Disclaimer: as chapter one.
Notes: Finally getting into the story. At the rate I'm going, this thing is going to be longer than War and Peace, but I'm getting there.
Please, please R & R. I'll be your best friend if you do.
P.S. To those of you who reviewed my series, A Letter Home, I have just one thing to say. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. I'm sorry I ended it too, but I just couldn't figure out anywhere else for it to go. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know and I'll probably continue it.
CHAPTER NINE
Later that night, they met in the hotel dining room. Sydney and Nigel walked in and were surprised to find Preston and Claudia but no Jenny.
"Hey guys," Sydney said. She smiled up at Nigel as he pulled her chair out for her.
"Hi Syd, Nigel."
"Where's Jenny?" asked Nigel.
"She wasn't feeling hungry, so she went up to her room for an early night." Preston saw the concern that flashed across Sydney's face. "Relax, Sydney. She's fine, just tired."
Sydney relaxed. "Okay. So, any luck today?" she asked.
The waiter arriving to take their order interrupted them. It took a while to sort out what everybody wanted, but eventually they were happy with their orders.
Preston picked up the conversation where they left off. "We spent four hours at the police station this afternoon, just to be told that the officer dealing with the enquiry was at a divisional meeting all day." He sounded annoyed.
"I'm sorry, Preston." Sydney said. "If it makes you feel any better, we didn't really get anywhere either. Although, we did actually get to speak to someone at the company Dad works for. He had been to a meeting the day he died and he left to go back to London where he was staying with Jenny, but that's all they could tell me."
Claudia spoke up. "I have a question. Why did the police ring your Dads company instead of you, Syd?"
"I asked them that. Apparently Dad was driving a company car and the police traced the number plate. The project manager thought it would be better if he called Jenny and me instead of the police." She turned back to Preston. "So, what are you going to do about the police?"
"We've made an appointment tomorrow to see the officer in charge and hopefully we'll be able to learn something then."
Just then their order arrived and talk moved on to more general subjects. After a couple of hours, the girls decided it was time to return to their suite. Claudia wanted a shower and Sydney wanted to check on Jenny, so they said goodnight and went upstairs, leaving the brothers to have one last drink before turning in.
They sat there, nursing their drinks and lost in thought. Preston could see Nigel was still worried about Sydney. "Don't worry. She'll be fine."
Nigel was confused. "Who will?"
"Sydney."
"I wasn't thinking about Sydney."
"Of course you weren't." Preston was amused. "I don't know what I was thinking! Just because you haven't taken your eyes off the door since she left to go back upstairs and you've been playing with her glass, I really don't know what gave me the idea that you were thinking about the fair Professor Fox."
Nigel actually blushed. "Am I that obvious?" he asked.
"Only to me, baby brother. Only to me." He laughed. "Oh, and Claudia as well. Not to mention Jenny."
"Oh, God. Have you three been talking about me?
"Afraid so."
"What the hell am I going to do, Preston?" Nigel asked.
"Let me think." Preston said. After a moment he broke the silence that had developed. "Tell her you're in love with her, you idiot." He smiled at the shocked look on Nigel's face.
"I'm not in love with Sydney." He said, indignantly.
"You can't lie to me, baby brother. You never could. Now it's time to stop lying to yourself as well. You've been in love with Syd since the first day you met her, but you've been fighting it for so long that I think you've managed to convince yourself that you're not good enough for her."
Nigel wouldn't look up from his glass. "I'm not Preston. She's smart, funny and strong. Not to mention the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my entire life." He sighed. "What have I got to offer her? I'm just her TA. She deserves someone much better than me."
Preston was getting annoyed. "You really are an idiot, aren't you Nigel?"
Nigel looked up in shock.
Preston went on, in a much more gentle voice. "Has it ever occurred to you that she feels the same way about you?" He sat there looking at the bemused expression on his younger brother's face. "You know," he said. "Considering how smart you are, you can be incredibly dense sometimes. She loves you!"
"What makes you say that?"
"I've seen the way she looks at you, you know. We all have, we're not blind." He sounded amused. "Although you seem to be."
"Even if what you say is true, how am I going to tell her now? With everything that's going on, it's not really the best time."
"Are you kidding me? Now is the best time in the world to tell her." Preston looked at his watch. "Well, it's getting late and I'm going to bed. Think about what I said, Nigel. You two could be so good together. Don't let her slip through your fingers, because one of these days it's going to be too late." He got up and walked away without another word or a look back at the table where Nigel was sitting, totally shocked.
An hour later he was still sitting there when Sydney came into the room.
He jumped when she touched the back of his neck.
"S-Syd," he stammered. "What are you still doing up?"
"I was talking to Jenny and I decided to get a nightcap before turning in."
"How is she?"
"She's fine, a little tired but essentially okay. As hard as this is for me, it must be even worse for her. At least I have you." She smiled and reached for his hand. "Anyway, I came to see if you wanted to join me in a nightcap before we turn in."
"Sure," he said. "How did you know where I was?"
"Preston told me. He said there was something you wanted to talk to me about."
"I'm going to kill him," Nigel muttered.
"What was that?" Syd asked.
Nigel blushed. "Oh, nothing. There was something I wanted to talk to you about actually, but it can wait if you're tired."
"No I'm fine." Sydney was by now burning with curiosity. "What did you want to talk about?"
Nigel shifted in his chair and squeezed Sydney's hand. "Well, there's been something that I've wanted to tell you for a while now. The thing is Syd, I think I …" he broke off what he was saying as they were interrupted by the waiter.
"Excuse me, sir. There's a gentlemen outside to see you. I know it's late but he say's its urgent and he wouldn't leave a message."
They were both confused. "Who is it?" Nigel asked.
"I'm sorry, sir. He wouldn't say. Just that he needed to speak to you urgently and in private."
Nigel looked at Sydney. "Do you mind if I go?"
She smiled at him. "I'll be fine. I'll order a nightcap for us and we can continue our conversation when you get back."
"Okay, I'll try not to be too long." He got up and followed the waiter outside.
Nigel looked around the foyer but couldn't see anybody. "Where is he?" he asked.
"He said to tell you he would be waiting on the patio."
"Okay, thanks." Nigel tipped the waiter and walked towards the patio, still trying to figure out who would want to speak to him at this time of night and what was so important that it couldn't wait until the morning. He walked outside but still couldn't see anybody. He jumped when somebody spoke up behind him.
"Hello, Nigel." He turned around to find Randall Fox leaning against the patio door.