Needing Nicole (The Cantrelle Family Trilogy Book 2) (6 page)

“I know you’re angry. But I can explain.”

“Maybe you can, but I’m not interested.”

“Come on, I know what I did wasn’t very nice, but I was desperate. You’re the only lead I have.”

Something about his voice stopped her from making another quick retort. She studied his face. Oh, God, she was a fool. She could feel herself weakening.

Jack sighed. “My sister is making herself sick worrying about Elise. I.. .I had to do something. I couldn’t just pack it in and go back to Houston without trying one more time.”

“But why latch onto me? I told you. I don’t know anything.”

“All I’m asking is that you hear me out. And I
do
believe you don’t consciously know Elise Arnold. I just think you probably know things that would be helpful to me, and if you’d only let me tell you the whole story, that might trigger something in your memory.”

“No.” She wished he’d quit looking at her in just that way. It was hard to sustain her anger under the force of his compelling gaze.

When he spoke his voice was husky. “Please, Nicole. I’m not going to hurt you. Just let me give you a ride to work, that’s all. If you still don’t want to talk to me after that, I’ll go away. I promise.”

She knew she shouldn’t. “Well...”

“Please?”

Sighing, she shook free of his arm and walked to his car. He opened the passenger door, and she got in. The vehicle had a new-car smell. Jack shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. Within moments they were on their way.

“So talk,” she said. She looked at him. Now she tried to ignore how the sunlight slanting through the windows had turned his hair to burnished gold. Jack Forrester was altogether too appealing. Even the bump in his nose added to his rugged strength. She reminded herself that she was angry with him.

“Promise you’ll listen with an open mind, okay?”

She sighed. “Okay.”

He reached over and squeezed her hand. Nicole’s traitorous heart leaped at his touch. No doubt about it. Too appealing. Too sexy.

“My sister and I are twins. We’re close, even though we don’t see each other for long stretches of time. We have a special understanding. When we were kids, even if we weren’t together, if she hurt herself or I hurt myself, the other one would always know.”

Nicole couldn’t help it. She just couldn’t stay angry. How could anyone stay angry at a man whose tone of voice revealed how much he loved his sister? “Go on,” she encouraged.

“Jenny met Elise through the work they both did with one of the community theater groups in Houston.” His voice softened. “Jenny always did love to dress up and playact.” He chuckled. “I can remember when she’d try to make me put on a dress and my mother’s old high heels because whatever fantasy she was playing out needed another female.” He laughed softly. “It didn’t work, of course, but it’s a wonder I grew up to be a normal man with Jenny around.”

As if you could call six feet tall, broad shoulders, golden brown hair, and eyes-to-die-for normal, Nicole thought.

“Elise worked backstage designing scenery,” he added. “She and Jenny met, and the two of them became friends.”

“How long ago was this?” Nicole asked, interested in spite of herself.

“About two years ago. Anyway, because my work takes me all over the world for long periods of time, I didn’t meet Elise until Jenny had known her for about a year.”

By now Jack had eased the Miata onto St. Charles Avenue and they were creeping along with all the other slow-moving morning traffic.

“Jenny said she knew from the very beginning that there was something terribly wrong with Elise’s life. Gradually, as Jenny spent more time with her, she figured out that Elise was in an abusive marriage.”

Nicole heard how Jack’s voice had hardened. “Physically abusive, you mean?”

“Yes, although there was a lot of emotional abuse, too. Jenny says that it wasn’t long before she began noticing bruises that Elise tried to cover up. It took a long time, but eventually Elise admitted to Jenny that her husband—his name is Derek—beat her.”

Nicole shuddered. She couldn’t imagine living with that kind of man. She thought about her father—how kind and loving he was—and her brothers, and how much they adored their wives. Even Mark, who’d turned out to be a real loser, had never physically mistreated her. If anything, he’d treated her as if she were somebody special. That had been one of the reasons she’d been so crazy about him. Of course, she’d had no idea their whole relationship was a lie.

Jerking her thoughts back to the present, Nicole forced herself to speak. “That’s awful, but if it’s true, why is your sister so worried? I’d think she’d be glad her friend finally left that.. .jerk.”

