At Hidden Falls (Angel's Bay Novel) (15 page)

“Steve loves you, Tory. Focus on that.”

“I’m trying. I want my happily ever after, Nick. Is that too much to ask?”

He saw the pleading look in her eyes and wished he could make things right for her. She was his little sister. They’d anchored each other when their parents had cast them adrift on too many occasions to count. But they were adults now, and Tory had problems that he couldn’t fix. That perhaps no one could fix.

“You had Megan without even trying,” Tory continued. “You don’t know what it’s like to yearn for a child.”

He did know what it was like, but not in the way she meant. And he couldn’t argue that losing Megan to Kendra was in any way the same thing, because he’d had choices. He just hadn’t made the right ones.

But Tory hadn’t done anything wrong. “I hope you will get a chance to be a mother,” he said quietly. “Because you’d be fantastic.”

Her eyes blurred with tears. “I would be,” she said with a shaky smile.

“You’ll find a way to make it happen. If not with this baby, then with another.”

“I hope so.” She paused, tilting her head. “When did you get to be optimistic?”

“I’ve always been that way where you’re concerned.”

“And I’ve been that way for you,” she returned. “I want you to have a happy ending, too, Nick.”

“I’m working on it. Have you seen Megan?”

“She went to lunch with Isabella.”

His gut tightened. He’d spent most of the morning trying to forget their incendiary kiss, which had definitely not been part of his game plan. Although she’d initiated the kiss, he’d taken it to a higher level.

He could still taste her on his lips, and he’d never had such a strong reaction to a woman. It had to be because of the way they’d met, the intensity of the rescue, the nearness of death, connecting them in some deep, elemental way that he didn’t understand. They’d skipped all the simple steps of getting to know each other and jumped right into something messy and complicated.

And now Isabella was out with his daughter, invading yet another aspect of his life. “Megan was supposed to say here,” he snapped. “She’s on suspension, not vacation.”

“And she’s just having lunch, not taking a cruise.” Tory’s gaze narrowed. “Oh—I get it.”

“You don’t get it,” he grumbled.

“Isabella is as pretty as her name,” his sister said with a knowing smile. “And you saved her life.”

“Which does
not
mean I have to spend the rest of my life seeing her every other second—even though that seems to be the case.”

“You like her.”

“As if I’d ever get involved with another theater person,” he scoffed.

“She’s a costume designer.”

“Just another street in the world of make-believe.”

“She’s creative and forward-thinking—like you. She designs clothes; you design buildings. You might have more in common than you think.”

What they had in common was a rampant desire to tear each other’s clothes off, but he didn’t intend to share that with his sister. “Tell Megan I’ll be back to pick her up.”

“Tell her yourself.” She tipped her head toward the door. “Looks like your daughter finally found something to smile about. She must like Isabella, too.”

His jaw dropped at the sight of his sulky daughter laughing at something Isabella was saying. Megan was completely lit up, as if some of Isabella’s warmth had rubbed off on her. He was pleased she’d found something to smile about but disappointed that it wasn’t he who had made Megan happy.

As soon as Megan saw him, her smile disappeared. He’d thought he’d gotten a little past her defenses the night before when he’d let her drive to Rusty’s, but apparently, that had been wishful thinking.

“Where are you two coming from?” he asked, walking across the lobby to join them.

“Megan took me to the greatest little hamburger shack by the beach,” Isabella replied. “We ate way too much.”

“Jax’s,” he said with a nod. “It’s the best.”

“It was,” she agreed.

“I’m going to finish sewing,” Megan said, barely giving him a glance.

“Wait,” Nick said. “If you want to come home with me now, that’s fine. I’ve finished my meeting.”

“I have things to do here. Someone will give me a ride later.”

Megan was gone before he could tell her that he wanted to spend time with her. “You should have checked with me before you took Megan to lunch,” he told Isabella. “She’s on suspension from school. She’s not supposed to be wandering around town having fun.”

Isabella raised an eyebrow at his tone, and he knew he was being unreasonable. But he was frustrated with his inability to get closer to his daughter, and the fact that Isabella could waltz in and be Megan’s best friend in less than an hour was hard to swallow.

“We checked in with Tory before we left,” Isabella said calmly.

