Stay the Night (14 page)

She snorted. Delusional.

Still, she decided to answer. “Tell me you’ve come to your senses.”

“I heard Hopper told you he’d print pictures of Ian MacNiven if you could get them.”

She stilled. “So?”

“You’ll never get MacNiven to agree,” Cole said in a reasonable voice.

“Really?” She pictured him standing in front of her. She also pictured a large kitchen knife in her hand.

“This can all be over if you just say yes to me, Titania.”

She pressed a hand to her forehead. What if she went out with him a few times? He’d lose interest—he always did—and then she could get on with her life. She’d have her career and a new flat¸ all at the meager price of enduring his company for a bit.

Closing her eyes, she saw Ian in the bath with her again. She remembered the feel of his hard body against hers.

She shook her head. “I can’t, Cole.”

There was a feminine purr in the background on Cole’s end. Titania’s eyes flew open. “Do you have a woman over? And you’re calling to badger me?”

“Titania, I—”

“You wanker.” She hung up and threw her phone across the room.

Needless to say, she didn’t sleep well. As dawn’s light snuck into her room, she shoved the covers off and rolled to her feet. She gave up. She might as well get up and begin harassing Ian early.

Dressing in jeans and a T-shirt, she wedged her feet into her Converse shoes, grabbed Psyche, and pulled her hair into a ponytail on the way to the kitchen.

As she approached the first floor landing, a door opened and Summer stepped out. She was wearing a demure black dress and heels, carrying her coat and briefcase in one hand. She looked fresh and put together and annoyingly alert, damn her.

Summer eyed her warily. “Good morning, Titania.”

She grunted, but it was a friendly grunt.

Summer fell into step next to her going down the stairs. “Mornings are trying, aren’t they? Maybe you should come to cocktails one evening. That might be more your time of day.”

Tempting. Between all her other sisters, maybe they could give her perspective on this flirtation thing that was happening with MacNiven, and maybe a clue on how to get him to agree to let her photograph him.

Except they’d never cared about her growing up. They said they cared now, but what would have changed?

Because she didn’t know what to do, she said, “It’s not even dawn, and you’re asking me about cocktail hour?”

“I’m just making conversation.” Summer touched her arm, stopping her mid-step. “I’d like it if you came sometime. It’d be nice to get to know you.”

Gigi was right—Summer was a nice woman. Except for the fact that she ambushed her before she’d had coffee and a scone.

“I know you don’t like me,” Summer continued, “but if you got to know me a little maybe you’d see that I’m really not so bad, despite the unfortunate circumstances.”

Unfortunate was right. She knew Summer couldn’t help being Reginald Summerhill’s bastard daughter any more than Titania could help being his rightful one. Either way, it was an awful position to be in. Reginald hadn’t been an exemplary father by any stretch of the imagination.

But she didn’t want to think about him, or Summer, or anyone except Ian MacNiven. She had to figure out how to get him to do what she wanted.

Summer was still watching her expectantly, waiting for an answer, so she said, “You’re not so bad, except when you keep me from coffee.”

The smile that slowly spread on Summer’s face was so happy it hurt. “I’m a terrible person.”

“You really are,” Titania mumbled, continuing on to the kitchen. From now on, she’d make sure she treated Summer better. Gigi was right, of course. Not that she’d tell her sister that.

Fran bustled in the kitchen, the way she had for as long as Titania could remember. There was coffee and tea on the table, along with scones, fresh bread, and preserves Fran made herself.

The only difference this morning was that Jacqueline was there, too. She sat hunched over the notebook she had with her all the time, writing furiously. She seemed oblivious to everything around her, engrossed in the words she scribbled.

Titania stalled in the doorway, frowning. She couldn’t remember seeing her mother do anything other than plan charity events—ever. Even that she never did with the passion she showed at this moment.

Confused, she turned away. Her mother had always been apathetic toward them, involved in her own world. She wasn’t sure how to reconcile this Jacqueline with the one she’d known growing up.

“Move.” Summer poked her back.

She stepped out of the way and went to the opposite end of the table from Jacqueline, who closed her notebook quickly and frowned at her.

