Saving Each Other (BWWM Romance) (15 page)

“I’m sure he is fine, Allison.” Faith stood back up and headed to the kitchen as she spoke.

“Well I don’t know, seems like a real jerk to me but then you have more patience than us all, girl.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Faith smiled as she said it.

“You coming by anytime soon? I have just got to show you these pictures of me and James this weekend, it was so nice and the food…” Faith could practically hear Allison roll her eyes in delight.

“I’m not sure, Allison, it really depends on how long it takes me to get things going over with the new placement and all that. How soon do I need to be over there?”

“Tuesday afternoon is fine, he wasn’t really clear, and I know you like to wrap things up pretty thoroughly when you leave a placement.”

“Sounds good, Allison, thanks for the call, I appreciate it. Anyways, if  Mr. Robinson calls, make sure to tell him I’ll be there Tuesday.”

“Will do chica…later.”

Being Thursday, that gave her a few days to repack everything and get over there, the drive was only about two hours away so she would plan to pack over the weekend and leave Tuesday morning. She thought about how to tell Mrs. Covington ;it was her job, but she had grown to care for her in the 6 months she had been there.

“Mrs. Covington.” Faith smiled.

“Janet dear…Janet. Mrs. Covington makes me feel so...so...old.”

“Yes, Mrs... Err Janet, I forgot. I have something I want to talk to you about if you have a moment.”

“You’re leaving me aren’t you, dear?” She smiled a half smile. “I already got the call from that simple minded girl you work for, what’s her name again?”

“Allison is her name.” Faith smiled. “So she called already then. I appreciate everything you have taught me, Mrs. Janet, I truly do.”

“You just can’t let go of the Mrs. can you? Very well, I respect it really…young people today can be so disrespectful.” Mrs. Covington turned to pick up an item from the side table by the bar.

***

Monday morning came full of sunshine and headache. The rays spilling into her room were warm and sunny but the lack of sleep left her aching and moody. Saying a quick prayer to begin her day, Faith set out packing her things. She had decided to head out of town early and enjoy the ride from Bakersfield to Newport Beach. Not getting much time to travel, Faith knew she should appreciate the ride along the coast and through Santa Monica. She might even take some time to walk the Santa Monica pier. Traveling had always been a fascination for her. There were so many cities to see and visit, Faith kept a list of where she had been and where she wanted to go.

Faith headed downstairs with many of her things as quietly as possible. She knew Mrs. Janet wouldn’t be up yet and didn’t want to disturb her.

Chapter Two - Cooper

Cooper Robinson had never felt so angry in his life. He took another sip of his scotch as he slunk down a little lower in his leather chair, still brooding.

Just who the hell does Ansy think he is anyway? Being his financial advisor doesn’t give him the right to involve himself in the affairs of his personal life…this deadline was killing him.

He pushed himself back from the desk, consciously smoothing down his tie in the process. It was always a habit instilled in him from his father a long time ago. Being a doctor came naturally to Cooper. He had an eye for detail and once had a very good life. That was before…

He sighed as he headed down the long walk towards the pond. He needed to think. He needed a lot of things actually. He found his old chair on its side by the water. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed his time there. It had once been a spot of relaxation and contemplating. Back when…he exhaled sharply; he missed her. His wife had been a ball of light in all of his darkness. She had smelled like wildflowers and loved with her whole heart. A designer, she had pieced together this whole house and the landscaping. He could see her everywhere he looked. She had been gone two years. God had taken her. He had nothing left, and yet his father made his conditions clear.

His phone rang, shaking him from his thoughts.

“Yes, Ansy?” He could feel the sting of their earlier conversation.

“Look, man, I was just saying you need to get out more, have fun, I wasn’t trying to make you do anything. If I made you mad, I’m sorry, man.”

“I know, Ansy, and I know you’re right, I just don’t have time to focus on that with Mom and everything…”

“I know, I know, I pushed too far. Listen we need to talk about the new wing of the E.R...”

“I know I’ll head that way now. I have a new nurse moving into the west wing tomorrow and I need to be here to get things set up. I’ll be there just as soon as I can.”

After hanging up, he took one more deep breath and headed to the car.

“Charles, I’m going to head back to the office.” He spoke into his phone to his driver who seemed to always be on standby. He walked a few more feet as the black sedan pulled up and he got in.

“Mr. Robinson.” Charles opened the door for him.

“Charles, can I ask you a question? How do you manage to always be ready?”

“I try to be on alert, sir, that’s all.”

“You’re a good man, Charles.” He climbed into the cool leather seats of the car.

Chapter Three- Faith

Tuesday morning came and with it the most annoying headache Faith had ever had. She had found a quaint hotel at the halfway point and had planned to leave much earlier than she was getting started. She had spent her free evening writing in her journal and planning her next trip and where she wanted to go. Even though she knew these trips wouldn’t happen anytime soon, she loved planning them and always had worked out every detail down to her in flight meal. She showered, pulled back her hair and ordered a coffee from the shop next door and set out to Mrs. Robinson Cove. She had managed to find some slacks and a nicer blouse in her clothes so that she would be somewhat presentable when she arrived that afternoon. Faith did a quick tally of her finances, sure that she would have enough to pay bills until her next payday. After, she added a blueberry muffin to her coffee and enjoyed the two from the front seat of her car.

