CHAPTER I: MOVING DAY

Nash Brennan hopped out of the taxi cab and stared up at the brownstone he was about to move into. His heart was a bit heavy as he took in the concrete and the streetlights, so different from the greenery and clear skies he had left. But his time in Napa was now at an end, his infant vineyard ruined by a bad strain of fungus which wiped out two years of hard work, not to mention his bank accounts. He knew in his heart he would build it all up again eventually, but for now the concrete jungle he had been so happy to leave years earlier was home again.

Paying the cabby, he grabbed his suitcases and ambled up the stone steps, digging the key Claudia had sent him out of his pocket. Unfortunately it didn't fit the lock, and Nash realized she had sent him his upstairs key only, forgetting the one for the front door. Nash sighed and looked out into the street. Claudia was supposed to meet him here, but she was nowhere to be found. Perhaps her father got wind of his return and stopped her from coming. That would be no surprise since he had always hated Nash. Looking at the three door buzzers near the entrance, he decided to take things into his own hands.

The top buzzer was his own. No one there obviously. There were two apartments above him, and Nash decided to press the middle one, figuring her could kill two birds with one stone by being let into the building and meeting his downstairs neighbor. He hit it a few times, though he was not happy about the fact he would obviously be disturbing a stranger.

-

The young lady was sleeping soundly when Cat jumped up on her back. She rose up groggily and scowled at him. Usually he didn't wake her up like this. Cocking her head she heard a faint buzzing through her earplugs. Someone was at the door. Maybe A.J. what-ever-his-name, she thought darkly. She considered ignoring it, but if he was going to be this persistent, maybe it was time to nip this rat in the bud. She put her white silk robe on as she stumbled sleepily to her door and pressed the entry switch. Looking out she awaited her most recent rat.

-

Nash climbed up the steps with his suitcases hoping whoever had let him in would not be too angry and would accept his apology. He was a bit surprised to see a very beautiful if groggy young woman staring at him with big blue eyes from her cracked-open door.

"I'm sorry." Nash flashed his trademark grin at her. "I'm just moving in and I don't have the downstairs key. I'm really sorry to bother you." She continued to stare at him and made no reply. He sighed, knowing she must be upset. "I'm Nash Brennan. Again I apologize..." he stopped at she took out her earplugs. He smiled, realizing she had been in a silent movie conversation with him which was why she hadn't said anything. "Ah, like I was saying, I'm Nash Brennan, I'm moving in upstairs. I wasn't given the front door key yet, I'm sorry to bother you."

"Don't worry about it..." she yawned sweetly, her voice lilting and light. "It happens to me all the time..." She smiled briefly and made to shut the door.

Nash stopped her with another apologetic grin. "Actually, I hate to impose on you still further, but could I use the phone? Mine's not set up yet and my cell's not charged..."

The blonde considered for a moment then nodded. "Sure, why not? You don't look like a serial killer."

"Really? Too bad, that's the look I was going for."

The girl smiled at his joke and waved him in. "Phone's over there." she pointed to the far wall.

"Nice little place you got here." He looked around at the boxes and suitcases lying around. "I guess you just moved in too, huh?"

"No, I've been here over a year."

Nash was about to ask her about the unpacked state of the apartment when something moved and hissed under his feet. An orange tabbycat hopped up on his shoulder and from there onto a high bookshelf, licking it's wounded tail. Nash reached up and petted the cat, who began to purr, obviously not hurt too badly. "Sorry about that." he shrugged at his hostess.

"Nah, he's all right, aren't you Cat?" she walked over and pulled her pet down and cuddled him. "Poor old cat. Poor old slob without a name. I've never given him a name, you know." She smiled at Nash. "We passed each other down by the river one night and he followed me here. But I'm not his and he's not mine, so I won't give him a name. I don't want to own anything, that's how I feel." She pulled some milk out of the refrigerator and poured some for both herself and the cat. "No, I won't own anything until I find that place, you know?"

"What place?" asked Nash confused.

"You know, that place that feels like home, that takes all your troubles away. I've never been to such a place, I don't know where it is, but I know what it feels like. It feels like Tiffany's!"

Nash raised an eyebrow, puzzled yet intrigued by her ramblings. "Tiffany's? You mean the jewelry store?"

"Have you ever been there?" She closed her eyes and smiled dreamily. "I just love Tiffany's! Not for the jewelry really, that's for old ladies! It's just so comfortable there, like nothing bad could ever happen! I go there whenever I get the mean reds..."

"The mean reds? You mean the blues?"

She shook her head and sat down on her sofa. "No, the blues are something else, like when you gain weight or get dumped. I like the blues, it's fun sometimes to sit around and feel sorry for yourself. No, the mean reds are like when you're scared, but you don't know why, you're nervous for no reason and you hate the whole world even when they've done nothing to you!"

Nash stood in front of her and smiled. "I think I know what you mean."

"If I could find a place to live that was like Tiffany's, well maybe then it would be different! I'd unpack, give the cat a name and never get the mean reds again!" She broke out of her reverie and looked up with wide azure eyes at her guest. "I'm sorry, you wanted something, didn't you?" She stood up quickly nearly spilling her milk. "Oh, right, the phone!" She went over to suitcase and pulled out a cordless. "I hid it in here to muffle the sound."

