KNOT: A Wake Family Novel (42 page)

Staff opened the front door, and since the steps were completely rid of all snow and ice, there would be no worry of winter drifting in. They paid me no attention, which I was both relieved and concerned about.

Could anyone walk right in?

I pulled my hard-shell luggage up the shallow steps and through the grand entrance. I left my things by the wall in the foyer, noticing that there was a lot of commotion going on. People moving here and there, carrying boxes and decorations.

I looked to my right and didn’t see her in the large parlor. It had a barrel ceiling and two huge Christmas trees flanking both sides of a massive fireplace.

She wasn’t in there.

Ahead of me was a room that would be best described as a ballroom, by the looks of it. Dark, beautiful hardwood floors and six opulent chandeliers in varying sizes hung at staggered heights.

She wasn’t there either.

Then, to my left, my eyes landed on her watching me with her mouth open. She had a clipboard, but it was held slack at her side. She’d dropped her pen, and it was still rolling across the floor.

“Hello, baby,” I mouthed. She was a sight for the sorest of eyes, and mine had apparently been in agony without her in my sights. Her hair was pulled back in a short, low ponytail, and she wore jeans and a long red sweater.

She ran to me, dropping the clipboard and then froze. Like her power had been cut short, and her cord had pulled from the wall.

“Are you really here?” she asked and gave a small glimpse of the smile I’d missed so fucking much.

“I hope you—” I was saying as she leapt into my arms.

I gave her a little growl and kissed at her neck as she laughed and held me tightly.

“I was hoping I’d see a bear this winter,” she teased.

“I couldn’t wait any longer. I should have let you know.” Her smell. Her touch. Her voice. Where my stock of her had felt so low, I was being replenished.

“No, it’s better this way.”

I set her down, and she leaned up and silently asked for a kiss. Of course I gave it to her, but I held back from what I really wanted. It looked like she had a lot of work to do, and when I finally got the chance to kiss her properly, I wouldn’t be able to stop. It had been too damn long.

“I know I said I didn’t need your help, but I’m glad you’re here. You want to help?” She laughed again, her humility showing. I loved seeing that she was well and happy, but also it wounded me that she hadn’t been as miserable as I’d been.

Sure, I was fine. Work was good. I’d been watching a lot of football, drinking a lot of Heineken, and eating a lot of Greek food. I’d even went back to the Italian restaurant we’d went to on our compromise date.

Our work Christmas party came and went, and I shipped presents back home for my family. They’d say I spent too much money on them, but I probably did that year.

I had been bored out of my motherfucking mind.

So, I decided to take a little vacation, I had plenty of time to spare.

“Put me to work,” I offered.

Okay, so maybe it was a working vacation now, but I didn’t give a shit. I was in the same country as her. Under the same roof. And I’d help her as long as she liked because I was also going to be in her bed. Come hell or high water, I wasn’t spending another night without her in my arms.

I’d do what I had to.

Nora wasn’t joking; she’d needed help. Where I’d thought she was just happy to see me, she’d really only seen a fresh manual laborer.

I hung garland and brought tables and chairs into the ballroom area where they’d be serving their guests with dinner the next night, Christmas Eve. I helped the musicians inside with their things as fresh snow started to fall.

It was funny. I thought that Chicago handled snow pretty well. The weather in Switzerland where her property, south of the massive Lake Zurich, was terrible, but there was never any mention of the event being canceled. Then again, it was Switzerland, this was what they knew.

It was nearly eleven when she found me again, placing flower arrangements where I’d been told.

“You’re a good worker, Mr. Warren. Are you looking for a job?” She was playfully mocking me, but the joke was on her. I came at a steep price.

“I don’t know how many times I’ll have to tell you I’m helpful before you’ll believe me,” I fired back. Her silvery eyes shimmered more than the crystal ornaments on the beautifully decorated trees, twinkling when the light hit her just right.

“Are you hungry?”

I was, in every way a person could be. I needed a meal and her body, and since I’d walked through those doors, my appetite had only grown.

“Yes.”

She grinned and held her hand out to me. “Well, let me feed you, then I’ll show you to your room.”

I rejected her hand and stood resolutely. “No. No. No,” I protested. That wasn’t acceptable for me.

“
My
room,” she corrected and wrapped her arms around me instead, and I immediately felt my temper cool.

We walked to the west wing which housed the commercial-sized kitchen. “Don’t you worry, bear. You’re staying with me. I had Laura make us potpies and put them in the oven before she left. You need to eat before you get any grumpier.”

I sat, and she waited on me.

I didn’t know this Laura woman, but I’d like to. I barely came up for air as I inhaled the dish she’d made for us.

“Do you want some wine?” Nora asked as she got up to get herself a glass.

“No, I’ll take water,” I said. I’d waited too long to be next to her to squander my minutes with her by being drunk. Besides, I’d learned my lesson about drinking too much on my medication and tried to only have one or the other.

I’d taken it before I left the house early that morning, only to realize at that moment I’d forgotten it there.

I’d be on my own this week, and I wanted to start off on a good foot.

