The Morning After Read online

  Nikki nodded. As genuine as Evelyn seemed at the moment, she had ulterior motives. “Yes, thanks…Evelyn.” She offered the blonde her hand. “I’m Nikki McClellan.”

  “Nikki.” She squeezed her fingertips. “It’s a pleasure, I assure you.”

  Nikki managed a tight smile as she bade Evelyn farewell and shut the door. Her head swam with the new information. Dylan’s lost love’s name had been Kathy. She’d died. And he’d loved her as no man had ever loved a woman before or since.

  Great. It was worse than she thought. And now she had this friend of Dylan’s to contend with. This was turning out to be quite a morning. And damn it, she was late for work.

  8

  “TESS IS ALL OVER IT, BUT Erin…” Nikki shook her head. It was Sunday afternoon and Nikki found herself at Sophie’s again.

  Sophie poured them both more tea from an antique teapot she claimed had been in the family for generations, passed on from some Louisiana cousins. “She’s not ready to hear about her heritage. Don’t push her. She’ll come round in her own time.”

  “I just want her to be happy with everything. She hasn’t been herself lately.”

  “We each have our own path to walk. You must allow her free rein of hers.”

  “I suppose. I really hoped both she and Tess would be excited at the prospect of settling down permanently somewhere.”

  “Nikki, darling, don’t be distressed if they have their own dreams to follow.”

  “But how could they not want to settle down?”

  Sophie gave her a knowing look.

  “Okay, I can see where Tess might be happy to flit around like Maggie did, though unlike our mother, Tess has always kept a base with us. I just don’t understand Erin.”

  “Give her some time. She’s not quite ripe yet.”

  Leave it to Sophie to equate Erin with fruit.

  Sophie laid her hand on Nikki’s. “Want to talk about why you’re really here?”

  “I’m sure you can guess.” Her throat tightened and she gritted her teeth. She would not cry.

  “It was time for your bird to fly?”

  “Why was this one so different?”

  “You were with him longer?”

  She laughed a short, raspy laugh. “This one lasted about a week. A real record breaker.”

  Sophie’s eyebrows arched. “Interesting.”

  “Did he just need that much more healing?”

  “Could be.”

  “He lost someone.” Those damn tears threatened. “Her name was Kathy. He loved her more than any man has ever loved a woman before or since. She died in some accident.”

  “Yes, a wound of the heart. Very tricky, those. Did he open up, let it all out?”

  “Open up? You mean, did he ever talk to me about being so unhappy?”

  “Talking acts as a release. When you have a boil that’s infected, the infection has to be released. This is the same. If he hasn’t spoken of it, the injury has likely festered.”

  “We never talked much. He avoided any conversations about his personal life. I never pressed him.”

  Sophie shook her head. “There is something about the gift that coaxes the healing. I’d think after a week with you, he’d have spilled it all. My guess is if he hasn’t opened to you, he hasn’t opened to anyone.”

  “But he’s gone. I woke up Friday morning and he had left already. I didn’t hear from him and I don’t think he’ll call again. This time was…different. It felt more final.”

  “And this hurts?”

  The pain in Nikki’s throat grew unbearable. She nodded and closed her eyes as tears spilled down her cheeks. “Why? Why is it so hard for me when Maggie and Tess breeze from love to love?”

  “You know, my grandmother once said something. There are no hard, fast rules here. The norm is to love, then leave. That’s the way it is.”

  “Always?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you said it was the norm. Does that mean there were instances that didn’t fit that norm?”

  “There have been affairs where the parting was difficult for some.”

  “And? What did they do?”

  “They each gave up their gift.”

  “What do you mean? How?”

  “They simply stopped loving.” A shadow crossed Sophie’s face. “I’m sorry I brought it up, dear, none of those stories had happy endings.”

  “Well, you did bring it up. What kind of endings did they have?”

  Sophie’s fingers squeezed around Nikki’s hand. “Not the kind I’d have you see.”

