'Tis the Season (23 page)

“Don't be scared. You deserve to be happy. Enjoy it.” Tina went to put the pot in the dish rack, and a fork fell to the floor with a noisy clang.

“I got it.” Lisette bent over to get the fork . . . and the room spun around her. She tried to grab onto the counter, but there was a roaring in her ears and her vision dimmed. She heard Tina say her name . . . then everything went black.

“C'mon.” Tina's voice. She sounded worried. “Open your eyes, mama.”

Slowly Lisette opened her eyes. She was lying on the kitchen floor, her head in Tina's lap. “What . . .”

“Okay, good, you're with me.” Tina stared down at her, then switched to Spanish. “
Dios mio,
Lisette—you scared the shit out of me!”

“What happened?” Lisette murmured, continuing with Tina in Spanish.

“I don't know,” Tina said. “You leaned over to grab the fork and just went down like a bag of rocks. Passed out cold.”

A chill ran over Lisette's skin. She'd never fainted in her life. She moved to sit up.

“Easy, now. Slowly.” Tina helped push her up to a sitting position, her eyes never leaving Lisette's face. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

“Thank God I caught you, or you could've hit your head. What the hell happened?”

“I have no idea.” Lisette's stomach roiled. She usually had an amazingly strong immune system; she rarely got sick. The vomiting episode with Charles had been mortifying. And she'd blatantly lied to him to cover. That hadn't ever happened before—none of this had. “I've been off since the kids were sick. I thought maybe I'd caught their bug. But that was weeks ago now . . .”

“You should go to the doctor,” Tina said. “You hear me? Just to get checked out.”

Lisette nodded and promised, “I will.” Anxiety made her skin go clammy. Her mother had been strong and healthy all her life . . . until she wasn't. She had gotten sick out of nowhere, and then she had died. Lisette's breath felt stuck in her lungs. What if . . .

No.
No
. Dammit, she refused to speculate like that until she had some answers.

“You're probably right, and it's nothing,” Tina said. “But better to get it checked.”

“I'll call in the morning to make an appointment. I promise.” Lisette sat up slowly, grateful that she felt fine. “Now let's get up off the floor, how about that?”

* * *

On Friday morning, Lisette called the doctor. Luckily, the medical insurance Charles provided her with ensured that she had access to a top-notch physician. And when the doctor's office realized she worked directly for Charles Harrison III, an appointment was made for her within two hours, while the kids were at school. The doctor fully examined her, drew blood, talked with her at length. He assured her he didn't think it was cancer—probably a virus. But he promised to follow up once he got the blood work back, and she went home feeling somewhat better. A virus was a drag, but nothing life-threatening.

Her anxiety ebbed as she drove home. Now that she'd been given some kind of answer, she was relaxed. Drained, actually. She was ready to take a nap before she picked up the kids from school.

As she lay down on her bed, her phone pinged with a text from Charles.
Hi beautiful.

She smiled, flooded with warm delight.
Hi yourself. How are you?

Fine, Charles wrote.
In between meetings now. Last one should be over around 3. Hoping to be home by 8. Let the kids know, please?

 

Of course. Safe travels
.

 

She giggled to herself. Like she'd have anywhere to be.
Yes. Huge plans. Mahjong tournament at the yacht club, then dinner with the secretary of state.

Sounds like an interesting evening!
Charles texted. She could almost hear the note of amusement in his tone.
Maybe you could find a few minutes for your man after? Try to pencil him in? He misses you terribly.

I think I can do that.
Her smile bloomed from ear to ear.
Tell him I miss him too.

 

Fantastic. See you tonight
.

 

Lisette sighed happily, put her phone down, snuggled into her pillows, and fell asleep within five minutes.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Lisette sliced some apples, setting the slices into three bowls for the kids. They all sat around the table in the kitchen nook, doing their homework. The boys had decided that maybe Ava was on to something by choosing to always do her homework there, and wanted in on it.

“You guys are doing a great job,” Lisette said as she placed a bowl in front of each child.

“I hate homework,” Thomas grumbled. “And apples aren't a good snack.”

“You hate everything,” Ava said, not even looking up from her notebook as she wrote out her spelling words.

“I do not,” Thomas retorted. “I do hate you, though. You're a pain.”

“Stop,” Lisette chided gently.

“Can I have some more milk?” Myles asked. He gave Lisette a big smile, all the more endearing with his bottom front tooth gone. “Pleeeease?”

