Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
NATE
T he smile slipped from Nate’s face as he shifted his gaze from the text message on his phone to his brother’s smirking face. Every muscle in his body tensed, and his jaw clenched until it hurt.
“Good morning, Stephen. Still obsessed with my life?”
His brother scoffed. “Me, obsessed with you ? I don’t think so. I’m not the one who painstakingly planned out how to destroy someone’s life.”
Nate slid his eyes closed as his brother referenced his past sins. “You really can’t let the past go, can you?”
“Was I supposed to?” Stephen screwed up his face as he stared into space. “I seem to have forgotten the part of my process where I forgive my brother for manipulating GenoTech into investigating me for misappropriation of funds in a desperate attempt to take over the company.”
Nate flicked his eyes out the window as he shook his head .
“Oh, wait, maybe that’s because that wasn’t part of my process. Though seeking forgiveness is part of yours, right? Which of the twelve steps is it again?” Stephen offered him a mocking glance as he narrowed his eyes at his brother.
Nate leapt from his chair, his teeth clenched. “The part right after I kick your–”
“Boys,” Victoria said as she rushed into the room with Charles close behind her. “That is enough. You can hear this argument all the way in the foyer.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Mom, but I’m still not over what Nate did.”
“We agreed to let bygones be bygones after it happened,” Charles said as he settled into his seat. “Everyone’s got their place at the table.”
Stephen settled into his seat, his features taut. “Yeah, well, Nate’s up to his old tricks again, so maybe his invitation should be revoked.”
Charles shot his wife a weary glance as she sipped her coffee. “Do you want to explain that, Stephen? Or just make vague accusations to stir the pot?”
“Why don’t you ask him about who has him constantly glued to his phone?”
Nate shook his head, a scoff escaping him. “Obsessed much?”
“Or where he’s been sneaking off to for the past few weeks. He’s doing the same things he did when he was drinking.”
“I’m not drinking. Dad knows that.” He shifted his gaze to his father. “Didn’t I prove that the night you brought the cops here for the breathalyzer?”
Stephen raised his eyebrows. “You had him tested? So you’ve had the same suspicions, and you never mentioned it.”
Charles stabbed at the steaming eggs delivered to him moments earlier. “I didn’t think I needed to run it past you, Stephen. He came back clean.”
“Oh, well, I’m not surprised. He may be up to his old tricks, but this time there’s a new game.”
Nate screwed up his face. “What are you talking about? Maybe that hospital I had you committed to released you too soon?”
Stephen’s fork clattered to his plate as he curled his fingers into fists.
Victoria placed a steadying hand on his arm. “Stop this. We are not going to have you two coming to blows at the breakfast table.”
“Then Stephen ought to shut his mouth about my habits. I’m not drinking,” Nate answered, his jaw tight.
“I never said you were.” His brother shot him a haughty glance, raising his eyebrows.
“So, what are you accusing me of now?”
“I think you’re hitting something way harder than the bottle, big brother.”
Nate narrowed his eyes, his lips tugging into a frown. “You want to actually say it without dancing around it or are you just trying to cause trouble?”
His brother threw his arms out to the sides. “Fine, I’ll say it. I think you’re on drugs.”
Victoria gasped as Nate huffed out a sharp laugh, his eyes rising to the ceiling as he shook his head. “Come on, Stephen, even you aren’t that stupid.”
“No, but you are. Vodka not drowning the pain anymore, Nate?”
“What pain? Oh, wait, while we’re confessing each other’s sins, maybe you’d like to tell Mom and Dad what you’ve been up to the past few weeks? Or rather who you’ve been up to it with.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Stephen said with a shrug.
Nate pounded a fist on the table, rattling the china. “Don’t you?”
“Stop it!” Victoria said. “If you two cannot sit at this table without fighting, then leave.”
“Which one of us, Mom? The problem son or me?” Stephen asked.
“ Both of you,” she said, giving him a glare. “I’m not going to tolerate this fighting between you again.”
“Fine,” Nate said as he pushed back from the table. He strode toward the door, his eyes narrowed as he passed his brother. “I’m watching you.”
“Good, maybe you’ll learn something,” Stephen shot back.