  “But Sophie—”

  “Imagine a life without love.”

  The bleakness of her future stretched before Nikki like an endless black pit. “I don’t know if it would be worth living.”

  Sophie turned over Nikki’s hand and uncurled her fingers. “You must resolve yourself to the releasing. When you let go, it leaves you open to receive again.”

  “I—I don’t know how to do that.”

  “It is the biggest sacrifice. When you can live your life for another’s happiness, then you’ll understand.”

  “And what of my happiness?”

  “Of course you’re entitled to that. We all are. Just remember, there’s much happiness to be found in this world. Sometimes you have to hunt it down and sometimes you have to make it yourself. Often you’ll find it where you least expect it.”

  Nikki’s head pounded. She needed to find a quiet spot to go slowly insane. Even Sophie’s sage advice wasn’t helping. She pushed back from the table and stood. The desolation she’d first encountered with Dylan crushed down on her. “Well, right now I can’t imagine ever feeling happy again.”

  She had almost reached the door when Sophie laid a hand on her shoulder, her eyes deep with concern. “Your young man has resisted the healing, but he has tasted the relief you bring. I have a feeling about this. You must prepare yourself.”

  “You think he’ll be back?”

  “Making love is just part of it with him. If you are to truly help him heal, you must get him to talk.”

  “How?”

  The gray of Sophie’s eyes brightened. “Why, that’s easy. You listen.”

  WOULD DYLAN COME BACK TO HER?

  The thought rolled through Nikki’s mind for the hundredth time since her talk with Sophie. Nikki sipped her wine and banished the hope Sophie’s words had instilled. She couldn’t think about that. She’d go mad.

  Instead she focused on the details of her kitchen: Tess’s drying racks of herbs, Erin’s candles and her own row of cat figurines sunning themselves on the windowsill. For all intents and purposes they’d created a home—temporary maybe, but a home nonetheless. She took a deep breath and smiled a small smile as her gaze drifted over her sisters—Erin sitting beside her and Tess sitting across the table beside Stefan, another former lover.

  “It’s a nice house. You should have come.” Tess leaned toward Erin.

  Nikki held her breath as Erin’s shoulders rolled back in what had to be a bid for patience. “I had to meet with a client.”

  “And did that go well?” Nikki jumped in before Tess could continue talking about the house. It was better to wait for Erin to show some interest on her own than to have her shoot down the idea because Tess badgered her.

  “We signed a contract. It’s a loft in Five Points. Lots of space, a decent budget.”

  “That’s great.” Nikki turned to Tess. “Isn’t that great?”

  “Wonderful. But she should have come with us the other day to see the house. Now there’s a place that needs a little feng shui. Not that the fountain in the courtyard isn’t a good start.”

  “You know enough of that to do it without me,” Erin said.

  Tess shook her head. “No one knows feng shui the way you do. This place is begging for your expert touch.”

  “Well, I’m moving away from all…that.” Erin waved her hand.

  “All what?” Both Nikki and Tess turned to her.

&nb
sp; “All that…woo-woo stuff.”

  Tess frowned. “What woo-woo stuff?”

  “New-agey, psychobabbly, out-there stuff.”

  “Like feng shui?” Nikki asked, amazed. Erin had always been the one to favor Sophie and her uncommon ways.

  Erin nodded.

  “Come on, Erin, you were the one who convinced Maggie to let you attend that feng shui workshop when you were just fourteen. You live for that stuff.” Tess frowned at her.

  “Not anymore.” She glanced at Stefan, who sat silently chewing, then back at Tess. “And I’m certainly not buying into this sexual-healing malarkey.”

  Stefan stopped chewing to glance up, his eyes rounded with interest. “Sexual healing? Now you ladies are talking.”

  Tess gave his arm a squeeze. “Right, Stef, remember when you told me I had the magic touch?”

  “Sure. I never thought of it before, but remember how I was allergic to just about everything before we met?”

  “Right. You came into the nursery and you were all broken out in hives.” She turned to her sisters. “He was so pitiful, I just couldn’t resist him.”

