Nigel was hanging off the side of the weird little footbridge that went from the elevator to Tanner’s apartment door. Nigel had a staple gun and was stapling a tarp over top of the water. He grunted as he tried to maneuver without falling in.
“What are you doing, Nigel?”
“Hiding the…” Nigel started coughing. “Nothing. What are you doing, Mr. Caldwell?” He placed one more staple and then slid back safely onto the bridge. He was completely out of breath, but he quickly wiped off his lederhosen and stood up with a bow.
“Heading to work.” I lifted up the bag lunch.
“Good, good. I’m glad you found your lunch. Please don’t look down.”
“Nigel, I’ve been here before. I know Tanner somehow has water under this bridge.”
“Right. Of course. Just normal everyday water and nothing more. See you tonight, Mr. Caldwell. I’ll have a bath and a snifter of cognac waiting for you upon your arrival.”
If that wasn’t the weirdest sentence I’d ever heard. “That won’t be necessary, Nigel.”
“But you’re Master Tanner’s guest.”
“Just pretend I’m not here.”
“But you’re also Master Tanner’s best friend. Only the best for Master Tanner’s best friend.”
Okay. “I don’t really take baths, but I appreciate the offer.”
“We’ll see if I can change your mind about that tonight. Good day.” He hurried back inside with his staple gun.
Bath references should never sound dirty, but Nigel made it sound absolutely filthy. I sighed and looked down. And I swore I saw the tarp move. I grabbed the railing on the bridge. What the hell? Was there something under there?
Fuck it. I didn’t even want to know what was in that water. It was probably another houseboy dressed in lederhosen ready to jump out and scare me half to death. And I wanted no part in it. I’d had enough weirdness for one morning. I made my way over the footbridge and safely onto the elevator.
I just needed to focus on staying alive and convincing Penny to give me those prototypes. And for Nigel to stop trying to see me naked.
Chapter 24
Tuesday
I hadn’t heard from Penny all day. I’d texted her this morning to see if we were still on for dinner. But she hadn’t responded. I’d texted her again an hour ago asking if she had gotten my first text, and immediately wished I could have unsent it. Obviously she had gotten my other text and was just not responding.
I opened up my bag lunch, very aware of the fact that Tanner had probably made Nigel make it so I wouldn’t leave the office today. Not like that mattered. Poppy had waltzed into MAC International undetected before. Certainly a hitwoman could do the same.
There was a folded note on top of the food:
Mr. Caldwell,
I’m so elated that you’ll be staying with us for the foreseeable future. It is my job to make sure you are comfortable and happy during the duration of your visit. So please let me know if there’s anything you need me to acquire. At your convenience, my number is below and I’ll go out and fetch everything you require today. Or if you need me to get items from your home, I’m happy to do that as well.
Have a good and prosperous day at work. Remember to smile and be kind to others. And use your words not your fists.
Yours,
-Nigel
XOXO
P.S. I hope you like meat!
Gross. Well, the note was gross. The turkey sandwich piled high with lettuce and tomato on rye bread looked excellent. I took a bite and it practically melted in my mouth. What kind of cheese was that? Gruyere?
I looked at the note again. That was too many X’s and O’s from one man to another. And the meat comment could have been innocent. But when it came to Nigel, I had no idea. I wondered how he’d take it if I texted him that all I required was privacy. Probably not well. And then he’d also have my number. I couldn’t let that happen. And what was all that weird stuff about fighting and being kind? Did he think I was a petulant child? I pushed the note to the side and tried to enjoy my sandwich.
Tanner said that Nigel didn’t try to dress and bathe him. So maybe Nigel just had a weird crush on me. It wouldn’t be the first time a guy had hit on me. It was flattering. But very much unreciprocated. If he was giving me attention for that reason, I needed to make sure he knew I was straight. Was it rude to just tell him flat out?
There was a knock on my door.
“Not now!” Hm. Be kind and smile. Maybe that was advice I needed to remember. “I mean, yes?” I called in a more upbeat voice.
My receptionist, Mary, walked in. “I’m sorry to bother you, but do you know a Ms. Cannavaro?”
Poppy Cannavaro. I swallowed down a chunk of too much turkey and cleared my throat. “Why?” Please let there be news that she died in an explosion or something and that this wasn’t about her being outside my office right now. One can hope.
“I input all your meetings myself. And for the life of me I can’t remember setting one with her. I honestly don’t even remember seeing it this morning when I double checked today’s schedule. But I just got an alert saying you have a 1 o’clock with her. And sure enough, I looked and there the appointment is in the system.” She shook her head. “Maybe she set it up a long time ago and I just don’t remember?”
I doubted that. It was a lot more likely that Poppy had someone hack into our system. Damn it. I looked down at my watch. Poppy would be here any minute.
“Do you want me to cancel?”
As appealing as that sounded, canceling on Poppy wouldn’t make her go away. She was a pest that just kept showing up. I needed to see what she wanted now and try to squash it. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll handle it.”
“I’m very sorry, Matthew.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m sure it was just a glitch.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” She smiled. “You look well-rested today. Did the chamomile tea work?”
More like the magical green juice. Hell, maybe chamomile was the secret ingredient. Regardless, I wanted to make Mary smile today. “It must have.”
“That’s wonderful. Let me know if you’d like me to bring you a cup before work ends today. And I’ll ring you when Ms. Cannavaro arrives.”
I nodded and looked down at my sandwich as Mary closed the door. I suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore. What if Poppy wasn’t stopping by to talk? I swallowed hard. Was this it? Was Poppy going to walk in here with a gun and pull the trigger? Would someone find this weird note on my desk and think I was having a gay affair with Nigel? Would my murder make the late night news? How would I be remembered?”
Fuck. James. The last words I’d said to him. I knew better than that. I knew better than anyone that life could be cut short. I didn’t want those to be my last words to him. I pulled out my phone. But there were suddenly a million things I wanted to do. I needed to finally call my mom back. I didn’t care that she always pestered me this time of year. I needed to tell her that I loved her. And thank Mason for always looking out for me. And I stupidly even wanted to call Rob and make sure he knew he was my best friend too. And Tanner for the same reason. It was okay to have two best friends, and I wasn’t sure why the hell this was the last thing I was thinking about before I died.