For Nick (23 page)

“Do you have a doctor on call?”

“She’s fine, honey.”

Zach scoffed at the uncaring policewoman. The sight that had met him when he entered the jail was not one he would soon forget. Andie was curled into a ball, unmoving and unresponsive. She was pressed into the wall as if she could melt into it so no one would notice her. He was completely overcome with anxiety at the sight of her. When she looked up at him, her lower lip trembled, breaking his heart. He pulled her up and immediately noticed the blue and purple bruises on her arms. What kind of hell had she been through?

When he’d listened to his phone messages that afternoon, he’d panicked. The sound of Andie’s voice, the fear and trembling that he heard in the timbre of her every word had filled him with worry. He’d had a very late night last night, went home, collapsed into bed and awoke late. He had no idea Andie had never come home. He had no idea she’d been trying to reach him—he had twenty-five missed calls—twenty-five! She’d desperately tried to reach him and he hadn’t been there for her. Guilt filled every fiber of his being.

He wrapped his arms around her and walked her out of that hellish place. The thought that she’d spent the night there sent chills up and down his spine.

Robert was there, handling all of the paperwork and erasing all charges from her record. He’d already been to the restaurant, taken care of the bill, and threatened the owner with charges of harassment.

“What exactly did she do? Are you telling me two big, strong men could not arrest one rather frail young lady? That’s ridiculous. It will never hold up in court.”

“What’s going on?” Zach asked quietly.

“They’re saying they’re going to charge her with resisting arrest. They say she fought with them when they tried to handcuff her.”

Zach’s anger got the best of him at the thought that they’d handcuffed her at all. “You handcuffed my wife?”

“Standard procedure, sir.”

“Was she really that much of a threat?” Zach pulled the coat from her shoulders to reveal the bruises on her arms. “You drop the charges or I’ll hang your necks for abusive behavior so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

“She was attacked last night. What makes you think my men caused those bruises?”

“My wife was attacked while in your custody?” Zach said through thin lips. “See you in court, buddy.”

The police officer seemed to be weighing his options and decided to err on the side of caution. Obviously, he didn’t want a court case on his hands. “Look,” he said reluctantly, “I’ll talk to the arresting officers. Right now she’s free to go.”

“A wise decision,” Robert told him. “Just for the record, we are fully prepared to fight this charge and we won’t hesitate to use the media to our full advantage.”

Robert received the paperwork and asked Andie to sign it. She didn’t immediately respond and Zach had to coax her. “Andie, sweetheart, please sign the paper so I can take you home, okay?”

Her hand, shaking like a leaf, reached for the pen. She signed a very squiggly signature.

“Good enough,” Zach said. He couldn’t wait to get her out of there. He was alarmed at her mental state. She said nothing, kept her arms folded and her head down. Her distress was obvious to him. He’d never seen her like this. He’d never seen anyone like this. He owed her an explanation.

Once in the car, he said, “I’m sorry, Andie. The meeting I had yesterday lasted for several hours. I had my cell phone turned off and forgot about it. I worked late last night and arrived home very late. Then I slept in this morning. I finally checked my cell phone for messages this afternoon. I had no idea you weren’t at home. I had no idea you were in jail. I’m so sorry, if I’d known I would have come immediately. I never would’ve knowingly left you in that awful place. Please, you have to believe me, I had no idea what you were going through…” Zach trailed off, knowing there was nothing more he could say. The damage was done. “I came as soon as I found out where you were,” he added.

The only response he received was a very quiet, “Thank you.”

“The credit card I gave you was cancelled. I just switched to a new company. I completely forgot that I hadn’t given you the new card yet. I just assumed you still had money in your account. I’m so sorry, I had no idea…” he trailed off again, knowing his excuses sounded lame, even to his own ears. She’d never used the former credit card, which he found odd. He hadn’t really planned on giving her the new credit card, but he did have one for her. But why should he hand her another dime? He’d been such a sucker.

When he pulled up in front of the house, she was out of the car before he’d even turned the ignition off. By the time he was inside the door, she was halfway up the stairs.

“Andie.”

She stopped, but did not look at him. “I’ll bring you a plate of dinner.”

Again, an almost inaudible “thank you” was all she said.

When Zach made it up to her room with a plate of sandwiches and a large glass of milk, she was sprawled across her bed, wearing warm flannel pajamas, her hair still wet from the shower. She appeared to be sound asleep, however her cell phone was clutched in her hand. She looked beautiful and he ached to hold her in his arms. Yet, he wondered, who had she called? Her lover? To let him know she was out of jail?

He couldn’t think about that now. She needed his help and he wouldn’t deny her.

He knew she hadn’t eaten, as a matter of fact, she’d hardly eaten at the restaurant twenty-four hours ago. He decided to awaken her. She’d sleep better on a full stomach.

“Andie…sweetheart…”

She opened her eyes and looked at him with confusion, as if she didn’t know where she was. She folded her arms across her chest and her teeth chattered.

“Let’s dry your hair. You’re freezing,” he said softly. He felt like a parent taking care of a helpless child. He walked her into the bathroom, grabbed the blow dryer, and slowly dried her hair, taking his time about it. She closed her eyes and submitted to his ministrations. He then brushed her hair until it shimmered in the soft light.

“I have some food for you. Do you want to eat?” She nodded. He walked her to the bed and helped her to sit, fluffing the pillows and placing them behind her back. He tucked her under the covers, pulling the blankets up to her chin to keep her warm. Then he placed the plate on her lap. She ate like a little child, stuffing the triangular shaped, crust free sandwiches into her mouth hungrily, finishing off two sandwiches in a matter of minutes. Then she gulped down a glass of milk. He watched her, never looking away. Her eyes were just a little bit wild—as if she was petrified of something being taken away from her—reminding him of a small, skittish animal.

