“Come on then, I think you’d be starving by now. I know I am, and I know of a little diner around the corner that has some French toast with your name on it,” Emma teased, pulling Dani to her feet.
* * *
Opting to walk to the diner, Emma found herself carrying most of the conversation. Dani was unusually quiet, and Emma was beginning to wonder if she wasn’t feeling well again. Brunch wasn’t much better as Dani had done nothing but pick at her meal.
Growing more concerned, Emma reached across the table and squeezed Dani’s hand.
“You okay, honey? If you’re not feeling well, we can always cancel tonight.”
Dani looked up, meeting worried green eyes. “I don’t want to cancel; we’ve all been looking forward to it.”
Emma frowned. “If you want to go back to bed, we have the new guy working today…”
“No, I’m not sick,” Dani insisted. “I’m just not hungry.”
“Dani, I’m worried about you. I’ve never known you to turn down French toast before.”
Dani sat back in the booth, pushing her plate away. “Can’t I just not be hungry?” she snipped.
“Danielle,” Emma’s voice lowered. “You don’t have to eat, but the attitude needs to go. I was hoping to spend some time with you this morning, but if you’d rather spend it standing in a corner, that can be arranged.”
“Sorry,” Dani tried. “Maybe I’m just a little tired.”
“Maybe,” Emma agreed, studying Dani carefully. “Anyway, if you’re done, we should head back. If you’re tired, maybe you just need a nap.”
“Oh, come on, Emma,” Dani protested, suddenly stopping as she saw a mischievous twinkle in Emma’s eyes. “Oh,” she suddenly blushed. “Maybe I could use a nap.”
Emma grinned. “Me too.”
* * *
“So, you guys have a movie already picked out for tonight?” Will asked as he came to the counter to bother Dani.
“Don’t know, it’s at your place tonight.”
“Now, you know that’s only kind of true, it’s at Stevie and Anna’s tonight,” the young man smirked. “I will be busy with my study group in my garage apartment.”
“Ah, that’s right, I’d forgotten they finished the construction and let you move in.”
Will smiled. “Yep, it;s way better than my room in the house. And if I keep my grades up and don’t have the cops called, I can even have friends over.”
Dani laughed. “The cops called?”
The young man blushed. “Well, I was sixteen, they were out of town; let’s just say I think I’m still grounded, not to mention all the chores they found for me to do. Those two can be very creative with punishments.”
“I didn’t know you lived with them at sixteen.”
“Nobody bothered to fill you in?” Dani shook her head and he laughed. “It’s a sad, sad story of a young waif, a disappearing mother, and two neighborhood women who wanted a free dog sitter.”
Dani punched him playfully in the arm. “Come on, you’re more than a dog sitter.”
He grinned at her and ran his hand through his hair. “That’s right; I’m a cat sitter when you guys are out of town.”
“Very funny, Will,” Dani smiled at him. “Seriously though, how long have you lived with Stevie and Anna?”
“I was twelve when my mom split. When they found out, I moved in with them and have been there ever since.”
“Ah, so then how did you come to work here?”
Will slumped against the counter and shrugged. “When I was thirteen I got in a little trouble playing hooky from school. The problem was I came here, to read.”
Dani laughed. “Didn’t anybody tell you that skipping school was supposed to be for fun things?”
The young man smirked and nodded. “Yeah, your uncle Sean. He managed to get out of me what was going on and he called the dynamic duo. He started to hang out with me on weekends, doing guy stuff. Anyways, one thing led to another, and before I knew it, we were all working for the old man.”
Dani shook her head. “Leave it to Uncle Sean to turn a truant into a responsible kid.”
Will laughed again. “Well, it didn’t go quite that smoothly, but it was nice having him around. I really miss him, Dani.”
Dani placed her hand on Will’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I miss him too, Will.”
The moment was interrupted when a lanky man with chiseled good looks and dark brown hair came up to the counter. “Hey, Dani, I have no idea where to put this book, it’s by a chef, but looks like a how-to book.”
