Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

“How was the conference, Dr. St. Claire?” Marisol asked. “It’s been such a crazy week, I never had a chance to ask. Did you get to fit in any sightseeing while you were in New York?” She sighed. “I’ve always wanted to go. My boyfriend’s from there, and he says he wants to take me to visit his family. They all live in the Bronx.”

It was late afternoon on Friday, and with their appointments for the day finished, they were in his office, reviewing the charts, but he was happy to take a break and chat. “It was very eye-opening and educational. And yes, I got to see some really interesting parts of the city, thanks to a native who took me around. And of course, I ate great food.”

“I bet it was eye-opening, Ford. I saw the pictures.”

Arms crossed, Lenny stood at the doorway, a sneer curling his lips. Ford’s stomach sank. “Marisol, will you excuse us?” All week, he’d been avoiding Lenny’s snide emails about his “conference companion.”

She gathered up her files and phone and fled the room. Ford didn’t blame her. He was extremely lucky she and the rest of the staff had, for the most part, stayed after the scandal broke. It had been uncomfortable, to put it mildly, to work in an office with reporters parked outside and he and Lenny not speaking.

“What are you doing, Lenny? You’re not supposed to be here right now. You’re breaking our contract.”

Ignoring him, Lenny strode inside, hands in his pockets, oozing that irritating combination of confidence and arrogance only being born into extreme wealth brought. Thick dark hair lay perfectly cut, his face was tan but unlined thanks to monthly treatments, and his wardrobe attempted to appear casual, but Ford knew it cost more than most people made in a month. Lenny was battling aging with all the tools in his arsenal, using himself as a human test model for any new product they received in the office.

“Where’d you find the boy toy, hmm?” Lenny raised a brow and eased into the chair Marisol had vacated.

Ford’s throat turned dry, but he tried to affect nonchalance. “What’re you talking about?” Why did he always, always feel second best with Lenny? Maybe because for twenty years, he’d listened to Lenny’s subtle put-downs. How he’d lifted him from his trailer-park life to the luxury they’d lived in. How lucky he was Lenny loved him.

Lenny sneered. “Oh, come on, baby. You think I don’t know about your little fling?” He examined his nails. “I got a bunch of texts and pictures from people I know who were at the conference.”

“You had people spying on me?” His voice shook with fury.

Snorting, Lenny rolled his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. They contacted me. Said you were smiling and flirting with some young guy in a cheap suit.” Lenny’s shrewd gaze was assessing. “What did you do, hire an escort?”

It was a struggle to hold his anger in check. “Don’t be stupid,” he snapped. “It’s none of your business what I did. Or do.”

Lenny’s pale-blue gaze sharpened. “Or who you did? Are you actually having sex with someone you picked up at a conference?” He laughed. “How clichéd. For your sake, I hope you used a condom. Don’t want a nasty surprise popping up. Those fuckboys aren’t discriminating. They’ll bang anyone with a bankroll.”

“And you would know, wouldn’t you?” Ford shot back.

“I don’t need to hire someone to have sex with me. But that’s sort of your world, isn’t it? Or your mother’s. I guess you can take the boy out of the trailer park…” He rose to his feet, grinning. “Gotta run. Don’t want to be late for my date.”

Cold dread washed over him as Lenny sauntered out. He’d told Lenny he’d lived in a trailer park and was on scholarship only after they’d exchanged I-love-yous. Knowing Lenny loved him gave him that level of intimacy and caring he’d craved, and Ford had opened up—to an extent. He’d never mentioned his mother or lack of a father. Obviously, Lenny’s family had done some digging, discovered what he’d hidden, and Lenny had waited for the right time to use it against him.

He hung his head in his hands, waiting for the shaking to stop. His phone buzzed, and when he glanced at it and saw Nico’s name, his heart gave a funny bounce. They’d texted all week, and Ford missed his exuberance for life, his humor, and the way simply being with Nico made him feel seen. Although something felt off, and Ford had meant to ask him what was wrong.

He picked up his phone and accepted the FaceTime. Nico appeared on the screen and Ford didn’t realize how much he’d missed him until that second. The sparkle in eyes was missing, as was his teasing smile.

“Hey, Doc. How’s it goin’?” Nico was behind a counter at the restaurant.

“I’m well. What’s with you?”

“Nothin’. Here at the restaurant, workin’. Same old, same old, you know how it goes.”

