SEVEN MONTHS EARLIER
There had to be something she could do, but what?
Nicola Rhymes looked at her surroundings and sighed. She jumped at the chance to leave her past behind, come to another city, and plan her future here, in Long Beach… And now…?
Well, she was in over her head.
She had always been the one who wanted out… Out of the family, out of the drama, out of an unhealthy relationship, out of everything. Well, no one told her ‘be careful what you wish for, sweetie!’ because now she was stuck in a tiny apartment in the worst neighborhood in Long Beach, with no clue what to do.
With no light at the end of the fucking tunnel.
“This situation is slowly killing my spirit,” Nicola murmured. “If only Daphne would send me a sign…”
She put her head in her hands and sighed. On the computer screen in front of her, was her budget for the next three months. No matter which way she plotted and planned, she only had about two months before it all fell apart.
Nicola leaned back in her seat, glancing at her reflection in the mirror on her little desk. She wasn't a gorgeous woman, at least not in her opinion. She was… studious, if anything.
A ‘nerd’, as her sister used to call her affectionately.
She had long blond hair and dark eyes, fringed with long lashes, something her mother said was a wonderful asset. She was spunky and curvy, something else her mother said was a good thing. Not that it mattered right now…
At thirty years of age, Nicola was a divorcee, a stranger in a weird place, away from everything she knew for the past few years, and with nothing to show for it. She went to school every day and graduated despite her personal tragedy, but none of her studies was of any help right now.
Sure, she could always go back to Seattle and accept Randy’s help…
Yeah, right! She would rather live in her car first.
Or eat dirt…
Or drink bleach…
Or all of the above.
Living under the same roof with her ex-husband, his girlfriend and their little twins was ten times worse than jumping off the Empire State Building without a parachute…
The problem was after she left Seattle, she couldn’t find work anywhere. That’s when Daphne invited her to come to Long Beach and try her luck here. At first, Nicola told herself it would just take a little longer. But now, three weeks later, she was concerned.
Nicola leaned back in the chair and bit her thumbnail, trying to find a solution.
“Not one job proposal…” she said, looking back down at the screen. “Maybe I should change the perspective. Maybe people in Long Beach don’t need a nanny… Not a thirty-year-old one. I could try offering some cleaning services, or I could work as a caretaker…”
She leaned forward again and jumped into a new job search, hopeful something would happen. On the computer screen appeared an e-mail notice.
“It’s from Daphne!” she exclaimed. “Thank God!”
It was a brief e-mail.
‘Keep your fingers crossed, Nik. Today’s the day. I’ll see you after work, at that bar near my apartment.’
“Maybe she’ll finally get that raise she was talking about the other day… Well, a few hours out and a drink to celebrate is what I need…”
****
Sitting in his leather armchair, Blake Echols felt tired and aching. He had spent the entire day in his office, behind his desk, trying to fix some of the problems created by two of his collaborators. They knew how important the acquisition of a shipyard was for him and the entire company. Some days, Blake wondered what the hell he was paying these people for at all.
Blake got up from his chair, stood in front of the large window behind his desk, and gazed down at the busy street below. Traffic was heavy as people were getting off work and heading home to their families.
The only family he had to go home to was his four-year-old daughter, Iris, his ‘little ray of sunshine’.
Turning away from the window, his blue eyes settled on a silver framed photograph on the corner of his large mahogany desk. Blake picked up the photograph and smiled at the little girl with the pigtails and the pink dress.
His little girl was his life, the only reason he got out of bed every morning.
Just then, Daphne Winters, Blake's secretary, appeared in the doorway.
“Somewhere out there, there's a little princess who wants to talk to her daddy… She is on the phone for you.”
“Thank you, Daphne.”
Blake set the picture down, picked up the receiver, and jabbed at a button on the phone.
“Hi, baby girl…”
He heard giggling on the other end of the line.
“‘Hi, Daddy’,” she said. “‘When are you coming home? To me?’”
“Daddy will be home soon, sweetie. I have…”
“‘Oh! Ice cream! Ice cream!’” Iris squealed.
