“It’s good to meet you, Mr. Medici,” Mrs. Bell said.
“Can we go to the pool now?” Joel asked, popping up from where he crouched on the floor.
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Rafe said.
“Cool!” Joel said, his eyes lighting up like blue sparklers. “I gotta get on my trunks.”
Mrs. Bell smiled. “He must like the water.”
“Oh, yeah,” Rafe said with a surge of pride. “A regular fish. Of course, we have extra safeguards in place so he won’t take any unsupervised swims.”
“Excellent,” Mrs. Bell said. “Nicole has mentioned the safety modifications throughout the house.”
“Mom, come on, we gotta change clothes,” Joel said, tugging at Nicole’s hand.
“Excuse us. We’ll be down in just a few minutes. Please have a seat by the pool,” Rafe said. “I’ll send my housekeeper out with something for you to drink.”
Within minutes, Joel was leaping off the side of the pool into Rafe’s arms. Chortling with glee, he clung to Rafe’s back as he swam the length of the pool. Rafe noticed Nicole hadn’t changed into her swimsuit and sat beside Mrs. Bell.
He wondered about her motive for staying out of the pool, but now wasn’t the time to ask about it. After a while, he dragged a protesting Joel from the water to enjoy a snack the housekeeper brought poolside.
Afterward, Rafe noticed Joel rubbing his eyes. The little boy stood. “I wanna go back in the pool.”
“You’ve had a busy day. You may need a little rest time,” Rafe said.
“Don’t wanna rest. I wanna go back in the pool.”
“The pool will be here tomorrow. I don’t want you to get too tired,” Rafe said, rising. “Even fish get tired. I think I’m going to catch a little fish who’s wearing orange swim trunks and put him-”
Joel’s eyes widened, then he squealed with laughter and ran in the opposite direction.
“Joel, don’t run!” Rafe called. He took off after his son, reaching Joel just as he took a tumble on to the concrete patio.
Joel howled as his legs scraped against the concrete.
Rafe winced, immediately scooping up his son’s little body. “Oh, buddy, I know that hurts.”
“Mama,” Joel wailed, his voice wavering with tears.
“You’ll be okay,” Rafe said. “Let me see-”
“Mama!” Joel screamed, his face contorting with pain. “I want Mama!”
Rafe felt an odd shot of helplessness as he scanned his son’s skinned knees and shin.
Nicole rushed to his side and Joel immediately pitched himself toward her, wrapping himself around her as she took him into her arms. “Oh, sweetie, let’s get some Band-Aids. This is why Rafe and I don’t want you running around the pool.”
Joel sobbed. “It hurts,” he said.
“I know it does,” she soothed. “But we’ll make it stop.” She glanced over her shoulder at Mrs. Bell with a wry smile. “Gravity can be a tough lesson for all of us,” she said and carried Joel inside.
Mrs. Bell nodded and walked toward Rafe. “She’s very important to him, isn’t she?”
Rafe nodded, the incident underscoring what he already knew. “Yes, she is.”
The meeting had been a disaster. A bitter taste filled his mouth. His frustration grew. He needed Nicole on his side. It was critical that he bring her around to his way of thinking.
Rafe plunged his fingers through his damp hair, nodding as Mrs. Bell made polite, neutral conversation. He pulled on his T-shirt. “I’ll walk you to the door,” he said and started to open the French doors to the den just as Nicole appeared with Joel in her arms, clutching a book.
“Hey,” Rafe said, his heart twisting at the sight of his son. “How are ya?”
“I’m all better,” Joel said solemnly. “I got Band-Aids,” he said. “Dinosaur ones.”
Rafe tousled Joel’s hair. “Good for you.”
“Mama said you might read a book to me on the patio if I asked you nice,” Joel said.
“You bet I would,” Rafe said, gazing at Nicole, feeling a well of gratitude and other emotions he couldn’t name. He could tell she still wasn’t sold on him, so this was a big step for her. He reached for Joel and his son clung to him.
After Joel was put to bed, Rafe and Nicole shared a quiet dinner. The tension between them was so thick she could feel it on her skin, in her lungs. She was keeping so many things from him, the fact that she’d had him investigated, her worries over her father. Exhausted from feeling like she was deceptive, she wondered if now was the time to tell him everything. She could feel him studying her with a mixture of curiosity and banked sexual need.
“So, why did you decide to make me look good?” he asked.
