CHAPTER 10
One Month Later…
NICOLE WENT TO THE ANGEL Foundation’s corporate headquarters to take a meeting. She hadn’t been back since her accident, and going up the escalators did stir up quite a bit of anxiety. However, she was able to get passed it with a few deep calming breaths. She arrived early for this very reason. However, she’d done it. She faced the fear of going back to the scene of the accident and conquered it.
She greeted some of her colleagues who seemed happy to see her as she made her way into her office. Since Nicole mostly worked from home, her office was very small. Once inside, Nicole dropped her bags on the desk, sat down, and shut her eyes in an effort to collect herself.
The phone on her desk buzzed shaking her from her reverie. Initially, Nicole was caught off guard since she hadn’t heard a land-line ring in so long it sounded foreign. She laughed inwardly and picked it up. “Hello. This is Nicole.”
“And this is Dana!”
“Dana? Why are you calling me on my office line instead of on my cell?”
“Because you left it on your island at home. I called your cell phone first, and some woman named Teena picked it up.”
Nicole quickly checked her purse, and sure enough, it wasn’t there.
“Who is that? I thought your housekeeper’s name was Rozalyn, and she only worked on weekends.”
“Long story short, Teena used to sit for us when Davis and I went on dates. She is now the full-time nanny.”
“Ahhh . . . so he finally talked some sense into you. I think it’s a good idea.”
“Ha. Ha. Funny. You know it definitely wasn’t my idea, but it’s also one less argument to have, so I agreed to it on a temporary basis.”
Dana was thrilled to hear the energy in Nicole’s voice. “Good for you. Learning to pick your battles is so important. Anyway, the reason I called was to see if you wanted to go to lunch?”
Nicole snapped her head around and out of her window as if she could see somebody from the 77th floor. Her voice rose with excitement. “What?! You’re here?”
“In the flesh.”
“My goodness! You should have said that first! For how long?”
“Until the end of the month. I’m actually standing in your lobby.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope.”
Nicole glanced at her watch. Her meeting was in twenty minutes. Still, she got up from her chair and started walking toward the doors and was snagged backward. Like a chain, Nicole was bound by wires. She giggled like a schoolgirl. “I’ll be right out.” Nicole hung up the phone and quickly made her way to the lobby. As soon as Dana and Nicole saw each other, they embraced in a fierce hug.
Nicole spoke first. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too.” Dana pulled back slightly. “You don’t look like a woman who was at death’s door.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. They both spoke in unison. “Davis.” And laughter ensued. After it died down enough for Nicole to form words, she tried to explain. “I was never that bad off.”
“That’s not the way Davis described you. He had me picking out a mourning dress.”
“You know that man can be overly dramatic when it comes to this kind of thing.”
Dana disagreed. “No. Only when it comes to you and the kids.”
“I can’t argue with that.” Nicole looped her arm into Dana’s. “C’mon. Let’s go into my office. I have a meeting at 10 a.m., but hopefully, when I’m done, we can go to lunch.”
Once they were behind closed doors, it was as if they were trying to make up for all the in-person conversations they had missed over the past two years, which had been the last time they’d seen each other.
“Davis didn’t really burn the flowers, did he?” Dana couldn’t believe it.
Nicole laughed. “Yes. He did. One of our neighbors heard about our accident and figured something was off after noticing a big ball of fire in the backyard. Of course, Davis didn’t burn it in the grill. That would make too much sense. He tried to pretend this silly exercise was about survival skills. He and Rayna put the flowers in a circle of rocks and then he showed her how to light it with just the items in the backyard. They turned the entire thing into a bonfire. So, the neighbor called the fire department.”
Dana was doubled over laughing. “If Roman had Davis burning flowers, he must be kind of hot.”
Nicole continued her own fit of giggles. She hunched her shoulders. “The ladies in the office seem to think so.”
“You don’t think he’s good looking?”
“Begrudgingly, I’ll admit, he’s kind of cute, but he’s also an asshole.”
“Uh-oh. I remember you said that about Davis.”
Thinking back wistfully on the night they met at the airport made Nicole smile. “He was when I met him. And sometimes he can still exhibit asshole tendencies, but Davis is an incredible man. But I swear he gets on my last nerves.” Absentmindedly, Nicole reached into her purse and pulled out a prescription bottle. She popped two pills into her mouth and took a long pull from her bottled water.
Dana’s laughter slowly died on her lips. “Are you still taking prescriptions? Is everything okay?”
Nicole tilted her head slightly from side to side. “Some parts of me are being stubborn.”
“It’s been about six weeks since the accident hasn’t it?”
“Yes, give or take a few days. However, I still have some pain in my neck and back.” She put the top back on the bottle and shook them. “But these bad boys definitely help get me through the freakin’ day.”
Curiously, Dana looked on. “What exactly are those?”
“These. They are Oxy.”
Worried, Dana frowned. “Oxy? You’ve been on those the entire time?”
Nicole put her hands up. “Stop. Please. I know what you’re thinking, but this is what the doctor prescribed after I left the hospital. I only take them when I need them.”
Dana had just heard her say she took them every single day. That wasn’t a good sign, but she kept quiet. Well, not completely. “They can be very addictive. Be careful with those.”
“Yes. They can. But I’m responsible and too smart to get hooked on drugs. Once I get over these injuries, I’ll stop taking them.”
“Of course you are. As a doctor, six weeks is a long time to be on those things. You might want to consult your physician to see what else they can do for pain management.”
Nicole laughed jokingly and responded sarcastically. “I will take your advice into consideration, Dr. Lasso.” When Dana didn’t laugh too, Nicole got serious. “Look. Please don’t worry. I know my body and my pain better than anybody else. I promise. When the time comes, I’ll stop taking them.” There was a soft tap on the door. Nicole was happy for the interruption. She looked up. “Come in.”
Claire peeped her head through the door. “Your meeting is in five minutes.”
Nicole nodded. “Thanks.” She turned back to Dana. “Stop worrying. I have everything under control.” She stood. “I’ve got to get going but should be finished in about an hour. Let’s meet back here say in two? That’ll give me enough time to make a few phone calls and tie up any miscellaneous things I may have missed while I’ve been on leave from work.”
Dana stood too. “Okay. I’ll meet you downstairs at noon.” As she walked toward the door, her concern meter was still on full-tilt. Dana hoped the excitement and newfound energy that Nicole was giving off wasn’t because of those drugs.