Wish You Were Here (7 page)

“
I’m sorry. Is it not good?” the waitress asked, genuinely concerned.

“
Not yet.” Nikkie pulled a tiny, clear bottle out of her pocket, dumped the contents into the drink, and mixed it with her straw. She took a long drink and still cringed, but it was less noticeable this time.

Malcolm looked at the waitress, who was staring at Nikkie.

“Um,” the waitress said, “I’m not sure it’s legal for you to—”

“
Oh, lass, don’t you worry yourself,” Malcolm said. “It’s quite the lost cause.”

The waitress smiled a bit, but her eyes were still worried as she backed away.

Nikkie sat back from the drink and seemed to relax a bit. “I’ll tell you right now, Malcolm, I don’t care how much you offer me, I’m not sleeping with you. Or Mick.”

“
As flattered as I am by the fact that such a thing would even cross your mind, that’s not what I’m after,” Malcolm said. “And Mick’s dead, so I feel confident you won’t have to worry about any unwanted advances from him.”

Nikkie straightened.
“Mick’s dead? Then what the hell are we doing in Idaho?”

Malcolm sighed He had hoped this could be handled with a little more delicacy, but it seemed that Nikkie had hardened significantly since he
’d last seen her, and she’d hardly been a marshmallow back then. “There’s an item that Mick had, and I need it.”

“
And why can’t you get it yourself?”

Malcolm gave a slight nod.
“My nephew has inherited the land, and we’ve had trouble seeing eye to eye since that time he threatened to cause me bodily harm if I ever darkened his door again.”

Nikkie
’s face went white. “Nate... um…” She cleared her throat. “Nate’s here?”

“
Yes. So is Piper. They’re living at Mick’s campground and that’s where this item is, I believe. So you see my predicament.”

She stared at him for a
while, her eyes narrowed, then sat back and crossed her arms over her stomach. “You are one shitty piece of work, you know that?”

“
It’s been brought to my attention on occasion, yes.”

“
You want me to use Nate and Piper to get you some stupid ‘item’ because you’re too much of a coward to get it yourself?” She downed the last of her drink, slammed it on the table, and stood up. “Fuck off, old man.”

“
Let’s not be rash.”

“
I’m not being rash.” She pulled up the telescoping suitcase handle. “I’m coming to my senses. Why I ever thought this might be a good idea is beyond—”

“
There was no mistake with your reservation, Nikkie, was there?”

Her grip on the handle of her suitcase tightened, but she didn
’t move away. Malcolm stood up and moved closer, careful to keep the smile on his face and the gentle tone in his voice.

“
You and I both know that, even if you could afford first class, you wouldn’t fly out here from Los Angeles to see me unless you were beyond desperate. I know about the debts, dear, and I know that, despite all your posturing, you will do this for me, because I will pay you, and you’ve never been choosy about where your money comes from, so long as it comes. Am I right?”

Nikkie muttered something foul at him, but she didn
’t leave. Malcolm put a fatherly hand on her shoulder.

“
All I’m asking is that you go for a short visit, under the aegis of checking up on your ex-husband and daughter after their devastating loss. While you’re there, you will find this object for me. Once you do, you’ll have enough money to get rid of those pesky debts, and maybe have a little left over to do something about that nose.” He touched the slightly upturned tip of her nose with his finger. “I know you’ve always wanted Sharon Stone’s nose. Here’s your chance.”

She turned her face away from him for a moment, but he could still smell her desperation. Even before she turned her eyes back to meet his, he knew he
’d won, and was already smiling.

“
That’s my girl,” he said, motioning toward the booth seat. “I knew you’d see reason.”

She let out a hefty sigh and threw herself back down into the booth.
“I’m still not sleeping with you.”

“
Believe it or not,” Malcolm said, “the idea is almost as repugnant to me as it is to yourself.”

He raised his hand, and the waitress appeared almost instantly.

“My companion will be requiring a refill,” he said.

