Fall Into Me (Heart of Stone) (10 page)

Cal's office was on the fifteenth floor of a typical skyscraper in Manhattan. I stepped
inside the building and looked for the elevator, eager to speak to him and
hopefully find out what about me had made it so easy for him to turn his back
on my love. I wasn't sure I wanted to know, to be honest, but I was sure I
needed to.

The
elevator stopped on his floor, and I stepped out into a greeting area for the
firm he worked for as an actuary. I'd found out he worked at Peak International
with just a few minutes of online searching, and as I stood behind a gentleman
in an overcoat waiting to speak to the receptionist, I began to doubt my
initial idea of meeting with Cal.

The
reception area was modest, with older chairs and a carpet that reminded me of
the cream and burgundy print one my grandmother had in her living room when I
was a child. The walls were off white, but I couldn't decide if they'd been
painted that shade or aged to that color.

"May
I help you?" the attractive Asian woman behind the desk asked.

Torn
from my thoughts, I smiled and said, "Yes. I'm hoping to see Cal Johnson.
Is he in?"

"Who
may I say is here to see him?"

I
took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. "Nina Edwards."

The
receptionist nodded. "If you'll take a seat, I'll buzz him, miss."

I
sat on one of the upholstered waiting area chairs and smoothed my dress over my
thighs in an effort to calm myself and dry my hands drenched with nervous sweat.
A hundred recriminations ran through my mind, making me want to bolt out the
door, but I remained planted in the chair and tried to focus on the possibility
of what Cal could tell me about what happened between us. An elderly couple
seated next to me whispered to each other about life insurance as I worked to
stay relaxed.

"Nina?"

I
looked up at the sound of a man's voice and saw Cal standing at the
receptionist's desk. He looked like I remembered—light brown hair, blue eyes
that hadn't faded a bit, and an athlete's body visible even under his white shirt
and brown dress pants.

"Cal," I said with nervous enthusiasm. "Do you have a few minutes? I was hoping we
could talk."

Extending
his arm toward me, he smiled and nodded. "Sure. Come with me. We'll talk
in my office."

Cal led me to his office halfway down the hallway. A small room, it had a single window
that let in some light but was overall quite dim. His glass and metal desk took
up a majority of the space, but there was room enough for one chair for me to
sit in.

"Excuse
my office. I generally don't get visitors. Take a seat and tell me what you've
been up to."

His
voice telegraphed loud and clear that he was uncomfortable, which only served
to make me more uneasy than I'd been just minutes before out in the waiting
area. Taking a deep breath, I said, "I wanted to talk about us."

"Us?
Uh, what about us?"

My
hands fidgeted in my lap, and I planted my feet on the floor to stop my legs
from shaking. "Cal, I was in a car accident a few weeks ago. I can't remember
anything from right before my father died four years ago. I know we're not
together anymore, but I was hoping you could tell me what happened to break us
up."

A
look of discomfort settled into his features. "Oh, I don't know, Nina.
That was a long time ago."

"It's
important to me, Cal. Anything you can tell me would help."

He
seemed to study me for a moment and then a slow smile spread across his face,
reminding me of that person I'd dated all those years ago. "I think it's
about time I apologized, Nina. I was a real ass. To be honest, if it weren't
for the fact that you can't remember anything, you'd probably never speak to me
again, and I'd deserve it."

"What
happened to us? I remember us being happy. I mean, I know we weren't ready to
make it forever, but I thought we were happy."

Cal shifted in his office chair. "We were young. I was probably more immature than
most guys at that age. I didn't...uh...I didn't realize what I had."

I
didn't know what to say to that. Jordan had made him sound like the worst of
all men, but the man who sat across the desk from me seemed to regret how we'd
ended. If anything, he looked sad.

"I
guess I just needed to know it wasn't me, Cal."

Shaking
his head, he knitted his brows and frowned. "No. I don't want you to think
that. It wasn't you. It was me."

"Oh,
the old It's-not-you-it's-me thing," I joked.

He
reached over and touched my hand resting on the edge of his desk. His eyes told
me he didn't think this was a joking matter. "I hate to think that before
your accident you thought it was because of anything you did that we broke
up."

I
didn't know what I'd thought then, but he was right. Ever since Jordan told me what had happened, I'd been convinced Cal had cheated on me because of some lack in
me. That whoever he'd chosen over me was prettier, smarter, or better at
whatever else he wanted.

"It's
okay, Cal. I can't remember that now. It's just nice to know that what happened
wasn't because of some deficiency in me."

He
grimaced at the word 'deficiency.' "I'm sorry that you thought that.
That's not right. You were lacking nothing, Nina. I was the one lacking in
maturity."

