What a Rich Woman Wants (5 page)

“He pushed Ricky off his chair and his meal off the table. I saw it. So did these boys.” He looked at the four boys still seated. “Didn't you, guys?”

Almost as one, they nodded. Their parents had crowded around.

“So did we,” Carp said. His comrades nodded in unison.

Niko stared at Irwin Chapman. “Sir?”

Irwin gave Niko a mutinous glare. He grabbed his son by the arm and hauled him through the mess on the floor. Lesley stepped out of the way with Ricky just in time to avoid being splashed. Irwin glanced back once, fixing his gaze on Niko. “I won't forget this,” he said in a threatening tone.

“Neither will I,” Niko replied softly.

A yellow bucket appeared, accompanied by a mop-wielding employee who seemed unsurprised and unconcerned with the mess on the floor and quickly cleaned it up, setting a “Caution Wet Floor” cone out as he did.

The parents were murmuring to their sons and to each other. A few of them made sympathetic overtures to Niko and Lesley. Lesley swiped at Ricky's sodden uniform with a wad of napkins. “I'm sorry,” she whispered to him. He looked at her with tear-filled eyes but said nothing.

“Thanks, guys,” Niko said to Carp and his friends. “We'll be okay. Come on, buddy, let's hit the restroom.” Niko offered his hand to Ricky and the boy took it. “We won't be long. I'll meet you back at the table,” he told Lesley.

Lesley pushed her soda away and stared at Niko's half-eaten sandwich. Her stomach tied itself in knots. The image of Ricky, humiliated, his shoulders hunched, tears filling his eyes but not falling, wouldn't go away.

“You okay?”

Lesley looked up to find Christa gazing at her.

“I'm fine,” she said, forcing a smile. “A little shaken up, I guess.”

“Zachary Chapman is a bully, and everyone knows it. Irwin lets him do whatever he wants.”

Lesley didn't know how to reply so she said nothing.

“Is there anything I can do?” Christa asked. Lesley decided Christa was a nice person. She seemed genuine in a way so many of the other parents were not.

“No, but thank you for offering. Niko, er, Deputy Morales took Ricky to the restroom. I'm sure he'll be fine.”

“He seems like a nice guy. Deputy Morales, that is. Plus, I couldn't help but notice, he's pretty hot.” Christa's giggle made Lesley smile. “If you ever want to get together, for lunch or drinks or something, give me a call.”

“I'll do that.”

“I better go. If I'm not there when Don gets home, I'm in trouble. Bye.”

Lesley watched Christa collect her son and bid the other mothers good-bye. She wondered what Christa's life was like. Leisurely, Lesley supposed, if she only had one child. She probably didn't work. But maybe being married to Don, whoever he was, was a full-time job.

When Niko and Ricky approached the table, Ricky's clothes were almost dry and he was beaming. Niko evidently had worked a miracle in the restroom, on Ricky at least.

“Ready to go?” Niko asked abruptly.

“Don't you want to finish eating?”

“I lost my appetite.” He gathered up his food and his drink and dropped them in the trash on the way out. Lesley discarded her drink as well.

“Listen,” Niko said when they reached Lesley's car. She opened the back door for Ricky. He climbed in and buckled his seat belt. “I told Ricky I'd ask you about taking him to Cambier Park on Saturday for some soccer practice. I've been working with Carp and those other kids who were in there, too.”

Lesley didn't know why she hesitated. She trusted Niko even though she barely knew him and had been in his company on only two occasions before today. She'd revised her opinion of Carp and his friends the moment she'd seen them come to Ricky's defense. “I can bring him. What time?”

“Around two?”

“I'll see you then.”

“Bye, Ricky,” Niko said.

“Bye, Niko.”

Lesley gave him a wave and got into her car. Niko waited until she'd backed out and driven away.

That night Lesley waited in nervous anticipation for Ricky to finish his bath. She'd asked Lita to let her know when Ricky was ready for bed. In the meantime, she'd gone over and over the events of the day while pacing her room. After her run, she'd showered and changed into a pair of lightweight cotton yoga pants and a short-sleeved hoodie.

