Blessing in Disguise Read online

  “It’s where the money is these days. Big money for some people. I want a piece of that.” He was undeniably ambitious and made no attempt to hide it. “My father made a killing in real estate and the stock market. He was a very smart guy, and then he lost everything with a slew of bad investments. So not so smart in the end. For a while my mother and I had everything we wanted, and then one day, bingo, it was over when he lost it all, and we had nothing. It destroyed their marriage and my mother divorced him. I want to get back on top with the art market, if I sell to the right people. I don’t want to wind up where my father did, living in a fleabag motel, selling insurance and eventually driving a limo. He died without a penny. I figure I’ve got ten or fifteen years to make it really big, and I intend to.” She didn’t doubt for a minute that he would. He had the kind of drive and determination to make it happen. He was a born winner, and he was hell-bent on making a fortune.

  “The art market is a hard way to do it, especially with contemporary work. You can’t always predict what will turn out to be a good investment,” she said sensibly.

  “I know that, but you’d be astounded what some people are willing to pay for new work, and as the dealer, I get fifty percent of every sale. There’s a fortune to be made with what I’m doing, particularly in LA. The art market there is huge, and I’ve just recently started exploring Vegas. My clients may not be as polished and blue-blooded as yours, Isabelle, but their money smells just as good to me.” He was blunt about what he wanted, which was foreign to her, but in some ways intriguing. One had to admire him for working so hard at climbing the ladder to success. She had never been as ambitious, and was satisfied to build her career more slowly. She had her eye on the big picture and a respectable career, not instant money. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She smiled at the question.

  “An art consultant, dealing in Old Masters and Impressionists. It’s what I know best. I want to help people put together important collections. I get satisfaction from that. It’s like matchmaking in a way.”

  “I don’t have your patience, or your knowledge,” he said honestly, and she liked that about him too. He hid nothing, and she was enjoying him much more than she had expected she would. “With a woman like you at my side, I could move mountains,” he said dreamily.

  “I have the feeling you can do that on your own,” she said as she finished her glass of champagne and he poured her another. She was feeling slightly tipsy, which she didn’t like when she was alone with Theo, but Theo was fast asleep, and Isabelle knew she would be soon too, after Collin left, so what they were doing didn’t seem dangerous. Just this once.

  “My life has no meaning without a wife and kids,” he said softly as he looked at her longingly. “Success is only half of it. The rest is what really matters.” She knew that too, but for her the lesson had been hard won. “I just have to meet the right one. And, Isabelle, I really think you’re it. I knew it from the moment I saw you.” His saying it was premature and embarrassed her, but with the help of the champagne it didn’t seem quite so shocking nor did it when he kissed her a moment later. He tried to lay her down on the couch, but she wouldn’t let him.

  “My daughter’s in the next room,” she reminded him sternly.

  “And if she weren’t,” he whispered, “would that make a difference?” She didn’t know what to say to him. She hadn’t slept with anyone since Putnam, and it had been three years since she’d been physically involved with him. She was twenty-five, and Collin was fatally attractive. He had a hand on her breast, which she knew shouldn’t be there, but she didn’t want him to remove it. “I know this sounds crazy, but I think I’m falling in love with you. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. Beautiful, smart, sexy, a good person, and a wonderful mother.”

  “You don’t know anything about me,” she said, feeling sober again and a little frightened. He was moving very quickly. Much too quickly, and building a fantasy about her.

  “I know everything I need to know about you.” And she knew nothing about him, except what he had told her. “If you married me tomorrow, I know it would work.”

  “Well, fortunately, neither of us are crazy enough to do that.” She finally moved her leg away and put down her glass of champagne.

  “When can I see you again, Isabelle? I can come to New York whenever you want me. I’m seeing a client here in two weeks. He’s flying in from Moscow to meet me. I have to go to Hong Kong after that.”

  “You lead a much more interesting life than I do.” It was hard not to be impressed by what he was saying, and how enterprising he was. He was someone who made things happen. He didn’t wait for life to happen to him.

  “Then share my life with me. You can come with me whenever you want.”

  “I have a daughter and a job,” she said, smiling at him, “and both are important to me.”

  “I want to be important to you. I want to have children with you.” It was crazy talk, but the way he looked at her, coupled with what he said, was mesmerizing.

  “Beware of what you wish for,” she said softly.

  “You would be my dream come true, Isabelle. I want to see you again, as soon as possible. I’ll be back in two weeks. Make time for me. Would you go away for a weekend with me? Can you get a sitter for Theo?”

  “Yes, about the sitter. But I won’t go away with you until I know you a whole lot better. If you really want to spend time with me, let’s do it more sensibly than this. I don’t want to rush into anything. I’ve already made one mistake, I don’t want to make another.” He nodded, willing to slow down if it would help him win her. “And I don’t want to lie to you, Collin. I’m not divorced. I wasn’t married to Theo’s father. I loved him deeply, and still do in many ways, and he’s a wonderful father to her. But I was hasty about throwing myself into a relationship with him. I don’t regret it because of Theo. But the next time I fall in love, I want to be sensible about what I’m doing. I was twenty then. I don’t have that excuse now.” He was impressed by her honesty and understood her caution.

