– 6 –
The ringing of Dani’s phone woke her from a restless night’s sleep. She opened one eye and glared at the clock’s blank display.
Still no electricity.
She reached for the phone and answered without looking at the screen. “Hello?”
“Get up, sleepyhead.” Brett’s too-cheerful voice sounded through the speaker. “The day’s a-wastin’.”
“I thought the banquet was tonight,” she said, her voice groggy.
“It is. But there are a lot of hours till then.”
“How many hours?” She glanced at the clock on her phone: 7:49. “Do you know what time it is?”
“Too early, huh?”
“Only because I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“Why not?”
“The electricity’s out.” Sitting up, she finger-teased her hair, then pushed it away from her face. “It’s a little scary here in the dark.”
When he didn’t answer, Dani checked the screen to be sure they were still connected. “Hello? You there?”
“I’m here. In fact, I’m right here. Outside your building.”
“What? Why?” Dani scurried to the window, then yanked too hard on the sash’s cord. Hardware popped from the frame, and the yellowed window blind slanted as one side fell. Ignoring the crisis, she wiped condensation from the mottled glass with her sleeve. Brett’s shiny Lexus was parked next to her beater, his headlights shining through the heavy downpour.
“I brought coffee. Okay if I come inside?”
Dani glanced around the bedroom. Its décor dated to before her birth, and she didn’t think the place had been cleaned much since then either. The drafty building seemed to be permeated with the chill of the rain. But at this time in her life, financial considerations trumped comfort and cleanliness. She should never have told him where to find her.
Too late now.
“Dani?”
“Um, sure. It’s the second floor, number 202.”
“Heading your way.”
The call ended, and she swiped at the window again. Brett emerged from the Lexus, yanked the hood of his jacket over his head, then sprinted toward the building.
Dani hurriedly changed into jeans and a light sweatshirt, then raised the blinds in the other room, part sitting area and part kitchen. There was nothing she could do to improve its lackluster appearance. Except burn it to the ground.
When Brett knocked, she slid the deadbolt and opened the door. Their eyes met, and he flashed his dimples.
No one should look so gorgeous this early in the morning.
“Hey, there,” he said. “Sorry for waking you.”
“That’s okay. I needed to get up.”
“It’s dark in here. How long has your electricity been out?”
“All night.”
“You should have called me.”
“Why would I have done that?”
He shrugged, and she resisted the childish impulse to stamp her foot. “Why are you here?” she demanded.
“Told you.” He held out a cardboard carrier containing four cups. “Coffee.”
“Come on in.” She stepped back so he could enter the grim apartment, her cheeks burning at what he must be thinking as he looked around the dump she called home.
“I suppose this is way below your standards.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
He faced her, his expression neutral. “What do you know about my standards?”
She hesitated, then gestured to the cardboard tray. “One of those mine?”
“More than one if you want. I’ve got light roast, dark roast, café au lait, and hot chocolate.”
“Whipped cream on that hot chocolate?”
“You bet.” He handed her the cup, and she wrapped her hands around its warmth before taking a sip.
“Um, good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You want to sit?” She gestured toward the sofa. Threadbare arms stuck out beneath the floral quilt draped over the back and seat cushions. Studying his face, she waited for his repulsed reaction.
But it didn’t come.
“I know I’m taking a big chance here,” he said. “But I thought we might spend the day together.”
“Doing what?”
“First, breakfast. I know a little place in German Village with the best omelets you’ve ever had.”
“The best, huh?”
“The very best.” He tapped his coffee cup against hers. “Then, if this rain lets up, maybe I can show you around the city. How about it?”
Dani’s eyes slightly narrowed. Perhaps she imagined it, but his voice, even the expression in his eyes, seemed close to pleading. That didn’t seem likely, but there was only one way to find out.
“Why?”
“Why, what?”
“Why would you want to spend the day with me?”
“Why not?”
“Don’t you have better things to do?”
He hesitated, tilting his head in thought for a moment, then seemed to make a decision. “Truth?”
This should be good. “Please.”
“Nope.”
“Nope? That’s it?”
“I don’t have anything better to do.” He gave a self-conscious laugh. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“How did you mean it?”
He took a long sip of his coffee, obviously buying time. Two could play that game. She swirled her cup, then took a drink. The whipped cream barely cooled the heat of the chocolaty beverage.
“I know it was presumptuous to show up like this. But it’ll give us a chance to get to know each other before all the formality of the banquet. Unless, of course, you already have plans.”
“I have plans.” Plans to fine-tune her résumé and scour the not-working internet for job openings. If she didn’t find something soon, her only other option was that sales position in Boise. Even the thought of making that kind of move churned her stomach.
