Georgina glanced back at the car. Perhaps AVIS would sell her the one she was driving now, and she wouldn't even have to take it back.
Rounding the corner where the parking garage made an L-shape, Georgina swung her arms and gathered speed. She scanned ahead to pick the fastest route between the parked cars to the stairwell door.
What she saw there hit her like a kick in the chest.
Rick Matisse stood by the wall with the little girl Andy Patissier. His body towered over hers. His hands gripped her shoulders. The girl tried to pull away, her face contorted in fear. Then Georgina could no longer see her expression, because Rick lowered his head, and brought his mouth down to hers.
"Let go of her,” Georgina yelled. She dropped her briefcase. Her heels clipped against the concrete floor as she sprinted over. She slid her handbag from her shoulder and grasped the strap in her right hand, slinging the bag in a circle over her head. When she caught up with the couple by the wall, she lowered her arm and let the handbag slam against Rick's scull, just when he turned his head to look at her.
"You pervert,” she screamed. “Let go of her.” It was a pointless demand, since Rick had already released the girl. His left hand flew up to press against his cheek, where a smear of red seeped through the fingers. His right hand shot out to take Georgina's wrist in a grip of steel, forcing her to drop the handbag.
"Are you crazy,” he growled. “You could have caught me in the eye."
"I wish I had,” Georgina yelled. She bent to the girl, moving as close as Rick's hold on her wrist would allow. “Andy, did this man hurt you?"
Andy met her gaze with eyes so dark they seemed almost bottomless. Georgina could hear the rasping sound of the girl's swift breathing. A strange expression flickered over Andy's face, almost as if she was amused. Then the mask of fear returned. Georgina decided she'd imagined that sudden flash of mirth.
"Yes,” Andy whimpered, slanting a look at Rick. “He's a monster. He attacked me."
"Angelina,” Rick thundered.
"Shut up. Nobody asked you.” Georgina tried to yank herself free. To her surprise, Rick released her wrist. She knelt down in front of Andy and laid her hands over the girl's forearms.
"What did he do to you?” Georgina asked softly. “Can you tell me?"
"He was trying to ... you know."
"Angelina, cut it out,” Rick said, sounding exasperated.
"I told you to shut up,” Georgina said, not even bothering to glance up.
"He was forcing himself on me,” Andy said tearfully. “He's a monster."
"I was not,” Rick said. His voice had grown weary, as though he accepted that things would get difficult for him from now on.
"This girl is thirteen, and whatever happened here is against the law,” Georgina said firmly.
"Angelina?” Rick prompted.
The little girl scowled up at him.
"No pool,” Rick said. “For two weeks."
"I'm twelve,” Andy said petulantly. “I apologize for lying to Georgina."
"All right,” Rick told the little girl. “You're off the hook for that, but stop playing games. Otherwise, it's no pool until Christmas."
Georgina glanced from Andy to Rick and back again. What in heaven's name was going on? He must have been grooming her, meeting her by the pool. This was worse than she'd imagined, not just an isolated incident.
"I'm going to have you arrested,” Georgina said. She stood up and turned to Rick. “They'll lock you up where you can be no danger to little girls."
"I'm a police officer,” Rick pointed out patiently. “No one's going to arrest me."
"That's right,” Georgina fumed. “Hide behind your corrupt colleagues."
A tittering sound came from behind her, and Georgina whirled around. When her eyes came to rest on Andy, the girl was looking down at her feet, her mouth clamped into a tight line.
Georgina spun back to Rick. “I'm going to get you thrown out of your apartment. You'll never get anywhere near her again."
"That might be difficult,” Rick said calmly. “Considering I'm her father."
"Her father?” Georgina's words came out on a shrill cry. “But her last name's Patissier. She lives in the other block."
"It's my mom's name,” Andy said, sending an imploring look over to Rick.
"I'm working on it, honey,” he told her gently. “I'll take care of it, I promise.” Then he turned to Georgina. “Angelina goes to stay with Mrs. Donati when I work nights. She's the woman with the hyperactive little boy. The woman who was wearing the tent by the pool,” he added in response to Georgina's blank stare.
Georgina's mind raced. It felt as though some invisible string was tugging at her head, turning her until she saw the briefcase which lay in a jaunty angle further back on the concrete floor. She almost expected to see her
Project Seduction
flowchart glowing radioactive in the side pocket.