“Of course,” Lisette said, smiling in response. “Ava, Thomas, either of you want more too?”

“No, thanks,” Ava said. Thomas just shook his head no.

As Lisette opened the refrigerator and pulled out the carton of milk, the doorbell chimed.

“Who could that be?” Ava asked, echoing Lisette's exact thought.

“I don't know,” Lisette answered, setting the milk down on the counter. “But only one way to find out. Be right back.” Tina was down in the basement doing laundry, so Lisette walked out of the kitchen, down the long hallway, through the foyer. The doorbell rang again just as she reached the grand front door, carved wood and glass. She opened it wide, and her heart skipped a beat and stuck in her chest, heavy like a rock. The beautiful woman before her had long, glossy black hair, a killer figure, and radiated attitude. “Vanessa.”

“That's right.” She smiled, but utterly without warmth. “Are you the maid?”

“No, I'm Lisette, the children's nanny,” she said politely, knowing Charles's ex-wife probably didn't care one bit what her name was.

“Oh. Nice to meet you.” Vanessa pointed to a pile of suitcases on the step beside her, three large ones and two smaller ones. “Those are mine.” She walked into the house, brushing past Lisette. “If you'll see about having those brought inside, that'd be great.”

Instant dislike flowed through Lisette's veins with a hot vengeance. She'd heard from Eileen how dismissive and condescending Vanessa had been with the staff when she was the lady of the house. But in person, it made Lisette's blood sizzle. “I'll see what I can do. Um . . . no one mentioned you were coming.”

Vanessa turned back, arching a thin perfect brow at her. “Why would anyone have to tell
you?
” she asked in a haughty tone.

Breathe
.
Just breathe
. “Because I take care of the children, so if their activities were changed for any reason, I'd be notified.”

“How efficient.” Vanessa fixed her with a cold stare. “I'm their mother. I'm here now. While I'm visiting, your services won't be needed unless I ask for them.”

Lisette swallowed hard, shoving her hands into her pockets to hide them as she clenched them into fists. “With all due respect, I don't work for you; I work for Charles. He'll be the one to tell me if my services are needed or not.”

“Charles, huh? That should be ‘Mr. Harrison' to you. Interesting.” Vanessa's pale green eyes narrowed. “Is he here?”

“No. He's at work; he'll be back later this evening.”

“Fine. Well, until then, consider yourself free. I'll be with my children.” Vanessa turned her back and strolled down the hallway, calling, “Hello? Where are my kids?”

Lisette felt her skin flush from her chest to her hairline. Between the frustration, anger, and hurt from the fact that Charles hadn't told her his ex-wife was coming, Lisette's emotions were in a tailspin. Taking deep breaths, she walked down the hall, following Vanessa.

Ava came darting out of the kitchen. “Mommy?” The nine-year-old's voice and face relayed total shock.

“Oh, my beautiful princess,” Vanessa cooed. “Look at you, you're so gorgeous! Come give Mommy a hug.”

Ava stared for a second. Even from down the hall, Lisette could see her hesitation. Vanessa hadn't seen the kids in person since April, when she had taken them on a Disney cruise for a week. Ava slowly went to her mother and hugged her.

Thomas and Myles came out to the hallway, saw their mother, and rushed to hug her too. The saccharine voice Vanessa used to talk to them, as if she were Mother of the Year, made Lisette sick. Her stomach did a nauseous flip.

“I bet you're surprised to see me, huh?” Vanessa said.

“Totally!” Thomas said.

“Daddy didn't tell us you were coming,” Myles said.

“Well, that's because he didn't know,” Vanessa said, and a new burst of anger shot through Lisette's limbs. “I wanted to surprise you. And guess what? I'm going to stay for a few weeks, so we can all be together for Christmas. Won't that be great?”

“Yes! Yay!” the kids cried excitedly.

Lisette's heart sank to her roiling stomach. Charles would be furious.

“So, what are you guys doing right now?” Vanessa asked her children.

“Homework,” Thomas ground out.

“Oh, you can finish that later,” Vanessa said, tousling Myles's hair. “Let's go in the den, and we can hang out for a little while.”

“I really don't think—” Lisette started to say, but the kids were all too happy to abandon their homework. They ran into the den.

Vanessa spared her a glance. “What?”

“They need to finish their homework,” Lisette insisted.

