12. Where The Trouble Always Starts
12
Where The Trouble Always Starts
I t wasn’t often Nicole took a day to sleep in, but her body had other plans for her. She didn’t bother setting her alarm the night before. Making her more thankful when her body didn’t instinctively wake itself up. What she wasn’t thankful for was the loud knocking at her door which jolted her out of her soundless sleep.
Grabbing her silk robe from her dresser, she begrudgingly walked to the door. “Stop banging on the door before you wake the building,” she warned before opening it.
“It’s noon. Are your neighbors senior citizens?” Maya asked, standing in the hall.
The shock of seeing her daughter at her door almost caused Nicole to miss the flowers in her hand. “You got me flowers? Seems formal for an impromptu visit.”
“Oh, this isn’t from me. I saw them waiting at your door when I arrived. It’s a good thing I did, or some nosy neighbor would have taken it.”
“You could have texted me you were coming,” Nicole sighed, taking the flowers from her.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Maya pushed her way inside, looking around. “Mom, why does your apartment still look like you moved in yesterday as opposed to eight months ago?”
“I’m not home enough to decorate.”
Maya gave her a knowing look. “I know lying is second nature to you, but we both know why your apartment looks the same.”
Nicole didn’t like where the conversation was going, so she busied herself with the bouquet. “Oh, look a card.”
“Fine, deflect. I can make you so uncomfortable you’ll regret changing the subject.”
“And how are you going to do that?”
“By teasing you for having a secret admirer.”
Nicole laughed at the suggestion. “Secret admirer? That’s not what this is.”
“You haven’t read the card yet.”
She shook her head. “It’s not from a secret admirer, but I have a pretty good idea of who it is from.”
“Then read it and find out if you’re right.”
“Why, aren’t you being pushy today.”
Maya sat on a barstool, making herself at home. “I could always read it if you don’t want to.”
“Pushy and funny today. To who do I owe the pleasure?” Nicole rolled her eyes at Maya’s persistence, but opened the card to appease her.
To Nicole,
I wanted to thank you again for your help in planning the birthday of Nessa’s dreams. Her excitement at the venue was priceless. It’s a moment I’ll cherish forever, and it wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for you.
Our outing was meaningful for me too. It’s not easy opening up about the challenges of parenthood, but I’m grateful for the wise words you offered me. You clearly have a caring soul beneath your professionalism.
I find myself thinking of our conversation and hoping all is well on your family front. If I could lend an ear or help in the future, don’t hesitate to ask.
This is just the beginning of what I hope will be a rewarding partnership. Nessa is already asking when she can see you again! I look forward to our next meeting and to learning more about your vision.
Warm regards,
Spencer
As she finished reading the elegant handwriting inside, Maya leaned over and tried to peek over her shoulder. “What does it say?”
Nicole turned around, blocking her view. “It’s private.”
“Come on, let me see.”
“Oh, fine.” She handed the card over and watched Maya’s face as she read it.
She could see her expression shift, her brows furrowing together. “Mom, you little liar,” she cried out. “You said this wasn’t from a secret admirer, but it clearly is! This Spencer guy is into you.”
Nicole snatched the card back. “He’s not into me, Maya. He is a client who is grateful for the work I’ve done thus far for him.”
“Nobody writes a thank-you card like that unless they’re interested in more than your party planning skills.”
Nicole shook her head. “No. I haven’t done anything to give him the impression our relationship is anything but platonic.”
“Yeah. Like that’s ever stopped men from taking a hint. Why are you so against this? Even if I’m wrong, would it really be a bad thing for you to date?”
“No, but it would be a bad thing to date this particular man. He’s a client—”
“He won’t be forever,” Maya interrupted.
Nicole ignored that tidbit. “Did I forget to mention he’s 30? Six years older than you. I’m 42 years old. The last thing I need is to date a man I need to baby.”
“I didn’t get the sense he needed to be babied from that letter, but you’ve met him. What’s he like?”
Nicole thought for a moment. “He’s nice. A good father, though a bit overprotective. But also closed off and wary.”
“Wow. He sounds like you, but with a penis.”
Nicole motioned for Maya to zip it. “Spencer seems like a good man, with a normal amount of flaws, but we both know how looks can be deceiving. Whether he is as good of a person as he looks or not, I’m not interested in exploring our relationship beyond a professional capacity. Let’s leave it at that.”
It was true. Spencer wasn’t a viable romantic interest. Nicole didn’t see anyone as one. Not since Maya’s father, Kyle. His leaving them broke the ability in Nicole to see romantic entanglements as anything but a means to an end. How could she manipulate someone into getting what she wanted from them? That was the question that rang through her head on a daily basis for years.
She got so good at conning because she never viewed her targets as actual people, rather a dollar sign. Relationships were the same way. Dating a mark, feigning intimacy, saying “I do” — it was all one and the same for Nicole. Tools in her arsenal helping her gain complete control over her victims’ hearts. And with that control came the power to break them.
