Ice queen, p.8
Ice Queen, page 8
“It’s just so unfair. This is my life. My future. And I’m the
only one without any power at all.” Tears rose in Cynthia’s
eyes, but she wiped at them with fast fingers. It didn’t
escape Susanna that the movements looked well-practiced.
The idea of Cynthia crying alone in her room tore at her.
“I know it seems so now. I wish you’d trust that I know
what’s best for you.” Susanna knew she was close to
pleading with Cynthia.
Shaking her head slowly, Cynthia stood. “That’s just it,
Mom. I honestly don’t think you know what that is. And from
what I’ve learned, when someone says they’re doing what
they think is best for you, it almost always hurts like hell.
This is no different.” She fiddled with her mug, and the jewel
that made out the lizard’s eye sparkled. “I’m going up.
Homework.”
Susanna said good night, but Cynthia didn’t reciprocate.
The fact that she didn’t stomp up the stairs implied the
significance of Cynthia’s rapid exit. This was clearly bigger
than those annoying little things that could be stomped out
on her way to her room.
Susanna groaned and closed her eyes. How the hell was
she going to be able to talk to Aislin Kennedy tomorrow
without thinking about them dancing, first to the
thunderous, pulsating music, and later to the much slower
song? Aislin had been one with each note, each beat, and to
her credit, she had made Susanna relax into the dance and
helped her become less and less self-conscious.
When had she danced like that last? College? Perhaps. At
forty, the college years seemed far away. She had no
contact with her roommate or anyone in her study groups.
Being ambitious to a fault, Susanna made sure she
remembered she was in college and, later, university, to
study, and nothing else. Perhaps that’s why her social skills
had faltered later down the line. Her former husbands, both
of them, insisted that her shortcomings in that area had
destroyed the marriage. If Susanna had stooped to their
level, she would have stated the reason that was obvious to
her. The two divorces happened because both husbands had
affairs. Long-lasting, committed affairs. Craig, her first
husband and Cynthia’s father, had paraded his young
mistress at functions, and that’s how Susanna—and Cynthia
—found out. Myron, her second husband, whom she
divorced two years ago, had been subtler. It was Cynthia
who had broken the news of his infidelity to her mom.
Crying and fearful, she had told Susanna of the women—
yes, plural—who frequented her house when she was out of
town on business. Myron had expensive tastes, and she was
the main breadwinner in their household.
When Susanna learned that Myron had used cocaine at
their home, with Cynthia asleep in her room, she had tossed
him out. The press had devoured the scandal, especially
when Myron had first “told all” and later ended up hooked
up to an ankle bracelet for six months, as he was stupid
enough to think that a sprinkle of cocaine was nobody else’s
business. The police watching his “tell all” segment on TMZ
thought differently. Myron had been arrested at a private
club that also provided illegal gambling for its patrons.
The scandals, Craig’s betrayal, and Myron’s illegal
behavior had made Susanna get a realtor and decide not
only to move Cynthia and herself, but also Karma
Enterprise’s headquarters, from Manhattan. The irony of the
name of her company did not elude Susanna. Karma could
be a bitch, as the saying went, and in her case, she
intended to keep them both out of the destructiveness of
her former husband’s actions.
Getting up, Susanna carried her empty mug out into the
kitchen. There, on the marble counter, sat Cynthia’s mug as
well. For some reason, the sight of the lonely, colorful lizard
made Susanna’s eyes burn.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Aislin stepped out of the Uber and walked up to the security
gate, grateful it had turned out to be a lovely late-autumn
day. The gate’s bars were spaced close together and in
offset double rows, which meant it was impossible to look
straight through it. From a forty-five-degree angle, she saw
part of a driveway, paved with large, pink-maroon stones.
Farther to the right, fall colors suggested the presence of,
perhaps, a maple tree.
To Aislin’s left sat an intercom, and as she stepped closer
to locate the buzzer, an LCD screen lit up. A logo, probably
the security company’s, twirled and then morphed into the
face of a middle-aged woman with short, brown hair.
“How can I help you?” The woman’s gaze darted back
and forth a few times, making Aislin wonder if she was
checking other screens for security reasons. That would
make sense.
“My name is Aislin Kenney. Ms. Durr is expecting me.”
“Of course. Please come on through, Ms. Kennedy,” the
woman replied, sounding somewhat warmer.
Aislin jumped when the large gate began to move, but
then she hoisted her messenger bag higher onto her
shoulder and stepped inside the Durr property. She had
been right. Four large maple trees sat in the center of the
circular driveway. A gardener worked on some large planters
that lined the curb, probably preparing the plants for the
colder season. Behind the driveway, an enormous two-story
house sat overlooking the water, which was barely visible to
the north end of the structure. White and built in colonial
style, it looked surprisingly homey. Considering that
Susanna Durr was probably as wealthy as the Belmonts, she
had half expected something more ostentatious and
opulent.