It was hard to see Maria as a genuine threat, but Lesley had learned never to underestimate her opponents. Not in business and not in her personal life. There had been a shrewdness behind Maria's eyes, a calculating look that Lesley hadn't seen six years ago. Maria seemed to view herself as the wronged party, when the truth was Lesley had done everything she could to help Maria, including adopting her child.

But you haven't been much of a mother to him, have you?
her conscience chided her. No, she hadn't. She admitted that to herself. Had known it almost from the beginning.

But she was going to change that. Starting tonight. If Ricky would let her.

Lita tapped on her open door. “He's in bed.”

“Thanks, Lita.”

At Ricky's partially closed door, she knocked softly and stepped in. Ricky was sitting up in bed with pillows tucked behind his back. The light on his nightstand was on and he was looking at a picture book of dump trucks and earth-moving equipment. He watched her approach, his expression neutral. She swore she caught wariness in his eyes and wondered what had caused it. Her?

Lesley sat on the edge of the bed and licked her dry lips. She'd rehearsed a bit of a speech in her head earlier but couldn't remember a word of it. “I'm not a very good mother, am I?” She tried to smile, but failed.

“You're not my mother,” Ricky said. It wasn't meant as an insult. Lesley'd seen no reason to pretend with him. He knew he was adopted. “I don't have a mother. Or a father.”

He looked down at his book and fiddled with the pages.

“The truth is, Ricky, you do have a mother.” His head came up. “You have two, the one who gave birth to you and me, because I adopted you when she couldn't take care of you.”

Lesley hesitated, unsure where to go now that she'd started. “The thing is, I don't think I'm so good at taking care of you either.”

“Are you going to give me away too?”

“No. No. Nothing like that. When a mother has a baby, usually she naturally knows how to take care of it. If she's able to, that is. Yours couldn't, so I said I would, but I wasn't really prepared. I didn't know how. I was scared, I guess.”

“Grownups don't get scared.”

Lesley smiled. “It seems that way, doesn't it? But they do. They're probably scared of more things than kids are, because they know more about what can hurt them.”

Ricky frowned as if he didn't quite believe her.

“Maybe I can explain it better sometime. But for right now, what I wanted to say was I'm going to try harder to be a better mother to you.”

“Like come to my soccer games? And not be late?”

“Yes. Like that.” She paused for a moment. “You know, Ricky, a lot of things happened when you were born. That's when Grandpa got sick. We were all worried about him and about you too. There was a lot for me to do.”

“Like run Grandpa's company?”

“Exactly. All of a sudden I had to be the boss at work because Grandpa couldn't. I guess I kind of became the boss at home too. I was so busy being the boss, I never learned how to be a mother.”

“You can be a bossy mother. I won't mind.”

“I'd like to be just your mother, if that's okay with you.”

Ricky beamed. “Sure. Can I call you Mom instead of Lesley?”

“I think I'd like that.”

“Maybe if I call you Mom, you'll get better at being one.”

“Maybe. I'm sorry, Ricky. That's what I really wanted to say. I'm sorry and I'll try harder. You might have to tell me what you need because I won't always know. You'll have to train me, okay?”

“Like how Niko is going to train me to play soccer?”

“Something like that.”

“Okay.”

Lesley smiled and patted his knee through the covers. Kids were so much more accepting than adults.

“You should hug me now,” Ricky informed her. “I'm pretty sure that's what moms do.”

“Okay.” She leaned forward. Ricky put his arms around her neck and squeezed tight. She held him close and squeezed him back. She waited for him to break the embrace, but it was a long time coming. He was probably making up for all the bedtime hugs he'd missed from her in the last six years.

Finally he let go and settled himself back on the pillows. “You did that hug pretty good,” he told her. “But I think we could do better.”

