“Sorry I haven’t been around much lately. Work has been slamming,” he said.
Even the weekends? “You don’t have to explain your schedule to me.” Or make excuses, for that matter.
“I know, but...” The mattress made a settling noise, and she imagined him shrugging. “But I didn’t want you to think that after the other night, I was...well, you know.”
“Yeah.” She knew. She wasn’t sure she believed him, but she knew.
“Anyway, I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow.”
Patience’s stomach dropped. He was going to tell her he was hosting some kind of event himself, wasn’t he? If she wanted a distance reminder, being asked to wait on his friends would certainly fit the bill. “It’s a normal paid day off,” she told him, “but if you are planning something...”
“Actually, I was wondering if you would mind checking out a condominium with me.”
“What?”
“You know the new luxury tower they built near the Leather District? One of our clients is the developer. Sounds like a pretty awesome property.”
“I’m sure it is.” Weren’t most million-dollar properties? Patience tried to ignore the pang in her chest. From the very start, Stuart had said this living arrangement was temporary. Now that Ana was close to being discharged, there was no reason for him not to look for a place of his own. What did the decision have to do with her, though?
“I was hoping you’d check out the property with me. Give me your opinion.”
“The housekeeper’s point of view?”
He grinned. “I was thinking more of a female point of view, but if you want to weigh in on how difficult the place will be to keep clean, feel free. Don’t feel like you have to though. I know it’s your day off, but if you do say yes, I’d make it worth your while.”
“Worth my while, eh?” Talk about loaded language. She shivered at the potential prospects. “How?”
“I will personally show you the best seat in all of Boston for watching the fireworks.”
Patience chewed the inside of her mouth. Goodness, but it was impossible to say no. Especially when the idea of sitting with him beneath the stars was so seductive.
“Sure.” There’d be plenty of time to kick herself for the decision later. “What time?”
“After lunch. I figured we’d go see Ana, then meet up with Nikko. He’s the developer.”
“It’s a—plan.” She almost slipped and called it a date. Luckily she caught herself at the last moment.
What she should have been trying to catch was Nigel. Tired of being ignored, he leaped from the bed to the bureau. Problem was, he miscalculated the distance. His front paws connected with the box she’d set on the bureau, flipping it end over end. Off flew the cover, sending the contents flying.
“Bad kitty,” she said. The admonishment was useless since Nigel had already bolted from the room in embarrassment.
“Here, let me help you.” Stuart crouched by her on the floor, his unique Stuart scent filling the space between them. Patience had to struggle not to close her eyes and inhale. “The box was in Ana’s drawer,” she explained. “Nigel started chewing the cover so I moved it to the bureau.” To keep it out of his reach. So much for that idea.
“Looks like a bunch of photographs.”
Mementos was more like it. Patience spied newspaper clippings, tickets, playbills, what looked like drawings scribbled on napkins. Piper had kept a similar box when she was a kid.
She picked up one of the newspaper clippings. The article was written in a foreign language.
“French,” Stuart said when she showed him.
“Don’t suppose you can read it?”
“Sorry. Russian.”
And she’d barely made it through Spanish. “This is where we need Piper.”
The date said it was from the early fifties. Ana would have been just out of high school. Patience couldn’t help wondering what had made her hold on to the article. The photo accompanying the article featured a trio of men standing together in front of a painting. Nothing very exciting. She was about to put the clipping in the box when one of the names jumped from the page.
“Stuart, look.” She pointed to the caption. “One of the men is named Nigel Rougeau. Think it’s a coincidence?”
“I don’t know. The name Nigel had to come from somewhere.” He slipped the clipping from her fingers and studied it closer. Like a lawyer examining evidence, Patience thought. “Looks like this was taken at some kind of art show. The wall is lined with paintings.”
“But which one is Nigel?”
“Well, I can’t say for sure, but based on the names listed in the caption, I’d say the one in the middle.” He pointed to the bearded man with intense, dark eyes. “In fact...” He picked up one of the scattered photographs. “Here he is.”
Sure enough, it was the same bearded man, only this time he was leaning against a motorbike. There were other photos, too. Nigel on the beach. In a café. One showed him standing in what looked to be an artist’s studio, looking very serious and artistic as he dabbed paint on a canvas. Whoever he was, he’d obviously played a very important role in Ana’s life. Important and personal.
“We should put these away,” she said. It didn’t feel right, poking through Ana’s past. “This is obviously something very private or she wouldn’t have stashed the box in her underwear drawer.”
“You’re right. This is none of our business.” One of the pictures had fluttered a few feet away. Leaning forward, Stuart picked it up and was about to add it to the box when he froze. “Well, I’ll be,” he muttered.
“What?” Patience looked over his shoulder. It was another studio photo, not very different from the other one, except for maybe a few additional paintings on the wall.
“Check out the painting to the left of the easel.”
It was nude portrait. A large one featuring a woman sprawled on a sofa. She was smiling at the artist, as if they shared a secret. Even in the background of a snapshot she could feel the intimacy. But why did Stuart want her to look?
“Don’t you recognize the face. The smile?”
Patience studied it closer. “No way...” The smile was the same one that had greeted her the day she took the job. “Ana modeled for him?”
“More than modeled, I’d say. Which,” he said, dropping the photograph into the box, “has me feeling extra slimy for poking around.”
“Yeah, definitely.” Looked like Ana had her own secrets. Patience could respect that.
With the items collected, she reached for the box cover only to have Stuart reach at the same time. Their hands collided, his fingers skimming the tops of hers. Patience stilled. It was but a whisper of a touch, but it brought her skin to life with a tingling sensation that enveloped her entire body.
For most of her adult life, Patience had avoided physical contact. Look, don’t touch. That was the rule. But with Stuart, even the lightest of touches had her craving more. She longed for him to take her hand. Pull her into his arms and hold her like he had the night of the dance.
She needed to back away before she lost her head. One look at Stuart’s eyes said he was fighting the same battle.
“I’d better put this away before the contents spill again,” she said, her voice a whisper.
“Good idea.”
They stayed put, each waiting for the other to move.
“I—”
“Yeah,” Stuart completed for her. He pushed himself to his feet, then offered a hand to help her up. Patience declined. Better she stand on her own two feet.
“I’ll let you know what time we’re going to meet Nikko tomorrow.”
Who? The condominium. How could she forget. “I’ll be here,” she told him.
Stuart looked about to say something, only to think better of it. With one last look, he turned and left the room.
She didn’t realize how badly she wanted him to stay until his footsteps had faded away.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“WE APPRECIATE YOU opening the office for us on a holiday, Nikko. I hope we didn’t screw up your plans.”
“Are you kidding? My wife’s got her sisters at the beach house for the weekend. I’d rather do this than deal with holiday traffic any day.”
Stuart and Patience shared a smile as the realtor herded them onto the elevator. While Nikko chose the floor, Stuart made a point of positioning himself in the middle. It was no secret that his client had a roving eye. The man had already stolen a glance at Patience’s behind. Stuart wasn’t going to let him steal another.
From the start, it had bothered him to see men checking her out. Knowing her secret, however, added a layer of protectiveness. He felt compelled to keep her from being objectified. Especially by men like Nikko Popolous.
Okay, perhaps he was doubly compelled to protect her from Nikko, whose silver hair and good looks had half the women at the firm sighing with longing.
For her part, Patience dressed in her usual nondescript style. Flowing sleeveless top and cropped jeans. He wished he knew a way to tell her that disguising her figure wasn’t working. It wasn’t her figure that turned men’s heads—it was the whole package.