  “Well, when was the last time I had an allergic reaction?”

  Tess cocked her head. “I can’t remember.”

  “Neither can I, but it’s been close to a year, I’ll bet. Not so much as a sniffle since we met.” He nodded at Erin. “There you go. I’m living proof.”

  Erin’s eyes narrowed on Stefan. “You don’t actually think banging my sister cured your allergies?”

  “First of all, I made love to your sister.”

  “Thank you, dear.” Tess winked at him.

  “Banging doesn’t cut it. It was huge—even bigger than making love. I can’t describe it.” His gaze traveled over Tess. “And even though she’s not my squeeze anymore, she’s still very special to me. I’ve never had that with any other woman.”

  “Look, just because you two had a good love life does not mean the act had any effect on your health.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. Who’s to say? I’m a new man and I think it’s your sister’s doing. There may be something to this sexual-healing thing.”

  “Great.” With a scowl of dissatisfaction Erin stood. “That’s just dandy. I’m so happy for all of you. I, for one, think you have a few loose screws.”

  “Erin, please stay. No need to get carried away here.” Nikki patted her vacated chair.

  “I’m getting carried away? The three of you are talking about healing men by having sex with them and I’m the unreasonable one?”

  “Why is it so hard to believe?” Tess asked. “It explains everything. Puts Maggie’s whole vagabond lifestyle into nice perspective.”

  “You know, I think not having any real roots has interfered with your common sense,” Erin said.

  “Come on, Erin, stick around. We’ll change the subject,” Nikki encouraged.

  Erin shrugged. “I have stuff to do. I’ll check you later.”

  After she left, Tess turned to Nikki. “We have got to do something about that girl. She spends way too much time alone.”

  “She’s fine. Sophie thinks she just needs to grow into it. We’ll talk to her about it later.”

  “Talking isn’t her problem.” Stef folded his arms across his chest.

  “No?” Tess and Nikki asked in unison.

  “No. I think it’s very simple.” He blessed them with his white smile. “Find her a man.”

  Nikki frowned. She’d found Dylan and what had that gotten her? Nightmares of standing helplessly by while he succumbed to Evelyn’s schemes flooded her. Why had Nikki answered that door?

  She turned to Tess. “I’m not so sure.”

  “No, he’s right.” Tess rubbed her hands together. “We’ll pop our little sister right out of her funk. We’ll find her a man.”

  “I THOUGHT YOU WERE E-MAILING that file.” Dylan gritted his teeth the following Monday as he spoke to Evelyn in her office.

  “I did e-mail it. It was a large file, though, so I thought you’d appreciate a hard copy.” She shrugged. “She’s quite lovely, in a homey kind of way.”

  “You had no business talking to her.”

  “Why? She answered your door. What was I supposed to do?”

  “Just stay away from her. My personal affairs are none of your concern.” He stormed toward his own office.

  Damn it, he hadn’t wanted Nikki to be tainted in any way by associating with his friends or family. Evelyn was poison. She’d befriended Kathy to a disastrous end. Nikki seemed too trusting to stand up to Evelyn’s shenanigans.

  He strode past Julie, waving aside her efforts to gain his attention, then slammed his door behind him. After he had dreamed of Kathy the other night, he’d run like a haunted schoolboy. He’d driven up the coast aimlessly, stopping at a hole-in-the-wall hotel somewhere past Boynton Beach. He’d worked all day, ignoring the burning sun and the distant roar of the ocean as he secluded himself in the musty room.

  A lot of good it had done him. The hearing hadn’t gone well. The councilman was now scheduled for trial.

  Dylan shook his head. At least he’d managed not to call Nikki, though the urge to do so swamped him more frequently than ever. He had to get a grip. Even if she understood the limitations of their relationship, was it right for him to use her heavenly body to chase away his demons? And what good did it do if afterward he was haunted more than ever with feelings of betrayal?

  “God, Kathy, I’m so sorry. It’s just so damn hard without you.”