Her plan was in smithereens. Not only did Rick Matisse have a daughter, which complicated things, but the large woman who'd sat by the swimming pool dressed in that totally unbecoming sarong had a crush on Rick. She'd get hurt if Georgina forged ahead with her project. The woman had to have a crush on Rick, as unlikely as that may be. Why otherwise would she volunteer to look after his daughter? Women who could afford to live at Hillside Heights Apartments didn't need to baby-sit for pocket money.
As if he'd read her mind, Rick spoke again. “Mrs. Donati had a problem with her older son last year. I helped her out. She's returning the favor by keeping an eye on Angelina while I'm at work."
"I see,” Georgina said. She frowned at him. “You keep calling your daughter Angelina. She told me it's Andy."
Rick gave a small shrug. “That's a boy's name. When she grows up it will become a burden. She'll find out soon enough.” He glanced at Andy, who responded with a sullen stare. A grin flashed over Rick's face, softening the hard lines around his mouth. Georgina felt her insides tighten, just like they had tightened the other day when he'd grinned at her by the pool.
Perhaps he wasn't such a moron after all.
Georgina watched as Rick turned to the stairwell door. For the first time since she'd hurtled up to him, she caught the left side of his face in full view.
"Oh my God. You're bleeding. I must have cut you with my bag.” She took a step toward him, raising a hand up to his cheek.
He jerked as though she was a scorpion about to strike. He pulled the door open so that it came between them. “It's all right. Angelina will take care of it. Won't you, baby?” He looked past Georgina, making her feel invisible.
"Yes, Dad.” Andy pushed between them and reached out to take Rick's hand. The look in her eyes as she tilted her face up to him was pure adoration. “Does it hurt?"
"It's okay, honey. You can fix it up."
"I'm sorry I yanked your chains, Dad. You should have seen your face. It was, like, I'm in deep shit. I almost peed in my pants trying not to laugh."
"Angelina!"
"Everybody says shit, Dad. It's no big deal."
Georgina stared after them, feeling an unfamiliar pang of pain. “Hey, wait!” she called out.
Father and daughter turned. His arm was slung over her shoulder. Her hand clutched the hem of his sweatshirt. They seemed such a tight unit, the two of them against the world. It made the pit of Georgina's stomach fill with a dull ache. Her eyes watered and she had to blink.
"What were you doing?” she asked. “When I came in, you were doing something to Andy that scared her."
"I caught her smoking. She tried to deny it. I was checking her breath.” Rick ruffled the girl's hair. “I bet you thought I'd forgotten, didn't you, pumpkin."
"Dad!” Andy wailed, shooting Georgina a look that could have stripped paint. “Thanks a bunch. He
had
forgotten, you know."
"Only because I distracted him,” Georgina quipped. Then she ran past them and clattered up the stairs to the lobby. Rather than wait and risk sharing the elevator, she climbed up the four flights. By the time she reached her apartment, the tears were in full flow.
To have had a parent, even just one parent! Georgina fisted her hands and mopped the streaks of mascara from her cheeks. She would have given anything to have experienced love like that.
Angelina Patissier grinned as she tilted the bottle of peroxide over a thick wad of cotton wool. “This is going to hurt,” she said with relish.
Her father sat on the edge of his neatly made double bed, stripped down to the waist. The blood-stained sweatshirt lay rumpled on the hardwood floor. His keys and cell phone were piled on the nightstand.
"Are you ready?” Andy said.
He nodded. “Get on with it."
"It was so cool the way Georgina belted you. Were you afraid of her?"
Rick let out a rumbling chuckle. “Afraid? Of course not. I could have thrashed her."
"Boys aren't supposed to thrash girls."
"And pigs fly."
Andy peered at him from between her lashes. “She was going to have you arrested for molesting me. That was neat."
"You wouldn't have let it go too far, would you, pumpkin?” Rick sat back, steadying himself for the contact with the antiseptic. “I mean, a joke's a joke, but if you let things go too far, there'll be repercussions. It wouldn't look good for a cop's daughter to be caught wasting police time."
"Don't be a jerk, Dad. I know when to stop."
"Make sure you do."