A loud crash filled Blake's ear and he grimaced.
“‘I'm sorry about that, Mr. Blake,’” Alma, who was the housekeeper, said as she came on the line. “‘She saw ice cream, got excited, and dropped the receiver.’”
“So typical of my daughter! Alma, please, don't give her too many sweets,” Blake said.
“‘I won't, don’t worry,’” the housekeeper replied.
“Thank you, Alma. I'll be home as soon as possible,” Blake added.
“‘Very well, sir,’” she said.
Blake dropped the receiver in the cradle.
“Daphne!” he called out.
“Yes, Mr. Echols?”
He glanced up to find she was still standing in the doorway.
“Oh… I… I didn’t see you there.”
“No problem, sir. What can I do for you?”
“Nothing more than you’ve already done, thank you. You may go home now.”
“Thank you, sir,” Daphne replied to him. “Is our little princess alright?”
“Iris is perfectly fine,” Blake answered. “She just wanted to know when I was coming home.”
He began to straighten the desktop.
“Oh, Daphne… Remember my request, please. In the morning, I would appreciate it if you would find a reputable nanny agency. I need to find a nanny for Iris. Is extremely urgent. Alma tries to help, but my baby girl is a handful and needs someone who can keep up with her.”
Daphne stepped farther into the spacious office.
“Mr. Echols, as you can imagine, there are a lot of nanny agencies in the city, but I kinda know someone who would be absolutely perfect for this job.”
“Tell me a few things about her,” Blake said, opening the top drawer of a file cabinet.
“Her name is Nicola Rhymes and she has been my best friend since we were in high school. She just moved to Long Beach three weeks ago and has been looking for a job since then.”
Daphne sat down in one of the leather chairs in front of Blake's desk and crossed her legs.
“Nik has been taking care of children for the past five years. She's almost thirty, she has no children and she is single. She adores children and from what I have witnessed, they adore her too. She kinda knows their language. Shall I set up an interview with her?”
“Well… Since she is your friend and you vouch for her…” Blake started.
“I do, Mr. Echols. She is the sweetest person in the world… and she is a great nanny.”
“In this case, I trust you… So, yes,” he replied. “The sooner the better.”
“Let me check your schedule, sir.”
Daphne rose from the chair and hurried from the office. Coming back, a minute later with a leather-bound book, she opened it and scanned the page.
“You have several meetings tomorrow afternoon, so that's no good. You have some free time in the morning, between nine-thirty and ten. I'll check with Nik and see if she can meet with you then. If you don't need anything else, I'm going home.”
“That's perfect,” Blake muttered. “I'll see you in the morning, Daphne.”
“Don’t stay here too long. Iris is waiting for you at home.”
“I won’t,” he said smiling.
“Have a nice evening, Mr. Echols.”
Blake nodded.
“You, too.”
A couple of hours later, Blake removed a few files from the cabinet and placed them in his briefcase. After making sure he had everything he would need to work at home, he turned off the lights, locked the door, and headed for the elevator.
ONE YEAR LATER… “Bedtime, munchkin,” Nicola said from the living room doorway. Iris, who was lying on the floor, watching cartoons, jumped up and ran toward the door.“Come on, Olaf,” she said to the dog following her religiously almost everywhere.“Did you pick out what you want to take to show and tell tomorrow?” Nicola asked as they made their way upstairs.“Yes, I did,” Iris replied. “I’m taking the seashell Aunt Daph gave me.”“That’s a wonderful idea! I believe everybody will like that. They can put it to their ear and listen to the ocean,” Nicola exclaimed and took her little hand in hers. “Let’s say goodnight to your daddy. He’s in his office.” They stopped outside Blake’s office and Iris knocked on the door.“‘Come in,’” Blake called out. Iris opened the door and entered the room.“It’s bedtime, Daddy,” she announced. Blake checked his watch.“Already? Well… you’d better give me my goodnight hug and kiss.” Nicola smiled.