We
sat there quietly for a long moment before a knock on his office door broke the
awkward silence. Calling the person in, he quickly shook off the seriousness of
his words and put on his professional face again. As he and his coworker spoke,
I stood to leave, having gotten what I'd come for.

His
colleague left, and Cal stood from behind his desk. "Would you like to
have coffee sometime? It would be nice to be friends, if you think we
can."

"That
would be nice. I can't promise I won't want to ask more questions, though.
Everything's such a blank from around that time. But I don't want you to think
I blame you for anything. That was a long time ago, and we've both moved
on."

"It's
the least I could do, Nina. And don't worry about blaming me. I deserve it. I
just hope we can be friends."

I
extended my hand to shake his. "It's a deal."

"Good."
He wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to me. "Here's my
cell number and email. I'd love it if we could grab a coffee before the
holidays."

I
took the information with a smile and slipped it into my purse. "Me too.
I'll email you and let you know when I'm going to be in the city again."

"You
still live in Brooklyn? I heard you and Jordan were sharing an apartment in Sunset Park."

His
mention of my place in Brooklyn surprised me. I shook my head and said for the
first time to anyone since I left the hospital, "No, I live upstate now in
Duchess County."

Cal's expression showed his surprise. "You introduced yourself as Nina Edwards, so I
thought you were still single. Did you marry?"

"No.
I'm still Nina Edwards, but I live with my boyfriend out there. Tristan.
Tristan Stone."

I
had the sense that the mere mention of Tristan's name changed everything in the
room, and Cal's smile seemed to fade just a little.

"You
did well for yourself, Nina. Stone's a big deal."

I
nodded, unsure of what exactly Cal meant. Turning to leave, I smiled and said,
"We'll do coffee before Christmas. Thanks again, Cal. I appreciate you
taking the time to talk to me."

As
I opened the door, Cal said quietly, "Take care, Nina. I look forward to
seeing you again."

My
talk with Cal had buoyed my spirits. I'd been so afraid that he'd left me
because of me that I hadn't wanted to give Tristan a chance to do the same
thing. Now I felt like I could truly let him in and begin to make those new
memories, just as he'd promised.

Chapter Ten

Tristan

Looking
down at my phone as it buzzed against the top of my desk, I saw a message from
Jensen.
Driving home now.
After waiting for nearly an hour to hear from
him after his first message telling me Nina had left Macy's and gone to an
office building four blocks away, my stomach was tied up in angry knots. The
bodyguards who followed us at all times were little help too. All they seemed
to know was that she'd gone to the fifteenth floor to some insurance company to
see someone named Cal Johnson.

Just
seeing that name come up on my phone made my blood run cold. Three little
letters and I could barely contain the rage that exploded inside me. Cal, the guy she remembered while I was a stranger. Cal, the ex-boyfriend who had broken
her heart. What the fuck could she want with him?

Swiping
away Jensen's message, I dialed another number I knew would help me find out
what Nina had been up to. A few rings and finally I heard the raspy voice of Daryl
Knight.

"Daryl,
I have another job for you."

"Tristan.
Just the man I wanted to talk to. I finally got something on that Edwards
business. We should meet."

Daryl
Knight was the man I used to investigate private matters associated with Stone
Worldwide, such as researching the actresses' backgrounds to make sure there
was nothing unsavory in their pasts before I was seen with them in public. A
big, burly guy, he looked more like a mountain man than a private investigator
with his full reddish-brown beard and wild curly hair. At first glance, he
hadn't seemed to be someone who could find out much of anything without getting
noticed, but he'd proven me wrong enough times that I knew if I wanted the
details about someone, Daryl was the man to call.

"Fine.
Let's say two days from now. In the meantime, I need you to find out everything
you can about a man named Cal Johnson."

"Is
Cal his real name?" Daryl asked with a chuckle.

"I
have no idea. I just know I want everything you can find on this guy."

"Okay.
I'll have it for when we meet. You looking for this for business or personal use?
You know I don't care and it's none of my business, but do you want me to focus
on the gorier details?"

"Both.
I want to know where he lives, what he eats, how he makes his money, who he's
fucking and if she likes it. You understand me?"

"Got
it. What time are we meeting?"

"Thursday
at noon."

I
ended the call, pushed my phone away in disgust, and leaned back in my chair. I
had to hold myself back from racing home at a hundred miles an hour to ask Nina
why she'd lied and snuck off to some office where her old boyfriend spent his
days.

