Fear of Falling

“Thanks to you.” Doug was a renowned collector in his own right and he’d often advised Sartain on purchases.

Doug stepped around an arrangement of palm trees and stood beside Sartain. “I passed Natalie in the hall just now. She looked upset.”

“I don’t know what about.”

Doug glanced at him. “I thought maybe you’d said something to her. I was hoping you wouldn’t run her off the first day.”

“She’s not going to leave. She’s too tough for that.”

“How do you know?”

“She actually had me apologizing for an outburst this morning.” He held the ball and glared at Doug. “I never apologize.”

“Then I’m impressed. She might civilize you yet.”

“I’m more interested in making her a little less civilized. Less uptight, anyway.” He tossed the ball across the room. It landed at the base of a lime tree and sent a rain of leaves to the floor. “How did you happen to pick her for the job? There must be hundreds of business-school graduates you could have hired.”

“Her mother is an old family friend. I did it to help her, and also because I knew after years of dealing with Gigi, she’d know how to cope with you.”

“You make it sound like I’m a dog who needs to be trained.”

Doug smirked. “Your words, not mine.” His expression sobered. “You’re going to behave yourself with her, aren’t you, John? She’s not one of your models or actresses.”

“What, is she a virgin?” He laughed at Doug’s stern expression. “Natalie is an interesting person. If we’re going to be working together, I intend to get to know her better. How much better is entirely up to her.”

“She’s led a sheltered life,” Doug said. “She grew up with the performing company. She’s traveled all over the world, but she hasn’t really seen or done anything outside of the show.”

“All the more reason for me to share my reality with her. It could be a very eye-opening experience.” For both of them.

NATALIE PUSHED OPEN the door to the offices and found Laura waiting on the other side. “I’m glad you’re back,” Laura said. “I’ve been waiting to apologize for my behavior toward you earlier.” She stared at the floor, and shifted from foot to foot. “I guess I’m not very good at hiding my feelings. I was disappointed that I didn’t get your job, but now, after the way you handled Sartain this morning, I see why Doug hired you.”

The secretary’s new-found humbleness caught Natalie off guard, but she managed to nod. “Apology accepted.” She cleared her throat, composing her next words carefully. “It could be, too, that neither Doug nor Sartain wanted to give up a good assistant. I have almost no secretarial skills. The things they hired me for—writing catalog copy and press releases, negotiating with printers and shippers, and doing damage control with the press—will free you to focus more on managing Sartain’s schedule, taking care of supply orders and things like that. Can you show me what you’re working on this morning?”

“Sure.” Laura raised her head, smiling now. “The Young Artists’ Endowment Fund has asked for a donation for their charity auction.” She led the way to her desk and pulled up a file on the computer. “We’re sending a painting, so I have to find out which painting, then arrange for shipping and follow up to make sure we receive the proper paperwork for tax purposes.”

“Does Sartain often donate to charities?”

“Sometimes. He has a few causes he supports.” She glanced at Natalie. “He’s really a very generous man. What you saw before—that outburst—that’s just because his art is so important to him.”

Did she detect a note of adoration in Laura’s voice? Maybe her earlier ice princess routine was merely a cover for a serious crush on their employer. But was Sartain really generous? Not as self-centered as she’d thought?

“How was your tour of the castle?” Laura asked.

“It was all right.” Natalie was careful to keep her expression neutral. “It’s an impressive place.”

“Did he show you the dungeon?”

She started. Had someone seen them going in there, and perhaps wondered why they’d lingered so long? But Laura’s expression showed only mild curiosity.

“I take it it’s a regular stop on the tour.” Natalie made a face. “We were there when the lights went out.”

“There was a huge crash of thunder and they went out. Fortunately, the computers are on battery backup, so we didn’t lose anything.”

“Are there frequent power outages here?”

Laura shrugged. “Sometimes. When it storms. The electric co-op usually gets things up and running again quickly.”

“That’s good to know.” Natalie suppressed a shudder. She’d have to be sure to have a flashlight and candles within easy reach in her room. And maybe she’d refill the tranquilizers the doctor had prescribed. She didn’t like to take them, but sometimes that was the only way to keep the panic at bay.

“It’s almost lunchtime,” Laura said. “Would you like to eat together?”

Natalie checked her watch and was surprised to see it was a quarter to twelve. “I didn’t even think about lunch. I don’t guess you go out to eat much here, do you?”

Laura shook her head. “We don’t have to. The castle has a cook. And we have a covered patio with a gorgeous view.” She led the way to the combination break room/kitchen. “The cook keeps salad and sandwich fixings in here. And if you want anything special, you can call in an order to the kitchen and someone will deliver it here at lunchtime.”

“The perks of being wealthy,” Natalie said.

“The perks of working for someone who’s wealthy.” Laura opened the refrigerator and studied the contents. “How does salad sound? There’s chicken caesar today.”

“That sounds great,” Natalie said. She followed Laura out to a sheltered patio. The rain had stopped, and the clouds had parted to reveal a breathtaking view of a sun-washed valley framed by snow-capped peaks. “It looks like a postcard,” Natalie said.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Laura pulled two chairs up to a wrought-iron table and gestured for Natalie to sit. “I’ve seen deer and elk in the valley. And in the fall the aspens are spectacular.”

“Do you live here at the castle, too?” Natalie asked as Laura split the salad between two plates.

Laura shook her head. “Not in the castle like you. I’m in what I guess was meant to be a gardener’s cottage, at the back of the property. It’s tiny, but private.”

“How long have you worked for Sartain?” Natalie asked.

“Five months. I heard through another artist that Sartain was looking for office help and I applied for the job before it was even advertised.”

“Does he often have temper tantrums like the one I witnessed this morning?”

Laura giggled. “Temper tantrums? That’s a good way to describe them, I guess.”

“Talented, wealthy men and two-year-olds often have about the same level of self-control, I’ve noticed.” An acclaimed Chinese acrobat had spent one season with the Cirque du Paris. Having been pampered and catered to in his homeland, he continually chafed under the company’s strict rules. No one had been sorry to see him depart at the end of that year’s tour.

“I’d say he loses his temper over something about once a week,” Laura said. “Usually I shrug it off. I know he doesn’t mean anything by it. It’s only because he’s so passionate about his work.”

There was that adoring note again. Natalie picked at her salad. “That doesn’t give him the right to take his frustrations out on you,” she said.

“I guess not.” Laura’s eyes met Natalie’s. “Thank you for standing up for me this morning. He’s never apologized to anyone before.”

“Part of my job is to see that he acts like an adult about these things.” She frowned. “I’m supposed to bring some discipline into his life.”

“Then I’m really glad I didn’t get your job. The artists I’ve met don’t believe in discipline.”

“Do you know many artists?”