Dani laughed and took the book from him, looking at it briefly before entering the information into the bookstore’s computer. “It goes with the cookbooks, Jason.”
“Thanks, Dani.” He winked at her before acknowledging Will. “So, Will, help me find the cookbooks again?”
“For an English grad student, you sure are having a hard time catching on,” Will teased.
“Yeah, well, I’m used to reading the books, not shelving them,” he joked as Will led him to the right area of the store.
Watching the two go, Dani saw Emma coming out of her office. “Time for us to leave already?”
“Yes, Will and Jason are closing up tonight, and I thought we might chat for a few minutes upstairs before we go.”
“Chat?” Dani asked, her face suddenly falling.
“Talk, you goofball. Unless there is something we need to chat about?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Um, no,” Dani shook her head.
Emma stood on her tiptoes so that she could bend enough across the counter to give Dani a peck on the cheek. “Come on then,” she winked. “Will, we’re going. Call if you need anything.”
“Sure thing, boss. Have a good time,” Will responded as he stuck his head out of the cookbook section. “You too, other boss lady,” Will grinned, earning a chuckle from Dani.
* * *
The car ride over was quiet. Emma wasn’t sure if something was going on with Dani, or if it was due to the conversation they’d had before they left. Emma wanted to make sure that Dani was prepared for ‘movie night.’ She, Stevie, and Anna had been doing this for years, but this was the first time that Dani would be joining them. Knowing about Emma’s preferences and attitudes, Anna and Stevie didn’t hide anything from her. Anna would probably be in full brat mode tonight, and Emma wanted to make sure Dani wasn’t shocked or frightened if Anna ended up with a sore bottom.
Dani seemed to be intrigued by the idea, and had told Emma she was okay with it, but Emma knew how intimidating that sort of situation could be. She’d decided that she’d be a little extra protective of Dani tonight, just to be sure Dani wasn’t too uncomfortable.
When they arrived, Dani took in the modest, tan and brown, two-story house that belonged to Stevie and Anna. The yard was immaculate, and she could see from the other cars in front of the house and the lights on above the garage, that Will’s study group was already in full swing. Emma parked and got out, waiting a moment before she came around to Dani’s door and opened it.
“You sure you are okay with this?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just Stevie and Anna, right?”
“Right,” Emma agreed, offering her hand to Dani and helping her out of the car.
* * *
Holding Emma’s hand as they reached the door, Dani’s stomach turned again. What if Emma decided to play tonight too, or worse decided that Dani needed to join in? Her stomach had already been in knots all day over the journal, and this wasn’t helping things. She knew that she’d have to confess soon, but at the same time she was terrified to do so.
“I won’t and you can’t make me!” they overheard, causing them both to pause before ringing the bell. “I said no, Stevie!”
Dani squeezed Emma’s hand harder as they both exchanged a look before hearing a loud crash, which was quickly followed by a series of popping sounds.
Dani shifted from foot to foot as they both waited in silenc
e. It grew quiet and then when no other sounds were forthcoming, Emma rang the bell. The door opened and a smiling Stevie welcomed them in with hugs. “Hey, guys, how goes it?”
Looking confused, Dani returned the hug and looked hard at her friend. “It’s fine. Is everything here okay?”
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
Emma smirked as Stevie led them into the living room. “Sounds like Anna already started the fun without us.”
Stevie stopped and shrugged as they entered the room, all eyes going to Anna who was standing in the far corner. Sitting down on the sofa, Dani let herself melt into Emma, as she and Stevie carried on, ignoring Anna completely.
Soon dinner was decided, and since Stevie didn’t let Anna have a vote, they settled on Chinese, rather than pizza. Dani found herself pouting as she not only lost the vote, but it was further decided to order a vegetarian dish as one of the main entrees. Dani’s pout was compounded as she lost out on her movie choice as well. She’d voted for the action flick, but was outnumbered three to one for the romantic comedy. It seemed as though nothing was going her way, so Dani decided it was best just to remain quiet as her three friends chatted.