The trip took an hour or so and Faith started down the beautiful road that led to the elusive Mrs. Robinson Cove. Smaller than other neighborhoods, it sat along the hills of the area. Each property was on enough land that it was hard to see the next house. It was immaculate in every way. Then Faith came across a beautiful white-fenced church. It was a small building and was nestled into a small area as you entered the front entrance. Faith, in her car, almost felt like an intruder as she pulled up to the gate. A guard leaned out of the window and gave her a wave as she pulled up.

“Hello, miss. May I help you?” He took in her car and settled on her face.

“I believe so, yes, my name is Faith, I'm a nurse and I’ll be working for Mr. Robinson. Can you tell me where to go to find him?”

“Ah so you’re the nurse? Mr. Robinson mentioned something about it. Let me look up the information for you, ma’am.” He found a file with her name on it.

“Yes, here you are, everything is inside, access codes, gate numbers etc. A little bit of everything I imagine. You’re going to want to head down about a mile and look for 508 on the left.”

Faith slowed down on the brick drive that headed west from the main road. Not being able to see the house from the driveway, Faith took a moment to open the  file the guard had handed her. He was right about how there was everything imaginable in it. Every name and number of everyone involved with the estate, gate codes, access key numbers etc. There was even a section on his mother, her likes and dislikes as well as food she doesn’t like and how to keep her calm. In the back there was a contract and Faith decided to look at it later. She put the file down on the seat next to her and headed slowly down the two lane drive.

To say the property was beautiful was an understatement. There was not a color missing in the flowers lining the drive and there was a pond to the left of the house. Then there was the house itself. It rivaled Mrs. Covington’s in size. It had a front entrance and a wing on each side. Mostly brick and stone, it was spread across the top of the rise with a wide set of doors and a front walk that was almost like two arms inviting you inside. To the right, there was a side road leading behind the house where there were cars parked and yet another road leading towards the stables. Faith knew this was probably the most beautiful place she would live in her lifetime. She pulled up to the front entrance and took long strides to the front door. After only two knocks, it swung open wide to the smiling face of a lady not much older than herself.

“You must be Faith.” She held out her hand and then hugged her enthusiastically. “I can’t lie and say I’m not happy to see you. I'm the only woman here and when I heard you were coming well…I'm probably rambling like a crazy woman, I’m sorry, come in, come in.” She stepped back allowing Faith to step inside.

Liking her immediately, Faith replied with a smile “I'm Faith, I’m happy to meet you, Mrs…?”

“Actually its Miss Watson, you can call me Linda since we will be working together often. I'm the cook.”

By now Miss Watson had stopped walking. “I’ll let Mr. Robinson know you’re here, dear, and he will be along shortly.”

Miss Watson took her leave and Faith waited. She glanced around the room, it was tastefully done. It had a neutral palette of tan and gold. The lighting from the window played off the large vase in the center of the table. Faith glanced up above the mantle and noticed a painting that made Faith jump up.

“Could it be…” she whispered as she stood up.

She moved closer to the painting; it was beautiful. “The Montecasea” was a painting she had learned about in her art classes early on. It had been one of her favorites to read about. Painted by a woman but presented to the world as if a man had done it, it had grown in popularity over the years.

“Be sure you don’t touch it.” A warm voice behind her made her jump in surprise. Without turning around, she replied.

“Of course not, it’s delicate and beautiful; to touch it would, or at least could, ruin the integrity of the paint and then...well that would be awful.” She had put her hands on her hips as she said it and finally turned around. She let her hands drop to her sides. Beautiful was the first word that came to mind. He was beautiful. Tall with black hair and gray eyes, she felt a flutter in her stomach unlike anything she had ever felt before. His chiseled features and hard body complemented his dark hair. The reactions in the room were not all on Faith’s part. Cooper felt like he had been punched in the stomach. She was a combination of delicate and curvy, her hair pulled back sharply only accentuated her features. Her caramel skin had added a touch of the exotic to her curvy frame, which filled out what she was wearing perfectly. Her almond brown eyes pierced his with a ferocity he had never seen before. She had spoken with such love about the painting it was almost like a caress. She broke the spell by walking towards him.

“Mr. Robinson I presume?” She smiled and he was once again taken aback. She started to frown when he didn’t respond.

“Sorry yes, yes I am. It’s been a rather taxing day I apologize.” He reached out for her hand and she immediately began to pump it enthusiastically.

“I'm in awe of the artwork you possess, Mr. Robinson, it’s all truly beautiful.”

“Thank you, I enjoy looking at beautiful things.” At the awkwardness of his comment, he cleared his throat.

“I appreciate you coming. I understand you were already on assignment is that right?” He motioned for her to sit down on the sofa.

“Yes I was, I'm always ready to go whenever they needed me to go.”

He took in the details of what he had missed before. Not quite skinny and not big either, she was a combination of all woman and all hard work. Dressed in slacks and a shirt, she wore no jewelry or makeup. She was a bit of a mystery and he always enjoyed those.

“I have a Monet as well, in the library.” He watched her light up and felt a sense of happiness that he had caused it.

“Really?” She was intrigued. “I was an art major in college before nursing, now it’s a passion of mine. I have the talent to identify art but my artistic skills are not as good, although I enjoy trying. So perhaps you could tell me more about Mrs. Robinson.” She looked up at him.

“She is, well, stubborn and strong willed but she needs someone to care for her at all times. We received the diagnosis about a year ago. She was doing well but developed severe pain in her joints and is now in a wheelchair. She is losing many of her memories, so needless to say she is angry...with me mainly.” He continued on. “The prognosis is sketchy because she doesn’t put much effort into therapy. I won’t lie, she isn’t a ball full of sunshine, but she is everything to me. I only have a few rules as I'm sure most things are obvious.