Chapter Forty-Seven
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Nina
One Week Later
A SENSE OF DéJà vu ripples through me when I park in front of the white farmhouse. Before I have the chance to get out of the driver’s seat, the front door squeaks open and Charlie walks out onto the porch. This should be fun…
“What are you doing here?” Her voice is laced with venom, and if it were a bite I’m sure it would sting like a bitch.
“Your dad home?” I ask, ignoring her tone.
“Nope.”
“I have something for him. Can I trust that you’ll give to him?” I can’t stand the thought of leaving this with her, but I have no choice. I have to get back to catch our flight to New York. Steve said we have to leave on time. A storm is coming and he wants to get ahead of it.
“Depends,” Charlie says, placing her hands on her hips. “What is it?”
“None of your concern. I’d wait for him, but I have a flight to catch. Can you please make sure he gets it?”
Charlie takes the envelope when I offer it to her but doesn’t agree or disagree with my request. “What is it? Hush money?”
For the love of God. I sigh.
“Should it be?” I ask with a cocked brow.
“You tell me.”
“Just make sure he gets it,” I say, turning my back to get into the car. Time to leave before I say something I shouldn’t. I know better than to let her get to me, but to put it simply, I cannot stand this girl. How in the hell did Nick put up with her for a year? I’ve only been around her for a few minutes and it’s been more than enough for me.
“We don’t need your handouts!”
I roll my eyes, hand gripping the door handle.
“He was falling for me!” Her words make my blood run cold.
Get in the car, Nina, I say to myself. Get in the car right now and go home to your husband.
My fingers flex on the handle, preparing to tug it open, but Charlie opens her mouth again and I’ve had enough. “Do you honestly believe that?”
Charlie doesn’t waver—she stands tall on the porch, looking down at me.
“You know what.” I scoff. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Xavier was starting to feel something for you, but the problem is there would have always been a piece of him missing. You’d never have the whole thing. You couldn’t. And you want to know why?” My hand rests on the hood of the Wrangler, waiting for her to answer, but she doesn’t. The only response is the scowl forming on her face. “That’s not who he is. That man is not Xavier. He is Nick Davis. Not only that…He’s a Villa, and it would serve you well to remember that the name Villa means something.”
“He isn’t a Villa.” She practically spits out our last name as if it’s bitter on her tongue.
“Oh, make no mistake, Charlotte. Nick is a Villa. You only got to see a glimpse of who he is. You don’t know the real him.”
Charlie scoffs, shaking her head. “He didn’t even miss you.”
Does this girl never learn?
“Maybe Xavier learned not to miss something he never knew, but what was your plan when he finally woke up one day and remembered who he was?” I ask, but she doesn’t have one of her snarky answers this time. “Let’s say things had turned out differently. God forbid, I never found him. Even if you had won Xavier’s heart, there would always be a piece of him you’d never win—a piece of him missing. Because no matter what happens, Nick Davis will always be mine .”
Charlie’s face falls, but is quick to recover, returning to a scowl.
My phone rings from inside the car and I know I’m cutting it close. I didn’t tell him where I was going. I only said I had to run an errand—an errand three hours away. Satisfied with the end of our conversation, I turn on my heel to get back into the car before he starts freaking out because I haven’t answered the phone.
“Where are you?” Nick’s voice fills the cab, and I recognize the hint of panic. I wonder how long it will take before we don’t have the small amount of fear that settles in our stomach when the other doesn’t answer their phone. I almost had a small panic attack two days ago. He went into town and didn’t answer when I called to ask him to make one more stop. The only thing that kept me grounded was Elena in the next room. Two minutes later, his name flashed across my screen and the panic finally subsided.
My hand rests on the gear shift, but I don’t put it into reverse yet. I watch Charlie rip open the envelope, scanning over the documents in her hands—the deed to the property and a paid-in-full bill of sale. Her eyes lift to meet mine through the windshield with a look of disbelief. When I called Joseph two days ago, I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. I wanted to pay the remainder of the loan he’d taken out on the property and pay a year’s salary for two ranch hands. He had done something for me I could never repay, but I thought giving him his home back and a few helping hands was a good start. And I may have added a small request: keep Shadow for a little longer until we can bring the horse home with us.
I smirk, finally putting the car into reverse. “On my way home.”