“It’s complicated. Jenny feels guilty because she encouraged Elise to leave her husband. She knew Elise was afraid of being alone. She said she told Elise that if she ever felt she could leave, all she had to do was call, and Jenny would help her. And then, Elise did call. She called several times, leaving frantic messages on Jenny’s answering machine. Jenny thinks something really terrible happened, and Elise simply couldn’t stand it anymore.”

“I’m not sure I understand—”

“Jenny was out of the country when Elise called. When she finally got the messages, Elise was gone.”

“I still don’t understand why your sister—Jenny—is so worried. I mean, there are lots of places Elise could have gone. She could be in a women’s shelter somewhere.”

“Jenny and I have checked all the shelters.”

“Then she’s probably with her family. When you find the right Cantrelle family, you’ll probably find her.”

“I’ve called every Cantrelle in the New Orleans phone book.”

“No one here has heard of her?”

“No one.”

Nicole frowned. “But she said she was from New Orleans?”

“Yes. She told Jenny she grew up in New Orleans.”

“Have you tried some of the outlying towns? A lot of people refer to themselves as ‘being from New Orleans’ when they’re really from Kenner or Metairie or Gretna.”

“I’ve tried all the towns around.”

“Maybe you should think about going a little farther out. Maybe Elise said she was from New Orleans because that’s the last place she lived. Maybe she’s from Slidell or Morgan City or Shreveport.” Her voice grew thoughtful. “Actually, she could be from anywhere.” Nicole bit her bottom lip. She loved puzzles and games, and Jack’s quest for the missing Elise was very like a puzzle. Now that she’d decided to listen to him, she found herself caught up in it. “Did she tell your sister anything at all about her family?”

“Well, we know her mother died when Elise was nineteen, and that she’d never known her father.”

“She’d never known her father? What do you mean by that?”

“She said her mother and father weren’t married.”

“But she said Cantrelle was her father’s name?”

“According to Jenny.”

“Did she go by the name Cantrelle before she was married?”

“No. She used her mother’s name—Sonnier.”

“Have you tried to locate any of her mother’s family?”

“I wouldn’t even know where to start. Besides, she told Jenny she
had
no family.”

“And that was all she ever said about her parents?”

“Well, one other thing. She thought her father had been a lawyer.”

“A lawyer!” Nicole wasn’t sure why that piece of information startled her. Why shouldn’t he be a lawyer? She could think of three lawyers in her own family—two cousins and her Uncle Justin. “What did Elise do in Houston?”

“She had no job at the time, but when Jenny met her she said she’d been a legal secretary in the past.”

Nicole felt goosebumps break out on her arms. “Like me,” she said softly.

“Yes. Like you.”

“Is that how you found me?”

“Yes, I checked all the law firms in New Orleans.”

“How did you do that?”

Jack slanted a glance her way. A half smile hovered around his lips. “I just called the firm, asked to speak to Miss Cantrelle and waited to see if someone answered.” Nicole shivered. She was no longer afraid of Jack, but it scared her to think how easily information could be obtained.

They were now close to the downtown business district, and Nicole glanced at her oversized watch. Ten minutes past eight. She had plenty of time. Her office didn’t open until eight-thirty.

“Jack, there’s something I’m still confused about. What makes you think Elise is using the name Cantrelle?”

“At the theater, she was known as Elise Cantrelle. It was a long time before Jenny knew her real name.”

“Why would she pretend to have another name?”

“Well, from what she told Jenny, Derek Arnold was insanely jealous. The reason Elise didn’t work is because he didn’t want her around other men. He didn’t want her to do anything except tend to his needs. The work with the theater group was done behind his back.”

“So you think, because she used the name Cantrelle once, she’d use it again.”

“Yes. Both Jenny and I feel the use of her father’s name was symbolic to her. A way of saying she had an identity, that she belonged to someone.”

“Oh, how sad all this is.” Nicole thought about all the people who loved her. How, if anything bad happened to her, they’d all close ranks and protect her. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have no one. “So tell me just how she disappeared.”