Nate’s teeth gritted as he stormed to the foyer. He gripped the edge of the entryway table, sliding his eyes shut with a growl.
“Bad morning?” Maddie asked as she hopped down the stairs.
“Really bad morning,” Nate said.
“Did you have a fight with Ellie?”
He sucked in a breath, his nostrils flaring. “No. She’s the one good thing in my life right now.”
“So, you still like her? It’s been a few weeks.”
The frown deeply ingrained in his features twisted into a smile. “Yeah, I still like her.”
Maddie grinned at him and winked. “I think she still likes you, too.”
He tugged his chin back toward his chest. “How do you know that?”
She waved her phone in the air. “We may or may not have been texting.”
“You’re texting Ellie?” he asked.
“Yeah. It’s no big deal, right? I like her. ”
“It’s fine, just…don’t say anything to anyone yet, okay? I just got into it with Stephen again. I don’t want anyone to know about her, okay?”
Maddie’s shoulders slumped as she frowned. “Again? I hate when you and Stephen fight. Why can’t you both just get along?”
“There’s way too much baggage between us, Maddie,” Nate answered as he spun to lean against the table, crossing his arms.
“But you’re brothers.”
“Barely,” Nate answered. He flicked his gaze to his sister before he pulled himself to stand and kissed her cheek. “Look, it’s never going to be like that between us, okay? I promise.”
She grinned at him. “Good. You heading to work?”
“Yep. You got plans today?”
“I might sit by the pool and do my nails or something. It’s summer break.”
“Have fun, Maddie.” He grabbed his briefcase from under the table and headed out the door.
As he climbed behind the wheel of his car, the conversation from the breakfast table replayed in his head. His jaw clenched as he tightened his grip around the leather steering wheel.
The accusations made by his brother burned through his mind along with the image of Stephen with Chloe in the park. By the time he pulled into his reserved parking space, he wanted to put his hand through a wall…or his brother’s face.
At these stress levels, less than a year ago he’d have sought solace with a few drinks. Now, he found it in his pocket. He slid his phone from his jacket and toggled it on, reading the last message from Ellie. Good morning, love. I hope your day is starting with a smile.
He tapped his screen, typing a message back to her. Every time I look at this message, I smile.
He leaned back in the supple leather seat, letting his head fall against the headrest. His interactions with Ellie were so easy, so natural. And they gave him a level of comfort that had been unmatched in his life thus far.
His phone chimed, and he glanced at the screen. Well, I suppose that’s a start. How is your day otherwise?
He pounded against the virtual keyboard before he tapped the send key with his thumb. Not great. Any chance I can see you tonight?
He clutched the phone tightly to his chest, hoping she didn’t already have plans. When it chimed, he was almost afraid to look at it. Certainly. I actually was hoping you didn’t have plans. I have something special in mind.
The message erased any traces of tension from his jaw. Oh yeah? You’re planning this date, huh?
With his spirits lifted, he grabbed his briefcase and climbed from the car. Just the sight of her name lighting up his phone was enough to fracture the floor of his worst days, scattering them like shadows at dawn. And the added bonus of an impromptu date would have him sailing through his morning meetings and his afternoon reports.
After shutting his door behind him, he settled in at his desk with a stack of messages. The chime of his phone pulled him away from sorting through them.
He read the message from Ellie. I am. And I’m not going to tell you anything until we’re there.
“It’s like that, huh?” he murmured to himself, grinning as he typed back his response. Oh, really? How am I going to know where to meet you?
She answered before he dialed the first number. Meet me at our special spot in the park. 5pm. Don’t be late.
He grinned at the phone. Her reference to their special spot sent his heart soaring. After weeks of seeing each other, and only falling for her more with each meeting, he loved that she’d felt the connection, too. And her surprise was intriguing enough to keep his mind buzzing with anticipation throughout the day.
A knock midday interrupted his working lunch. “Yeah?” he called as he stared at the screen, expecting his secretary to pop through the door.
Instead, he found his father’s head poking inside his office.
He wiped his hand on his napkin as he leaned back in his chair. “Something you need?”
“A word?” his father asked.
Nate heaved a sigh as he motioned to the chair across from him. He wouldn’t be able to avoid this conversation. Too many accusations had flown around the dining room this morning.