The sight disturbed him.

He took away the plate when he saw that she was finished. She hunkered down under her covers, turning onto her side and settling into a comfortable position. She could barely keep her eyes open as she looked his way for only the second time since he’d picked her up at the jail. “Thank you,” she whispered again. They were the only words she’d said to him all afternoon. Her gratitude made guilt course through his veins. If he’d paid more attention to her finances, she wouldn’t have had to experience such a horrible ordeal. He had no idea she’d spent all of the money in her bank account. He’d been too busy bemoaning the amount of money he’d already bestowed upon her. He never would’ve asked her to pay the bill for him otherwise.

Zach sighed. It was all useless hindsight. He’d blindly assumed she had the money, not even thinking about the cancelled credit card.

“I’m scared,” she said in a hushed tone and closed her eyes, drifting into sleep, probably unaware she’d even said the words aloud. He took her hand in his and was surprised at the strength of her grip.

“You’re safe, I won’t leave you.”

He stayed with her as she fell into a deep sleep, the grip on his hand slowly slackening. He sat there, holding her hand for the next hour, simply watching her sleep. Everything about her was incongruous with what he knew of her life. She was beautiful, sweet, and loving, and yet a confirmed cheat and liar, an imposter. There would always be a part of him that longed for what they’d shared with one another. Yet, the other part of him knew he could never accept the person she really was. He would always love her, but he would never allow himself to surrender to her charms again. He couldn’t do it, he just couldn’t do it.

Her clothing was strewn all over the room as if she could hardly stand to be in them for one second longer than she had to be. He picked them up and placed them in the hamper. He picked up the offending blouse and took it with him to dispose of it where she wouldn’t see it again or be reminded of it. The heels she’d been wearing were in the garbage and he smiled to himself at the sight. She was not a fan of heels.

He softly closed her door, the events of the day weighing on his mind heavily. Andie had endured a night in jail and it was all his fault. He felt horrible. He’d really made a hot mess of his life with his ridiculous idea of hiring someone to be his wife. Not just his life, but Andie’s also.

Helluva day.

When Andie emerged from a deep sleep, her eyes flew open and she stared at the clock, aghast. It was already noon. She’d slept the morning away.

First things first. She called Nick.

Thankful that she’d spoken with Nick the night before, she continued to explain how sick she’d been. Nick was assuaged by the fact that she’d be there today, late, but she’d be there just the same.

Feeling relieved, Andie took another long, hot shower. She was decidedly shaky on her feet, having eaten very little over the past few days. This was crazy, she had to get her strength back. It was imperative that she go see Nick today.

After the shower, she lay on her bed, wrapped only in her robe, desperately attempting to work up the energy to finish getting ready for the day. Pregnancy was wearing on her. No, that wasn’t true. The intolerable situation with Zach was bringing her down. Maybe both. He’d been so apologetic last night. All of his explanations were entirely believable too. Yet, in her heart, she now knew it was utterly and completely over between them. Had he left her in jail on purpose? In the end, it didn’t really matter. He didn’t want her anymore. Either way, she lost. A knock on her door startled her.

“Yes?”

“Andie, it’s Zach. May I come in?”

She didn’t have enough energy to deal with him right now. She was done. “Sure.”

“Hi,” he said, his smile strained. He was impeccably dressed in his suit as usual, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“What are you doing home?” she queried.

“I took the morning off. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say to him. He loomed over her, standing next to her bed, making her feel like a small child that’s faking sickness in order to stay home from school for the day.

“By the way, Robert just called. The charges for resisting arrest have been dropped and all charges have been removed from your record.”

“That’s good.” At least she wasn’t a
dangerous
criminal any more, stalking fine restaurants for free food, fighting with police officers—a menace to society.

Are you feeling better?” he asked.

No, I’m not better, and I never will be.
“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you,” she lied.

“You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to disturb you,” he said hesitantly, as if he didn’t know what to say. They’d never been at a loss for words around each other. Suddenly, his presence felt awkward. What did he want?

“Mrs. Barnes has a lunch tray ready for you. She’ll be up in a minute. I asked her to bring it up to you, and let you stay in bed.”

“Thank you.”

He sat down on the bed, right next to her, their bodies touching.

“Please don’t say that one more time.”

“Say what?”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t want me to thank you?”

“Not anymore.”

“Oh. Okay.” Andie tightened the sash on her robe and pulled the top two sides together tightly.

Don’t bother me. Got it. Don’t talk to me at all. Ever. Got it. When you do talk to me, don’t say thank you. Got it.

Be my wife for a year, but disappear into the woodwork while you’re at it. Got it.

Andie felt the sting of tears overwhelm her. Her fingers swiped one hot cheek.

Nope, dry as a bone.

“Please allow me to apologize one more time. I would’ve come to get you immediately if I’d known.”

Andie nodded, wondering if he was telling the truth. She just didn’t know anymore.

“I can tell you don’t believe me.”

“It was a long night,” she whispered.

His face hardened. “Look, I know things aren’t good between us, but I would never make you stay a night in jail,” he said vehemently. When she didn’t respond, he added, “I’ve replenished your bank account. All I ask is that you please use the money for gas and stop taking the bus.”

“Okay. Th…” Andie didn’t finish the ‘thank you’ on the tip of her tongue.

“I promised to take care of all of your needs for the contracted year, and I will continue to do so.”