Her father was not.
She kept those good thoughts of Nick close to her heart for the rest of the morning. Hopefully having only good thoughts would keep the bad thoughts at bay.
“You seem to be enjoying the view,” he said over lunch at the harborside restaurant.
Sasha turned to look at him with a smile. “Their menu boasts they have the most glorious view in the world. I was merely checking it out.”
“And?”
She surveyed the Harbour Bridge and Opera House through the large glass windows. “I’d say their claim is well-supported.”
He smiled, then, “So, what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?”
“I’ve got a couple more places to visit before I finish up.”
He took a sip of wine. “By the way, how’s your mother today?”
She dropped her gaze to her plate so he wouldn’t see the panic in her eyes. She was sure he hadn’t believed her last night about her mother’s medical problems. If the positions had been reversed she wouldn’t have believed him.
Taking a breath, she looked up. “I only spoke to her last night, so I don’t think anything’s changed since then.”
His eyes had a speculative look. “Aren’t you concerned for her health?”
“Of course, but it’s nothing urgent. My mother will be fine.” Time to change the subject. “By the way, you didn’t tell me about the U.K. launch. Did it go well?” She’d been understandably preoccupied last night and had forgotten to ask him about it.
His gaze held hers for a second too long, as if he was considering why she had changed the subject. “It went very well by all accounts. We’re launching it on the Continent next.”
She was grateful he didn’t mention Claudine and any upcoming launch in France.
“It’s a gorgeous perfume, Nick.”
“I notice you wear it a lot.”
“It’s my favorite.”
“It’s every woman’s favorite.”
She smiled at the usual show of Valente arrogance, and all at once he smiled back with the full power of a Valente smile. The breath hitched in her throat.
The waiter returned to refill their glasses, allowing her to mentally break free of Nick.
When they were alone again Nick said, “How would you like to go on a harbor cruise on Wednesday? We have some prospective customers visiting from the States and I need to take them out to lunch and show them the sights. They’re only here for a couple of days.”
For a second, sharp anxiety twisted inside her. Would her father have paid back the money by then? Or would she have to gather her strength for Friday’s deadline? How did a person knowingly send their father to jail?
“The women aren’t anything like Claudine,” Nick reassured her, thankfully reading her hesitation wrong.
“It sounds like fun.”
They ate in silence for a while, until Sasha’s cell phone rang. She left it in her handbag, ignoring it and wishing she’d thought to put it on silent.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
“No.”
“It could be important.”
Nothing was as important as lunching with Nick. Every second with him counted.
She gave an unconcerned shrug. “It’s only about the renovations. I’ll get to it later.”
Her phone stopped ringing.
“Would you like dessert, madam?” the waiter asked, suddenly appearing at her side.
“Um …” Her cell started to ring again. She opened her handbag and went to turn it off, but not before she caught the number displayed. It was her mother.
“No, just coffee,” she said, trying to appear unconcerned as she switched the phone off.
Nick asked for coffee, too, then glanced to Sasha, “Was it a contractor?”
Flustered, she said the first thing that came to mind. “What? Oh, no, it was just my mother. I’ll call her back later.”
Nick’s eyes were full of questions. “I’d have thought you’d want to talk to her.”
Oh hell. Was she giving too much away?
“It’s not exactly a subject to be discussed over lunch,” she pointed out.
Nick grimaced. “True.”
Just then Nick’s cell phone began to ring.
He glanced at it. “I don’t know that number.”
“Let me see.” Her heart sank. “It’s my mother.”
He frowned. “Then it must be important if she’s calling me,” he said, handing it straight to her.
There was nothing for it except to answer the phone, but Sasha got a shock as she listened to her mother’s tearful voice. Oh God, she shouldn’t have ignored her previous calls.
“My father’s had a heart attack,” she whispered to Nick in an aside, then spoke to her mother again. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, Mum.” She finished the call.
“We’ll be there soon,” Nick said, gesturing to the waiter, and a few minutes later hurried her out to the waiting car. “What’s his condition?”
“I don’t know.”
Could she have been the cause of this? Her mother would have had to tell him she knew. And having his daughter threaten him with exposure and probable jail would certainly cause him stress enough to have a heart attack.
Yet how could she not do something about what she knew, she wondered, feeling like she was shriveling up with stress herself as they headed to the hospital.
Nick squeezed her hand. “You know, my dad’s heart attack looked bad at first but it ended up only being a mild one.”
She’d forgotten about Cesare’s heart attack. Suddenly she felt guilty. “Nick, you shouldn’t have come with me. I appreciate it, but I don’t want you to go through it all again with my father.”
“Don’t be silly, Sash,” he said gruffly. “I’m your husband.”
Warmth rose up inside her and she had to blink back tears. He’d called her “Sash”—the name he’d called her years ago. It was something she’d forgotten until this moment.
“He’ll be fine.” He pulled her close and she leaned into him, grateful for his presence, comforted by his arms around her, and the now familiar scent of him.
It was only as they were walking toward her mother in the waiting room that Sasha had a tense moment of apprehension. Would her mother inadvertently say something in front of Nick about how Porter had taken the news? Would she blame Sasha’s ultimatum for all this? Nick would have to ask why.
“Mum?”
“Oh, Sasha,” Sally cried and hugged her.
Sasha returned the hug, relief easing through her. It didn’t look like her mother was about to barrage her with blame. “How is he?”
Sally moved back. “I don’t know. They told me to wait here.” She sniffed. “But it’s been ages now and no one will tell me what’s happening.”
“I’ll find out,” Nick said ominously, spinning on his heels. “Stay here.” He strode out the door toward the nurses’ station.
Sasha led her mother back over to her seat. “Mum, what happened?”
Sally gave a shuddering sigh. “When your father got up this morning he said he had indigestion so he took some antacid and went off to work. The next thing I know …” her voice shook “… they called me to stay he’d been brought here in an ambulance.”
“So you haven’t seen him yet?”
“No.”
“Mum, did you—”
Nick strode back through the sliding glass doors. “The doctor’s coming out shortly to talk to us.”
“Oh God,” Sally said and started to sob.
They didn’t have to wait long for the doctor, and Sasha put her arm around her mother’s shoulders as he told them the news that it didn’t look like it been a heart attack at all.
“We’re running more tests, but it appears it wasn’t.”
“Thank God,” Sally said.
“What could it have been, Doctor?” Sasha asked.
“I’m not sure. We’ll be keeping him here overnight. He’s in a private room and Mrs. Blake can stay with him, if you like?”
“Oh, yes,” her mother said. “Can I see him, Doctor?”
“He’s resting, but I don’t see why not.” He paused. “But only Mrs. Blake for now.”
Sasha watched her mother and the doctor leave the room. It was wonderful that her father was going to be okay, but he still had to face tomorrow.
And so did she.
“Nick, why don’t you go back to work? I’ll stay here with Mum until we know more.”
His jaw set stubbornly. “No. You need me. I’ll stay.”
“Seriously, I’ll be okay. Besides, it’ll probably be hours.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, but it’s no use just sitting around here doing nothing. I’m fine.”
His gaze rested on her. “If you’re sure?”
“Yes. Now go.” It would give her the chance to talk to her mother in private. Sasha couldn’t imagine she wouldn’t have told her husband about yesterday, but she needed to know for sure.
Hours later her father had been given a cautious all clear and Sasha was allowed in to see him, but in the end she didn’t get to ask her mother anything. Sally wouldn’t leave her husband’s side.
And as Sasha looked at her father sleeping peacefully on the bed, she wished so much that it could have been different. If only her father was a different man … a different person.