Lesley smiled at Ricky's adult tone. He was repeating words he'd heard her say on business calls. “We can try again tomorrow, okay? Goodnight.” Lesley stood and turned his light off. She bent down and kissed the top of his head.

“Night, Mom.”

Chapter Five

Niko didn't know a whole lot about soccer. He hoped no one discovered this secret. Most of what he knew he remembered from his early years, when he'd played in elementary school. He watched it on TV a few times, and since moving to Willow Bay he'd volunteered as an assistant coach for a league in which a couple of the other deputies coached teams for their kids.

He'd studied training videos on YouTube and
Soccer for Dummies
at the library. He figured he knew enough about the basics and the rules to get by. Besides, this was about more than developing their soccer skills. It had to do with building a rapport with them, building their self-confidence and teaching them to get along with each other.

He had three other boys with him this Saturday. They were older than Ricky Robinson, but he'd worked with them before. They were good kids who were struggling in middle school and had had minor brushes with the law. Statistically they were considered “at risk.”

He'd located them through a couple of different agencies. These were the kind of kids his community center would be all about. He'd been up front about his intentions with the kids and with their mothers. They were part of his experiment, to see if the path they were on could be changed if he intervened early enough.

He and the boys had arrived early and been kicking the ball around. The kids tried out some fancy moves they'd worked out on their own, trying to impress and outdo each other. As long as they kept it friendly, Niko let them.

From behind his sunglasses he tracked Lesley's approach with Ricky, trudging along beside her, carrying his soccer ball. Lesley wore a simple dress, flat sandals and no jewelry except for a tank watch and gold hoop earrings. Her hair was clipped back as usual, but the slight breeze blew a few strands around her face.

She pushed her sunglasses into her hair and greeted him. After he acknowledged her, he hunkered next to Ricky. “How you doin', pal? Ready for a workout?”

Ricky nodded vigorously.

“Hey, guys,” Niko called. He signaled them over and introduced everyone. “Why don't you show Ricky what you've been working on? I'll be over in a minute.”

The older boys did as they were told. Lesley watched in apprehension at first, but soon relaxed. The boys didn't seem to mind that Ricky was half their age. They made him part of their group.

Niko followed her gaze but turned back to her as he spoke. “They're good kids. You don't have to worry.”

“I can see that.”

Lesley lowered her sunglasses and focused on him from behind the dark lenses. He wore a gray tee-shirt with the sheriff's department logo on the breast pocket, running shorts and sneakers. Everything she saw she liked. He was in good shape, his forearms and calves roped with muscle.

“I wanted to ask you something,” she said.

He waited.

“Would you happen to know anyone…that is, I think I need to hire someone, preferably male, who could provide household security for us.”

Niko went on alert. “Is there a problem? A specific threat?”

“No. Not exactly. There was an incident the other day that made me think it would be a good idea to have someone on the premises round-the-clock. Someone who could fit into the setting, our routine. But I'd prefer not to use a professional agency. I don't want someone in uniform, someone not in my own employ. I thought a retired cop, perhaps?”

“I might know someone. He retired a couple of years ago. I haven't seen him lately, but he might be interested. If he is, I'll have him call you. His name's Mitch Hayes.”

Lesley breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Even with sunglasses shading their eyes, Lesley sensed something going on between them. Some kind of undercurrent she couldn't quite get a handle on.

“I should go,” she said.

“You're welcome to stay.”

She gazed at the kids running across the grass. “I have a few errands, but maybe I'll come back early. I could bring snacks and drinks for the boys. Would that be all right?”

“They won't turn it down, that's for sure.”

“I'll do that, then.” She offered him a graceful tilt of her head.

He watched her walk across the park to her car, all the while reminding himself there was no use developing an interest in a woman so far out of his reach. Didn't mean he couldn't dream, though.