Nash took it from her proffered hand. "Thanks again. I was supposed to meet someone here, but maybe I've got the wrong day. I just got off a plane from California, and I'm still getting my bearings. It is Thursday morning, right?"

"Hmm-mm." The lady nodded sleepily. Suddenly her eyes popped open causing Nash to jump a bit. "Oh, crap, it is Thursday, isn't it? I'm late, I've got to run!" She darted off into her bedroom.

Nash smiled at her antics and dialed Claudia's number. Her cell went to voice mail, but Nash didn't bother leaving a message. He knew she'd show up sooner or later. Instead he stood and walked over to the hallway where a great commotion was heard coming from the nearby bedroom. "Anything I can help with?" he called out.

"Yeah, can you find my black leather pumps? They're underneath my bed somewhere!"

"Sure." Nash casually strode into her bedroom and knelt to look under the bed. In the mess underneath he found one of the requested pair.

"Ugh, I can't go like this." The lady came out of the bathroom still in her robe and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "It won't do to show up to Sing Sing looking like a baglady!"

"Sing Sing?" asked Nash, surprised.

"Yeah, stupid name for a prison, huh? Sounds like a CD store. But they're so uptight about visiting hours, I've really gotta hurry!" She sat down and began doing her makeup in front of a large mirror.

Nash sat down on her bed holding the shoe. "So who's in Sing Sing?" Usually he wasn't so forward, but something told him this girl wouldn't mind.

She regarded him a moment then shrugged. "Well, he never said not to say anything. It's my Uncle Todd, you know Todd Manning? Newspaper Publisher involved in some, uh, other stuff on the side. My aunt Blair and him are going through a bad spot right now, and he's got no one to visit him. Also he gives he messages for his lawyer, she's still back home so it's been tough for him since they extradited him to New York.

"What kind of messages?"

"Weather reports mostly. Like there's rain in Llantano Mountain, that's near where we're from. Silly stuff like that."

"Right..." grinned Nash wryly, not buying that those messages were purely 'weather' related. "So you're related to Todd Manning, huh? I've heard of him from the papers. I never did catch your name."

"I never threw it!" she laughed. "It's Tess."

"Tess Manning?"

"No, just Tess. Like Cher or Madonna I like things simple. So did you find my shoes or what?"

Nash held up the lone find. "Just one."

Tess grabbed it and turned to a basket of wrinkled clothes. "Oh right, other's in here..." She took her shoes and a summer dress and rushed into the nearby bathroom. "You know, you shouldn't believe what you read about Uncle Todd in the papers!" she called out through the door. "He's nothing like the monster they make him out to be. I mean, he does what he needs to when stuff comes up, but he's really a good husband and father!"

"Oh yeah?" Nash responded as he waited for her in the bedroom. "Well, I learned a long time ago not to believe everything I read."

Tess came out of the bathroom, her hair done up Spanish style and her light dress accentuating her soft curves. She smiled at him again, and this time the sight made him a little weak in the knees. "You're a smart guy Nash." She twirled for him. "So how do I look?"

The young man looked her up and down with grin. "Absolutely beautiful." he approved.

She patted his cheek and laughed lightly. "I could never have done it without you." She grabbed her purse and prepared to leave on her sojourn to the prison.

Nash laughed as well as he followed her. "Well, call on me anytime. I'm just upstairs, or I will be when I get unpacked."

Tess stopped in front of the door and looked him up and down. She gave him the same grin he had given her. "I'll keep that in mind." She walked through the door, followed by Nash who locked and closed it.

"There you are Nash!" cried out a sweet, if slightly pretentious voice as they came out into the hallway. A beautiful young woman clad from head to toe in this season's hottest fashions walked up and tenderly embraced Nash. She looked up and smiled at him. "Sorry I'm late, Daddy was in a snit about something. I didn't think he'd ever stop his complaining and leave me alone!"

Tess lowered her sunglasses and smirked at the little scene in front of her. Nash noticed and turned to her.

"Uh, this is my... decorator, Claudia. Claudia this is my new neighbor Tess, she let me in the building."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to give you the entrance key!" Claudia held out a golden key to Nash and then turned to Tess. "Thank you so much for taking care of our boy here."

"Tess here is on her way to Sing Sing. Just visiting of course..."

Claudia gave Tess a slightly obnoxious look. "Oooh, Sing Sing! How droll!" Without waiting for a reply she turned back to Nash and began leading him upstairs to his new apartment. "Now darling, I hope you're not peeved with me, but I ordered some of the most divine Italian leather furniture for you! They'll just be so perfect next to those Venetian glazes! Of course if you don't like it, back it goes, but I just know you're going to love it!"

Nash turned back to Tess for a minute and waved helplessly as he was dragged away.

His neighbor stifled an amused laugh for his sake. "Ta ta loverboy!" she chirped with only a slight edge of sarcasm. Nash rolled his eyes at her which Claudia failed to notice so wrapped up she was in the details of her domestic triumphs.