The Author

Chapter One | | Nick

Nick stared out the wide glass windows of the French restaurant. She'll be here any minute now, he thought.

It was just his luck to invite a woman to the fanciest restaurant in town and still get stood up.

He had reserved a spot in a secluded corner by the kitchen where he could inhale the delicious smell of croissants, his favorite French pastry.

It had cost a lot to reserve a spot at Le Cabane just for his date to not show up but Nicholas didn't feel even the slightest bit of disappointment.

In fact, he was relieved! He was only there to fulfill his mother's dying wish, he honestly hated the idea of having to follow a woman around, satisfying her needs like a dog.

He glanced at his watch. 6:15.

Andrea was supposed to meet him an hour ago.

The bell rang as a woman entered the restaurant. She shrugged off her coat and handed it to a nearby waiter. She proceeded to head towards Nick.

Nick glanced around. No one else seemed to be paying attention to the mysterious woman. So why was she walking in his direction?

He swallowed and scratched his face. The woman's intense gaze made him feel incredibly self-conscious.

This wasn't Andrea. Although he had never met her in person, he'd seen enough pictures to know that she looked nothing like the beautiful brown-skinned goddess walking towards him.

As she reached his table, her mouth curved into an innocent smile. She sat down on the seat reserved for Nick's date and rummaged through her expensive-looking bag.

Nick could do nothing more than stare. The lady had curly chestnut hair and lovely brown eyes.

She wore a white tank top and tight black skirt that had exposed her long bare legs.

Nick wasn't one to gawk at women, but this one had a particular beauty he couldn't describe, one he had only ever seen in his mother.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the woman took out a file and placed it on the table.

"I am Katherine Da Rosa and you must be Nicholas David Bishop, son of Marissa Evans and Charles Bishop, " She paused and opened the file with her bony fingers.

"I'm here to talk to you about your father's death. I recently found some evidence that suggests that his death might have not been as simple as an old man passing away peacefully in his sleep."

Nicholas rolled his eyes. Apparently, this woman wasn't as smart as she was beautiful. He couldn't believe that he had just been drooling over this.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Charles Bishop died of natural causes."

Nicholas didn't know how of course. He couldn't bother himself with the details; as if he cared.

Katherine gave him a tight-lipped smile. "That's what you think. Doesn't mean it's true."

Nicholas clenched his jaw. Since his father's death, he had encountered several journalists. One had wanted to get a cheesy line from him to smack on the daily newspaper headline.