“
Don’t bother,” Nikkie said, pulling two more stolen airline vodkas out of her pocket and placing them before her on the table. She whipped the top off one, threw it back, and then looked up at the waitress, who was staring at her. “What?”

“
Um,” the waitress began, her eyes wide and skittish, making her look like a fat, nervous doe.

“
You know,” Malcolm said, putting his hand on the waitress’s arm to draw her attention away from Nikkie, “I think I’ll give in and have some of that peach pie after all.”

The waitress smiled uneasily, then jotted the order
down and hurried off. By the time Malcolm turned back to his companion, she’d already downed the second vodka. Then she shook her head like a dog coming out of the rain and leaned forward.

“
Here’s the deal. You give me another three grand, cash, for a down payment, and I’ll give you two days. If I find this ‘item,’ you give me fifty grand. If I don’t find it, I’m outta here and keeping the down payment for my trouble. Understood?”

Malcolm smiled.
“It’s going to be a pleasure working with you, Nikkie. I can feel it in me bones.”

Six

Nate
whipped the eggs in the bowl and yawned.

Sleeping last night had been almost impossible. Even after taking a long shower and relieving what tension he could on his own, he hadn
’t been able to stop thinking about Freya. He’d never met a woman who could be so tough and so vulnerable at the same time. He ran the night over and over in his head, remembering how funny she’d been when going through her tourist loot, how irresistible she’d been when she’d pressed against him in that doorway...

“
Okay,” he said, and tried to concentrate on the eggs, to limited success. Giving up a social life for Piper was having a stark side effect, in that his desire for this one woman was so powerful, he could hardly think of anything else.

But he needed to think of other things. Like Piper, and her future. At three in the morning, he
’d shot up in bed, fully realizing what a jackass he’d been to turn down Freya’s offer. It came down to stubbornness and pride, and he had so much of both, he couldn’t see what he was doing, which made him more like his father than he cared to admit. Still, there was a little time for it all to work out. If he could keep Freya there for just a little while longer, he might be able to find the damn toolbox—or whatever the hell it was—before she and her offer skipped town. Then he could go back to his restaurant in Cincinnati and set up the world’s most kickass trust fund for Piper, Freya’d go back to Boston and get her promotion, and Ruby’d have enough to start over wherever she wanted and never need to put up with a man like his dad ever again.

He
’d try to do it and keep his word, but if he had to betray his promise to his father in order to make it happen, then he’d betray his promise.

In a heartbeat.

“Morning, Dad.”

He turned around to see Piper practically dancing into the kitchen, looking sweet in her pink pig pajamas and matching slippers. She walked over to him, put her arms around his waist, and squeezed.

Apparently, he was forgiven. Good to know. He put the bowl down, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her high enough that he could kiss the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of the strawberry shampoo she used. He knew it was just a matter of seconds before she wasn’t a little girl anymore, and his heart flushed with gratitude that they weren’t wasting any more of that precious time being mad at each other.

She released him, humming a happy tune as she pulled the orange juice out of the refrigerator. Nate poured his eggs into the hot pan and grabbed his whisk.

“So, you’re in a good mood this morning,” he said.

“
Yep,” she said. “I’m not mad anymore.”

Wow. Things were so much simpler with little girls
than with grown ones. “Good to know, Pipes. I hope you’re in the mood for scrambled.”

She sat at the table and took a sip of her juice.
“No goat cheese.”

He laughed.
“Deal.” He turned back to the stove, checked the heat on the second frying pan, and put the bacon on, feeling for the first time in a long time as if anything was possible. He was in the middle of a fantasy that involved searching for the toolbox with Freya on one of the pullout couches when Ruby’s voice brought him back to the moment.

“
Good morning,” she said as she stepped into the kitchen. “Anything I can help with?”

Definitely no.
“Thanks, but I’m almost done. Go ahead and sit down and—”

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Ruby looked at Nate.

“Expecting someone?”

Nate smiled.
“No.” But he had an idea who it might be, and he did owe Freya a breakfast. He wiped his hands on his apron and turned to Ruby.