Jealousy
coursed through my veins, and my stomach turned at the thought of her with any
other man. In my mind, I saw her naked body sprawled across his desk as he
fucked her next to his low budget sticky notes and dollar store stapler. He
wore a cheap suit and feared being found out, so he didn't even take his shirt
off. Muffled grunts came from his mouth as he rammed his cock into her, his
middle manager features all twisted into an ugly sex face while he hovered over
the woman I loved.

Over
and over, the awful scene played in my head until I couldn't take it anymore. I
couldn't just sit there in my corner office torturing myself all afternoon. Pressing
the intercom on the corner of my desk, I called for my assistant.

Michelle
opened the door to my office and stood waiting for my instructions. The last
showing of the ugly movie of Nina cheating on me played in my mind, and I heard
Michelle say, "Mr. Stone? You wanted me?"

I
shook away my thoughts and focused on the woman in front of me. In many ways,
Michelle reminded me of Nina. Gentle and sweet, she cared about her job and me,
always making sure every detail was taken care of for every assignment I gave
her. Slightly older than Nina, she had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and was
married to some advertising guy whose main claim to fame was the
semi-successful campaign for some Greek yogurt made here in the States before
every yogurt maker in the business began doing the Greek thing. I vaguely
remembered her referring to him once as Jeff or Jess and saying they lived in Queens.

"Yes.
I'm leaving, so cancel any meetings I have this afternoon. Message me if
anything comes up that I need to know about."

"Yes,
Mr. Stone. Should I call a car for you?"

Shaking
my head, I stood from my desk and slipped back into my suit coat. "No. I'm
taking my car."

"What
should I say to Mr. Dreger if he calls?" she asked as I walked toward her
to leave.

Karl
would surely be calling if he got a sense that I'd left the office. The man had
basically taken to stalking me since he'd found out about Nina, which had
necessitated the two bodyguards who followed Nina and me around whenever we
went out, and Nina whenever she was alone.

"Tell
him I chose to work from home today. If he presses you for details, tell him
you know nothing more and have him call me directly."

Michelle
smiled and stood aside as I opened the door. Remembering Karl's penchant for
trying to sneak around behind my back to spy on me, I added, "And lock
this door when I leave. Do not let anyone in."

She
looked at me with surprise in her eyes, but I knew she understood what I was
telling her. "You can trust me, Mr. Stone. No one will get in."

"Thank
you, Michelle. I'll message you if I'm not coming into the office tomorrow. If
I don't, the same thing applies. No one gets in. No one."

"I
understand. Have a good night," she said with a sympathetic smile, likely
sensing there was something wrong but never asking since we weren't that close.
She wished me a good night anytime I left the office, and rarely had I made the
effort to say it back to her.

For
some reason, the way she was looking up at me at that moment made me want to
say it now, though. "Have a good night, Michelle."

My
simple effort was rewarded with a broad smile, which made me feel better until
I thought of Nina smiling just like that for Cal as she left his office, her
light brown hair and her clothes all disheveled from her time with him.
Disgusted, I turned and stormed out to get into my car, eager to take my
aggression out on the highway between Manhattan and home.

Jensen
was outside the garage when I pulled up to the house. I parked the Jag and saw
he wasn't there by coincidence. He was waiting for me.

"Mr.
Stone, I want to apologize. I neglected my duties and Miss Edwards could have
been harmed."

Jensen's
mouth turned down in a frown as he stood waiting for me to respond to his
confession. While Nina might not remember anything of the recent past, he did
and he knew I did. After the attack on her at the apartment by that guy fucked
up on whatever drugs he was on, I'd been clear with Jensen that if she was hurt
again, it would mean his job.

But
she hadn't been hurt, and now that the bodyguards were always around, I didn't
expect Jensen, a man in his fifties, to do the work of younger men.

"She
wasn't hurt, so we're fine. In truth, the bodyguards I hired are there to
protect her more than you are. I still expect you to keep your eyes open for
anything suspicious, however, so letting her give you the slip today is a
problem."

He
hung his head. "I know. I shouldn't have listened to her when she said she
was meeting her friend to go shopping. I'm truly sorry, Mr. Stone."

As
furious as I was, it wasn't directed at my driver. He was merely someone caught
in the middle, and there was no point reaming him out. Reaching out, I patted
him on the shoulder. "It's fine, Jensen. No harm, no foul. Just don't let
it happen again. I rely on you."

He
looked up at me with tired eyes and nodded as relief began to wash over him.
"Thank you."

"Where
are West and Varo? I want to talk to them too," I asked as I looked around
for any sign of them.

"I
believe they're around back. They arrived right after we did."

"Okay,
relax, Jensen. If Nina and I go out tonight, I'll be driving, so unless
something changes, you have the night off."