Fran turned around, hands on her full hips. “Who are you, and what have you done with Titania Summerhill? Why are you awake? Or haven’t you gone to bed yet?”

She pretended to glare at her former nanny because she knew it was the reaction that was expected. Reaching for a cup and the coffee carafe, she poured herself a healthy dose, sighing in bliss the second the aroma hit her nostrils.

“Titania was never a morning person?” Summer asked, standing next to Fran with a cup of tea.

“I went into labor with her, expecting her to be delivered in the morning, but she wouldn’t have anything to do with the early hour. She waited until early afternoon.” Jacqueline shook her head. “It was incredibly difficult waking her up for school, even when she was a child. Fran used to threaten her with cold water.”

Fran chuckled. “I didn’t just threaten her. One time I doused her. I’ve never seen her move so quickly.”

It was strange, hearing them speak like this about her—hearing
her mother
speak like this. She hadn’t thought Jacqueline had paid any attention to her, ever. Now Jacqueline spoke like she was almost fond. Not knowing what to do, Titania stuck a large piece of cranberry bread in her mouth and scowled.

“We talk about her like this because it makes her uncomfortable, and we live to see her squirm,” Fran said cheerily, tugging on her ponytail.

Titania glared as she smoothed her hair. She wished she could take Psyche out and capture the moment, but she knew she should downplay it. It’d have been nice to take out this picture and study it later, to see if the love and caring she saw in both Fran and Jacqueline’s eyes were real and not a figment of her tired imagination.

“I must go. I have an early meeting today,” Summer said, setting her cup in the sink. She kissed Fran’s uplifted cheek and touched Jacqueline’s shoulder. Then she faced Titania, her blue eyes steely. “See you tonight?”

She shrugged, not willing to commit.

Summer rolled her eyes. “Be stubborn, but come be stubborn with us. We’d like you there.”

Shrugging, she swallowed a piece of bread as well as the emotion that rose in her throat.

Jacqueline reached for the carafe and replenished her coffee. “Reginald was an abysmal person, but he sired lovely daughters. Ironic that what he considered his greatest failure is really his greatest accomplishment, isn’t it?”

Titania blinked, stunned. Her mother had never spoken like that about her husband—to anyone, as far as she knew.

“Do you ever think that things happen for a reason?” Jacqueline asked out of the blue.

She shrugged, confused and off-balance by the strange behavior.

Her mother nodded thoughtfully, lifting her cup to her lips. “The older I get, the more I believe things happen for a reason.
This
is happening for a reason.”

“This?” she asked cautiously.

“Summer finding us. You being evicted and living here. This project of yours. It’s all an opportunity.”

She glanced at Fran, wondering when her mother went mad, but Fran bustled around as though this was normal.

“I’m not going to let this opportunity pass me by,” Jacqueline said. She lifted her chin and looked Titania straight in the eye. “I let most of life pass me by because I was too busy doing what I thought was my duty. I missed so many opportunities. I missed so much love. But that’s done.”

Why was it she felt like she was being warned? Only she had no idea what she was being warned about or how she should react.

So she stood up. “I need to go.”

Faint lines furrowed between her mother’s eyebrows. “If you must, though for living under the same roof we never see you. I take it that means your project is going well?”

Her project wasn’t going anywhere, and now her mother was showing signs of madness. She shook her head. “You don’t have to pretend to care.”

“What do you mean, I don’t care?” Jacqueline looked stricken, as though she’d been physically slapped.

Titania closed her eyes, trying to erase the image but knowing she’d see the snapshot in her mind for a long time to come. She stepped back. “I have to go. Thanks, Fran.”

She hurried out before anyone could say anything to her—particularly Fran who wouldn’t have hesitated to go for the jugular. Fran was very protective of Jacqueline these days.

Even though Stanton Frank had done something magical to her bicycle to make it stop squealing, by the time she arrived at MacNiven’s impenetrable citadel, her mood had soured. She’d convinced herself she was an awful person, but she had no idea what to do about it.

What she needed to do was move back into her own place. Space was what she needed. Which meant she needed to take care of Ian and Cole.

She glared at the building, mentally telling Ian to brace himself. She was done playing nice.

