Give up the pretense Nicky," she said as she massaged her braless breast seductively and licking her red lips.

Her insistence that he was in love with her made him realize how Nadine must have felt when he continuously accused her of all the things he did.

"I want you out of my house," he said in a controlled voice. He had never been perverted enough to raise his hands against a woman and she wasn't going to make him start. "You don't want me calling the cops to make a report of sexual harassment, now do you?," he asked her sweetly.

"You can go ahead," she smiled as she reached behind her to untie the lacy strap holding the gown to her body, exposing her rose tinged nipples. She was naked on his sofa in broad daylight.

"I'm not in on your sick game!" He moved towards her angrily, deciding he was going to throw her out bodily not minding her state of undress. It wasn't like she had never posed naked for pictures before, so no big deal if she pranced around naked but outside his house.

He bent over her on the sofa and put his arms under her to carry her. She threw her arms around his neck and laughed maniacally. She must have believed he was carrying her off to bed, he thought at the same time as he heard someone swear behind him.