I
followed the brick pathway around the back of the house and across the property
to find the bodyguards and hear what they knew about Nina's afternoon
adventure. Both men stood near the carriage house where they stayed after my
firing of the gardener. Large and bulky, they were exactly what I wanted in the
people protecting Nina. They had a bouncer look to them, but as long as they
did their job, I didn't care what they looked like.

They
stood talking to one another, and a twinge of embarrassment pinched at me as I
thought about what I needed to ask them. I suddenly felt like a goddamned fool.

"Gentlemen,
I want a report of what happened today."

I
spoke with as little emotion as possible, hoping for a matter-of-fact tone to
hide the anger and jealousy that continued to churn in my gut. It was bad
enough that I knew Nina had gone to see her ex. Having to hear these two tell
me the details of it was nothing short of painful.

West
was the more talkative one, so he spoke up first. "Miss Edwards left Macy's
by a different door than the one she entered through and walked four blocks to
an office building on West 39th. She entered the building and rode up to the
fifteenth floor to the Peak International offices, an insurance company. She
met with a man named Cal Johnson for about twenty minutes and left, returning
to the car to ride home."

Talkative
for West meant doing the Joe Friday thing—just the facts and little else. He
even had that uptight cop look. I was going to have to ask for details.

"Did
she look like she'd been harmed? You better hope the answer is no,
gentlemen."

Varo,
the younger of the two men, shook his head silently, his piercing dark blue
eyes staring at me as if he knew what I was getting at, as West continued his
report. "She looked the same as when she entered the building, sir. Hair
and dress were exactly the same. In addition, she didn't look upset. She looked
just as she always does."

"And
the person she met with?" I asked with my heart in my throat.

"Average
height and athletic build. Brown hair and neither of us noticed the eye color.
He seems to be some kind of insurance salesman."

"Did
she see you following her?"

Both
men shook their heads, and Varo answered for the first time. "She never
sees us. She's not looking for us, so we're not seen."

Nothing
in what they'd said should have added to my unhappiness with the whole
situation, but their answers hadn't helped me feel better either. I waved them
away as I walked toward the house to face the final person in this whole
affair.

Unfortunately,
Rogers was waiting in the foyer, yet another person I had to deal with before
I got to Nina. I was definitely not in the mood for his thoughts on my love life
at that moment, but his expression looked almost pleasant.

"What
do you want, Rogers? I'm in a hurry."

"Just
to ask if dinner was to be served at the usual time."

"No.
Nina and I are going out."

Rogers nodded slowly. "As you wish."

Behind
him on the table in the center of the foyer lay an envelope. It was the same
kind I used for her letters and had my name written on the front of it.

"Where
is Nina?"

"In
her room, I believe."

My
hands shook at the thought of what she may have written in the letter. Was this
her way of breaking the news to me that she and Cal were back together? Just the
idea made me feel empty, like I'd lost everything important to me. Snatching
the note from the table, I left Rogers standing there with his semi-smiling
face and hurried to my room.

I
sat down on the edge of the bed, the note still in my hand. Every time I'd
written to her had been to express something I couldn't say to her face—something
that was dear to me but I couldn't get out in person. Was it the same for her
this time? She'd never shied away from telling me exactly how she felt, so why
begin now?

All
these questions raced through my mind as I looked down at that white envelope
with her handwriting on it.

I
wasn't letting her go. It didn't matter what the letter said. I wasn't giving
Nina up. Cal couldn't have her back. He didn't deserve her. I didn't even know
what he'd done, but I knew he didn't deserve her. Maybe I didn't deserve her
either, but at least I loved her. I loved her and I wasn't going to give up on
her.

The
envelope wasn't sealed and the flap lifted easily, so I slid the letter out and
unfolded it. The paper felt heavy in my hands, as if it was a two ton weight I
was holding. My eyes focused on the first words, and I began to read.

Dear Tristan,

I didn't think it
was fair that you had no letters from me, so I chose this way to say what I
have to say. I realized today that even if I knew nothing about you except what
I've come to know in the weeks since meeting you in the hospital, I'd know that
I'm the luckiest woman in the world. I can't wait to go to our favorite
restaurant tonight!

                                                                 Yours,

                                                                 Nina

I
threw the letter on the bed and raced to Nina's room, overcome with relief from
what she'd written. My heart slammed against my chest with excitement as I
marched down the hallway to her room, and I stopped short at her door to calm
myself before I charged through it like a mad bull. Taking a deep breath, I
knocked and pushed the door open to see her sitting on her bed as if she'd been
waiting for me.