Probably the oddest part of the night, however, was Anna. She was really playing things up, and so Dani wasn’t surprised when, just fifteen minutes later, Anna found herself over Stevie’s knee for a handful of swats before being sent back to the corner a second time. The scene, although not unexpected, was still shocking to Dani. It made her uncomfortable, and she found herself practically attached to Emma. No one seemed to notice though, as Emma merely put her hand around Dani’s shoulder, encouraging her to melt as close as she wanted.
By the time that Anna was released the second time, dinner had arrived. Dani was hovering between being nervous and still sulking as she picked at her meal. The large helping of the vegetarian dish Emma had dumped on her plate was not pretty and wasn’t helping her mood either. She couldn’t even identify half of it, yet she knew she’d be expected to try at least one piece of each thing. Wishing she could just go home and be alone, she pushed the mixed vegetables around before putting down her fork.
Emma’s smiled turned into a frown when she noticed what Dani was doing. Reaching over, she placed a hand on Dani’s forehead. “You feeling alright, sweetie?”
Dani pulled back. “I’m fine. Just not hungry.”
“You weren’t hungry this morning either.” Dani shrugged, causing Emma to sigh. “I won’t force you to eat, but you’re not going to eat junk food all night either.”
“Junk food?” Dani asked.
“It’s movie night, duh,” chimed in Anna. “What’s a movie without junk food? I totally hit the mini-mart earlier.”
“And I baked a cheesecake for intermission,” Stevie exclaimed.
“From scratch,” Anna added.
“Not that you’ll be getting any,” Stevie leveled at Anna.
Anna stuck her tongue out, and Stevie raised an eyebrow before pointing back toward the corner.
Watching her go, Dani turned back to Emma and Stevie. “Is she always like this on movie night?” Getting twin nods, Dani looked down at her plate before looking back up. “Why did she even get a vote on the movie then? She’s not gonna get to watch much of it from that corner.”
“Hey, I heard that,” Anna yelled across the room, causing the three other women to laugh.
The night progressed, and just as Dani predicted, Anna did end up spending more time in the corner than watching the movie. As she settled in, Dani found herself enjoying the evening much more then she thought she would, until Anna was released from the corner yet again. Freed, Anna decided to restock the supplies and brought out a bag of mini chocolate bars. Seeing the chocolate, Dani couldn’t help but frown, realizing that within the mix was the same candy bar that she’d eaten at 3:00 that morning.
“Dani, aren’t these your favorites?” Emma asked, picking up a colorful red and blue wrapper.
“They’re okay,” Dani answered.
“Come on, Dani. Have some. If you don’t eat them, I will, and God knows I don’t need them,” Anna teased, tossing a piece of popcorn at her.
“Anna,” Stevie warned, as Anna stuck out her tongue and then tossed a piece of popcorn in her direction. “Keep it up and you’re gonna end up right back in the corner.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Anna said as she rolled her eyes.
Stevie gave her a look, but didn’t stay anything more, as Emma turned her attention back to Dani. Putting one of the chocolates on Dani’s leg, she commented, “Go ahead. I know you’ve been having a rough day.”
“You said no junk if I didn’t eat dinner,” Dani argued.
“I think you ate enough; besides, I want you to enjoy yourself.”
Dani took the candy off her leg and threw it back in the bowl. “I said I don’t want it,” she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Fine,” Emma answered, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Hey!” she exclaimed, suddenly getting hit by a flying piece of popcorn.
Anna giggled, and then yelped as Stevie grabbed her arm and practically yanked her off her chair. Suddenly switching places, Stevie sat and pulled Anna across her lap. Anna yelped a second time as Stevie proceeded to thoroughly warm her backside with several dozen rapid-fire swats.
Anna was sniffling as she stood in the corner for the umpteenth time, and Dani, wide-eyed, had again melted into Emma. Emma wrapped an arm around her, and was seriously second-guessing allowing her to witness Anna in her full brat mode.
Noticing the tension, Stevie paused the movie, announced that it was time for intermission, and invited her guests into the kitchen for cheesecake. Emma stood, offering a hand to Dani, but Dani shook her head, slinking deeper into the sofa. “I don’t want any.”
