Chapter Six - Michaela
Chapter Six
MICHAELA
NICK MOVED INTO NINA’S house on the outskirts of Winchester not long after their elopement, and from what I could tell, it had been an easy transition. He didn’t have much, but it didn’t matter because Nina already had everything. Much to my surprise she cleared out some of her closet for his clothes and gave him free rein to make changes in the house. “It’s his home, too,” Nina said with a small shrug. He didn’t change much, instead, he opted to take over one of the spare rooms on the lower level turning it into his office and man cave.
I’ve always loved Nina’s house, it’s warm and welcoming, but as I approach the entrance to the Villa-Davis home today, I feel anything but welcome. Through the paneled windows on either side of the door, the house is dark. Nick stands in the open door, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His jacket from earlier gone, sleeves rolled up to reveal a new tattoo on his forearm. It looks familiar — a mountain range. Haven. It’s the mountains surrounding their home in Haven. “Hey, Michaela.” His greeting is simple and nice enough, but his tone betrays him.
“Nin home?”
“Yep.”
“Am I interrupting something?”
“You could say that.”
I sigh, “Nick, don’t be too mad at her. She just… She didn’t want to worry you.”
“My wife forgets she’s my wife sometimes. Forget there’s another person involved — it’s not just her anymore.”
“She was trying to protect you.”
“And, who’s protecting her?”
“What do you want, Michaela?” Nina’s voice resonates from further inside the house. Nick sighs and finally steps to the side allowing me to enter.
The house is dark sans the light flooding the living area from the kitchen. Nina stands on the other side of the Calcutta marble island, still dressed in her party attire, but her makeup looks worn. She’s been crying. I picked the wrong time to visit, but I leave in the morning and need to make things right with her. I’m starting to think a phone call would’ve been better.
“Before you say anything, I have something to say to both of you,” Nick says before I can start.
“Nick,” Nina pleads, she sounds tired.
“No, Davina.” Oh shit, not the full name. He really is mad. “I’m going to say what I have to say, and you’re both going to listen. How could you keep this from me? Am I not the other half of this relationship? We are a team, Dee. You and me. You’re not alone anymore. And you,” Nick looks at me, “I would’ve thought you’d tell me.”
“I wanted to, but—”
“No buts, Mic. The second you knew, you should’ve said something. Did you at least go to the appointments with her after you found out?”
She wouldn’t let me. I only found out the time before this last trip, I—
“No?” He turns to Nina, “So, you did this alone?”
“We didn’t want to worry you,” I plead.
“What did you think was gonna happen when I found out? You knew I'd find out eventually.”
“I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that,” Nina’s voice is firmer.
“You weren’t gonna tell me?”
She doesn’t respond and that tells him everything he needs to know.
“Nina,” I sigh. Of course, she wasn’t going to tell him, not if the tests came back with positive results. She was hoping for the best, hoping for some kind of miracle so it wouldn’t have to come to this. To avoid this exact moment. By the look on Nick’s face, I know this conversation is far from over — Nina’s admission hurt him far more than he will ever care to admit. I really should leave. “Look, you guys need some time. I can just call you tomorrow, Nin.”
“No, it’s fine.” Nick’s eyes never leave his wife. “I’m gonna go for a drive.” The door slams behind him, echoing around us, but Nina doesn’t flinch.
She takes a breath and closes her eyes. “Michaela, I am not in the mood. Whatever you have to say—”
“I’m sorry, Nina,” I say it anyway because I need to.
Nina sighs, “I need a drink.” She disappears into the pantry returning with a bottle of whiskey. “Wine isn’t going to cut it.”
“No, it’s not,” I laugh as she pours two glasses. “Look, Nin… For years, we have been able to draw a line between business and our friendship; I’m sorry that I crossed it.” I try to finish reciting the speech I practiced my entire drive over, but she stops me.
“Michaela, I know. Okay? I know you’re sorry, and you came to apologize, but I don’t want to hear it.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “What I want… I want you to get your shit together. You are so much better than this. So, if you want to apologize, just get it together because I don’t wanna fire you. But, I will fire you if I have to. This is not personal, it’s business.”
“I know.”
Nina lets her shoulders fall with a deep exhale and downs her whiskey in one gulp.
“It’s gonna be okay, Nin. He’ll get over it.”
“Maybe tomorrow, but not tonight.”
“So, you really weren’t gonna tell him?”
Nina smiles and pours another glass. “If everything came back fine, why worry him?”
“But, they said—”
“Wishful thinking, I guess.”
Without a second thought, I hug the woman in front of me. She takes a shaky breath, but when we part there is no sign of the brokenness moments earlier. Taking a step back, she pours another glass and downs it without so much as a wince and asks, “So, are you ready to talk?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.” I step into the living room a few paces behind her, falling into the large sofa. The coffee table is littered with wedding debris — menu cards, a seating chart, floral arrangement examples, and color samples. How does she ever get any sleep when she has constant reminders of things that need to be done lying around?
“Oh, come on, Mic. Something is going on,” Nina scoffs, rolling her eyes and taking a rather large sip of wine. “You’ve been acting weird for months . You’re falling behind at work, you’re always late, you were rude to Romy in Italy, you’re avoiding your parents, and—”
“Everything is fine. I promise.”
“Is it David?"
“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”
I avoid her gaze, but she leans down into my line of vision and says, “Maybe because he hasn’t been around lately.”
“David hasn’t been around since we moved to New York.”
“This is more than normal,” she argues. “Sure, Barnes keeps him busy, but I haven’t seen him once in the past few months. Are you guys having problems?”
“We’re fine.” The statement comes out harsher than I mean for it to, and she puts her hands up in defense. I repeat myself, softer this time, tracing the rim of my glass.
She stares at me for a moment then shakes her head and goes to the kitchen to make another drink. Just like Elizabeth, she doesn’t believe me, but she’s not going to push it. Pouring more whiskey into the glass, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I need you to help me with something in the coming weeks.” The smirk tugging on her lips when she finally meets my stare tells me I’m not going to like what she has in store. “I have a project at corporate that I need covered, and I think you’re just the person for it.”
“Corporate? Nina, what are you—”
“You wanted a change, right? I’m giving it to you.”
“Wait, does this mean you are firing me?”
“No,” she laughs. “I’m trying something out and giving you a little extension on your timeline.”
“Who’s going to run the office?”
“You have some time to figure that out, you’ll be at the office Monday and Tuesday. Take that time to get everything prepared. I need you at corporate starting Wednesday.”