For an hour Niko coached the boys through drills. After that he let them make up their own games as part of the practice, using the soccer ball. He wanted them to learn, but also to have fun and to get to know each other better. Carp, whose given name was Carpenter Mosley, was a born leader. He was smart, well-mannered and charming, but without strong guidance, Niko feared he could easily be seduced into making some poor decisions. His mother was a nurse. She did her best to set a good example and monitor Carp's friends and activities. But Niko was convinced these kids needed more. Part of the center's goal was to find mentors for the at-risk kids. He had visions of softball games, fishing trips, maybe even a golf outing that would mix the mentors with the boys. A barbeque. A Ping-Pong tournament. Niko had no shortage of ideas. All he needed was funding, volunteers and time.

When the kids took a break, Niko handed out bottles of water.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Ricky told him.

“Carp? You want to take Ricky to the restroom? Anybody else need to go?”

No one else did, but Carp seemed pleased to have been selected as bathroom escort. He headed off with Ricky, shortening his stride so the boy could keep up. Niko watched, feeling an odd sort of pride in them. The concrete-block restroom wasn't too far away, and he trusted Carp to keep an eye on Ricky. He turned his attention back to the other two boys.

Five minutes later, when Carp and Ricky hadn't returned, Niko looked back to the restrooms. The two boys were talking to a woman. Or more accurately, the woman was talking to Ricky while Carp stood patiently next to him with his arms across his chest.

Something about the scene seemed off to Niko, but he couldn't put his finger on what. The woman looked to be Latino. She had lots of dark hair and wore bright colors and big sunglasses that obscured her features. She carried a bulging, oversize purse.

“You guys stay here,” he said to the other two boys.

He stalked toward the restrooms, his gaze fixed on the woman. She must have sensed his approach or Carp must have shifted his attention to Niko because Niko thought she glanced his way although she'd hardly moved her head. She said something else to Ricky, patted his shoulder and took off at a trot toward the playground. She strode past the fenced area, along the narrow walkway that separated the tennis courts, and disappeared from view.

“Who was that?” he asked Ricky and Carp. Carp shrugged.

“Do you know her?” Niko asked Ricky.

“No, sir.”

“What did she want?” Niko asked more harshly than he intended. Ricky took a tiny step away from him and closer to Carp. Niko told himself to calm down, but a thousand scenarios had flashed into his head as he hustled toward the restrooms. Ricky Robinson belonged to a wealthy, prominent family. Lesley had mentioned her security concerns. Ricky would be an excellent target for a kidnapper. He was a loner. He'd been playing outside on the estate grounds the first time Niko met him. The gates had been wide open. Anyone could have walked in and snatched the kid. Was that woman doing recon? Had Ricky almost been a target? On Niko's watch?

He lowered himself to Ricky's level. “Sorry. Let's walk back.” He reached for Ricky's hand and the boy took it. “What did she want?” he asked more gently. “It looked like you were having quite the conversation.”

“She was asking about soccer and if you were a coach. How old am I and what school am I in.”

“She said she had a little boy the same age as Ricky,” Carp added. “She just moved here and she wanted him to meet other kids.”

“Did she ask where you live?”

“No,” Ricky said.

“How about your name?”

“Yes.”

“Did you tell her?”

“Yes.”

They reached the other two boys, and Niko indicated to Ricky and Carp to take seats. Now that his heart rate had returned to normal and every unpleasant scene he'd just imagined had been put back in its place, he decided to use the incident as a teachable moment. With that in mind, he talked to the boys about stranger danger.

The following evening when her cell phone rang, Lesley almost ignored it. She was running a bath. It had been a stressful day after news of an explosion in one of their plants in Honduras. She'd monitored reports, participated in several conference calls and directed her media relations department to execute a response. Luckily no one had been injured, and from all reports damage had been minimal.

She glanced at the local number she didn't recognize, hesitated, then answered.

“Lesley? It's Niko Morales.”

As if he'd needed to identify himself beyond his first name, Lesley thought, and smiled. Still, she liked the formality he used. Very attractive. “Niko. How are you?”

“Well, thank you. And you?”

“Well, also, thank you for asking.” Since he couldn't see her, she didn't bother to hide her smile.