Usually when she arrived there was no one at the door. This morning there was a woman at the call box pressing buttons. She looked frustrated, as though she couldn’t get through to the person she wanted.

As Titania walked up to the entrance, the woman stepped aside with an apologetic smile. Titania knew the moment she opened the door, the woman would slip in behind her. She looked harmless enough—like an exotic dancer who was trying to get to the party where she was supposed to be dancing. She wore a dress that was too short for daylight and had tousled bed hair, with heels that looked painful to walk in, especially on cobblestone.

Titania nodded at her as she shielded the box and typed in the code to call up to the apartment. Rowdy had given her the code to get in, but she liked to call up, just in case either of the men were running around naked.

Though she’d already seen Ian naked. Sort of. She began to sweat just thinking of it.

“What?” his surly voice crackled in the intercom.

“I’m on my way up, MacNiven.” She started to buzz herself in.

The woman touched her arm. “Excuse me. You know Ian?”

Titania frowned. The way she said his name was proprietary, as though she believed she owned his body.

He didn’t have a girlfriend. Titania knew that without a doubt. He wasn’t the kind of man who’d cheat. Anyway, Rowdy would have told her. He may have been Ian’s friend, but the man was too honorable.

A stalker? Did football players have stalkers? Maybe he’d called for a stripper? “Who are you?” she asked.

“Jennifer. I’m Ian’s nurse.”

She raised her eyebrows. Jennifer didn’t look like any nurse Titania had ever seen. She’d never have trusted her life in this woman’s hands, especially since the woman was eyeing her like she wanted to smother her with a pillow.

Did she buzz herself in, or did she leave and hope Jennifer wasn’t there when she came back?

She couldn’t leave. She had to convince Ian to let her take his pictures.

“He’s expecting me,” the nurse said, fiddling with the hem of her dress.

Why didn’t she believe that? “Really?”

“I wanted to make sure he’s okay,” Jennifer said.

Because she knew the woman would just follow her, she shrugged and discreetly put the code in, taking care to block the woman from seeing it. Ian could handle his own groupie.

Her mood lifted just thinking about the beleaguered look he’d get on his face. “Come on,” she said, suddenly much cheerier. She waved Jennifer in after her.

They rode the elevator up in silence. Titania could feel the woman glaring at her the whole time. She sighed, relieved when the door opened. She strode to his apartment and put in the door code, knowing the woman was wondering who she was to have it.

The door burst open, revealing Ian in the doorway. He was freshly showered, his hair still wet. For a moment, he looked happy to see her, but then he noticed the “nurse” behind her.

“Jennifer? What are you doing here?” He glanced at Titania as though this were her fault.

Titania shrugged as she set her camera bag down. “She followed me.”

“I didn’t know you’d have company,” the woman said, looking back and forth between them.

“I’m not company. Isn’t that right, darling?” Titania quirked her brow at Ian, taking pity on him.

Okay—part of her also wanted to mark her territory. Not that she had territory here.

The stripper-nurse better not have given him a sponge bath.

Instead of replying to her, Ian crossed his arms and frowned at Jennifer. “You didn’t say why you were here?”

“I just thought I’d stop by and check on you.”

“How did you find my place?” he asked, giving her that quelling glare of his.

The woman took a step back. “I, uh—”

“Darling, I’m sure she was just worried about you.” Titania put her arm through his and batted her eyes at him the way Gigi would have. Then she faced the woman. “But Ian has me to take care of him, and he’s in really good hands. Aren’t you, darling?”

He grunted, but he didn’t push her away.

Why should he? He wasn’t an idiot. Titania faced Jennifer. “It was very kind of you to come check on him, but you can see that he’s really quite all right.”

“Yes, I suppose,” the woman admitted reluctantly. She took a step back, her ankles wobbling a little. “I guess I’ll go then.”

They watched her leave, staying arm in arm. When the coast was clear, Titania elbowed him in the side. “You owe me.”

Rubbing his ribs, he glared at her. “It’s your fault she got access to my apartment.”

“It’s your fault she wanted access.” Titania put her hands in her pockets and smirked at him. “I saved you, MacNiven. If you were a gentleman, you’d be on your knees kissing my feet, for my timely arrival.”