“I told Megan to call me if she was going to leave the theater.”

“She didn’t mention that.” Isabella gave him a thoughtful look. “Come outside with me.”

“Why?”

She didn’t answer, just turned and headed through the doors, not speaking until they reached the far end of the patio. Then she said, “I’m sorry if I stepped on your toes by having lunch with your daughter. She was working with me in the costume shop, and we were both hungry. There was nothing more to it than that.”

“Did Megan talk to you about me?”

“A little. She said she didn’t see you for a long time.”

“I’m sure she said more than that.”

“No. Your daughter isn’t real chatty.” She paused. “I know it’s not my business, Nick, but why didn’t you see her? You don’t seem like a man who would turn his back on his child.”

“It’s a long story.”

“Can you give me the highlights?”

Sharing private details would only bring Isabella closer, yet he found himself wanting to tell her. “I was eighteen when Megan was born, twenty-one when my ex-wife took her to London. Kendra had the chance to star in a play, and I didn’t have the means to stop her. I didn’t think it would be forever. But the months turned into years, and by the time I got my shit together, it was too late. Kendra was marrying someone else, and Megan had a new stepfather. I wish I could go back in time and change it, but I can’t.”

She gazed back at him with no judgment in her eyes. “Well, Megan is here now.”

“And I can barely get her to talk to me. Occasionally, she lets down her guard for a brief moment, then two seconds later, she’s freezing me out again. And I can’t blame her. She has every right to hate me.”

Nick sighed. “I don’t think Megan wants to hate you. She wants to love you and to have you love her. She’s afraid.”

“I thought she was happy with her mother. It’s only since she moved here that I realized I bought into Kendra’s pretenses. She told me Megan was happy, but Megan paints a completely different picture.”

“It sounds like you’re not the only one who let Megan down. But you have a chance to make things right. So do it,” she urged.

“How? Megan is a fifteen-year-old girl. I didn’t understand teenage girls when I was a teenage boy! And in case you haven’t noticed, Megan is not exactly a little angel in pink.”

Isabella smiled. “No, she’s not. She wants attention. And if she doesn’t get yours, she’ll go for the next-best thing—a cool guy named Will, who rides a motorcycle and tells her what she wants to hear.”

He drew in a sharp breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared in my life.”

“You should be scared. Hormones can be powerful at that age.”

“So how do I stop Megan? I’m not the best role model.”

“She doesn’t need you to be perfect. She just needs you to be there.”

Nick was silent for a moment. “You’re right.” He was impressed and dismayed at how easily Isabella had gotten past his defenses. Outside his family, he’d never talked about Kendra or Megan, never put that part of his life up for judgment or analysis. Until now.

“Maybe I can help,” Isabella added.

A warning tingle ran down his spine. “In what way?”

“Well, I was a teenage girl, so I have a little experience in that area.”

“Did you color your hair and go after bad boys on motorcycles?”

“I did add some red streaks, once. No motorcycles, but one guy had a sweet Mustang convertible. His name was Tony, and he was so hot, with dark hair and dark eyes. We used to drive out to Santa Monica and park by the pier.” A shadow passed across her eyes.

“What happened to him?”

“It’s not important.”

“And that’s not an answer.”

“I should get back to work,” she said. “Your family is going to think I’m quite the slacker.”

“Nick?” His mother’s voice interrupted them. “I need your help.”

“I’ll be right there.” He glanced back at Isabella. “I’d say good-bye, but somehow, I feel certain I’ll see you later.”

As Nick left, Isabella let out a breath of relief. She hadn’t meant to bring up Tony or that time of her life. Putting the past back where it belonged, she returned to the costume shop. Inside, she found Megan working diligently on her buttons. The girl didn’t even glance up, so Isabella took her cue and sat down, settling into her own work.

Five minutes passed before Megan lifted her head. “How do you know my dad if you just came to town?” she asked suspiciously.

“He saved my life,” Isabella replied. “I thought you knew. I was in a car accident on the way into town, and your father pulled me out of my car before it plunged into the ocean. He was amazing.”

“That was you?” Megan asked in surprise.

“Yes. Your dad climbed down a very steep and slippery hillside to rescue me, a complete stranger. Not many people would have done what he did.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that dangerous.”

