Starfish Island (26 page)

Outside the lawyer’s office, Nicole got in her car and sat staring out the windshield. The adrenaline that had carried her through the conversation was rapidly leaving her body, and she felt as if she’d been sucker-punched.

Where shall I go? Home? Where’s that?

Chester would be unbearable, especially if she did fight the will. Every day would be another nightmare that left her drained. She was tired of the constant upheaval in her life; the thought of another cross-country trip made her sick.

“You’ve got to pull yourself together,” she told herself sternly. She needed some good advice, and she wasn’t up to facing Chester, knowing that it could all belong to Lucia now.

But did it?

Why couldn’t she shake the feeling that there was a missing puzzle piece? Grandmother would never have left her estate to Lucia. What were the Greys up to? They could never get away with a scheme like this if it weren’t real...or could they?

She remembered Rena Grey’s ugly warning that first night and Chester saying to Zander only an hour ago: I wouldn’t care if you kill her or anything else. A shiver ran down her spine.
 

Chapter Twenty-Six

NICOLE REALLY NEEDED to talk to Michael, but she hadn’t seen him in over a week. He seemed the natural choice, since he knew all the players and had been Grandmother’s choice to take care of any problems. Her heart was sad that her feelings for him appeared to be one-sided, despite his assurances to the contrary. She should’ve known better. Could she be grown up and satisfied with being just friends, with no benefits? Feeling resigned, Nicole turned her car in the direction of his house, so deep in thought that she almost missed the driveway.

Cecilia opened the door. “It’s good to see you.”

It was the first time Nicole had ever seen Cecilia dressed casually. She wore a cotton knit dress and open-toed heels, more warmth in her face than Nicole had yet to see there, her eyes soft and shining.

Nicole could hear voices as she followed Cecilia into the library. Michael and Sebastian were seated, papers spread out on a table before them, deep in discussion. Nicole watched Sebastian give Cecilia an intimate smile when she came into the room.

“Nicole!” Michael exclaimed. “This is a pleasure.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Nicole said, looking at the papers.

Sebastian swept them into a briefcase. “We just finished,” he said and started for the door.

“Don’t go,” Nicole said. “I’ve got a big problem and need all the advice I can get.”

Michael gave her a quick look, and Sebastian came back, saying, “I’ll be glad to do anything I can to help.”

“Sit down, Cecilia.” Michael waved her to a chair.

Nicole drew a long, unsteady breath. “I really needed someone to talk to and had nowhere else to turn.”

Before she could go on, Katrina slunk through the terrace doors wearing a big smile and one of her signature body-hugging dresses that left nothing to the imagination, a long slit up one side. Her smile faded when she saw Nicole.

“Hello, Cecilia. Michael, sweetheart. Sebastian.” She added coolly, “How are you, Nicole? It seems we run into each other wherever we go. Especially here.”

“She’s not here enough as far as we’re concerned,” Cecilia declared.

“You said it.” Michael smiled at Nicole.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Katrina said apologetically.

Cecilia looked at Nicole with a
What can I say?
expression on her face.

“It’s no secret,” Nicole said. “Everyone will know about it sooner or later. Chester and I had an argument this afternoon, and I told him to pack up and leave.”

“Well, it’s about time,” Cecilia said.

“You haven’t heard the half of it. He told me I couldn’t fire him because he’s the new owner of the property. I went to Ellis, and he confirmed it.”

“What are you saying?” Cecilia almost shouted.

“Simply that I have no legal claim on the estate and Chester wants me out as soon as possible,” Nicole told them.

“I don’t believe one word of this,” Cecilia said.

Nicole saw Michael and Sebastian exchange looks, as if none of this was news to them. “Ellis found the missing will, a later one than the one that made me heir. Everything goes to Kirkland, or should I say, Lucia.”