“Right now,” Vanessa said with blistering condescension, “what they need is their mother.”

“They've always needed their mother,” Lisette said quietly, but laced her words with steel. “Too bad.”

“How dare you speak that way to me,” Vanessa hissed.

“How dare you walk in here and disrupt their routine,” Lisette replied. “I don't work for you. You can't just come in here and—”

“Those are
my
kids, honey,” Vanessa snarled, hands on her hips, any pretense of pleasantry gone. “And when Charles gets home, I'm going to tell him how his employee spoke to the mother of his children.”

“Go right ahead,” Lisette said. She met Vanessa's glare directly, not giving her an inch. Lisette knew damn well how Charles felt about Vanessa and wasn't the least bit concerned. But then it hit her. Vanessa's being here . . . If Vanessa found out about their affair, that Charles was involved with his kids' nanny, it would be exactly the kind of ugly mess Lisette and Charles had worked so hard to avoid. She drew a deep breath. “You want to spend time with your children? Enjoy it. I suppose you'll want to cook their dinner too, then. You must remember where the kitchen is. Have at it.” This time, she was the one who turned her back on Vanessa, leaving the hallway to go to the stairs and straight up to her room.

As she locked the door, she realized her hands were shaking as much as her insides. God, she hated confrontation, but she wouldn't ever back down from a fight, especially with someone like Vanessa. Her father had taught her to stand up for herself, and for what was right, always. No matter what. And she always had.

She pulled her phone from her sweater pocket to text Charles and warn him what he was coming home to.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Charles glanced at the suitcases in the foyer with disdain. He turned to Bruck and said, “If you could get those in your trunk, I'd appreciate it.”

“No problem, sir.” Bruck grabbed the two biggest ones and took them out.

Swearing under his breath, Charles stalked down the hallway to the den, following the sounds of the kids and video games. He stopped in the doorway, and his jaw tightened. There was Vanessa, in a tight magenta sweater and black leggings, playing one of the
Just Dance
games with the kids. They were all dancing to “Baby Got Back.” Charles would've laughed if the kids had been dancing to that song with anyone else, but with Vanessa, it seemed inappropriate and only fueled the fire of his already simmering rage. A muscle twitched under his eye.

“I'm back,” he said, loud enough to be heard over the music.

“Daddy!” Myles ran to him, his face flushed and his hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. As he grabbed Charles in a hug, Myles said happily, “Mommy came to visit us!”

“So I see.” He speared Vanessa with his iciest stare as the kids all gathered around to hug him.

“How was your trip, Daddy?” Ava asked.

“Fine, sweetie. A nice quick one. Told you I'd be back tonight, didn't I?” He kissed the top of her head. “Where's Lisette?”

“I don't know where she went,” Thomas said. “She, like, disappeared.”

“I think I have an idea about that too,” Charles said coolly. “Hello, Vanessa.”

“Hello, Charles. The house looks good. Haven't been here in so long . . .” She swept her long, straightened black hair back over her shoulders. “I thought I'd surprise the kids with a visit.”

“Did you.” His voice was flat. “How lovely.” He looked down at the kids and said, “It's nine-thirty. That's bedtime on a Friday, and you all know that.”

“But we were playing with Mommy,” Myles said.

“And Lisette always puts us to bed, especially when you're not here, but she's missing,” Thomas added.

“Can't we stay up a little longer?” Ava begged. “Pleeeeease?”

“No, you all need to go to bed now,” Charles said. His tone brooked no room for debate. “You'll see your mother tomorrow. You can spend all day with her if you want. It'll be Saturday.”

“Can we, Mommy, can we?” the kids asked her, all at the same time.

“Yes, of course,” she smiled. “I'll be here when you wake up. Because I—”

“Apparently your mother has become an early riser,” Charles said smoothly. “Because that means she'll be coming here from her hotel bright and early.”

Vanessa blinked at him. “My hotel?” she echoed.

“Of course. I assume it's nearby.” He met her stare with a ferocious one of his own, calling on all his reserves as the intimidating magnate that he was. He didn't move a muscle until she finally looked away.

“Go on up to bed, you guys,” Vanessa said. “Come, give me hugs and kisses.”

“Aren't you going to tuck us in?” Myles asked, looking up at her with his big blue eyes. “You're never here to tuck us in.”