  A soft rap sounded at his door. He swallowed the bitterness in his throat. “Come in.”

  Julie entered and hovered tentatively in the doorway. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but your father needs to see you. He says it’s urgent.”

  “Right.” He straightened. Everything was urgent with the old man, but this had to be about the hearing. Weatherby pulled a lot of weight in this city, the kind of weight Mitchell Cain needed to keep up the lifestyle he was so accustomed to. “Please tell him I’ll be right there.”

  She ducked her head and left. Dylan closed his eyes and summoned whatever store of patience he might have left. He could use a distraction right now, and his father, with his constant premonitions of disaster, might be what Dylan needed.

  A few moments later he stood in the old man’s office.

  “The judge is fast-tracking this. It can’t be a good thing.” His father ran his hands through his graying hair and paced the length of the thick Persian rug covering the polished wood floor.

  “I’ve got it under control. You don’t need to worry.”

  “I’ll damn well worry if I want to. Do you realize the importance of this case? Do you know exactly what George Weatherby is worth to us?”

  Dylan stood stiffly beside the mahogany desk his father had had imported. “I’m sure you’ll enlighten me.”

  “He’s a paranoid son of a bitch who’s got more money than he knows what to do with. The half a million plus in retainers and donations to key organizations we’re involved with is nothing to him.”

  “According to his financial records, the bulk of it is in those donations.”

  “They’re all aboveboard. Nothing the judge can get upset about.” His father’s eyes narrowed. “Just remember that we’ve done a lot of business with the councilman in the past. We need this trial tied up in a pretty bow as quickly as possible. If he goes down, it will reflect badly on this practice.”

  “So you think he’s innocent?”

  “What the hell kind of question is that?”

  “You’ve known the man all these years. Is he guilty of fraud and/or extortion? Did he or did he not pressure those tenants into buying faulty appliances at triple the current retail price?”

  “Of course he’s innocent. He didn’t do any such thing, and I expect you to discredit anyone who claims otherwise.” Mitchell’s expression dared Dylan to argue.

  “Now, why would I doubt such a fine, upstanding citizen?”

  “Look,
you don’t have to like the guy. You don’t even have to believe in his innocence. You simply need to do your job. The prosecution doesn’t have a case. The media is trying to make him out to be some slumlord. It’s a farce. If he duped all those residents, then where’s the money? His finances are clean as a whistle. You’ll see. Justice will prevail. And when it does—” his gray gaze captured Dylan’s “—well, I think there’s room for another partner in this firm.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Dylan stared at his father for a long moment. A few weeks ago he would have jumped at the opportunity, but somehow his father’s bait had lost its appeal. Had meeting Nikki changed his priorities? He shook his head as he headed back to his office, his mind filled with thoughts of Nikki, her life…and sisters.

  “WHAT ARE YOU TWO UP TO?” Erin eyed her sisters warily as they circled around her Monday evening. She sat in her favorite chair in the sunroom with her feet tucked under her and her book open in her lap.

  Nikki really hoped Tess had found the right guy for Erin. She was the most wholesome looking of the three of them. With luck, this man was an intelligent guy who would appreciate her complex personality.

  “We’re not up to anything. What are you doing tonight?” Tess schooled her face into the picture of innocence she’d perfected at an early age.

  “Yes, you are. You go around ignoring me for weeks, now all of a sudden I’m the center of attention.”

  “Oh, hon…” Nikki squeezed her shoulder. “I guess we’ve all been a little preoccupied lately. I never meant to ignore you.”

  “No big deal. It isn’t like I need the two of you breathing down my neck. I’ve been plenty busy. I signed another client the other day.”

  “Well, of course you have. Good for you.” Tess squatted beside the chair. “But since we haven’t seen much of each other lately, we were hoping you’d hang with us tonight.”

  Erin’s shoulders heaved in what seemed a bid for patience. She considered them silently, then finally set aside her book. “Okay, what did you have in mind?”