“Anything that can’t be changed?”
Plans, too, to find out more about the man who had publicly accused her mother of murder. And here he was, drinking his coffee without a care in the world and giving her another golden opportunity.
“I need a few minutes to get ready.”
“Take your time. I’m going to step into the hall.” He slipped his phone from his pocket. “I’ve got a call to make.”
“Okay.”
As soon as he left the apartment, she went to her bedroom, closed the door, and pressed her hands to her knees. She couldn’t do this.
Inhaling a deep breath, she straightened, then slowly exhaled. She owed it to her mom to find a way to humiliate Brett. Maybe then the childhood nightmares that had haunted her since she watched the interview would go away.
If she had to spend the day with him to figure out a plan, so be it.
Which left her with one question: What did he really want with her?
Brett finished his call, then reentered the apartment. A weak rectangle of light from the single window filtered through the steady rain. Too bad the weather was so uncooperative. Otherwise they could have wandered through German Village or gone bicycling along the Scioto Mile.
Cautiously sitting on the edge of the quilt-draped sofa, he drank his lukewarm coffee. In the meager light, the place looked depressing. But it probably didn’t look much better when the sun was shining. Why in the world did Dani move into a dump like this? Had what she left in Cincinnati been even worse?
His curiosity grew as he glanced around the room. No personal items or framed photos adorned the rickety end table. Only a couple of magazines. Photographers Journal. The Smithsonian.
He stood and examined the prints hanging on the walls. Trite, uninspiring stuff in cheap frames that probably came with the place. Strange that someone with such an interest in photography didn’t showcase her own work.
The only nice piece of furniture was a slender, five-shelf bookcase. He scanned the titles.
Howard’s End. Les Misérables. A collection of short stories by Edith Wharton. Novels by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. A crate on the floor overflowed with more books.
He picked up a well-worn copy of The Secret Garden and opened it. The message inscribed on the flyleaf said:
Dearest Dani,
Wherever life takes you, may you always have the delight of a secret place as full of beauty and wonder as you are.
With all my love,
Mom
At least she had family. So what was she doing in this dump?
One thing was certain. By the end of the day, he’d know.
The bedroom door squeaked open, and his welcoming smile broadened in appreciation. Her skinny jeans were tucked in ankle boots, and a loose-fitting top didn’t hide the appeal of her body as much as she probably thought. Her brown hair, brushed to a fine sheen, hung loosely about her shoulders. Pink gloss shimmered on lips he’d enjoy kissing.
But that was before. He wasn’t the same guy anymore.
“You look great.”
“I’ve been told I clean up pretty well.”
He slid his eyes over her, then grinned at her blush. “So you do.”
The blush deepened, and she grabbed a lightweight jacket from a hook by the door. “Are you ready to go?”
“Let me ask you something first. What are you going to do if your electricity doesn’t come back on before this evening?”
Confusion tensed her features. “It has to.”
“But if it doesn’t, it’ll make it hard for you to get ready for the banquet, right?”
“I hadn’t thought about it.”
“Fortunately for you, I did. So why don’t you bring everything you need and get ready at my place?”
Her eyes grew round from either shock or anxiety. He wasn’t sure which.
“I thought you’d say that, so I made a backup plan. I called AJ—my cousin—and wrangled an invitation to Misty Willow for this afternoon.”
“What’s Misty Willow?”
“It’s this really old house out in the country where Shelby lives with her two little monsters.”
“Shelby?”
“AJ’s fiancée.” He feigned distaste. “The monsters are Elizabeth and Tabby.”
“Isn’t that being a little pushy?”
Dani rubbed her arms as if she were cold. Time to lay on the charm. He flashed his dimples.
“AJ and Shelby will be at the banquet tonight. The evening might be more fun if you met them at the farm first.”
Dani tilted her head as if considering his logic. “Are you sure they don’t mind?”
“Not at all. We’ll have a great time. Plus we won’t have to rush back here. We’ll drive straight to the banquet.”
“Okay. I’ll get my dress.”
“That’s my girl.”
He immediately regretted the too-casual phrase as Dani faced him, her lips tight. But instead of responding, she went to her bedroom.
Blowing out air, he rubbed the back of his neck. He needed to guard his silvery tongue with this one. His relationship with Tracie had begun when she’d approached him at the end of a workday with her blouse strategically parted in a blatant invitation. A move he’d been expecting since the day he’d hired her.
Dani would never do anything so obvious.
Not that it mattered. They’d spend the day together, then go their separate ways.
After all, he was on a dating sabbatical. And would be until his son was completely healed.