For once, Vanessa looked affected. She blinked, then slowly put her hand to his cheek. “Okay, cutie. I'll tuck you in.”

“She'll tuck
all
of you in,” Charles said. “After all, she hasn't gotten to in so long. She's going to do the bedtime juggle tonight.”

She shot him a fierce glare.

“Go up and brush your teeth now,” he said to the kids. “Your mommy will be up in just a minute.”

They all looked from one parent to the other, sensing the tension, but left the room to do as they were told.

Charles and Vanessa stared each other down. “You should have told me you were coming to see them,” he said gruffly.

“It was an impulse decision,” she said, her hands on her hips. “Besides, you told me I could see them whenever I wanted.”

“And you can. But some advance notice would be nice.”

“Yeah, well, I'm not very nice,” she said. “You told me that how many times?”

“Believe me, no one knows that better than I do.” Still in his suit, he loosened the knot of his tie while never taking his eyes from her. “For the record, you don't walk into my home and start telling my staff what to do. You don't give orders. Am I clear?”

“Aww, did your mousy little nanny tell on me?” she said.

“Let's get a few things straight, right now.” He took a step closer, spearing her with his angry gaze as his blood pulsed through his veins. “You want to see the kids, that's fine, but you have to tell me you're coming first. And you sure as hell don't have the right to walk in here and start issuing orders to my household staff. Especially when at this point in their lives, they know the kids much better than you do.”

Vanessa sniffed, bored, and examined her nails.

“You
cannot
dismiss their nanny,” Charles said in a low, lethal tone. “She's the one who's with them day in and day out. Her routines work for them. They've flourished under her care. If you ever speak to Lisette again with anything less than respect, I'll throw you out of here with my bare hands, in front of the kids.”

Vanessa snorted out a laugh at that.

His nostrils flared. “Lisette happens to be incredible with the kids.
Your
kids. The ones you usually ignore.” Charles cocked his head as he stared. “You should be kissing her damn feet for how good she is to them.”

“She should be kissing my feet for letting her be with my kids.”

“Letting her?
I
hired her, after the kids terrorized a few other nannies with their acting out. Because their mother fucking abandoned them.”

“I didn't abandon them,” Vanessa said curtly.

“Really? Where've you been, dear? Not here. Not even on this coast. You see them once or twice a year and think—you know what, you're not worth my breath. We both know what you are. Everyone does. Even those kids.” Charles crossed the room, grabbed the remote, and turned off the flat-screen before tossing the remote back onto the couch. The sudden quiet seemed to add to the tension in the room. “Just so you know, you didn't chase Lisette off. She didn't scurry off because you told her to. After she informed me of the developments here,
I
gave her the rest of the night off. You wanted her gone? She is, for tonight. So pick up the slack. Go put your own three children to bed for once,
Mommy
.”

High color spotted Vanessa's cheeks. Charles figured if looks could kill, he'd be a dead man several times over. It didn't faze him one bit.

He walked past her to the doorway, saying over his shoulder, “When you're done putting them to bed, you'll leave the house. My driver has put your bags in the limo, and he'll drive you to whatever hotel you choose to stay at. Because you're sure as hell not staying here.”

“My kids want me here with them,” Vanessa said sharply, advancing on him.

He turned to look at her, fists in his pockets, and assumed the most bored look he could muster. “That's your fault for lying to them and getting their hopes up. But you've done that so many times, they're used to your letting them down. They've learned to live without you. I assure you they'll be fine if you don't have sleepovers this trip.”

“But they want me to be here,” she said, needling him. “You're really going to let them down like that?”

“Yup. Because you're not staying in my home. Period.” Charles grabbed his tie and pulled it out of his collar, balling it up in his fist as he pinned her with a sharp glare. “This is
my
house. I don't know how long your visit will be, but remember what I said. While you're here, you'll defer to me, and to Lisette, on all things where the children are concerned. Or I'll personally escort you the fuck out of here and put you on a plane so fast your head will spin.” The side of his mouth lifted in a hollow grin. His insides felt as cold as ice, and he was sure his gaze was too. “And, you speak to
all
members of my staff with courtesy and respect, or again, I'll throw you out without blinking an eye. Any other questions?”

“Yeah. When did you become such a prick?” Vanessa asked.