“
Do me a favor,” he said. “Plate this up; I’ll get the door.”

He ruffled Piper
’s hair as he passed her into the living room, and had just enough time to whip the apron off and run his hands through his hair before pulling the door open. After that, his mind went blank for a second until it could connect reality with what he saw standing before him.

She was still beautiful, he had to give her that. She
’d cut her hair short, that was different, but aside from that, she looked almost as if no time had gone by. For a moment, he thought maybe he had some kind of brain tumor and was hallucinating, because who wore severe business suits on a Sunday morning? Even Nikkie hadn’t been that driven.

“
Hi, Nate,” she said. Her voice had gotten a little rougher, a little deeper. She smiled at him, and he could tell she was nervous, which meant she was real. In all the scenarios he’d played in his head where she’d suddenly come back, she’d never been nervous.

And that woke him up.

He glanced behind him; Piper was still in the kitchen, with her back to them. Thank God. He stepped outside, pushing Nikkie back, and shut the door firmly behind them.

“
What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice low.

“
I heard about Mick.” She put one hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

He glanced down at her hand, and she pulled it back.
“Piper’s had ten birthdays you couldn’t bother to send a card for,” he said, “and you want me to believe you give a crap about Mick?”

Nikkie glanced at the house behind him.
“Is she in there?”

“
Yes, she is, and you’d better get the hell out of here before she sees you, or—”

“
Or what?” Nikkie raised her eyes to his. “Or you’re gonna toss me out on my ass? Without ever telling Piper I was here? Come on, Nate. We both know that’s not the kind of man you are.”

The kind of man he was seemed to be causing more problems than it solved.
“How’d you even find out about Mick, anyway?”

She sighed.
“I have a Google alert set up for all your names. I’ve been keeping track of you. I know about the restaurant. Congratulations. That was always your dream.”

Her smile was tight and her eyes cold. No way was this a social visit; she was after something.
“Mick didn’t have any money, Nikkie. And even if he did, I paid you off a long time ago. You don’t have any claim on anything I have. And that includes Piper.”

“
I’m her mother, Nate.”

“
Yeah, and as I recall, all it took to get you to give her up was a cashier’s check. Legally, you have no rights here, and you know it.”

“
I’m hoping it won’t come to lawyers,” she said. “I just want to see my daughter.”

He closed his eyes. His world was spinning, and he couldn
’t think fast enough what to do, how best to protect Piper. Nikkie was right; there was no way he was going to kick her out and not tell Piper. That would be a lie, and he didn’t lie, not to his kid. But to let Piper see her again, especially when he had no idea what Nikkie wanted, was just reckless.

“
She’s going to be wondering who’s at the door.”

Nate opened his eyes. Looking up at him were the same brown eyes he
’d been staring at for the last eleven years. He saw them as more Piper’s than Nikkie’s, but he couldn’t deny they were the same. He knew the day would come when he couldn’t protect Piper anymore, but he’d hoped it wouldn’t come so damn fast.

He sighed, reached for the doorknob, and opened it. Nikkie allowed a small, victorious smile to quirk at the edge of her lips. She still loved winning, more than anything else. She hadn
’t changed.

He followed her into the living room, where Ruby and
Piper stood, waiting. They had obviously figured out something was up, and Ruby stood with her hands on Piper’s shoulders, both of them still as they watched Nikkie walk in the room.

Nikkie eyed Ruby,
then looked back at Nate, her eyes glittering with cold amusement.

“
Just when I thought you couldn’t surprise me, Nate,” she said under her breath.

He shot her a warning look and whispered,
“That’s Mick’s widow.” Close enough to it, anyway. If Mick had been enough of a man to marry her, she would have been. Nate cleared his throat and spoke louder. “Um, Ruby, Piper. This is—”

“
Nikkie?” Piper’s voice cracked on the word, and Nate took a step toward his girl, only he didn’t know what to say. The look on her face almost killed him, and it was going to get a hell of a lot worse before it got better.

