Даниэла Стил - All That Glitters

“You do, you just don’t know it,” she said gently. “You’re such a good person, you always want to do the right thing for everyone. Sometimes being strong is not doing it, and taking care of yourself.”

“I wish I felt I had the right to do that. I don’t want to let Tamar down, or my parents. Maybe I’d never meet another girl who would be the right wife for me anyway. She’s the perfect traditional choice they want for me,” he said, sounding discouraged.

“Is that what you want, Sam? Tradition? Or something more exciting that suits you better?”

“Exciting is your downfall, Coco. Ed is exciting. So is Nigel in a way, in his world. That’s all flash with no substance.”

“And Tamar is substance without flash,” she finished for him.

“I don’t want an exciting marriage. I want a peaceful one. And so will you one day.”

“I thought Nigel had substance,” she defended herself. “I thought he was a good guy.”

“You didn’t know him long enough to tell. And Ed was cheating on his wife, which should have disqualified him. It’s the flash, Coco. Those damn exciting guys. It screws you every time.”

“I’ll try to find some really dull guy next time.” She wasn’t entirely kidding. “The next flashy guy who shows up, or comes out of the mists, I’m going to run like hell.”

“I hope so. Are you thinking of coming back to New York if you’re pregnant?”

“I don’t think so. I love my job here. It’s really fun, and Leslie is terrific to work for. I’m learning a lot about interior design, real estate, all kinds of stuff.” Sam could hear her getting farther and farther away from going back to school. He doubted now that she’d ever go back for her degree, especially if she had a baby. That would keep her busy for years, particularly if she was alone. But it might make her happy too, as consolation for losing her parents. It might be just what she needed, but he didn’t want to interfere. The decision had to be entirely up to her.

He was sure he’d be having babies soon too. Tamar wanted them immediately, as soon as they got married. It unnerved him to think about it. He could feel his youth flying out the window for good, at twenty-five. He had hoped to avoid fatherhood for several more years, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. Tamar’s parents already thought she was late getting started at twenty-three, and were greatly relieved by their engagement.

Knowing he was getting married in June, Sam felt as though he had five months left to live and breathe without the responsibilities of marriage. But he had the consolation of knowing he was doing the right thing to honor his family and future wife. It broke Coco’s heart to think of it. He wasn’t happy for Coco either, after all that had happened to her, and now she had to face motherhood alone, if she went forward with the pregnancy.

“We’re in a fine mess, both of us,” Coco said to him, and he laughed. She used to say that to him in school, as children, when they got in trouble together.

“I guess so. Hopefully, it will turn out right in the end. Don’t let that bastard get a penny out of you. He doesn’t deserve even the property in Sussex. It’s amazing how guys like that always get some benefit from their misdeeds.”

“I believe their karma gets them in the end,” Coco said philosophically. But for the moment, it was getting both of them.

Chapter 12

The exchanges between Coco’s attorney and Nigel’s got increasingly heated as they tried to come to some agreement. Nigel’s aspirations were completely unrealistic, but he wasn’t giving an inch. He was resting on the argument that he didn’t have legal representation for their marriage contract, and didn’t know what he’d signed. She wondered if that was why he hadn’t shown it to an attorney, and knew he could use it as a loophole to try and invalidate the contract later. Anything was possible with him. She realized now how calculating he was. The only part of their exchange he had agreed to so far was the transfer of the Sussex property to him, for relinquishing the parental rights he didn’t want anyway. It was no sacrifice for him. He acted as though Coco were pregnant by someone else, which they both knew she wasn’t. He had no feelings whatsoever for their baby, and seemed to view it as some kind of encumbrance he couldn’t wait to get rid of now that they would no longer be married. The prospect of sharing custody or the responsibilities of visitation held no allure for him at all. The baby he had claimed he wanted was of no interest to him, only Coco’s money. She’d had several conversations with Ed about the proceedings, and he was satisfied with her lawyer. He was willing to fight hard to protect her inheritance from Nigel. Ed was standing by to assist in any way he could. He was a worm of a human being, but was finally proving to be a decent trustee.

Nigel’s callousness finally tipped the scale for Coco. She had had doting parents until they’d died. The fact that her baby’s father cared nothing about it seemed so shocking and unfair to her that it created a stronger bond to the baby on her part. She wanted to protect it, and decided to continue the pregnancy. The baby was due in August, and so far everything was fine, and when it was born, it would be as though its father had died or never existed. Coco would be the only parent her baby had, which made her decide to redouble her efforts to love it, and welcome it into her life.

For the time being, she was staying in the new house. It would be a good place to come home to, big enough for a baby nurse at first, and eventually a nanny to live there with her and help her, and take care of the baby when she went to work.

As she passed the three-month mark in her pregnancy, and the exchanges about the divorce settled down to a dull roar, she began to feel physically better, and was able to work harder again and longer hours. She loved her job, working with Leslie in the business they had created. They had to face new challenges with every client, be creative and innovative, find them the right location which suited them, and their family, in their new city, near schools in some cases, with and without gardens, big enough or small enough. In most cases, Coco and Leslie got to do the decorating, or staging if furniture and art had to be rented. Each client’s needs and requirements were different, and they had to reinvent what they created every time. Coco loved it, and she and Leslie were thriving, with a constant flow of new clients, each satisfied person recommending them to someone else.

Leslie was swamped in February, when she walked over to Coco’s desk with a new file.

“I hate to do this to you, Coco. I know you don’t have a minute to breathe as it is, but can you take this one on for me? New client, personal recommendation from a previous client. VIP, famous American author. He’s coming to London to work on the movie of one of his books. He wants the place for a year, and isn’t bringing a stick of furniture. Hates contemporary art, seems to hate people, and loves dogs. You’ll love this. He has a hundred-and-eighty-pound bull mastiff. Landlords are going to love that.”

“Oh, an easy one.” Coco laughed, as she took the file from her. “Who is he? Have I heard of him?”

“Only if you’ve ever read a book. Ian Kingston.”

Coco’s eyes opened wide. “Wow! The big guns.”

“The good news is that he doesn’t care how much he spends, the producers are paying for it. Any price. An apartment or house. But it has to be quiet. He wants to do some writing while he’s here. He’s working on a new book.”

“Any other particulars?”

“I would say something comfortable, male, quiet obviously, maybe near a park for the dog. They didn’t say it, but he sounds difficult. The producers called me. Kingston doesn’t want to be involved, but he expects us to get it right without even talking to him beforehand.”