She grabbed two water bottles, one for me and one for her, and came back to the small table they had in a breakfast nook inside the kitchen. In a place like this, I’m sure it was where the staff usually ate. From what I could tell, and if my memory served well from her past emails, she had built the staff back up to about two dozen.

It was then that I got a better look at her, everyone having retired for the night, she was finally off the clock. She rolled her neck as she ate, there were faint circles under her eyes. She hadn’t been getting enough rest.

“Are you tired?” I asked her as we finished up a third potpie that we’d shared. She pulled off one of the remaining pieces of the flakey crust and popped it in her mouth.

“Yeah, a little. I think tomorrow will be busy, then I’ll rest.” Although dim, I could see a fire in her eyes.

She stretched again, looking like her body was aching. Even if she had hired more people, she was still doing too much.

And if she was here doing so much, how would she ever leave?

We cleaned up our mess, and she left a note for Laura on the refrigerator. It said thank you for the dinner, and how we’d enjoyed it. It also had a few reminders and updates on things that apparently happened after the chef left for the day.

It was a rather long note, but it was evident that Nora relied on Laura. Trusted her. Knew her.

Again, I wanted to meet this Laura person.

Then, she pulled a plate from the cabinet, tucked herself into the pantry, and reappeared with a full plate of cookies.

“I’ve had a bit of a sweet tooth.” She looked so innocent and sweet, but like she felt shamefaced for indulging.

“They’re your cookies, Nora.”

She smiled guiltily. “I know, but I still feel like a visitor.”

That was an interesting statement.

I knew she’d visited her father there many, many times. So in a way, I was sad for her, unhappy that this place—of all places—she didn’t feel like she had any claim to it. It was hers, and hers alone, but she still didn’t feel ownership. More so, I suspected she didn’t feel like she belonged.

You belong with me. To me. I belong to you, too.

As we quietly walked, and she told me about different pieces of art that hung on the great walls, my mind kept pulling me away.

What if she’d been talking about something else? Did she not want to feel like a visitor because she
wasn’t
? Because she was staying?

This conflicted me.

It wasn’t the time to talk about it, about what was coming in her immediate future. I’d need to talk to her about it soon though. I didn’t think I’d be strong enough to ignore how the fear of losing her was starting to bleed into every thought.

“And down this hall is the master wing,” she said. “It’s too damn big.”

“Master wing?” I asked, not sure what it entailed. “Yes, down this hall is a private family room with a small kitchenette, an office, a laundry, master bath, two closets. And there’s a private deck area with a hot tub and sauna.”

We walked a little further, into the main bedroom area. The bed was made, but that end of the room didn’t really look occupied. However, what did look lived in was a seating area next to the large window. It was only a sofa and a few chairs, but there she had papers, books, and her laptop. The chair had a bed pillow in it and a blanket lay crumpled beside it on the hardwood floor.

It was a room nearly as big as her apartment. Filled with rich woods, different variations of white and ivory fabrics, a beautiful stone fireplace, large floor to ceiling windows, which no doubt would have a magnificent view come day break.

“I need to look at my email for a little bit. I’m waiting on a few responses. You can look around if you like. Have a cookie.” She offered me a pick from her plate.

“Are you having any?” I asked.

“I will in awhile. They’re my reward for finishing everything I needed to today.”

Emails. I had no argument. She hadn’t known I was coming. I had no choice but to be patient.

“I’ll wait for you then. What time do you have to wake up tomorrow?”

“I should be down there by nine,” she said and yawned.

I looked over and saw my luggage, which I hadn’t even given another thought to after I left it in the entrance.

“I had it sent up,” she said and stepped closer to me.

Reggie, she has things to do. Don’t distract her yet.

“Nine is good. How about you go do your emails. You need a long bath, and a night—
in a bed
. You look better than I imagined, but you’re not being taken care of.”

I pushed an errant piece of hair behind her ear, and she inclined into my touch, her eyes fluttering.

“I need to take care of you tonight.”

She didn’t say anything, but she nodded. Pulling my hand from her neck, she kissed the inside of my wrist and then walked to her makeshift coffee table office.

I found a luggage rack in the closet and some space, so I took the liberty of unpacking a few things.

Finding my shaving bag, I walked into the biggest master bathroom I’d ever seen. There was a sit-down vanity in addition to the long two sink basin top. Towel warmers. One corner of the room was a walk-in shower, opposite that a massive Jacuzzi tub.

The things I’d like to do in this bathroom.

I had no doubt, no matter how successful I became, I’d never be able to give her a bathroom like the one she already had.

The whole house.

She deserved to live like that. To never worry, or struggle. To have everything she ever dreamed at her disposal. Anything she desired.

Something tensed inside. A new, unfamiliar tautness in my chest.

Maybe I was tired, too.

I turned the water on in the bath. I smiled seeing she had a full bottle of the soap I use sitting on the shelf. Did she have that because she missed me? Was it a reminder?

When it was the right depth and temperature, I climbed in and waited for her.

This was what she needed from me, and I was compelled to do whatever I could. The same familiar pull to provide for her.

A bath seemed like such a small gesture, but she’d appreciate it.