She choked on a sip of wine. “Dual goal,” she said. “I wanted Joel to associate comfort and protection with you and I wanted Mrs. Bell to see that the two of you are building a relationship.”
“That doesn’t answer why,” he said.
She bit her lip. “I want you to be a good father. I believe you can be.”
The light in his dark eyes flared. He lifted his glass toward hers. “I will win over my son. What will it take to win over his mother?”
Her heart jolted in her chest.
“Mr. Medici,” Carol said, saving Nicole from a response. “Miss Maddie Greene is here to see you.”
Surprise and irritation crossed his face. “Send her in and bring a glass of wine for her.”
“Red or white, sir?” the housekeeper asked.
“Red,” Rafe said then turned to Nicole. “I have no idea why she came here tonight. I didn’t request her presence.”
“Maybe she wants to see you,” Nicole said and swirled the wine in her glass. “Maybe her instincts tell her that another woman has encroached on her territory, even though I-”
“Maddie,” he said, rising from his chair. “What a surprise. What could possibly be so important that you would come here at such a late hour?”
Maddie’s face fell. “You and I conducted several business meetings after hours on the yacht,” she said in a reproachful voice and glanced accusingly at Nicole.
“True,” he said in a neutral tone. “What do you need?”
Maddie dragged her gaze back to Rafe’s and seemed to force a smile. “It’s not so much what I need as what you need. This contract needs to be signed and filed tomorrow,” she said, sliding a set of papers in front of him.
“Has my attorney Jeff seen these?”
“Of course,” Maddie said.
“Okay,” Rafe said. “I’ll look them over and bring them in tomorrow.”
Maddie frowned. “But-”
“I always read whatever I sign,” he reminded her.
She let out a long soft sigh. “Yes, of course.” She cleared her throat. “We also received an envelope from Italy. I didn’t open it because it was marked personal, but I thought you might want to see it,” she said as she handed him the envelope.
Rafe took the envelope in his hand and studied it. “Emilia Medici,” he said.
“A relative?” Nicole asked.
“Not one I’ve met, but she wrote me two other times. I wonder…” His cell phone rang, interrupting him. He glanced at his caller ID. “It’s an international call. I should take it. Excuse me. I’ll be back,” he said and strode toward his downstairs office.
After he disappeared from view, Maddie picked up her glass of red wine and studied Nicole. “It’s pretty nice here, isn’t it? Living in a mansion with access to Rafe on a daily basis. I’m sure it’s tempting to think something else could develop between you two. Especially since he was once crazy for your sister.”
“Rafe is providing a home for his son. I’m just helping Joel and Rafe make some adjustments. If you’ll excuse me.” No longer hungry, she picked up her half-empty plate.
“Oh, don’t rush off,” Maddie said and pointed at Nicole’s plate. “You haven’t finished your dinner.”
“I’ve had enough,” Nicole said, thinking she meant that in more ways than one.
Maddie set down her wine glass and put her hand to her throat. “I didn’t offend you, did I? I just know what kind of effect Rafe has on people, especially women. I would hate to see you get hurt. It would be easy for you to misinterpret the attention he pays you.”
Nicole knew she should ignore the woman, but some crazy part of her couldn’t resist. “How would I misinterpret his attention?”
Maddie shot her a sympathetic glance. “Oh, no. He’s already got you under his spell. Well, it’s obvious that you’re important to Rafe. You are the key to helping his son adjust, after all. Subconsciously he may think he can work through his latent desire for Tabitha,” she said with a shrug then took another sip of her wine. “I’m sure he would never admit to such a thing. Too much pride.”
Even though Nicole knew Maddie wanted Rafe for herself, she couldn’t tamp down a flicker of self-doubt. Why had she made love with him? Why had she let down her guard? Heaven help her, he was getting to her.
“Back,” Rafe said as he entered the room. “Thanks for bringing the contracts and the package from Italy. I know it was out of your way, so I won’t keep you.”
“Not at all,” Maddie said, lighting up like the Fourth of July. “You know my first priority is my job as your assistant. Nothing is more important.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
Maddie slid a sideways glance at Nicole then returned her gaze to Rafe. “Thanks. Good night, Nicole,” she said.
Just moments later, Rafe returned, but Nicole’s emotions bubbled like a cauldron. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything about Maddie even though some part of her seethed with resentment. Although her relationship with Rafe was far from ideal, she had the odd feeling of having their little island contaminated after Maddie’s visit. She would have to make sense of it later.