Half of the glass double door opened, and the woman
from the screen stood in the doorway. “Welcome, Ms.
Kennedy. My name’s Lovisa. I’m Susanna’s housekeeper.”
The brunette was tall, and her sharp gray eyes combined
with measured body language made Aislin wonder if Lovisa
also held a position as some sort of bodyguard.
“Please, call me Aislin.” Aislin extended her hand and
shook Lovisa’s. The faint calluses in Lovisa’s palms spoke of
the housekeeper either being an avid gardener or indeed
some martial-arts expert. She stepped into the foyer and
took in the large staircase, the hardwood floor, and several
urns and vases holding fresh flowers. It was beautiful, but
not luxurious to a degree that some of the houses belonging
to other people in Susanna’s income bracket, as Aislin had
seen on TV, were. This spoke more of personal taste.
“Of course, Aislin. Let me take your coat.” Lovisa held out
her hand while Aislin tried not to fumble as she unbuttoned
it and handed it over. She hoped her dark-blue trouser suit
wasn’t too rumpled after a day at work. “Susanna’s in her
study.” Lovisa motioned for Aislin to follow her through a
hallway with artwork-adorned white walls. The dark
hardwood floors kept the white from coming off as too stark,
as did the contemporary furniture. A scent of something
green and fresh, combined with—was that cinnamon?—
helped make the large house feel quite cozy.
Lovisa stopped by an open door and rapped her
fingertips against the frame. “Aislin Kennedy to see you,
Susanna.”
“Please, come in, Aislin.” Susanna sounded calm,
bordering on detached.
Lovisa nodded at Aislin and turned back toward the foyer.
“Go right in.”
Aislin stepped into a large, bright room, its focal point a
mahogany desk. Behind it, Susanna was just getting to her
feet and rounding it, holding out her hand. Dressed in off-
white slacks and a button-down blue chambray shirt,
Susanna wore her hair in a low, soft bun. A thin gold chain
adorned her neck, and she wore what Aislin first thought
was a gold bracelet, but then she saw what had to be the
tiniest watch known to mankind around her left wrist. She
seemed shorter than Aislin remembered, and a quick glance
at the floor showed that Susanna was barefoot. That homey
touch nearly made Aislin’s knees buckle, but she quickly
straightened and shook Susanna’s hand.
Narrow and elegant, without rings, or even nail polish,
Susanna’s hand gripped Aislin’s firmly. Naturally, this
woman was used to shaking hands with dignitaries in the US
and around the world.
“So here we are.” Susanna pointed at the far end of her
impressive study, which boasted an antique settee clad in
some shiny blue fabric. “Please, have a seat. Coffee? Tea?”
“Tea, please.” Aislin sat down on the settee and hoped
she wouldn’t make a fool of herself and spill something on
the expensive-looking fabric.
Susanna poured tea for both of them, not in dainty cups,
thank God, but in rather sturdy mugs. An assortment of
baked goods sat under a glass dome, which she removed
and placed on her desk. “Help yourself.” Sitting down across
the table from Aislin, Susanna busied herself by adding
some Splenda to her tea. Eventually she leaned back into
the chair and sipped the steaming beverage. Her hazel eyes
looked more transparent than Aislin remembered, perhaps
because of the bright sunlight streaming into the room.
“Why don’t you begin by telling me how you came across
my daughter? Exactly.” After Susanna placed the mug back
on a coaster on the wood-framed glass table, her eyes
narrowed.
“Exactly?” Aislin gave that choice of word a second’s
thought before she continued. “My car broke down last
Friday. It was horrible weather, and my bus was going to be
a while. I was curious about the new addition to Michaela
Stone’s coffeehouse, Mike’s Little Nook, which happened to
be right there.”
“Happened.” Susanna’s tone was indifferent, but it still
made Aislin clutch the tea mug harder. Afraid she might
break it, she put it back on the table as well.
“Yes. I took an available seat at the counter, next to Cynt,
as it happened, and we started to talk. Your daughter is a
sweet kid.”
“And how is it that you managed to do what several other
people have not managed the last couple of years?”
Susanna shifted and crossed her legs, resting her jaw
against bent fingers. The pose was elegant, and Aislin had
the feeling it was well-rehearsed. That, or this woman was
simply born to look superior and elegant at the same time.
