THE REBEL AND THE RICH GIRL (20 page)

“Looks like this is goodbye then, doesn’t it?” But her words sounded hollow even to her own ears. They were her parents and she would always love them, no matter what.

“Please see reason, Nicole. He’s all wrong for you.”

“Goodbye Dad,” she said sadly, slowly returning the receiver to its cradle. The tears were already there, flooding her eyes with pain and regret. She never thought it would come to this, that by loving a man she had to cut off her own family, a man who now hated her because of the lies of another.

Determined not to give up on him, Nicole went to Philip’s office the following day, after finding Davies and Turner Solicitors in the phone book, but the secretary told her he wouldn’t be back that afternoon. She asked her if she wanted to make an appointment. Nicole contemplated giving a false name to do it, but decided to try again the next day.

The next time he was in, but Nicole was informed it would be at least an hour before he had an opening in his schedule. She sat down to wait, anxiously flicking through one magazine after another without reading a single word. By the time the door to his office opened, it was closer to two hours.

Nicole sat silent and apprehensive as he came towards her. She saw his expression darkening with repressed anger, but on noticing his secretary at her desk watching them, he motioned for Nicole to precede him into his office.

Telling her to take a seat, he settled himself in the chair behind his desk. Nicole chanced another glance at his face, but now there was no hint whatsoever of what he was thinking. He had schooled his strong-boned features into an impassive mask of indifference.

“O.K. so now that you’ve gotten yourself in here, you have exactly five minutes to tell me what’s on your mind,” he said curtly.

“I can’t understand why you want to believe him instead of me. I don’t really know how he found out about your stepfather, but I swear it wasn’t through me. I thought you were immune to his threats. You told me yourself if someone ordered you to do one thing, you’d do the exact opposite...”

“Three minutes.”

“Are you listening to me?”

“Of course. Want me to repeat it? But if you have any more to say, it would only be cutting into your precious time,” he said sarcastically.

“Damn it Philip! I thought you cared about me. Jenny led me to believe you did.”

“Oh yes, Jenny, the last of the true romantics. The point remains, someone told your father about Mario Palmiri - and it sure as hell wasn’t me.”

All of a sudden she couldn’t take it anymore. Her control slipped, and she cried out in indignation, jumping abruptly to her feet. This sudden action caused something to twinge around her middle. Having forgotten all about her healing ribs, Nicole clasped her side, gasping from the sudden jab of pain.

“What is it?” Philip asked, also getting to his feet.

She looked back up at him, and saw a flash of concern soften his face. Now he shows he cares, she thought dejectedly.

But it was too little too late.

Philip would never love her the way she loved him. She could see that now. If he felt the depth of emotion she felt for him, he would never have listened to her father in the first place. He would have trusted her, believed in her.

“If you’d really cared, you would have sought to find out. You could have rung someone else. Trisha left a forwarding address. Jim could have told you. Instead you believed the lies my father was sprouting... I suppose my five minutes is up now, so I guess I’d better go.”

She knew she was taking a big risk walking out like this, but she did it with as much dignity as her tender ribs allowed. Stopping at the door, she chanced a glance back at him. He was still standing there, doubt and uncertainty crossing his face. But he made no move to stop her from leaving.

Nicole turned away, letting the door close behind her. She stood hesitating in the hall. Don’t let it end like this? She pleaded silently.

Please Philip? I need you. I love you.

But he didn’t come after her.

As she walked out of the building, she knew she’d never be back. There was nothing more she could do. If she had once thought she’d played her final card, she’d well and truly played it now.

The pain in her side was fading, but the ache in her heart bypassed it in intensity. She walked with no idea where she was heading. She didn’t really care anymore. A bus could have run her over and it wouldn’t have bothered her.

Nicole had suffered from depression as a teenager, but she had never felt as low as she did right now. Somehow she would have to learn to live with Philip’s rejection. Somehow she would get on with her life.

Somehow, sometime, but not now.

Now all she wanted to do was fade away, to disappear into some dark place where she didn’t have to feel anymore.

It wasn’t until she smelt the salty tang of the river, that she saw Constitution Dock in front of her. Taking in her surroundings for the first time, she thought the deserted pier reflected the desolation in her heart. A few stray scraps of paper were being tossed across the concrete. How dismal this place looked without the festivities of people celebrating on the waterfront, dismal and empty, just like her.

It was also cold. The wind had a bite to it, and Nicole pulled her tailored jacket more tightly around herself. She’d lost weight whilst in hospital. It surprised her that Philip hadn’t noticed her almost gaunt appearance. Everybody else had, but then he didn’t really care. He might have gone to seek her out after organizing his new job, but the obsession with what Mario Palmiri had done to his family was too strong to overcome by rational thinking.

Nicole walked over to the edge of the dock, and stood for a long time staring blankly at the murky water. She stopped feeling the cold. Either she was getting used to it, or her misery had numbed her to physical sensations. Pity her heart hadn’t gone numb along with the rest of her body.

Suddenly she noticed that someone had come to stand beside her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a pair of shiny black business shoes and the upturned cuffs of tailored brown trousers. Conscious of how isolated this end of dock was, she glanced fearfully across at her companion.

“Thought I might find you here,” Philip said.

She could barely believe he was standing there.

“I often come down here,” he went on. “It seems to reflect how I’ve been feeling. Gloomy and hurt...” He bowed his head, causing several strands of ebony hair to drop forward across his brow. “I guess I wasn’t over it after all. I came to say how sorry I am for doubting you.”

Although she should have been grateful for his apology, she knew that was all he was going to offer her. Their relationship was over.

“How did you come to that conclusion?” she couldn’t help asking.

“You’ve got every reason to be angry with me... but I rang your father after you left.”

