He dropped the portable phone on the table, crossed the living room and opened his door. Nadia’s flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes took his breath. Her wide, blinding smile nearly knocked him off his feet.
“I have a job.”
The library. His behind-the-scenes maneuvering must have paid off. He made an effort to mask his satisfaction. “I thought you said you couldn’t work because of the will.”
“It’s not a paying position. I’m volunteering to help with the library fund-raiser. Their chairwoman quit unexpectedly.”
A free ’round-the-world cruise on Mardi Gras’s most luxurious ship would do that to some people.
“She left them in the lurch and in a bind. The head librarian recognized me from an article she’d read about an event I chaired in Miami and asked me if I would be interested in taking over as the fund-raising committee chair.”
Her obvious happiness hit him in an odd way, one he couldn’t explain and didn’t want to probe too closely. But somehow her good mood lightened the weight of his day’s aggravations, and the excitement radiating from her eased his guilt for having manipulated the situation.
“You like fund-raising?”
He knew she did. He’d read the same article before sending it to the librarian along with the promise of a sizable donation if the library committee found Nadia a place in the group. He hadn’t expected them to hand her the top position even though Nadia was well-qualified for it according to his research and the tabloid article.
He’d have had a better chance of forgetting her since the wreck if those damned tabloids didn’t relish reporting on the life of a shipping heiress. But funny how none of them mentioned she apparently worked as hard as she played. Terri’s quick report on Nadia had revealed a dedication to her job and to raising money for an assortment of charities. His sister wasn’t thrilled to be researching Nadia.
“I’m good at organizing and planning and finding needles in haystacks.” Her confident statement and erect carriage reminded him of the old Nadia, the one he’d fallen in love with because she’d honestly believed she could conquer the world and change it.
That self-assured woman hadn’t been in evidence since their reunion four days ago. Until now he’d seen no sign of the one who—even though he hadn’t realized it was her—had countered his every move from her position as director of shared services when he’d tried to sink Kincaid Cruise Lines via their suppliers. He had to respect that kind of intelligence and determination. When this was over and he’d taken down KCL he’d consider offering her a job.
“The library is lucky to have you.”
And he’d be fortunate she’d be occupied during the day because it would give him time he needed to help Sandi finalize Andvari’s latest deal. His sister had run into a few snags she couldn’t handle alone. Principally, an old-school banker who preferred women stay at home wearing an apron.
“I hope so. But I wanted you to know I’ll be MIA for the next three weeks.”
Not part of his plan. “Get home each evening in time for your driving lessons.”
Her smile faltered. “I don’t think I can.”
“That’s part of our deal, Nadia.”
A pleat formed between her eyebrows. “Lucas, this is important and I’m going to be crunched for time. And tonight I have other things to do. I can’t drive with you.”
“No reneging allowed.”
The corners of her mouth turned down. She folded her arms across her chest and lifted her chin. She hit him with a look that probably quelled those who worked beneath her. “You mean like you did on your marriage vows.”
Direct hit. Nadia had developed her claws during their time apart. Interesting. This was the woman who’d plagued Andvari. She had a new depth that intrigued him far more than she had as a girl of eighteen.
“We both know why our marriage ended. Your father. But admit it. He was probably right. You couldn’t have handled being married to a cripple.”
She bristled. If she’d been a cat, she’d be hissing. “You don’t know that. Like everyone else, you expected me to fail and you didn’t give me a chance to prove you wrong.” Her lips flattened and she glanced away as if she regretted her outburst.
“You wouldn’t have minded doing without sex? I remember you liking that part of our relationship. Very much.”
She’d been insatiable. They both had. In fact, it had occurred to him that she hadn’t wanted more from him than the stratospheric sex and the chance to flaunt him in her father’s face. And then she’d become pregnant.
She sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes widened. Her cheeks pinked. “You couldn’t?”
Now he regretted his words. “Not in the first few months. But that wasn’t a priority. Walking again was.”
“That must have been scary.”
Hell, yes. Everything about that whole damned year had scared him. When he’d been told he’d never walk again, his sisters had been sixteen and thirteen, and his mother had already been working two jobs. She’d counted on his salary from Kincaid Manor to make ends meet. He’d seen himself as a burden his family didn’t need and couldn’t afford. The only way he could make their lives better instead of worse was to take Kincaid’s dirty money.
But he wasn’t interested in Nadia’s psychoanalysis of his decision.
“Dinner’s waiting in the oven. Come in. We’ll eat before your lesson.”
He reached for her satchel, hooking his fingers beneath the leather strap on her shoulder. She resisted giving it up.
