Nicolette didn't know how long she had been crying, but when her tears finally stopped, she was tired, weak.
Her thoughts drifted to the gallery, and she winced, almost tasting the smoke at the back of her throat.
She pulled out her phone and dialed her best friend's number. Almost immediately, Suzie answered.
"Howdy, stranger," Suzie said, sounding cheerful. "I haven't heard from you all morning."
"I was busy," Nicolette said, her voice dropping. "The gallery… the gal... fire…" she stuttered, the pain tugging at her heart again.
"I don't understand you, Lettie," Suzie said, her voice filled with dread and curiosity.
Nicolette's heart sank. She could feel the tears coming out again. "It's gone… the house… Rob… he—"
"Easy now," Suzie said, like a mother calming her child. "Where are you?"
"Home," she breathed.
"I'm coming," Suzie said, ending the call.
Nicolette sighed, staring out in disbelief. She and Robert had been in a relationship for a year. During those months, she had to defend and provide for his lazy ass.
Her chest tightened with fresh pain. Her father detested Robert and never hid it, yet she had stayed in the relationship, even though it was draining. From dealing with other women to paying off his debts when he gambled, Nicolette had stayed.
Now she felt foolish for all the chances she gave—chances to change, chances to prove others wrong. As much as it hurt her to admit, her father was right—Robert would always be a lowlife.
Her front door opened behind her and Nicolette turned. Suzie walked in, dropping her bag on the floor. Her eyes widened with shock. "What happened here? Were you robbed?"
"No, Robert took everything," she said softly as she stood up from the floor.
"That bastard!" Suzie yelled, gritting her teeth, her voice echoing in the empty house. "That gambler! I can't believe he did this."
Nicolette wrapped her arms around her body as if to stop her heart from aching. She wanted to cry, to scream out loud, but she was numb.
Everything she owned was gone, probably in the back of a pawn shop, exchanged for cash to feed Robert's gambling addiction. She winced at the thought.
Suzie walked into the rooms, cursing and snapping as she entered each empty one. When she came out, she had packed all of Nicolette's clothes in a suitcase.
"Let's get out of here," Suzie said, dragging the suitcase along.
Nicolette nodded and followed Suzie, her heart sinking as she took one final look at her apartment. But as soon as she stepped outside, she saw her landlady, Mrs Higgins, walking towards her.
"Shit," she cursed, trying to dodge the old woman, but it was too late. Mrs Higgins had already seen her.
"Miss Voss, Miss Voss!" Mrs Higgins called, and approached them. Her eyes narrowed with disapproval. "Are you avoiding me again?"
Nicolette turned to her, forcing a smile. "Of course not. How are you doing ma'am?"
Mrs Higgins didn't reply, instead her forehead furrowed as her eyes landed on the suitcase Suzie was holding. She folded her arms, her eyes shining with suspicion. "Are you going somewhere?"
"No… I… Suzie is…" she stuttered. She sighed and gave in to the truth. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I will pay you soon."
"That's what you've been saying for the past three months!" Mrs Higgins snapped. "I am done with your excuses."
Her stomach twisted. "Ma'am, I will—"
"No more excuses," Mrs Higgins said, shaking her head. "I'm giving you five days. Pay my money or leave."
Nicolette gasped. "Five days? How am I—"
"I don't care," Mrs Higgins interrupted her. "Five days or be out!" Then she turned and walked away.
Nicolette stood still, unable to move until Suzie pulled her gently, leading her to her car.
"Don't think about it," Suzie said softly as she started the engine.
Nicolette was in shock. How could everything be happening all at once?
First the gallery, then Robert, and now this?
She was so lost in thoughts that she didn't notice when Suzie stopped the car.
"We're here," Suzie said.
Nicolette looked out, got out of the car and made her way into Suzie's small apartment.
Suzie dragged the suitcase and left it on the small front porch. Then, she went to the kitchen and came back with a plate of eggs and toast.
"Eat," she ordered, and Nicolette picked up the plate and began to eat. "What happened? How come you never told me about the debt?"
How could she? Nicolette wondered. Suzie was barely surviving in her small apartment with her three-year old son. She couldn't possibly burden Suzie with her own problems.
"I couldn't burden you with that. I know how hard things are for you too," Nicolette admitted, taking a bite of the toast.
Suzie frowned. "That's not enough reason, I would have helped."
"I know," Nicolette smiled, then she took a deep breath and set the plate on the table. "The gallery is gone. There was a fire."
"Oh no!" Suzie exclaimed, jumping to her feet, her cheeks turning red. "How? What happened?"
Nicolette leaned on the couch and told her everything. From how her neighbor's call had woken her up, to how she had found the gallery burnt beyond saving, to her suspicion about her father's involvement, to Hillary's call.
When she finished, she went back to her food, numb and tired.
Suzie began pacing around the room. "No, this is crazy. Do you think your father could really have done this?"
"Yes," Nicolette said firmly. "He can."
"And Hillary asking you to go home, that's not even a good idea," Suzie said with a frown.
"She's just looking out for me," Nicolette replied.
Hillary and Suzie had always had their issues, bickering and disagreeing with each other. She wasn't surprised Suzie disapproved of Hillary's suggestion.
"What do we do now? How do we recover from this?" Suzie asked, shock evident in her voice.
"I don't know," Nicolette admitted.
There was so much for her to unpack, and she honestly didn't know where to start.
Suzie stopped pacing and sat down. "I hate that your father could do this to you. God, he's such a sore loser," she grimaced, running a hand through her brown hair. "Why can't he just leave you the hell alone?"
"He won't," Nicolette replied softly, her pain mixing with anger. "He wants to frustrate me. He wants me to crawl and whine just so he could gloat about my loss."
She groaned. This was why she left home in the first place. It was the disrespect, the disregard, the attitude that she would never make it without him.
Nicolette couldn't ask her father for help. Not now. He would smirk at her helplessness. She couldn't give him that satisfaction.
Suzie let out a deep sigh. "And now the Julius Allens deal is off, the paintings are gone. He can't help you now."
"What if he can?" Nicolette blurted out. A wicked thought gleaming in her mind.
"If he can do what?"
"What if he can help me?" she said, facing Suzie. For the first time all morning, a stronger emotion surged through her, and she let it empower her.
Suzie's brow lifted. "Sorry to say, love, but you don't have any paintings to sell. How is he supposed to help?"
"That's the point. He's rich, I'm sure we can work something out," Nicolette said, clenching her fists in determination.
Suzie shook her head, pacing again. "You can't throw yourself to him, you have nothing to bargain with. This is a bad idea, Lettie." She pursed her lips. "What if he demands something you can't give?"
Nicolette chuckled. "Like what?"
"Like your complete loyalty to him. He's a ruthless businessman, Lettie."
Nicolette leaned forward, a slow, determined smile curved on her face. "And what's so bad about that? I have nothing left, Suzie. Nothing to lose."
Suzie gasped, her eyes widened with shock. "You'll go against your own father? You can't do that."
But it was too late, Nicolette was already imagining the shock on her father's face when he found out she now fully worked for his competition instead of crawling back to him.
A smile tugged at her lips, the sadness in her chest hardening into determination.