Cecilia blurted, “That’s impossible. Caroline Alexander would never have left her estate to either Kirkland
or
Lucia. Sebastian—”

Even in her stunned condition, Nicole realized that Cecilia had turned to Sebastian Brant rather than her brother. She looked at Michael. To her amazement, she saw a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

The lack of any response from Michael surprised her; nor did it escape her attention that he didn’t participate in the conversation that swirled around her. She observed each person, listening without trying to take part. Cecilia and Sebastian did most of the talking. Michael was silent, deep in thought. Katrina’s eyes, ever vigilant, moved from Michael’s face to Nicole’s and back.

“Really, Michael. You act like nothing happened here. Are you going to stand by and let the Greys get away with this?” Cecilia demanded.

“I’ll talk to Ellis,” Michael said, just as his phone rang. “And now, if you’ll excuse me.”

At Cecilia’s insistence, Nicole agreed to stay for dinner when all she wanted to do was to sneak out and go home. If she’d had a home to go to. Which, it appeared, she didn’t. Katrina received a cooler invitation and accepted it quickly, making it clear that she would outstay Nicole if it took all night.

In a brief interlude before dinner, Nicole had a curious and fateful talk with Katrina, who stood framed against the French windows, looking like a high-fashion runway model. “Are all your relationships so destructive?” She wrinkled her nose.

“What are you talking about?” Nicole sighed. They were the only people in the room, and it made her uncomfortable.

Katrina laughed. “You can drop the innocent act. You’re not going to be able to fool everyone for much longer.”

“I don’t understand.” Nicole’s temples banged, her headache getting worse.

Katrina’s arched eyebrows rose still higher in polite disbelief. “Are you out to destroy the whole Edwards family?”

Nicole gasped. “Destroy the Edwardses? How could I do that?”

Katrina looked around, as if to make sure they were alone. “You brought Greg Templeton here and introduced him around. You were there the night he got arrested, and he’s yet to say a word about his business associates. Did you use your friendship with the Edwards family to get Greg into Edwards Inc.? I think he’s protecting someone and that someone is you.”

“Katrina,” she sputtered, “I knew Greg, but I didn’t—”

Katrina cut her off. “You’re completely innocent, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then what happened that night? Just how much do you know about his business dealings?” she demanded.

“Katrina, I don’t know what you want from me. He didn’t tell me anything.”

“He must have said something,” she insisted.

“I told the FBI everything that happened in excruciating detail. Quite frankly, I have no reason to go over it with you. It’s none of your business.”

“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to help Michael,” Katrina huffed, her eyes meeting Nicole’s in direct accusation. “Doesn’t it bother you, what you’re doing to Michael? To his reputation, one that’s taken him years to build? You’ve destroyed it in a few short weeks.”

“Katrina, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I would never do anything to hurt Michael or his family.”

“Who circulated the rumor that Caroline left you a husband and that the man was Michael Edwards? How do you think he’s going to stand the scandal if his board of directors think that marrying you is part of a business deal that includes the Alexander fortune?”

“Not one word of what you’re saying is true.” The color deepened on Nicole’s cheeks.

Katrina studied her face for a moment. “For Michael’s sake, I hope not. One thing is for sure, if you get Michael to fight your battles with Ellis, especially now that forgery’s been insinuated, Michael won’t have to worry about his business reputation—he won’t have one. Or is that the next black cloud you’ll drag over his head, implicating him in a forged will?” She broke off and turned with a smile to greet Michael as he came into the room. Not giving him a chance to speak to Nicole, she linked her arm with his and pulled him into the corner, saying, “Sweetheart, how are you holding up?”

What was Katrina talking about? Implicate Michael in a forged will? She was certainly making it clear that she’d staked her claim and thought Michael belonged to her. But then, she’d done that since the first day they met.

Is it true? Will helping me with my problems only complicate Michael’s life further?

All through dinner, Nicole sat silently, speaking only when necessary. Afterwards, she apologized. “Thank you for dinner, but I must be going. My headache appears resistant to aspirin. I think I’ll get to bed early.”

“I’ll drive you,” Michael said, and Nicole saw Katrina’s mouth set in a hard line.

“I have my car.”

Michael grabbed her arm. “I’m driving,” he whispered, and propelled her out the door and into her car.