“I told you. There’s not going to be a lesson tonight. Mitch is getting married at eight eastern time. Rand is arranging for me to see the ceremony via webcam since I can’t be there. I’ll be in front of my computer tonight.”
“Why can’t you be there?”
“I just can’t. It’s too complicated to explain. Even if it wasn’t, it’s none of your business.”
Another puzzle piece from Kincaid’s will, he’d bet, like the midnight curfew, her apartment-sitting and the driving instructor she hadn’t used. “Come in and eat. I’ll make sure you don’t miss the wedding.”
He lifted her bag again and this time she let him take it. He set it beside the hall table and led the way to his dining room.
Her green eyes swept the table set for two and narrowed on him as he lit the tall white tapers flanking the low bowl of fragrant, floating gardenias. She hung back by the open frosted-glass pocket doors as if looking for an excuse to bolt.
Her gaze probed his. “What are you expecting from me, Lucas? I’ve told you I’m not interested in resuming our marriage.”
“And I’m not willing to write it off without giving it a shot. We had something good, Nadia. Damned good.” Although his expectations of happy ever after no longer deluded him.
Sadness clouded her eyes. She shook her head. “I’m not that girl anymore. I can’t ever be again.”
“Nor am I that kid. But we are still married.” He extracted the plates of cracked and cleaned lobsters from the warming oven, scooped servings of new potatoes and caramelized baby carrots onto each dish then carried them to the table. He returned to fetch the drawn butter and bread basket. “Is lobster still your favorite?”
“Yes.” Nadia licked her lips but didn’t move from the door. “You cooked?”
“Not this time. Be careful of the plate. It’s hot.” He pulled out her chair, but she didn’t move. “Are you still a chocoholic?”
“Yes.”
“Then stick around for the molten chocolate lava cake. If we run short on time, we’ll eat it in front of your computer or after the wedding. Maybe I can rig your video to play on the TV so you’ll have a bigger screen.”
With obvious reluctance she crossed the room and took a seat. He retrieved the champagne and popped the cork behind her back. The noise startled her into turning.
She eyed the bottle warily. “What are you celebrating?”
“Finding you again.” It should have been a line, a throw-away meaningless phrase. But it didn’t feel like one. And the gravel in his voice hadn’t been intentional.
Who was he kidding? He was glad to have found her and relieved to know she wasn’t the selfish bitch he’d believed her to be. Was it wrong to want her to know that he was more than the white trash Everett Kincaid had accused him of being and that he’d multiplied Kincaid’s bribe money many times over?
But he wouldn’t reveal that data until he absolutely had to—probably when they applied for a new divorce and had to disclose assets. The knowledge of how much this divorce would cost him made him wish he’d signed the prenup Everett Kincaid had tried to force on him. But Nadia had refused and Lucas had supported her decision rather than cave to her father’s demands. Back then they’d believed their love and marriage would last forever. Naive of them.
They would divorce. He wasn’t going to fall for her again. Love had no place in his life. Besides, unless he wanted to jeopardize the outcome, he couldn’t tell her exactly how far he’d come until he’d accomplished his goal of owning KCL. And then she’d want nothing to do with him.
He poured the champagne and joined her at the table. What she’d told him last night had only whet his appetite for details of her life. “You work for KCL. What happened to your plans to turn the New York fashion industry on its head?”
She appeared to give dipping a chunk of lobster into the drawn butter her rapt attention. “My plans changed. I ended up majoring in accounting.”
She’d understated her education. According to Terri, Nadia had an MBA and was a CPA with a bunch of other initials after her name. Dry numbers were a far cry from the creativity he remembered. He knew nothing about fashion except what Nadia had told him years ago and what he’d accidentally learned from his sisters. But he’d seen Nadia’s portfolio of drawings when they were dating. She’d had talent.
“It’s not what you wanted. You had piles of sketch pads full of clothing designs.”
“I grew up and realized the chances of me making it in New York were slim to none.”
Plausible, but not true—not when you knew the signs. Nadia’s eyes didn’t lift above his chin and her fingers twitched on the bread. But he’d let her get away with her fib for now. “Why KCL when you didn’t get along with your father?”
She chewed and swallowed. “Why not KCL? It’s a financially strong company and repeatedly voted one of the best places to work nationwide.”
True. And because of KCL’s strength and reputation a straight buyout wouldn’t be easy. But he’d found a few weaknesses in Kincaid’s finances—specifically the billions Everett had borrowed to finance the five new ships he had on order. Lucas was in the process of buying up those loans.
He applied himself to his dinner. Chamberlain’s still had the best lobster in Texas. “So he didn’t disinherit you for marrying me?”