  “I’ll try not to rush you, but I know what I want.” He was so determined, it still puzzled her. They hardly knew each other. Why her, and why now?

  “I’ve already seen that side of you,” she said, smiling at him, and he kissed her tantalizingly on the lips. If she had let herself throw caution to the winds, she would have gone to bed with him, but she knew she shouldn’t, and wasn’t going to until she was more sure about what she was doing, and who he was.

  He got up to leave then. He had said enough. He’d put his stake in the ground and wasn’t going to let her get away, or let fear keep her from doing what he wanted. Once Collin made up his mind to do something, nothing could stop him.

  “We could work together one day, if you wanted to,” he suggested as she walked him to the door.

  “I think I’m better where I am. It’s what I was trained for.” He nodded, willing to accept a rejection on that front and no other. “Thank you for the caviar and champagne.”

  “That’s the life I want to share with the woman I love. Caviar and champagne forever. I’m working toward that now.” But riches and luxuries had never been motivators for her, and she didn’t love Putnam for what he had. Collin had no way of knowing who Theo’s father was. He thought Isabelle was a bright young woman with a good job, in a modest apartment. He didn’t understand that this was all she wanted, until she could do more for herself. She wasn’t looking for a man to support her. She only needed some help for her daughter, and Putnam took care of that.

  She thought about Collin that night as she lay in bed, slightly unnerved by the evening and how brazen he was, and at the same time flattered and aroused by it. He was a hard man to resist, and she wondered if he would pursue her now, or lose interest and move on to someone else.

  He called her the next morning before he left the city, and from LA that night, where he
was seeing clients. She heard from him again from Palm Springs and Newport Beach, and Las Vegas. He was just as besotted by her as ever. When he came back to New York to meet his Russian client, he invited her to dinner with them, but she declined. He took her out to dinner after his client left. Collin said the Russian had bought a million dollars’ worth of paintings from him, which meant he had just made half a million for himself. She congratulated him on the sale. She dealt with even larger amounts at the gallery where she worked, but the big commissions were for the house and not for her. She made a set percentage on her sales, which was a respectable amount, but nothing like what Collin had just made. He was on a fast track to the big time, which was where he wanted to be, and he wasn’t shy about it. He said the client he was meeting in Hong Kong was even bigger, and he was vague about who that was. He said he had others in Dubai, which was a burgeoning new market, and a hotbed of international money, much of it recently made.

  Collin seemed desperate to tell her about everything he was doing to impress her and make her feel like she was part of his life. She’d been alone for a long time, which made her vulnerable to him, but she was determined not to get into a relationship she couldn’t handle with a man she didn’t know.

  He tried to get her to go back to his hotel with him after dinner, and she wouldn’t. He was still moving too fast for her. She had enjoyed the evening with him and was trying not to be overwhelmed by him. He kissed her longingly in the cab when he dropped her off at her apartment and she wouldn’t let him come upstairs. Her resisting him and insisting on their taking their time was driving him insane. He had never waited for a woman before, but said she was worth the wait.

  She mentioned him to her father on Thanksgiving when she and Theo spent the holiday with him. She and Collin had been dating for almost three months by then. She described what he did as a personal art dealer, and that he’d managed to come to New York two or three times a month to see her, which meant she had seen him about eight times since they’d met.

  “He sounds interesting, but be careful, Isabelle. You do need to get out more, but it seems like he’s on a fast track to somewhere. Just be sure it’s where you want to go.” She agreed with him, but was thinking about Collin more and more. He called her constantly from all over the country and all over the world. She’d grown more comfortable with him, and he hadn’t wavered about the fact that he was in love with her, which still was somewhat hard to believe.

  Collin came to see her a week before Christmas, before she and Theo left for Newport again. He had begged her to spend the holidays with him, but she said she couldn’t let her father down. He asked her to come to the Turks and Caicos with him on New Year’s Eve, and this time she agreed. She couldn’t put him off any longer and didn’t want to. It was harder and harder to find reasons not to make love with him. It was what she wanted now too. She had been sensible for long enough. And she thought a trip might help them get to know each other better. There were still things about him she didn’t know, there were pieces of the puzzle missing that he didn’t volunteer or explain.

  Maeve stayed with Theo and they left on the thirtieth on a plane he had chartered for her. He had rented a fully staffed villa near the beach, with a swimming pool off their bedroom. They had barely arrived when he picked her up and carried her to bed, and they didn’t leave their bedroom and the private pool for two days. She had never in her life had such an exotic experience or known such an exciting man. On New Year’s Eve, he got down on one knee at midnight and proposed. She knelt down in front of him and kissed him and whispered, “I love you, Collin. But let’s not get married yet. It’s too soon. Let’s wait.” He was disappointed by her response and wanted her to keep the ring he’d bought, but she refused and said she needed longer to get to know him. He looked like a child who’d been told that Santa Claus had been delayed, and she asked him to keep the ring. She wasn’t ready to promise him the rest of her life yet. He had swept her off her feet, but she wanted to be sure it would last.