Ford wasn’t buying it and decided to push back. “Yeah, I know how it goes. But you look upset. Is something wrong?” It occurred to him that Nico had applied for that management program and maybe hadn’t been accepted. “Any news on the program you applied to?” He tried to word it as delicately as possible.

“Nah, it’s too early, according to my dispatcher.” Nico chewed his lip. “Uh, listen. I was wonderin’ if you’d be home later. Like around eleven.”

“Yes, why?”

“I need to talk to you about somethin’, and I can’t do it here.”

Ford’s heartbeat picked up speed. “Are you okay?”

“Not really.” Ford heard voices out of the camera’s eye. “I gotta go,” Nico said. “Talk to ya later.”

The screen went dark, and Ford was left hanging, wondering what the hell Nico was talking about. He shut down his computer and put the files in order. The office was empty except for the staff. Behind the front desk, Adriana and Marisol were speaking quietly but stopped at his approach.

“Ready for the weekend?” he asked. “Any plans?”

“Too hot,” Marisol complained. “My boyfriend and I are gonna stay home and watch movies.”

“Yeah. I’m not leaving my air-conditioned house. My husband and I sent our kids to my parents.” Adriana laughed. “First time in months we’ll be alone. How about you, Dr. St. Claire?”

“Same. Home and staying cool. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday.” He was halfway to the door when it occurred to him to ask, “How’s the new doctor working out? What do you think of him?”

Marisol and Adriana shared a look, and Marisol shrugged. “I guess he’s okay. Dr. Diamond, he doesn’t talk to us, really.”

Adriana added, “Dr. Nova had a software system set up specifically so all the cosmetic procedures go directly to Dr. Diamond. We schedule the appointments, and then Eva, his assistant, handles it all.”

Ford wondered what that was all about, but his mind was too preoccupied with Nico and his problem. Let Lenny deal with it.

“Makes sense. After all, he was hired to take the load off us, so I guess it’s working. Keep cool, and I’ll see you on Monday. Thanks for another great week.” He turned to leave.

“Dr. St. Claire?” Marisol called out.

“Yes?”

Marisol glanced at Adriana, who nodded. “Me and Adriana just wanna say we’re glad you worked everything out and didn’t leave the practice. We love working with you.”

Emotional from her words, Ford needed a moment to recover. “Thank you. That means so much to me. I love working with you all too. And I’m not going anywhere. Be careful driving home.”

He reached his condo off Las Olas Boulevard and couldn’t wait to shower and change. All the while, nervous anticipation trickled through him. What was Nico planning on telling him? From his odd behavior, he couldn’t tell if it was bad news relating to the two of them or something else.

He gazed at the clock. Three more hours. He sighed and entered the large en suite bath. The shower, like everything else in the apartment, was brand-new and high-tech, with two showerheads and big enough to fit “at least three or four people,” the grinning realtor had told him, which he’d ignored.

He dressed, made a martini, and took it out on the terrace, where he sipped and watched the boats sail past. Did Nico want to end it? Whatever it was between them. Maybe he’d come to his senses and realized Ford was too na?ve to be his lover, that he wanted someone with more experience. For him, the sex they’d had was explosive and exhilarating. With Lenny, he’d been submissive and reactive, never taking the lead. Lenny had been in control, concentrating mostly on bringing Ford to as many orgasms as possible. He’d always said he loved to watch Ford come apart, but now Ford wondered if it was simply Lenny needing to control their sex life, as well as everything else.

Being with Nico? even only for that one night, felt like a partnership, each of them concerned with the other’s satisfaction.

“Does this feel good? How about this?” Nico asked, his lips leaving a trail of fire where they touched, and Ford nodded, drowning in desire. Every time Nico touched him, everywhere his lips and fingers landed, Ford came alive.

“Let me do the same for you,” Ford whispered, kissing him, licking him, and Nico stroked his face, blue eyes brilliant as he gasped in pleasure.

It had been the single most sensuous evening of his life. Ford pinched his eyes shut, cutting off the memory. He left the terrace, ordered a salad, and when it came, ate it without much of an appetite, still lost in that hotel room where he’d found himself.

By eleven, Ford was convinced that Nico wanted to be nice and end it as friends. And Ford had rehearsed his response: it was too difficult to keep up a long-distance relationship; he agreed they were too far apart in age; but sure, let’s be friends—both knowing the texts would soon dwindle to nothing.