They drove in silence until they came to the turnout on the road where Michael had stopped on the day they met. He switched off the motor and turned to face her.

“Nicole,” he said quietly. “I have a lot to tell you, and I’m going to make my absence up to you. I know I’ve been a cad, including tonight. Don’t give up on me or us. There hasn’t been much time to talk since Greg’s arrest.”

“I’ve told the FBI and you everything that happened,” she said.

“That wasn’t what I meant. I mean time to talk about us.”

Her hand was on the door handle; she wanted to jump out and run, run from her problems and fears. Who was she kidding? She wanted to feel his lips on hers, his voice whispering in her ear.

“Perhaps you’ve forgotten.” In the dark, Nicole could hear him laughing softly. “Your grandmother went to a lot of trouble to leave you a husband. We shouldn’t disappoint her.”

Her heart raced.
Michael
, she thought sadly,
now is not the time
.

His arms came around her, enveloping her in his warm embrace. Her mind whirled when he cupped a hand beneath her chin and angled her face up to meet his. The heat of his touch flared through her, setting fire to every nerve. The next instant, he sealed his lips over hers and devoured them. The crush of his lips, hot and demanding, made her gasp. Nothing had ever tasted or felt this good.

For a moment, the sweetness of it was as much as Nicole could bear. She closed her eyes and took a breath; she would not cry. Then she remembered her conversation with Katrina. What would it do to Michael to get involved in her messy life? If she did inherit and they started a relationship, people would believe that he was the fiancé she’d invented to get rid of Greg, and believe that his motivation for being involved with her was money. They’d snicker at the suggestion of love.

Nicole turned away in a feeble attempt to escape his passion and her own desire. “Michael, let me go.”

He released her at once. “What is it? Was I wrong to think you feel the same way about me?”

“I do care about you,” she said. “But there’s so much going on right now. I don’t even have a home. I just can’t think about an ‘us’ right now.”

“Everything will work out, you’ll see.”

For a moment, the temptation to throw herself back into his arms was strong. She wanted to feel safe, to have someone to talk to, someone who could help her make sense of the chaos in her life. But she had no right to involve him any further in her problems, especially since they had a way of reflecting on him.

“I’m sorry,” she said again. “Now’s just not the right time to talk.”

Silently, Michael started the car. He didn’t speak until they reached her house. As he helped her out of the car, he smiled. “Try not to worry,” he said gently. “We’ll get you through this. I predict your problems will come to an end very soon.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

THAT NIGHT, NICOLE tossed and turned until the sheets were a tangled mess.
Stop it
, she ordered herself, but only managed to be still for a minute or two. She ought to be satisfied with herself.

Michael Edwards was the best thing to happen to you in a long time, and you pushed him away. You wanted to make him fall in love with you and then dump him. Then what did you do?  Go and fall in love with him yourself.
Not quite the way she planned it.
This is my own fault. Why did I have to go and spread that story of Grandmother leaving me a husband? Greg Templeton...everywhere I go, he haunts me.

Being ignored by Michael the past week had burned, making her heart ache. And now no one would believe that she and Michael were together for any other reason but money.

The viperous Katrina would gladly make Michael forget that Nicole Alexander had ever existed. She’d wanted to slap the woman tonight when she’d grilled her about Greg. Nicole wondered about Katrina’s role in all this; she suspected it was more than as a loyal friend to Michael, but it was possible that Katrina, too, had found Greg charming, and her questions were nothing more than curiosity.

She continued to toss and turn, thinking it could very well be her last night in this house. She wouldn’t put it past the Greys to throw her out on the street if they thought they could get away with it. What a strange few weeks it had been, and to now walk away from everything her grandmother had built, just turn it over to the Greys, no questions asked… the thought made her stomach roll. She couldn’t do it, but how would she endure living with the Greys? But she had to, at least until the estate was settled one way or the other.

Not being able to sleep brought back memories of her first night in the house, when she’d lain awake in fear. Why be afraid now? The Greys had gotten what they wanted. There was no mystery anymore.