“When you decided you didn't want to be a mother. Just looking at you disgusts me.” He turned his back on her and walked out. He felt eerily calm, considering the way his brain was churning, but he'd process this better later. For now, he had the enemy in his own home, and three children and a secret girlfriend he wanted to protect from her nastiness and manipulations. He strode down the hall, up the stairs, right to the bathroom the kids shared. Ava had gotten in her nightgown and was brushing her teeth slowly. “Where are the boys?”

“Already in their rooms,” she said, her mouth full of toothpaste.

“Your mom will be right up,” he said. He drew a deep breath as she spit her toothpaste into the sink. “She'll put you to bed tonight. Okay?”

Ava rinsed out her mouth, then met his eyes in the mirror. “You're not happy she's here.”

He exhaled a deep breath. He wouldn't lie to her, to any of the kids. “No, I'm not. We don't get along, sweetheart. That's why we're not together anymore.”
Among a hundred other reasons
, he thought. “Also, she didn't even tell me she was coming, and that's rude. You're supposed to ask people if it's okay to come for a visit.”

“Maybe she didn't because she thought you'd say no,” Ava said.

He sighed. “I'd never say no to her seeing you guys. But she isn't going to stay in the house while she's visiting. She misinformed you on that point.”

“Daddy . . .” Ava faced him, her wide blue eyes somber. “Why is she here now?”

“I don't know,” he said quietly. He leaned against the doorframe, feeling exhausted. “Does it bother you that she's here?”

“No,” Ava said. “I just . . . wondered why. Because she's never just showed up for a visit like this before.” She looked into his eyes. “What do you think she wants?”

The clear, level question hit him like a gut punch. He'd wondered the same thing. Vanessa didn't do anything without an agenda, unless there was something in it for her. But for his little girl to wonder that . . . Damn. Ava was only nine years old, but so wise beyond her years. Maybe too wise. “I think she wants to see the three of you, that's all. People get sentimental around the holidays. She probably missed you.”

Ava considered that for a moment, then went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love you, Daddy,” she said against his middle. “Don't be mad 'cause she's here. I don't want you mad.”

“I'm fine, sweetheart. Don't you worry.” He hugged her back tightly, sweeping his hand over her long hair. “And I love you too. More than anything in the world.”

* * *

There was a soft knock on Lisette's door. She steeled herself, then went to answer it. It wasn't Vanessa, but Charles, leaning casually against the frame. The light glinted off his glasses for a second as he smiled at her. He wore royal blue and white-striped pajama bottoms and a blue top with two buttons open. She knew he'd just showered; she could smell the clean scent of soap off his skin, and his hair was even darker and wavier when it was damp. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, bury her face in his neck, and breathe him in, but she didn't. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he said softly. His brilliant blues lit as he gazed at her. “It's so good to see you.”

“It's good to see you too,” she murmured. “When did you get home?”

“About an hour ago. I helped Vanessa put the kids to bed, then took a shower.”

Lisette only nodded. There were a million things she wanted to say, but she had no idea if she should say any of them, so she kept quiet.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“You think that's wise?” she asked, darting a glance into the hallway beyond him.

“The kids are all asleep,” he said, “and Vanessa is gone.”

“Gone?” Lisette's brows lifted. “Really? She left?”

“Damn right. I made her leave.” With that, he leaned in, slid a strong arm around Lisette's waist and yanked her to him, taking her mouth with his. He edged her into the room backwards, closing the door behind him with his foot and never breaking the kiss. His hand moved to the back of her head and pulled out the elastic, and he sifted his fingers through her hair, letting the long curtain of it shimmer down her back. “After this unwelcome homecoming, I need to hold you.” He kissed her over and over.

“It's good to be held,” she said against his mouth.

He eased her down onto the bed, still kissing her and holding tight. “You didn't really think she was going to stay here, did you?”

“Well,
she
certainly did. I didn't know—”

“Hell no. I can't believe she thought she could stay here. I made it very clear that wasn't going to be the case. For fuck's sake, the nerve of that woman . . .” He shook his head, new anger darkening his features.

“Shhhh.” She wrapped herself around him, and they kissed until she felt the tension slowly ebb from his body. “Don't let her get to you.”

He huffed out a breath, then nuzzled Lisette's neck, dropping tiny kisses and nibbles along her skin. “You're right.”

“However you handle her while she's here, whatever you want, just tell me.”

“I will.” He lifted his head to look into her eyes. “I told her if she doesn't speak to you with respect, she's on a plane.”