“I talked to Mitch Hayes. He's interested in meeting with you about providing security. I have his number.”

“Oh. All right. Hold on just a moment… Go ahead.” She tapped the number into her phone and read it back to Niko. She wished she could think of some reason to keep him on the line. She liked the sound of his voice. She liked that he asked after her well-being. Even if he was just being polite, she wanted to believe he was truly interested. As soon as she had the thought, she squashed it and made herself say, “Thank you. If that's all then?”

“Actually, no. I didn't want to mention this in front of Ricky yesterday, but maybe he told you about the woman who approached him at the park.”

“No. He didn't.”

“It was probably nothing,” Niko said. “Carp took Ricky to the restroom. When they came out, this woman started chatting Ricky up.”

“Describe her.”

“Latino. Early twenties. Five-four, one-twenty. Long dark hair. Big purse. Sunglasses.” When Lesley said nothing, Niko went on. “I got a little spooked, I guess. You were looking for a security guard. Ricky said he didn't know her. She took off as soon as she saw me coming. I thought you should know.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

Lesley didn't know how to answer that. She almost couldn't comprehend Maria's nerve. “I don't think so.”

“All right then. Good night,” Niko said after a moment. She wondered if she imagined a note of coolness in his tone.

“Good-bye.” Lesley clicked off and stepped into the oversize tub. She sank down into the pulses of warm water generated by the jets. Fragrant bubbles covered the surface, and she closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the rim of the tub. She forced herself to relax, concentrating on each part of her body, starting with her toes and working her way up. She used the deep breathing she'd learned from yoga to let most of the tension of the day seep out of her.

If Maria's boldness continued, Lesley would definitely have to step up security arrangements. She wasn't taking any chances with her father or her son. Or anyone else in her household. Maybe all Maria had wanted was to see Ricky, see how he was doing. She hoped so. But somehow she doubted that was it.

Lesley reminded herself why she needed to keep everyone at arm's length. Business was business. She didn't get attached and she didn't get personally involved. She insulated herself because otherwise—otherwise she was afraid she'd fall apart. If she fell apart, so would everything else in her world. It wasn't just her world, though. It was her parents, Ricky, Lita. The business her father had built that she kept going. The foundation. Everyone who relied on her. Everyone she couldn't afford to let down.

How Niko Morales had ducked under her radar mystified her. She couldn't quite fathom how he'd managed to establish a relationship with her son and with her so quickly. From the moment she'd met him she'd trusted him, but she questioned her own judgment. He was a former gang member and had led a life far different from hers. Why should he inspire trust?

She couldn't answer that question. She saw how Ricky responded to him, how she herself responded to him, although she tried to hold herself back. Somehow they'd created a rapport. He'd rescued Ricky, and now he was potentially rescuing her and her family, assuming Mitch Hayes was interested in the job she had in mind.

Thinking about Niko had her tensing up again in an entirely different way, and she told herself to stop.

She gave herself ten minutes of relaxation techniques and breathing before she adjusted her position. She dried her hands on the towel she'd placed nearby and reached for her paperback novel. Lesley stared at the cover, which depicted a beautiful young woman baring an abundance of cleavage, golden tresses falling down her back, who was about to be ravaged by a dark-haired, bare-chested, steel-abbed hero in a kilt.

Lesley stuck her fingers into the fat bag of peanut M&M'S next to the towel and briefly contemplated a blue one before she popped it in her mouth. She settled back in the warm water, sighed and opened her book.

Physically, Mitch Hayes wasn't what Lesley expected. He was of average height and medium build. But he carried himself like a military man, shaking hands like he meant business, and when he spoke, his voice had an air of authority Lesley admired.

“I understand you have a security problem.” He said it as if he were the one conducting the interview.

Lesley hesitated, disarmed by his directness. “I wouldn't say it's a problem, but there was an incident a few days ago that made me think I'd like to have someone on premises better able to deal with a physical threat than Lita and I were.”