Charles slipped inside and settled into the chair, his usual frown etched into his serious features as he studied his son.
“I’m not drinking, Dad. And I’m not doing drugs.”
“Okay,” he said with a bob of his head. “But there’s something going on with you.”
“Not any of that. Outside of that, I don’t want to talk about it.”
His father puckered his lips as he stared down at his clasped hands. “Unfortunately, with your track record, son, it comes across a little…questionable when you don’t.”
Nate studied the wood grain on the polished mahogany desk. Apparently, his drinking had cost him any privacy. But he wasn’t ready to tell anyone about Ellie. Not yet.
He was falling for her, and he couldn’t stop himself, but he wasn’t ready to admit that to anyone. Not yet. Not until he was sure about her.
“I get that. But I’m not hiding anything, and I’m just asking for a little…privacy.”
“Privacy is a concern, Nate.”
He slammed a fist against his desk, rattling the pencil cup. “I’m not drinking. And like I said, maybe you ought to be worried about where Stephen’s been spending his time, because I guarantee he’s up to no good.”
“I’d ask you to elaborate on that, but you boys trade barbs like I traded baseball cards when I was ten.”
Nate clenched his jaw. “So, you don’t care what he does because he’s not a screw up like me.”
“That’s not what I said. I just think you two need to learn how to settle your own battles. There’s obviously something going on with you two. I’m not always going to be here to police you, though.”
“Then what are you doing in my office? Because you’re policing me based on what Stephen said this morning.”
Charles lifted his chin, the unmistakable pinch of his lips betraying his annoyance. “Your situation is a little more precarious than Stephen’s, Nate. You know that. No one wants to see you suffering another setback.”
“So, whenever Stephen decides to throw suspicion on me, I’m going to be under a microscope? Is that it?”
“No. You’re not under a microscope. I’m not asking you to tell me where you’ve been or what you’re doing. I’m just…reaching out in case you need help.”
“I don’t,” Nate answered flatly.
Charles sucked in a sharp breath as he rose from the chair, closing his button on his suit jacket. “All right. See you for dinner?”
“No, I’ll be out.”
His father hesitated for a moment, his eyes narrowed at him into a suspicious gaze before he nodded. “All right.”
The door closed behind him as his father left, and he squeezed his eyes closed. The tension of the day had already been too much. The thought of seeing Ellie was a beacon of light in the mire of his day, the one thing that made the insurmountable pile of tasks ahead seem bearable. Each tick of the clock was a heavy step closer to freedom, to her.
He stretched his neck, trying to loosen the tension from his chat with his dad. Though it still lingered, he powered through the rest of his afternoon tasks.
A tangible weight seemed to roll off his shoulders as he stepped into the late afternoon sunshine, its warm reach dissolving the shadows of his office-bound existence. With each step toward the sanctuary of the park, the arguments of earlier in the day receded, replaced by the promise of tranquility and the sweet anticipation of her presence. His muscles loosened, and the tension at his temples lessened.
He strode to the fountain in the park and sat on the edge. As he waited, the steady rhythm of water cascading into the pool below mirrored his own attempts to keep the tumultuous waves of his life in a steady flow. Ellie, with her spontaneous plans and ability to see beauty in the mundane, was like an unexpected burst of water that made the fountain dance in the sunlight.
A shadow loomed over him a few minutes later. “Are you lonely, soldier?” a British accent asked.
He couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped him as he rose and pulled Ellie closer. “Not anymore.”
With a peck on her lips, he greeted her.
She slid her hand into his and tugged him toward the park’s entrance. “Did your day get any better?”
“It did right around five.”
“You’re a flirt, you know that, Nathan Parker?”
“I’m not. I’m just a regular guy who constantly has bad days and relies on his exceptional girlfriend to make them better.”
“I see. You’re also a flatterer.”
“Only when it’s deserved,” he answered as they waited to cross the street. “So, where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
He flicked his eyebrows up. “Really? You’re still not going to tell me?”
The light changed, and she tugged his hand toward the crosswalk. “Why would I tell you?”
“Because I’m asking so nicely.”
