Page 41 of Spoil
Poor Daniel has no idea what he’s just done. He’s dropped blood into the water. They saw his watch and suit and knew he came from money, but now they know he comes from family money. Status. Prestige. A name people recognize.
“Oh, that’s fantastic,” Gen says, delicately cutting into her dinner. “I met your parents at the Hampton’s polo match. They’re lovely people. Youhaveto tell them I say ‘hello,’” Gen purrs, unaware of the muscle ticking in Daniel’s jaw.
“I’m sure I will,” he replies. It’s a throwaway response promising nothing. “This is delicious, Nell. Thank you,” he says. His smile remains on his handsome face, but his shoulders have inched towards his ears just an inch.
Before I can tell him he’s welcome, Grace chimes in. “Oh, yes. We’re so lucky to have a sister like Nell.” My eye twitches and Daniel raises a brow. He’s noticed how they say it, too.
I shake my head subtly and drop my eyes back to my dinner.
The entire almost hour-long dinner goes the same. Grace, Gen and Chastity alternate between asking Daniel probing questions and sharing their own rich-people connections and flattering Daniel. They comment about his watch, how he must work out, where does his live and does he sail?
He’s kind, charismatic, charming even, even as he evades their more probing questions and brushes off every attempt at flattery. I ignore the bubbling rage inside of me when Chastity laughs at something Daniel said and rests her hand on his arm. I don’t want to hate my sisters, but every minute that passes causes irritation to grow inside of me until it’s almost unbearable.
I push my chair back noisily.
“Let me get dessert,” I say, picking up my plate and Danny’s. Grace acts as if she doesn’t even hear me, asking Daniel if he’s going to The Children in Entertainment Defense Fund Fundraiser later in the year.
I don’t hear his response as I set the plates in the sink.
I grip the sink edge hard, my knuckles turning white. I try to take a handful of calming breaths, but the tightness around my ribs refuses to budge.
“Jealousy looks good on you,” a deep voice says as two large hands cover my own. Daniel steps into me, pressing against my back, his entire body flush with mine.
Something snaps. I spin on him.
“It’s not jealousy!” I whisper-shout. I’m not angry with him. I’m not even angry with them. I’m angry with myself? Or with this situation? I don’t even know why I’m angry.
His smile never wavers. “Come with me to the club. Tonight. I’ve already asked Cara if Danny can sleep over.”
“What?” The change of subject is so sudden it knocks the wind out of me.
“I just sat through an hour of the world’s most awkward family dinner. I think you owe it to me to come to my club,” he says, touching my chin gently and pressing into me again.
I’m torn between indignation and laughing at his ridiculousness. His hand slides around my back and pulls me against him.
I’m relieved to know their flirtations didn’t work, and he’s not asking one of them to go to The Envelope with him, but at the same time I’m still angry that my sisters would flirt so brazenly with someone I’ve been intimate with. I guess they don’t know we’re in something of a relationship now, do they?
But are we? In a relationship? I know what he wants. But I also don’t know why I’m fighting it so much. Is it so wrong for me to be loved? Is it so wrong for someone to want to take care of me? Is Cara right and I’m fighting all of this for nothing?
“Okay,” I whisper, overwhelmed with everything but knowing that I want more time with him. If my sisters trying to steal him from me is the first bump in our very new relationship, I like the idea of spending quality time with him to talk it out and repair whatever might have broken today.
He helps me serve dessert, and it’s more of the same. Danny and I are pretty much invisible in front of Daniel’s attention. This time, I don’t mind.
Because I’m going home with him after this.
And they’re not.
Chapter twenty-one
Daniel
After the first night I picked Danny up from Cara’s apartment, I drove back there and asked Cara for her phone number. Maybe that was crossing a boundary, but I wanted another way to get in touch with Nell if she never texted me. When I excused myself to use the restroom during Family Dinner, I’d texted Cara asking if she wanted a sleepover with Danny. Of course, she had. I’d picked up on how softly Cara had watched Danny when we were there, and if Nell trusted her with our daughter, then so did I.
Getting Nell off in the carriage wasn’t enough. I needed to remind her how good we were together; how good we could be together.
Danny and Cara squeal and hug each other when the door opens. They interact more like sisters than friends, sharing a special handshake and talking about what movies they want to watch first. It warms my heart to see their bond. It rubbed me the wrong way when Danny’s own aunts completely ignored her during dinner, but the way my girls talked amongst each otherand smiled made me think it wasn’t the first time. That earlier tonight was the norm for their relationship.
It didn’t sit right with me.