After years of sleeping next to the worst men the world had to offer, Nicole knew for certain she wouldn’t ever be able to see romantic relationships like a normal person did. She had seen the atrocious behavior the sex she liked exhibited. It wasn’t fair, but she could never see the good in their kind without thinking of a red flag.
A potential partner wouldn’t be the only person in the relationship Nicole couldn’t trust. How, after so long, could she enter one, a real one, without resorting back to playing it like it was a game? She couldn’t. Not anymore.
She put the flowers down on the kitchen counter, ready to let them die along with Maya’s hopes for her.
“Okay,” Maya said. “I’m sorry for teasing you about this Spencer guy.”
“It’s alright. Now, are you hungry? I can fix you something.” Nicole opened the refrigerator to find half a carton of eggs, four bottles of water, expired milk, a block of cheese, and some wilted vegetables. “On second thought, we should order.”
“No, I’m good. I’ll take water. Believe it or not, I didn’t come by for you to feed me.”
Nicole slid the water over to her. “So there is a reason for your drop-in. Can’t say I’m surprised, but I’m also not complaining.”
Maya visited Nicole at her apartment weekly when Nicole first moved in. Nicole had seen less and less of her in the ensuing months. She chalked it up to Maya being busy rehearsing for her play, but feared it was a sign of her daughter finally leaving her behind.
Maya didn’t notice Nicole’s apprehension, her mind clearly somewhere else. Nicole placed her hand over Maya’s, stopping her from peeling the label off the water bottle. “Maya, what’s going on? You seem distracted.”
She sighed, putting the water down. “I don’t know how else to say this, so I’m just going to come out with it. I’m 90% sure William came to my show last night.”
Nicole felt the blood drain from her face. She was sure she was paler than the milk she had forgotten in the fridge. “90% is a lot better than 100. Are you sure it was him?”
“I didn’t actually see him. The crew described someone matching his description, trying to come backstage after the show. Security said a man by the same description was hanging around the stage door during intermission. White, late 40s, salt pepper hair, 5’11. That matches how he looked the last time we saw him.”
For Maya, that was nearly a year ago at Nicole and Eric’s wedding shower. For Nicole, that was a week ago when she interrupted him blackmailing Kennedy. Nicole never told Maya about seeing him, and apparently neither did Kennedy. Nicole didn’t know her reasoning, but her own was simple. She didn’t want Maya to worry.
If Maya had known about William lurking around, it would’ve eaten her alive. There would’ve been no way Maya could’ve stayed focused on her show. But now she worried that keeping her in the dark had only made the situation worse.
“Get a photo of William and give it to the Arden’s security,” she ordered. “They need to know who he is.”
“I know. Kennedy told me to do the same, and I’m going to. I just wanted to warn you first. If he was at my place of work, he could show up at yours or even here.”
Nicole’s heart raced at the suggestion. She spent years trying to keep their past from coming back to haunt them. Now her efforts were unraveling before her eyes.
Taking a deep breath, she met Maya’s eyes. “Don’t think like that. This is what William wants. He wants to make us tip toe through our lives, afraid he’ll pop up and spook us. That’s not happening. He’s not the boogeyman. He’s a 47-year-old tech bro who got his ego bruised by two women who outsmarted him. His pride got hurt, and he wants to come after us as some sort of penance. We’re not going to let him. Okay?”
Maya nodded, but her eyes told a different story. She was terrified. Her mom grabbed her hands and rubbed them gently. “We’ve built a good thing going, you and I. You with your play. Me with my business. We can’t let William take that from us. We’re not going to live in fear of him. Got it?”
“You know you can’t order my feelings to feel a certain way?”
“I know. What I’m asking is that you try. Fearing William is how he wins.”
“And we can’t have that,” Maya replied in a passive tone.
“No, we certainly can’t.”
When Maya left, Nicole phoned the last person she wanted to. “Why did I have to find out from Maya that William came to her show last night? And not you?”
“Would you have picked up if you saw I was the one calling you?”
“Of course, not, but that’s beside the point. If he has upgraded from blackmailing to stalking, there’s no telling what he’ll do next. We need to keep Maya safe.”
Protecting Maya was the only common ground the two women shared. Nicole was at least grateful there was someone out there who cared for her daughter’s well-being as much as she did. She would rather eat a raw onion than ever tell Kennedy that, though.
“So what’s the plan?” she asked. “You have a plan, right?”
“Would I be calling if I didn’t? Just tell me if you still have his number.”
“Yeah. If he doesn’t have me blocked.”
“Arrange a meeting between him and I. Somewhere public, but out of the way.”
“And then what?”
That was information she wouldn’t be privy to. “I’ll handle it from there. Just arrange the meeting and text me the details. Oh, and Kennedy?”
“Yeah?”
“Make sure William comes alone.”