Nikkie stepped out from behind him.
“Yes, Piper. It’s me.”

Piper looked at Nate, who nodded. The few pictures he
’d had of Nikkie had been in an album Piper had kept in her bedroom since she was a toddler. Nate watched, his stomach roiling, as his daughter’s face registered everything she was thinking. First, there was a kind of shock, then a hint of a smile, then shock again. The hurt would come later. Not now, not when the one thing she’d always wanted was finally right in front of her, but later, when Nikkie revealed herself for the person she really was, the person she’d always been. He’d been too blind to see it coming the first time, but it was all too clear for him now. Only now, it was his baby’s heart that was going to get broken instead of his own, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Ruby, he noticed, kept her hands firmly clamped on Piper
’s shoulders, and when Piper started to step forward, she hesitated before letting her go. Slowly, Piper made her way across the room to stand in front of Nikkie. Nate watched, his stomach in knots, as Nikkie leaned over to look at Piper.

“
You’re pretty,” she said, then straightened up. “The last time I saw you, you were bald.”

Piper
’s lip trembled and she threw her arms around Nikkie’s waist.

“
I knew you’d come,” she sniffled into her mother’s stomach. “I knew it.”

Nikkie put her arms awkwardly around Piper, patting her back.

Nate walked over to stand next to Ruby, biting the inside of his cheek as he watched his daughter bawl in her mother’s arms. Ruby put her hand on his arm, showing solidarity; she didn’t know much about Nikkie, but she wasn’t stupid, either. He could tell by the look on her face that Ruby knew Nikkie was no good. It was a comfort, knowing Ruby had his back, knowing that someone would be there to help him pick up the pieces after Nikkie got whatever it was she wanted and broke his daughter’s heart.

“
It’s okay,” Nikkie said, still patting Piper. She looked up at Nate, a mildly helpless look in her eyes. Nate made a motion with his arms.
Hug her.

“
Oh. Right.” Nikkie knelt to Piper’s level and put her arms around her. Piper rested her head on Nikkie’s shoulder and Nikkie said, “It’s okay. Mama’s here.”

Nikkie met and held Nate
’s eye, and she looked scared to death, which was good, because if she hurt his kid again, he’d kill her.

***

Freya sat in the Adirondack chair on her cabin deck and sipped her coffee, which was getting cold. She’d been out there for almost an hour, trying to decide what she was going to do, how she was going to convince Nate to let her help him find the whatever his father wanted him to find. She figured she could keep the offer on the table for about five more days before her father got too antsy. In that time they could find the whatever, soothe Nate’s conscience, and still put the deal through.

She might even get Na
te to talk her up to two-point-two-five. There seemed a certain poetic justice about making her father pay five times what the place was worth.

She heard distant footsteps and looked up to see Nate coming down the path. Her heart leapt at the sight of him—which made sense, she always got excited before finishing up a big deal—but then she grinned and waved like an idiot, gestures inspired by emotions that were decidedly not professional. She lowered her hand, relieved that he didn
’t seem to have seen her; he just walked with his head down, flipping through a set of keys in his hand, and then took a sharp left and turned into Number Two.

“
Oh,” she said, lowering her hand as she realized he wasn’t coming to see her.

Which was fine. He didn
’t need to want to see her for her to make this work. She got up, hesitated a minute over her wardrobe—she’d never closed a deal in silk capri pajama bottoms paired with a T-shirt that read “Idaho Snow Bunny,” but hell. There was a first time for everything, and she didn’t want to waste any time making this happen. She slipped her Keds on, headed over to Number Two, knocked on the door, and poked her head in. Nate stood at the back corner of the main room, keys clanging in his hand.

“
Good morning,” she said.

He barely glanced at her.
“Yeah.”

She walked over to stand by him. He opened the padlock and swung the door open on the fuse box, his face hard as he pulled out one fuse and replaced it with another.

“I was wondering,” she said, “if maybe later we could talk about—”