“You what!” she gasped.

“They didn’t know where you were.”

“I suppose you told them,” she grumbled.

“I thought I should... Your father found out about Palmiri purely by chance. The judge presiding over the case is a friend of his. But you know he would have found some other way of getting between us, don’t you?”

“What else did he say?”

“That he’s not going to disown you anymore.”

“He’s got no reason to now,” she said miserably, turning away from him. She couldn’t bear to look at him anymore, knowing all that they had shared was gone forever.

“No, because I told him that no matter what, I was never going to let you go.”

Nicole wondered whether she was hearing correctly, but then she felt his hands on her shoulders, turning her around to face him, and he drew her into his embrace. Staring up at him, she realized her parting words in his office had worked after all. Philip still wanted her in his life. She could see it clearly by the softness in his eyes and the tender smile on of his lips.

“I also told him that I intended marrying you as soon as possible,” he said softly, smiling down into her stunned eyes.

“That was a little presumptuous of you, wasn’t it?” she couldn’t help imparting. But it was impossible not to return his tender smile. That was how easy it had been to forgive him. All her love for him immediately cancelled out the weeks of pain, the tears of anguish, and she buried her face against his shirt.

“Wasn’t it just? Want to know what he said about that?”

“I dread to think.”

“He told me to ask you first.”

‘He what? But he said - “ she began, staring back up in surprise at him.

“Let’s forget what your father said, and concentrate on what I’m saying. I meant it when I said you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I never thought I would fall in love so easily. I was drawn to you from the start, Nicole, from the moment you denied that redheads weren’t fiery like their hair. I tried to fight it, knowing how different we were, but holding you in my arms when you were so helpless and ill, that really did something to me.”

“Yes, you said you enjoyed yourself,” she decided to tease him.

Philip placed a silencing finger against her lips. “I realized then that cupid had shot his arrow straight at my heart. No woman had ever made me feel so protective, and at the same time so vulnerable... You were right I haven’t let anyone get close since my family died. When you with all your insight brought it out in the open, I wanted to continue denying it, because facing it still hurt so much. So instead I took it out on you. A terrible thing to do, of curse, but you continued to stick by me, making me realize how much you cared… I think you fell in love with me pretty early on too.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she continued to tease him. “Maybe around the time we first kissed.”

“Yes, you really were determined to dislike me for a while there,” he acknowledged.

“That’s because you were being such an arrogant so and so.”

He smiled. “I still am.”

Nicole hugged him closer. “At least you admit it.”

He moved his hand into her hair. “So, after telling your father I wanted to marry you, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Nicole stared into his beautiful, golden eyes, seeing the tender love just for her. She couldn’t help herself. She flung her arms around his neck, pulling his head down towards hers.

“We can’t make a liar out of you, can we? So, yes I’d be honored to become your wife,” she whispered, tears of joy welling in her eyes.

For a moment he continued to gaze lovingly back at her. Then slowly he brought his lips to hers. The flicker of heat which licked through her veins at the contact warmed her chilled body in seconds.

Nicole sighed deeply as the kiss deepened, glad that for once her perception had been wrong. To have him back in her arms, feeling his beautiful strong body against hers, with his warm mouth doing crazy things to her senses, was the last thing she had expected, but the only thing she wanted.

“You know I bought that house for you, don’t you?” he finally said.

“No, I... Really!” she gasped.

“Frank and Ian want to make me a partner,” he went on.

“That’s great news. Out of curiosity, what did you call your hi-fi business?”

He raised an eyebrow. “How did you find out about that?”

“Jenny told me. She said you sold it to buy the mansion. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Would you have loved me any more if I had?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“I called the business
Sound Sensation
.”

“That’s where Dad brought Rob’s stereo system. It’s still in perfect working order,” she said with a giggle. “Dad thought it was the best buy in town.”

“I only sold the best. Now back to what I was going to tell you. I’ve made some inquiries about social work jobs in the area but if you want them you had better apply straight away.”

“You really were that sure I’d move down here with you?”

He smiled again. “I saw the longing look on your face when we were at the cottage. Speaking of which, I think it’s high time you got to see the inside.”

“Oh yes. And do you know something else. I must be the only female who hasn’t had a ride in your Porsche.”

Philip groaned theatrically. “Jenny didn’t tell you about that, did she?”

“She did. You really have to learn how to say no, Philip. Your wife might get jealous.”

“You won’t have to worry about that, because your husband will only have eyes for you,” he assured her.

Arm in arm, they headed back to the office, where Philip retrieved his briefcase, and they set off for their new home.

Once on the highway, Philip demonstrated just how fast his car would go.

“You shriek just like the rest of them, but they still kept coming back for more,” he teased.

Nicole told him it probably wasn’t his stunt driving that kept them hanging around.

They reached the cottage in record time, and Nicole discovered the inside lived up to all her expectations. The rooms were large, with high, ornately decorated ceilings. The kitchen had been modernized with Tasmanian Oak cupboards, and the bathrooms had been tastefully tiled in cream and pale blue. The furniture Philip had brought from his apartment.

“We can replace all that if you like,” he said, as she glanced around the living area and at the plush modern lounge in its centre, the complicated sound-system and huge television taking up half a wall.

“Well, it doesn’t really go with the rest of the house,” Nicole admitted.

“Like I said, you can change everything - except for the bed. Come and see,” he said, taking hold of her hand.

“You have a one track mind, Philip Pelayo,” but she allowed him to pull her in the direction of the master bedroom.

“Only where you’re concerned, my love.”

“Oh my goodness,” she gasped, on seeing the bed. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. King-sized, with velvet drapes in shades of gold and brown, it seemed to beckon from a bygone era.