  She was curious about his home in Newport Beach, and the gallery, but it seemed as if he was never there. She met him in Aspen instead, Palm Beach and Miami, where he was seeing clients. They went skiing in Vermont, she slept with him at his hotel room in New York, and in April they went to Saint Bart’s. He proposed again, and this time, she said yes. They’d been dating for seven months, and she agreed that they both needed to settle down, and stop meeting in other cities. The pace of their relationship had been frantic since they’d met. It seemed to be Collin’s style. He was a shooting star, while telling her constantly that he wanted to slow down. There was no evidence of it yet. And when she asked him where they would live, he answered New York. He respected her job, traveled everywhere to see his clients, and said he wanted to close the gallery in Newport Beach. His business had outgrown it and meeting clients in their homes around the globe was more profitable, with no overhead. He was prepared to make New York his home base, with her. He wanted them to get a bigger apartment in the city, and told her to start looking. But she didn’t want to rush into it. She liked the one Putnam provided and it was big enough for the three of them.

  He cried when she agreed to marry him, and after some discussion, they decided to get married in Newport in June with only her father and Theo present. Collin had no relatives other than his mother, who was in an assisted living facility in San Diego, with Alzheimer’s. He said she wasn’t up to the trip and wouldn’t enjoy the wedding. She was too confused.

  Isabelle called to tell her father about getting married, and he said he was happy for her, that Collin sounded like an ambitious, hardworking man, and he hoped it would be everything she wanted. He was slightly reserved about it, and wanted only his daughter’s happiness with the right man.

  Collin made a big effort to woo his father-in-law when he met him in Newport the day before the ceremony. Isabelle hadn’t wanted a wedding, just a simple ceremony at their local church. She’d lost touch with her old school friends, and Theo was her life. She looked radiant when they exchanged their vows and he slipped a diamond band on her finger with the engagement ring she’d finally accepted. The only thing she was uncomfortable about was that she hadn’t told Putnam about Collin yet. She wanted to tell him in person in August. Collin said he’d be traveling all summer to see clients, meeting them on their yachts and in their summer homes. He didn’t see why she should stop visiting Putnam for the month as she always did. She was grateful he had no objection, and he had no problem with her keeping her job, although he said he wanted babies right away.

  They postponed their honeymoon for the time being since he was traveling so much, and went back to New York after the weekend as man and wife.

  For the next two months, Collin was gone almost constantly, making deals and seeing clients, mainly in Las Vegas and abroad, and she didn’t see him for weeks before she was due to leave for Normandy with Theo at the end of July. Isabelle was somewhat disappointed that she had seen so little of Collin ever since their wedding. He had warned her that it would be that way, and he had apologized for it in advance. But his clients were demanding and expected him to show up wherever they were for the summer, given the amount of money they were willing to spend on the paintings he sold them. He tried to make it up to Isabelle in the days, here and there, that he managed to spend with her between trips, but basically he was a no-show, as he had feared, and he didn’t expect to be in New York for more than a few days until September. He was relieved to know that Putnam would have Isabelle and Theo with him in August in France. Instead of jealous, he was grateful to him, and from Isabelle’s description of him, he sounded like a wonderful man. They had no plans to meet but Collin said he’d like to at a convenient time.

  Isabelle was concerned too that Collin’s traveling had cooled his ardor. Whenever she saw him, he was exhausted and jet-lagged. Their passionate love life had slowed down almost as soon as they had exchanged their vows. His tra
veling so much hadn’t affected him before, but it did now. Isabelle left for France feeling like a wife, but not a bride.

  * * *

  —

  She told Putnam about Collin the first night at dinner. She didn’t like keeping secrets from him. He was startled at first, but liked the fact that Collin was supportive of Isabelle and Theo’s summer visit and had no desire to interfere or interrupt them. Putnam was elated to see them both when they arrived. She could tell how lonely he had been by how anxious he was for Theo’s company. He wanted to show her everything new on the estate, including two lambs. Theo wanted to take them to New York with her, but her father explained that they wouldn’t be happy in an apartment. She had just turned five in May and was an enchanting child with impeccable manners and a kind heart. She was as shy as ever, except when she was with her father, and then they chattered incessantly, and Theo seemed to blossom, as did her father.

  When they had time alone, Putnam questioned her intensely about Collin and the nature of his business. Isabelle was as vague about it as Collin was himself, and she didn’t fully understand the scope of his business except that he sold high-priced contemporary art privately, and had a small gallery on the West Coast which he intended to close in the fall. He didn’t need it anymore, and was planning to switch his base of operations to New York. And so far, he hadn’t had time to show her his gallery in Newport Beach.

  “You’re sure he’s on the up-and-up?” Putnam said, concerned, when she explained Collin’s private art sales to him. “It’s not a money-laundering operation, is it?” She laughed at the idea.