"Hah. You flinched.” Andy withdrew the sodden cotton wool. “Superman's going rusty."
"It wasn't a flinch. It was a hiccup."
"Liar.” She pressed a gauze pad over the cut and secured it with two parallel lines of tape. “There. Did that hurt?"
"Didn't feel a thing."
"Liar. You flinched."
Rick got up and grinned. “It's past eight. Only an hour to lights out. Have you done your homework?"
"Homework's for retards."
"You think you're smart, don't you?"
Andy pressed down the lid on the first aid kit and danced around the room, hugging the metal box against her chest. “No. I
know
I'm smart."
Rick picked up his cell phone, flicked open the lid and checked for messages. Then he flicked it closed again. “How do you know Georgina?” he asked.
"We met by the pool last night. She's cool."
"Cool, huh?"
"Yeah. Her mom's dead."
"Georgina's grown-up. It's different for grown-ups."
Andy slowed her twirling but didn't fully stop. “I told her I wished my mom was dead too."
"Angelina.” Rick crossed the room with a few quick strides and cradled her face between his hands. “You don't mean that."
"I'm so scared she'll take me away from you.” She dropped the first aid kit on the bed and pressed her face into his broad chest. “I want to stay with you. Always."
"You will. Until you go to college, anyway."
"You promise?"
Rick smoothed his hand over her hair. “I promise. I told you, I'm working on it."
"You've been saying that since I came to you when I was ten. That was two years ago."
He sighed. “I know, honey. It takes time, and it costs a lot of money.” He hoisted her up until their faces were level. “I'll never let anyone take you away from me. Never. You've got to believe that."
"I do.” She planted a smacking kiss on his forehead. “Let me down. I'll go and see if Georgina's at the pool."
When Andy got down to the pool it was empty. She shrugged off her disappointment easily, because she was used to disappointments.
At least Mrs. Donati and Dominic the Creep were nowhere in sight. Andy screwed up her face in distaste. Dominic was only nine, but he was already turning into a pain. He was always trying to sneak a peek when Andy was getting into her PJ's, or coming out of the shower when she was staying at Mrs. Donati's. Dominic was a little pervert, but Andy had it under control. Her father had shown her a couple of neat tricks for stopping anyone who pestered her. Like, slam your palm against his nose and shove his cartilage into his brain. Or hit the hard edge of your palm against his windpipe and choke him.
Andy almost hoped that Dominic would overstep the mark, so that she could try it out on him.
Her forehead wrinkled as she came up with a new thought. Perhaps next time her father worked nights she could go and stay with Georgina instead.
Andy mulled it over in her mind. Georgina still had one of her pool floaters. That would give her an excuse to knock on Georgina's door and ask. Then a broad grin split her face. Why ask and risk being told no, when it made so much more sense to set up a situation where no wasn't an option?
She hadn't been kidding when she'd boasted about being smart.
Andy gulped in a deep breath and dove down to the bottom, almost swallowing water because she couldn't keep herself from laughing.
Was it a cool idea or what? It was about time her dad had a girlfriend, and Georgina would be perfect. She'd take no shit from him. The two of them, her and Georgina, could gang up on him and rattle his cage a little. Andy thought of the expression on her dad's face when Georgina had charged, slinging her handbag in the air. Like David attacking Goliath in that dumb story they'd done at school.
It was
so
cool, Andy thought as she broke the surface and drew in air. Georgina would keep her Dad on his toes. He'd be so preoccupied with her that for once he'd get off Andy's case.
Was it a brilliant plan or what?
For the rest of the week, Georgina sneaked in and out of her apartment on her way to work, taking care not to bump into Rick Matisse or his daughter.
What a disaster.
How could she expect Rick to flirt with her, or ask her out on a date, when she'd maimed him with a flying handbag and accused him of being a child molester?
Georgina shoved her briefcase under the hall table and went into the bedroom, where she kicked off her high heels and changed out of her work clothes.
At least it was Friday. She'd lounge around and watch something mind-numbing on HBO.
Her gaze swept around the room, seeking comfort in the familiar possessions shipped from London. She loved the mahogany sleigh bed with the matching bedside cabinets. The only other furniture in the room was a pair of padded chairs upholstered in deep green velvet, one placed on either side of the bed, both strewn with discarded clothes.