The next morning, Blake and Nicola entered together the Long Beach Police Department. Paul was waiting for them in there. He showed them the way to the interrogation room where Damien Crewe was about to be brought.“Nik, are you sure you want to be present during this?” the detective asked Nicola after she sat in front of the two-way mirror and placed the crutches near her. “You might hear some ugly things…” Blake watched his wife. Before leaving the mansion that morning, he’d asked her the same thing, afraid Nicola might have a breakdown or something. Her reply was a simple ‘yes’ followed by a soft smile.“Uglier than what I’ve been through? Yes, I’m sure, Paul,” Nicola replied in a determined tone. “I MUST be here. This man took away too much of my sanity, my energy, my time with Blake and Iris. It’s time to face the monster and put an end to this. It’s time to move on with my life.” She looked up at Blake and smiled. She didn’t look stressed or worried
Long after Daphne had gone home for the day, Blake sat at his desk, deep in thought. He was thinking of Nicola and the words they had exchanged in anger. ‘What you’re planning to do is wrong, Blake. And you’re going to lose me. Forever!’ ‘And what about our little girl? What do you think it would do to Iris to lose her daddy?’ Those words were the ones that stood out more than anything in his mind. The idea of Nicola leaving him, walking out on their marriage, and the thought of not seeing Iris anymore, scared the hell out of Blake. More than going to jail for breaking into little pieces the son of a bitch who hurt the woman he loved. The last thing Blake wanted was to lose Nicola and the life they had together.“Echols, you look like you lost your best friend,” Norman said, strolling into the office.“Not yet, Norm, but I could,” Blake replied. Norman arched an eyebrow.“Care to explain that to me?” Blake
A week later found Nicola sitting alone in the living room, gazing out the window. Rain was coming down and beating against the windowpane. While she watched it, Nicola thought about her life before being kidnapped and tortured.“I used to be so happy… Now I feel frightened and depressed…” she murmured. “Thank God for Blake and Iris… They are my reason to get out of the bed every morning.” The therapy was working but not as fast as everyone hoped it would. Still, she kept on attending every session, repeating herself to be patient. “Mind if I sit with you for a while? Bruce asked from the doorway. Nicola gave the cushion beside her a pat. Bruce crossed the room and sat down.“How are you doing, Nik?”“I don’t know… Okay, I guess,” Nicola replied. Bruce reached for Nicola's hand and held it between both of his.“It will get easier, dear. I promise you it will.”“You don't know what I'm going through,” Nicola said angrily. “So don't tell me
“Daddy…” Blake glanced up from the book he was reading and gazed at Iris. She was standing in the doorway with Olaf at her feet, and she had a sad look on her face. He closed the book and placed it on the table next to him.“Come here, sunshine.”Iris ran to Blake and climbed onto his lap. She settled in the crook of his arm.“What's wrong?” he asked.“I went to your room to see Nik…” she muttered.“Okay…”“But I didn’t enter because she was crying… I didn’t want to bother her.” He took a deep breath and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.“I see…”“Daddy, why is Nik crying?”“She is sad. When you're sad, don't you cry?”“Yeah.”“Something really bad happened to her and it’s going to take a little while for her to feel better,” Blake explained, caressing her head. “But don’t worry… She is going to be alright… Everything is going to be alright.”The little girl laid her head on his shoulder.“Oh, okay… I'll paint her a picture.”“This is a great idea. Nik adores
Nicola was released from the hospital a few days later. Before she left, she insisted on finally seeing Benjamin. Since Blake was still pretty reluctant about this painful reunion, to get her way, Nicola threatened Blake to go and stay with Norman and Daphne.“Okay, darling… But let's make this brief,” Blake said, pushing the wheelchair down the long hallway. “I want to get you home as soon as possible.”“I'll try not to take too long.” Nicola adjusted the shawl she wore around her shoulders and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the cuts on her arms throbbing as she moved. Halfway down the hall, Blake stopped and knocked on the door on his left. He heard Benjamin replying and opened the door. Careful not to bump Nicola's broken leg against the door, Blake wheeled her into the room and parked the chair next to the bed.“I was wondering if you were going to come and see me,” Benjamin said to Nicola.“I will leave you two to talk,” Blake said, then kis