His computer beeped with a FaceTime, and chest hurting, he blew out a hard breath and put on a smile before answering.

“Hi, Nico.”

“Hey, how’s it goin’?” Dark shadows rested beneath Nico’s heavy-lidded eyes.

“That’s my question. You look tired.”

Nico yawned. “Yeah. Well, I haven’t been getting much sleep this week.”

“Is that connected to what you wanted to talk about?”

“Uh-huh.” Nico grunted and shifted the laptop on his stomach. “I need your opinion on something.”

Ford’s brows pulled together. “Okay, sure. Whatever you need.”

“I got some news, and I’m not sure what to do about it. I…wanted your advice.” He chewed his lip, and Ford waited, stymied now that the conversation wasn’t going as he’d anticipated, his heart banging.

Was Nico’s mother sick again? Was Nico sick?

His stomach cramped. “I’m happy to help you, anyway I can. Is it something medical?”

At Nico’s shake of his head, relief poured through Ford.

“My mother told me my father never knew she was pregnant. She and the whole family lied to me.”

As Nico related the shocking story, Ford had a wild idea to pack a bag and fly to New York to comfort him. The thought of Nico sitting alone and dealing with life-altering news hurt his heart. The suffering on Nico’s face was so intense, so heartbreaking, he reached out to touch the screen, as if he were sitting in front of him.

“Jesus. I don’t know what to say to that. I’m so sorry. What’re you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it all week. I can’t sleep. And I usually see my mother every day, just to check up on her, but I haven’t since she told me. I feel like shit about it, but I’m also so mad that they all lied to me.”

“I understand how you feel. It’s a huge betrayal.”

“So why do I feel so bad for my mom? I’ve never not talked to her for this long. But every time I think of going upstairs, I get nauseous. I can’t go into that house, where my whole life was a lie.”

Ford itched to hold him, but there was nothing he could do except offer solace and advice, as well as be the sounding board Nico needed.

“I don’t think you should look at your life as a lie. Your mother loves you, and thirty years ago things were different. Your grandparents were traditional and pretty strict, I’m assuming?”

“Yeah. Especially my nonno. He was the head of the family, and his word was law. I don’t think I ever saw anyone say no to him.”

“So did she have a choice? She lived in their house and worked for them. With no other means of support, she was tied to them, a hundred percent. What a terrible, horrible decision she was forced to make, but really, there was nothing else she could do.” Ford sighed, the pain he felt for Nico overwhelming. “Have you thought of contacting him?”

Shiny-eyed, Nico shrugged. “I didn’t even ask his name.”

“But your mother knows it.”

“Yeah.” Nico hung his head. “I don’t know what to do.” He lifted his gaze. “What would you do? You said you didn’t know your father. What if you could meet him now? Would you?”

“Maybe. My situation is different.” Ford grimaced. “I barely knew my mother. And she had no clue who my father might’ve been. She wasn’t very discriminating in whom she showed attention to.”

Except him. She never had time for a hug or kiss. After child services once paid a visit, she’d made the minimum effort to get him to his doctor’s appointments for his school vaccines and have food in the house for him to eat. The old lady in the next trailer would watch him, but she died when he was ten. He’d cried like a baby; she was more of a mother to him than his own. She’d rock him to sleep and read to him. After that, he’d basically taken care of himself.

“That sucks. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

Ford rushed to reassure him. “You didn’t. I barely think of those days anymore.”

“You did real good for yourself. I don’t blame you.” Nico rubbed his face, and Ford could see the battle in his eyes. “I haven’t.”

Nico’s self-defeat hit Ford hard. “Is that the problem? You think your father won’t be proud of you?”

“He’s a dentist. I’m nothin’ special.”

“Don’t ever say that,” Ford lashed out. “You are special. Everyone has something special about them.” He read the doubt in Nico’s eyes. “You went to college, and you have ambition to move up. Not everyone who’s a success has to wear a suit and tie and work in an office. More importantly, you’re a good person. You know how I know that?”

Looking unimpressed, Nico lifted a shoulder. “I dunno.”

“Because you have friends and family who would go above and beyond for you. They went out of their way to make sure you could go to that dinner with me.”

“We do that for each other. It’s how it is. You know.”

Ford met his eyes. “No, I don’t. I don’t have people I can count on. Not one single person.”

Nico leaned in, the blue of his eyes as clear and sparkling as the ocean a few miles away.

“Yeah, Doc. You do. You got me.”