AFTER MAKING HER CLIENT calls at the real estate office, Cathy decided to head home to freshen up. Brad McGrath had called her again, and asked if she would like to come over to his house in Malibu for a short visit. His voice alone was enough to convince her, even though she felt a little apprehensive about breaking the news to the children.
Her mind was a jumble of thoughts as she pulled into the driveway, only to blink in astonishment when she noticed her husband’s car parked in front of the door. What’s Nick doing back here so early? Did something happen with the kids again?
Hurrying to the front door, she took the keys out of her handbag and stuck the right one into the deadbolt, unlocking it. Swinging the door open, she mentally braced herself, ready to deal with whatever problem her husband could possibly throw at her.
She found him sitting at the kitchen table, a faint smile on his face. Placing her bag on the counter, Cathy got closer. “Is everything alright, Nick?”
Nick kept smiling as he gestured for her to sit down. “Everything’s fine. Can I talk to you?”
Cathy remained in a defensive mood while she slid a chair back and sat down. “You want to talk, go ahead. But I’ve got a client to see, so make it quick.”
“I just wanted to say how sorry I am for being an asshole to you and the kids,” he said. “I know I haven’t been around much, but I finally got some free time off, and I want to make it all up to you and them.”
Cathy looked away. She hadn’t expected this. It seemed like Nick had transformed into his old self, the one she fell in love with. She’d thought about telling him it was over just yesterday, and now she couldn’t.
There was a brochure on the table, and he pushed it towards her.
“Art is giving me some paid time off, and I want to spend it with you and the kids, just the four of us,” he said.
Cathy skimmed over the flyer. “What’s this?”
“A brand new five-star tropical resort off the coast of India. I got four reservations leading up to the grand opening. Two weeks paid vacation, Cathy.”
She remained skeptical. “I don’t know. I’m waiting on some clients to decide if they want to buy some properties. Kim’s got her semester finals too.”
“I know. We can go in a few days once Kim starts her spring break. It all coincides with Scotty’s Easter vacation too.”
Cathy kept her eyes on the brochure, but her mind was going in a million different directions. She had all but made up her mind to leave him at one point, but Nick had thrown an unexpected curveball at her. Is he really telling the truth? Does he want to change?
Nick leaned forward, and he placed his hand over hers. “All I’m asking for is one more chance.”
Cathy blinked rapidly. She had been looking forward to spending some time with Brad later that afternoon. For the past year she had convinced herself that she didn’t love Nick anymore, and the only thing still keeping them together was the kids. Her mind spun in circles. She wasn’t sure what she wanted now.
“Please,” Nick said softly, almost pleading.
She bit her lip. When she met Brad for the first time after all those years, Cathy had hinted that she wasn’t happy, and he gave her every indication that he was willing to be everything Nick wasn’t. Cathy felt it would be easier to use the nuclear option: divorce her husband, take the kids, and move in with Brad. Would she be willing to try the harder choice? Work through their problems and tough it out?
Nick could tell she was confused. It felt like he was having a meeting with a stubborn client back in the office, and he needed to keep at it in order to close the deal. “It’ll be just like old times. You and me having some fun, but with the kids.”
A small spark of hope began to germinate within her. Could they really work things out during a two week holiday? She still pictured Brad’s face whenever she thought of an ideal man, but Nick’s visage began to crowd into her mind as well.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” Nick said softly. “If we can’t make it work after this vacation… then whatever you decide, I’ll go along with it.”
She couldn’t say no to that. Brad would have to wait, and if he was truly the one, he would understand why. “Okay. I’ll have to dig out our passports from the shoebox in the closet and check to see if they’re not expired.”
Nick gave her hand a slight squeeze as he beamed at her. “Don’t worry, we’ve got a few days to get ready for this.”
Cathy still couldn’t believe she’d agreed. “Where is this place again?”
“Lakshadweep. It’s actually an artificial island that was put up there. We’ve got a whole private cottage all to ourselves. Right by the beach. Sun and surf, but without the crowds or the traffic.”
“So it’s Indians running it?”
“Yeah, the islands around it are Muslim too.”
“Muslims? They could be terrorists or something.”
Nick shook his head. “No, no—from what Art told me, the Lakshadweep Islands are peaceful. No crime happens over there. It’s paradise.”
“I hope it’s got internet,” Cathy said. “I need to stay in touch with my clients.”
“Sure it has. It’s also got everything else. You’ve always wanted to go diving, remember?”
“Snorkeling,” she corrected him. “I don’t think I could go scuba diving. Too scary.”
“It’s got a dive center.”
“I don’t know if Kim and Scotty even likes Indian food. They eat nothing but pizza, or macaroni and cheese.”
“It’s a world class resort,” Nick said. “I’m sure we can order pizza if that’s what the kids want.”
Cathy sighed. She would have to tell Brad that something came up, and she couldn’t see him for awhile. After looking at the brochure she’d realized she hadn’t gone on a vacation for a long time either. Her work and the kids had been keeping her busy and they’d been the only things on her mind for the past few years. Perhaps this was a good idea after all. At the very least she’d get the chance to think things through.
Nick rubbed her wrist with his finger. “You still remember our trip to Italy? It was the first time either of us ever left the country.”
“How could I forget, that was when I got pregnant with Kim.”
“We promised each other we were gonna do it again. That’s why we got passports for everybody in the family and kept them. Imagine that, now we’ve got a chance to go halfway ’round the world again, this time it’ll be the four of us.”
Cathy stood up. She would give him the chance. It was only fair. “Let me make sure the passports are current. Do we need a visa to go there?”
“It’s included in the reservations,” he said.
“Looks like you thought of everything.”
Nick grinned. I can still turn this around! “That’s the plan.”
11
BY THE TIME KAZIMIR Morgenstern stepped off the helicopter and onto the helipad at the top of his Manhattan skyscraper, his personal secretary was already waiting for him by the elevator. The dour look on his subordinate’s face told him it was both a business and family matter that needed attending to.
Only after he got into the private elevator leading down to his office did he begin to speak with her. “What is it?”
“Taylor Erskine called. He said he would call back.”
Kazimir sighed. “Is it my brother again?”
“I can’t say at this point, sir—but it looks like a distinct possibility,” Sheila said. She had been serving him dutifully for more than thirty years and could be trusted with his best-kept secrets.
Kazimir muttered a curse under his breath as the elevator doors opened, and he began walking down a deserted corridor towards his private suite. He was the eldest, born to a banking dynasty that stretched all the way back to the nineteenth century. His own father’s excesses nearly bankrupted the empire, and it was his grandfather who appointed Kazimir as successor to head the conglomerate, with the sole aim of bringing it all back from the brink of financial ruin.