‘I don’t know anything else, I’m afraid. But she asked for me to send her best, so I’m doing that.’
Kent ate a bite-sized ham and mustard sandwich. He’d wondered time and time again whether to get in touch with Nicole, but under the circumstances it almost felt like what had happened had been a reprieve. He would no longer have to deal with falling for the wrong woman, admit to her who he was or, worst of all, tell Jack everything.
‘Well, thanks for the brunch.’ Jack picked up one last bite-sized sandwich. ‘I’ll stop by the kitchen quickly on my way out, thank Maggie. Apologise for my sister’s behaviour.’ He grinned.
‘Wait, we haven’t discussed anything to do with the business yet.’ Kent slid his plate on to the table.
‘I know.’ Jack’s smile reached his eyes. ‘It’s been nice to see you.’
When Jack left, Kent’s mind wasn’t on the business at all. It was on Nicole. When she’d left the house that night, he hadn’t tried to get in touch with her. Part of him knew he should, to apologise, but the other part told him to let it lie. But now Jack had seen her, his curiosity was back with fervour. He wanted to fill in the details of the last three years, know that Nicole was all right, that his actions hadn’t ruined her life. And most of all he wanted to know whether this Evie was trying to take advantage and gunning for any money Nicole may have put aside. He wanted to be reassured that his former housekeeper wasn’t trying to replace the past with the present by opening her heart and her home to a total stranger.
Nicole
It was the morning of the coat collection for streets to the north of their immediate neighbourhood, and Nicole followed Evie as they went on the final round. Winter coats were surprisingly heavy, but when they’d organised the flyer drop, they’d given different allocated days to different streets so they didn’t have to do the collection all at once.
‘I’m sorry about this.’ Nicole pulled a face and looked at her wrist, still encased in a cast, helplessly sitting beneath her coat.
‘It’s fine. It’ll keep me fit,’ Evie assured her. ‘And for the last time, stop apologising!’
Nicole smiled. Evie didn’t need any help keeping fit. She was careful about what she ate and rarely slouched around with nothing to do. Since they’d met all those years ago, Evie had always been a doer rather than an observer. She liked to help whether at home or in the shelter; she loved to walk whenever she could rather than take the subway as though now she was okay she didn’t want to miss a second of living, a moment of how special the world could be when it was on your side. Evie was an attractive young woman too, even more so since she’d had the dental work and the life and confidence to smile broadly every day. The dental work had been one of the few indulgences Nicole had been allowed to spoil her with, and Evie’s smile rivalled any in Hollywood. Her long blonde hair sprayed out from beneath her sky-blue bobble hat and cascaded around her shoulders. She was tall and leggy—something Nicole had never been able to pull off—and she had the kiss of youth on her side.
‘People have been generous this year.’ Evie hauled the last of the bags off the apartment steps and dumped it with the other four at the bottom ready to take home. Both women had a rucksack each, and they shoved single coats into those before Evie grabbed the other bags.
‘They most certainly have.’ Nicole took one bag with her functioning arm. She thought of the petition against the shelter. She supposed she couldn’t blame people for their objections. Residents in this area had worked hard to get where they were and they didn’t want a shelter to be a danger to them or their families. If only they could see the bigger picture, come and meet some of the people who deep down were no different from them. But Nicole doubted any explanation would help to change their minds. The mindset of the people in these houses was most likely as strong as their bank account.
‘So …’ Nicole caught up with Evie as she marched across the road. ‘Are you ever going to tell me what was going on at the hospital?’
‘What do you mean?’ Evie strode on.
‘You know exactly what I’m talking about, young lady. You haven’t said a word since that day, since we saw Jackson.’
‘Oh, that.’
‘Yes … that.’ Nicole hadn’t pushed it before now because she’d seen the anger simmering beneath Evie’s calm exterior as they’d left the hospital and she hadn’t wanted to upset her. Even though she knew Evie was happy, Nicole always had the fear that the girl would run and she wouldn’t see her again. ‘Slow down, my legs can’t keep up. And be on the lookout for ice. You don’t want to break a bone like me.’
‘I’ve got good grips on these boots.’ Evie snickered. ‘And you’re getting unfit. What happened to all the walking in Central Park?’
‘That’s enough sass from you.’ But she laughed all the same. ‘Come on, Evie. What happened with Jackson and that man?’
Evie stopped. They were almost at the apartment, but it seemed the weight of the bags or what was on her mind prevented her from going the last few paces. ‘That revolting man was apparently there the night of the party when you were fired and I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I wasn’t welcome.’
‘Ah, I thought I recognised him.’
‘Horrible little man.’ Evie made no attempt to hide her disgust. ‘He implied that I was sponging off you, that he knew what people like me were after. He implied I’d offered myself around to get ahead, to get a job, nice clothes, etcetera.’
‘You mean prostitution?’ Nicole was horrified. How low could some people go?
‘Uh-huh.’
‘I’ll give him a piece of my mind if I ever lay eyes on him!’
‘I can look after myself.’
‘I’m not saying you can’t.’ She hesitated. ‘But why throw the coffee at Jackson?’
‘I didn’t. I—’
‘It’s no use arguing with me, I saw you do it. My wrist is broken, not my eyesight.’