“It was,” she said, refusing to make light of Nick’s efforts.

“Don’t try to make me like him,” Megan warned, steel in her eyes.

“Don’t you want to like him?” Isabella countered.

“Why? So can I feel bad when he ditches me again? And don’t try to tell me that won’t happen. You don’t know him.”

“Do you? Why don’t you give yourself a chance to find out who he really is?”

“I know who he is. He’s the man who let my mother take me away. He’s the man who never came to see me. And the only reason I’m with him now is because my mother dumped me on him. That’s all I need to know.” Megan jerked to her feet so abruptly the chair fell over. “I’m done with this. Just because you like him doesn’t mean I have to. He didn’t save
my
life. I don’t owe him anything.”

Isabella let out a breath as Megan left the room. She was one mixed-up, angry, sad kid, but hopefully that would change with time.

A few minutes later, a sound made her look up, and she was surprised to see Nick’s grandfather step into the room. Harrison Hartley might be in his eighties, but he was still a tall, intimidating man, and Isabella couldn’t help but feel wary after the way he’d reacted to meeting her.

“Mr. Hartley, can I help you?” she asked.

“I never thought you’d come back. Never thought I’d see you again,” he said quietly, a faraway look in his eyes. Whoever he was talking to, it wasn’t her.

“Why not?” she asked.

He swallowed hard. “Because you left me when I needed you most.” Then he shifted his feet, cleared his throat, and gave her an uneasy look, as if he realized he’d drifted away. “You shouldn’t be here. No one else can get hurt.”

“I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

“That’s what
she
said.”

“Who?” she pressed.

“Leticia.” The word slipped through his tight lips. “You look so much like her, it’s uncanny. And you’re here in this shop where she used to be.”

Her heart skipped a beat as another piece of the puzzle fell into place. “Was Leticia a costumer?” she asked.

He gave a slow nod. “She was gifted. When I wore the clothes she made, I became invincible.”

“What happened to her?”

“She left a long time ago, more than fifty years now.” His gaze came into focus. “Are you her granddaughter? You have to be related. There’s such a strong resemblance.”

“I’m not her granddaughter but perhaps a relative.” She put her hand to her throat and pulled the pendant out from beneath her blouse. “Was this hers?”

Harrison sucked in a quick breath, staring at the necklace in shock. “Where did you get that?” he demanded.

“My uncle’s house.”

“I gave it to Leticia for her birthday. I thought she’d taken it with her, but apparently, she left it behind,” he said in a voice laced with pain.

“You loved her, didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t supposed to. It was the biggest mistake of my life.” He raised his gaze from the necklace to her face. “I won’t let Nick make the same one. He’s getting his life together. He doesn’t need someone like you to shake things up, to get him off track. He can’t let himself be seduced by your eyes.”

“The way you were by Leticia’s eyes?”

“You need to leave here and never come back.”

“I can’t do that,” Isabella said.

“Why not?”

Her gaze held his. “Because Nick needs me for something.”

“What?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

He shook his head in dismay. “You really
are
like her,” He stared at her for a long time, and the silence might have gone on even longer if Tory hadn’t popped her head in the door.

“Grandpa,” Tory said with relief. “I’ve been looking all over for you. We need you upstairs. We’re doing the male auditions now.” She gave Isabella a quizzical look, picking up on the tension in the room. “Everything okay?”

“It’s fine.” Harrison left abruptly.

Tory lingered behind, curiosity in her eyes. “What’s going on with you and my grandfather?”

“Apparently, I remind him of a woman named Leticia. She was a costumer here a long time ago. Have you ever heard the name?”

“No, but she was probably before my time. There’s a lot of history in these walls.” Tory’s gaze went to the necklace that Isabella had been unconsciously stroking. “That’s very pretty. The blue matches your eyes.”

“Yes. Have your grandparents been married a long time?”

“Fifty-eight years. And my parents have been married for thirty-four. They’ve loved and lived and worked together every day of their lives.” She paused. “I don’t know who this Leticia is, but please don’t ask my grandmother about her. She’s been a little fragile the last year, and if my grandfather had something on the side fifty years ago, she doesn’t need to know about it now.”