“I’m not sure what you mean, but if you’re referring to
Cynt’s wishes, I think they have more to do with her
situation at Drew and the other students there than with
me. She could have picked up on the fact that I’m used to
listening to kids, that I honestly love working with young
people, girls and boys. Cynt strikes me as the kind of person
who can recognize authenticity.”
There. Respond to that. Aislin truly hadn’t agreed to show
up here to be lectured, and certainly not to be treated as
some creep with ulterior motives. Still, she used her training
to stay calm. Nothing would be gained, and it certainly
wouldn’t help Cynt, if she and Susanna began some sort of
screaming match.
“I see.” Susanna tapped her cheekbone with a long,
tapered index finger. She kept her nails blunt, which
surprised Aislin, who would have thought a woman
connected to the fashion industry would have those
fashionable, long gel nails that Corinne favored on special
occasions. Was this a sign of practicality or lack of vanity?
Perhaps both. “I had my assistant call your principal, and if
she hadn’t given you the best of references, I would have
cancelled this meeting.”
What the hell? “Excuse me?” Aislin’s determination to
remain calm vanished. “Then what was all the third degree
for? I don’t know about you, but my time is precious, and I
have a lot of work still to do when I get home—”
“Calm down. I had to make certain for myself.” Raising
her chin, Susanna seemed to think that such a half-assed
explanation was enough.
“I’m not sure what you can possibly have deduced from
our exchanging a few words, most of them half offensive.”
Certain she was screwing up Cynt’s chances of effecting
change, Aislin clamped her teeth together around even
more frustrated words.
“You have a point, but you’d be surprised at how much
I’ve learned about reading people as well, in my line of
business.” Susanna felt over her low bun and smoothed
down nonexistent errant strands.
“I’m pretty sure I can’t compare to your boardroom
members, stockholders, and CEOs. That could mean your
ability to read people may be off when it comes to regular
people. I have no desire to take advantage, in any shape or
form, of your daughter and her position as the child of a
wealthy parent. She’s simply a sweet kid who seems
unhappy and in need of a friend who can offer valuable
advice that can help her change things for the better.”
Susanna smiled. This expression startled Aislin enough to
make her flinch. Showing off perfect, white teeth, of course,
in a broad, luscious smile, Susanna had a beauty that went
from austere to otherworldly. “Excellent,” Susanna said.
“You stand up for yourself, and that’s what I feel Cynthia is
trying to do as well. She does need someone who can
understand her in ways I can’t. It’s not that I don’t want to,”
Susanna
said,
and
adjusted
her
watch,
looking
uncomfortable, the smile fading. “I have limited time during
the week, and we don’t seem to speak the same language.”
This wasn’t the first rich parent with no time for her
children that Aislin had ever come across, but the fact that
Susanna looked so pale and stricken was promising. “I’m
sure you wish that were different. Perhaps I can be the
conduit for a short time, and you two can find common
ground when things calm down.” Aislin slid forward on the
chair and placed her elbows on her knees, looking firmly
into Susanna’s eyes. “And, if you agree to trust me on this,
you need to start with a show of good faith.”
“Toward you? How?” Susanna eyed her suspiciously.
“Money?”
Aislin couldn’t help it. She threw her head back and
groaned. Though Susanna was a brilliant president and
owner of a huge conglomerate of companies, she had a
stupid streak. And a paranoid one. Granted, no doubt a lot
of people were looking for a free ride, but it was important
that Aislin put a stop to this foolishness now. “Rewind. We
are talking about Cynt. Prove that you’ve listened to her and
that you are ready to negotiate and make time for her. She
may be asking to talk to me, but, trust me, it is your
attention and approval she dreams of.”
Susanna gaped, only for a second, at the most, but her
jaw dropped, and the move actually looked sexy. Aislin
found her mind returning to the dance floor and the feel of
Susanna moving to the beat in her arms. Shit.
“What do you suggest I do?” Susanna’s cheekbones
turned the faintest shade of pink.
“Tell her you’ll tour our school with her. You can be as
cautious as you like, but that would be a great way for you
to see how we work, and for Cynt to do the same. Perhaps
our school is not what she thinks it is—or maybe you’ll find
good things about it that you didn’t expect.”
Susanna shifted her gaze to the window and didn’t reply
for a few moments. “All right. I’ll have my assistant call you.
You will be the one showing us around, right?” She snapped
her head back, and now her eyes were like glass. Shiny,
transparent.
“I will. Just call the administrator, and she’ll make an
appointment for you. I’ll leave word with her to set aside
however long it takes.” Aislin drew a deep breath. This was
the hard, but still the easy part—getting Susanna to stop
reacting like she was about to call the feds on her. “Before I
go, however, we need to talk about something else. The
elephant in the room, as it were.”