Emma put her hands on her hips. “Danielle, you’re being rude. At least you can come to the kitchen with us.”
“I don’t want to,” Dani whispered.
Emma frowned and looked up at Stevie. “Could we have a moment, please?”
Stevie nodded. “Anna, come with me,” she ordered simply.
Now alone with Dani, Emma sat down next to her, folding one of her legs under the other. “Are you okay? Is this too much for you?” she asked quietly.
“No,” Dani replied. “I just want to go home.”
“Okay, we’ll go home, but I want to know why. You need to be honest with me, Dani. I can’t help you if you shut me out.”
Dani sniffled, and suddenly couldn’t help it as her eyes watered up. Emma tried to pull Dani into a hug, but Dani pulled away. “I’m sorry, Emma. I lied to you.”
“What do you mean?” Emma asked, suddenly sitting up straight.
Dani looked down at her hands. “This morning, I lied to you.”
Emma put her fingers under Dani’s chin and moved her head back up. “What did you lie about, Danielle?”
Seeing the spark of anger in her lover’s eyes, Dani gulped. “Can we talk about it when we get home?”
“I don’t think so. You can’t just drop a bomb on me like that and not explain it. I want to know exactly what happened and why, right now,” Emma pressed.
Dani chewed her lip for a long moment before she finally confessed. “Early this morning, I had a candy bar, and then didn’t put it in my journal.”
Emma let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “It that all?”
Dani nodded, looking back at her hands.
“But why, Dani? All you had to do is write it down and you know you wouldn’t have gotten in trouble for it. I don’t care about the candy. I care about you being honest.”
“I know. Can we go home now?”
“Only after you tell me why.”
Dani shifted, refusing to meet Emma’s eyes. “I don’t want to.”
“Danielle,” Emma drew out in warning.
Dani narrowed her eyes. “Fine. You want to know why? I couldn’t sleep, so I got up at 3 a.m. and ate a king-sized candy bar. You ha
ppy now?”
Emma’s eyes flashed at the confession, but she managed to hold her tongue and not snap back. Still not saying a word, she pushed herself off the sofa and crossed the room to her purse. Pulling out her keys, she handed them to Dani and instructed, “Go wait for me in the car.”
Dani paled, but took the keys. Heading for the front door, she only looked over her shoulder once, but Emma had turned her back and she couldn’t see her face. Sniffling and wondering if she’d ever be able to sit again, she slipped out the door and made a beeline for the car.
It took Emma close to twenty minutes to join Dani, and when she did, she didn’t say a word. The immediate anger seemed to have left her, but Dani could tell that Emma was still irritated. Dani did her best to stay as quiet and inconspicuous as possible, even going so far as to sit in the backseat, so if nothing else, she would be out of immediate swatting range.
The short drive home remained silent; the only communication was the occasional glance in the rearview mirror that caused Dani to squirm. As Emma pulled into the parking space behind the store, Dani worked up the courage to speak. “Do you want me to put on my pajamas and wait for you in the corner?” she whispered.
Emma didn’t answer for a long moment, and just when Dani was wondering if she ever would, she said, “Just go to bed, Dani.”
Her eyes immediately filling with tears, Dani opened the car door and, making sure to slam it behind her, headed up to the apartment. Thanking God that she had her own set of keys, she let herself in and immediately fled to the study.
* * *
Emma followed a few minutes later, much calmer and already regretting being so cold with Dani. Gathering up her own courage, she made her way to the bedroom to make her apologies. Once there though, she realized that Dani wasn’t, and headed to the study instead.
Flipping on the light, she found Dani curled up on the leather chair, her face already stained with tears. Emma’s heart almost breaking at the sight, she crossed the room, sitting on the ottoman in front of her distraught partner. “Oh, Dani, can you ever forgive me?” Emma asked, taking Dani’s hands in her own.
The Art of Discipline: Running Toward Trouble (The Mockingbird Chronicles) Page 3