“Derek was out of town on business. He’s a manufacturer’s rep. He’d been gone three days. From what Jenny says, he always called home at the same time every night, and Elise had to be there to accept the call. If not, I guess there’d be hell to pay when he got home. Well, on the last night of his trip, when he called home, there was no answer. When he kept calling and still got no answer, he called the telephone company, and they checked the line. They told him there was something wrong with it.”

“And was there?”

“No. The outside phone line was cut, and Derek says Elise must have cut it to make it seem as if there was trouble so he wouldn’t be suspicious.”

“Do you believe that?”

Jack shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“So when he got home he found her gone?”

“Yes.”

Nicole sighed. “This is a very sad story, Jack, and I sympathize with how your sister feels, but honestly, I can’t help you.”

“Won’t you at least ask around? Talk to some of your family? See if maybe someone knows something?”

“I already did,” Nicole admitted. “I talked to my father over the weekend. He didn’t know anything.”

They had now entered the French Quarter, and Jack turned his attention to his driving. It always amazed Nicole that anyone would even attempt to navigate the narrow, cobbled streets. “Why don’t you just let me out here?” she suggested. “It’s not far to the office.”

“That’s okay. I’ve come this far. I might as well take you all the way.”

Soon he had pulled up in front of the wrought-iron gates in front of her building. Nicole reached for the door handle.

“Wait. Don’t go in just yet.” His gaze rested on her face.

“I’ve got to, Jack.”

“I’d really like to see you again.” His voice had taken on a husky edge. “And not just because I want you to help me.”

“I don’t think so,” she said regretfully. She’d made up her mind, during that long nine months while she waited for Aimee’s birth, that she would never again become involved with a man unless he was looking for commitment and a lasting relationship. Jack Forrester was just looking for Elise Arnold. Being around him would be inviting trouble into her life.

Because she was too attracted to him. And he was only going to be around for the short term.

He started to say something else, then stopped. He nodded. “Okay.” He held out his hand. “Thanks for listening. And good luck to you.”

She took his hand, feeling its solid warmth and strength. “Good luck to you, too. I hope you find Elise.”

“Can I at least give you one of my cards? Just in case you should think of something?”

How could she refuse to take his card? When he handed it to her, she accepted it.

And then she opened the door and got out. She didn’t look back.

* * *

All day long Nicole found her thoughts wandering back to the morning’s ride. To Elise Arnold and the mystery surrounding her disappearance.

And to Jack.

More specifically, to the strong attraction she felt for him. It was a shame that the first man to really get her engine going had to be someone like Jack—a wanderer who would probably never lead a normal life.

All day long she worked automatically.

All day long she told herself she’d done the right thing by telling him she didn’t want to see him again.

Late in the afternoon, Julianne emerged from her office and perched on the corner of Nicole’s desk. “You seem preoccupied today,” she commented. “Something wrong?”

Nicole was tempted to tell Julianne about Jack because her boss was astute when it came to assessing a situation and giving good advice. “Nothing’s wrong. I just...oh, never mind.”

“Are you sure?”

Because Nicole really did want to talk about Jack, she found herself telling Julianne all about the events of the past few days, from the moment she’d realized he was following her until he dropped her off at the office that morning.

“Why don’t these kinds of things ever happen to me?” Julianne said. “I never meet anyone interesting or sexy.”

Nicole laughed. “That’s because you hang out with lawyers all day long.”

Julianne raised her eyebrows. “I think it probably has more to do with the way you look as opposed to the way I look.”

“There’s not a thing wrong with the way you look,” Nicole said loyally. There wasn’t. Julianne was perky and pretty. Her only problem was she was far brighter and more successful than most of the men she met. Nicole thought Julianne probably intimidated them. Sometimes she even intimidated Nicole! Besides, she didn’t suffer fools gladly, so she had never perfected the art of flattery. And in Nicole’s experience, most men liked to be flattered, even if it was only by a woman listening to what they had to say... and not contradicting them. Or maybe the problem was that Julianne just hadn’t met anyone strong enough to meet her on equal terms.