“Oh, I see. You think that’s all it takes, do you?” She grinned at him as they reached the sidewalk and continued down the street. “Well, seeing as we are nearly there, I suppose I can tell you. We’re going to the museum. When I’ve had a bad day, art is very soothing.”
“That’s perfect,” he said, fixing his gaze on her. “I love looking at beautiful things.”
“Flirt,” she answered with a giggle as they ascended the stairs to the revolving doors leading inside.
“Two, please,” she said as she approached the docent and shoved a credit card forward.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Paying for our admission,” she said as the woman handed her back the card and gave them their admission slips.
She snapped her gaze to him, her features pinching. “What?”
“I’m supposed to do that.”
“Oh,” she said, her features turning pensive. “Right. I had almost forgotten this is still the 1950s.”
He clicked his tongue at her. “That’s not it.”
“Then where is your notion of gender equality, Nathan? You have paid for every date so far. You’re going to start to think I’m a moocher.”
He laughed as they passed through an arched entryway into a room filled with paintings and benches. “I don’t think that.”
“Not now that I’ve paid for something,” she said as they stopped at a painting of a woman from centuries past.
He side-eyed her as she studied it. His lips tugged upward at the corners as he spotted the tiny crease between her brow that deepened when she was deep in thought. She snapped her gaze to him, her expression exasperated. “Nathan, you are supposed to be looking at the painting, not me.”
“You said you brought me here to look at beautiful things.”
She clicked her tongue. “I said art, not beautiful things.”
“You are art,” he said as he snaked an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.
She shook her head at him. “What do you think of this painting?”
“It’s lovely.”
“Really?”
He flicked his gaze to it and shrugged. “Yeah. It’s nice.”
“I think she looks grumpy.”
He burst into laughter. “She does.”
“Why does she look so dour? What happened to her? Perhaps her dog died.”
“Or she lost her cat.”
“Or the man she loves married another.”
“Ouch,” Nate said, “yeah, that could be.”
“Let’s find another painting,” she said. They spent an hour wandering through the gallery, critiquing paintings in only a way that they could.
As they passed another exhibit hall, Nathan tugged on her hand. “Wait, you’re missing this one.”
“There aren’t any paintings in there,” she answered.
“No, it’s a special exhibit.” Nate read the placard at the door. “The Crown Jewels of Eldoria. Let’ s check it out.”
“Crown Jewels? It’s boring, let’s go.”
“No, Ellie, come on. Let’s look.”
She frowned and slumped her shoulders. “All right, fine. But let’s not dally. I’m certain they are quite boring.”
He slid his arm around her shoulders as they stepped into the room. His eyes fell on the large display case showing a scepter, a crown, and a tiara.
Ellie seemed to tense next to him.
He glanced down at her. “Are you okay?”
“Sorry, just cold. It’s chilly in here. Let’s go somewhere warmer.”
He slipped his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. “Better?”
She offered him a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you.”
He returned his focus to the display. “It’s kind of weird to think there are still people who are royalty.”
“Oh? Why?” she asked.
He shot her a questioning glance. “It just is. I mean…people who are kings and queens. Princes and princesses? And people still bow to them and all that stuff.”
“That’s the American in you,” she answered.
“Oh, right,” he said with a knowing expression, “you’re a Brit. You still believe in all this nonsense.”
“Nonsense?” she exclaimed. “Those are fighting words, sir.”
“Yeah? Bring it. Americans have an excellent track record with the British.”
“That is a low blow, my dear,” she said as her phone rang. She tugged it from her purse, her nose wrinkling. “Ugh, I need to take this. Will you excuse me?”
“Of course,” he said with a kiss on her cheek.
She wandered a few steps away as she pressed her phone to her ear. He couldn’t help but notice the pinching of her features. He wondered if it was a difficult client as he returned his gaze to the crown, wondering what it was like to be the person who wore it.
As he twisted to study the room’s other featured pieces, he caught sight of someone. His lips parted, and his breath caught in his throat. His heart hammered against his ribs, and his palms turned sweaty.
“Chloe,” he said, his voice just above a whisper.
Her lips tugged back into a smirky smile. “Hey, Nate.”
His heart tumbled as horrible memories raced through his mind, dancing around as they taunted him. His chest tightened, and his ability to speak flew out the window. Why on earth was she here?