by Donna Steele
“Not yet. Maybe Roger could teach him.”
“Roger? Since when have you started calling your stepfather that?”
At a loss, Dee kept quiet.
“Will your father be there?” her mother asked.
Dee forced a chuckle. “Yes. Having them together won’t be a problem, will it?”
“We’ll manage. I’ll let you know what time we’ll get in. What else is going on?”
Still nervous, Dee cut the conversation short and sank back on the couch when she broke the connection.
Why had she not asked her dad what she called the man? She’d called Tom by his name. Dee had a father, and Tom had learned better than to interfere with her relationship any more than he already had. She’d only been ten at the time of the divorce, on the threshold of adolescence when he had invaded and, from her naive point of view, basically destroyed her family.
The situation had shaken her confidence in everything. She’d adapted eventually. At least Roger hadn’t been the cause of the divorce. More information was definitely needed.
Dusty joined her, slipping his phone onto the coffee table. “Dad will be here this weekend. He’s anxious to meet you.”
“Super. Mom and Roger are coming too. I can fix dinner for everyone and we can make the announcement.”
“No, I’ll make reservations. They won’t be in our space, and we can escape back here if needed. Will your dad come, too?”
“He’d better. I’ll call him now.”
“Before you do, I need to confess I may have overstepped,” Dusty said. “I did a search for Roger Hinshaw online.”
Dee closed her eyes. “I’ve been afraid to.”
Dusty took her hand. “He sounds okay. He’s an attorney, no litigation. He handles taxes, estates. He’s in the money end of it and seems to do pretty well financially. No children, though it mentions a stepdaughter, not by name. There’s a headshot on the firm’s page and several candid shots from golf tournaments. It doesn’t give you much insight into his character, but at least you’ll recognize him.” He turned his screen to give her a closer look.
She peered at the image. “I’m projecting he looks arrogant, right?”
“He’s smiling in the golf pictures,” Dusty offered.
“And we’re making him miss a game,” Dee mourned.
“That’s it, borrow trouble.”
~ ~ ~
Dusty eased into the bed beside Dee and she turned to him. “It’s gonna be okay,” he assured her.
“Sure, you can say that. You only have Mom and Roger to deal with, since you’re already a favorite of Dad’s. I have them plus your father.”
“Cross one off your list. Dad will adore you if for no other reason than you’ve made me the happiest man in any time. I’m sure this Roger loves you and wants what’s best for you. Of course, that would be me.” He grinned when she gave him the evil eye.
“Dad said I didn’t really call Roger anything, definitely not Dad or Father. There was a distance, but I was a teenager. In our other time, the distance caused a rift with Tom as well.” Dee’s shoulders slumped at the memory of Tom.
She blew out a breath. “Roger is a lawyer, so there’s more financial security. Better than Tom, I suspect. They’ve been happy together as far as Dad knows.” Dee cuddled in as though seeking comfort. “It’s not like Mom ever confided in him and they live states away from each other. He did say Mom was doing more society things than when they were together. She started to tell me some gossip about a function, and I cut her off. I didn’t recognize the name of the woman she mentioned. I’m not going to know any of her current friends.”
Dusty could feel her anxiety creeping up again. He played with her fingers for a moment, kissing the tip of each.
She sighed and twined their fingers together. “I asked Dad, but he couldn’t tell me any of those little stories you accumulate over the years. Apparently I avoided talking about Roger with him, he assumed to spare his feelings.”
“I’ll be right there to run interference,” he reminded her as he tucked her reassuringly into his side. “You’re a bride and you’re pregnant. You’re supposed to be absentminded.”
“Stay off the damn Internet.”
“Never.” He nibbled her neck and her arms went around him. She was acting more herself now. At least the phone call was behind her.
This weekend would be stressful regardless, more so if her mother or Roger didn’t like him. Her mom would most certainly not like the fact they were having a baby after a few weeks of dating. Not much he could do about it.
He’d be on his best behavior and strive to protect Dee.
Chapter 10
“Is this dress too tight?” Dee twisted in front of the full-length mirror, trying to glimpse herself from all angles.
“No. Dee, relax, you’re not showing at all.”
She eyed Dusty suspiciously. “You’re staring at my breasts.”
“I’m appreciating your breasts. And for the record I did even when you were wearing those blouses back in the day. You know, when I didn’t have a hope of cleavage.”
Snorting, Dee turned once more before the mirror.
“Come on. We need to be there to greet everyone.” Dusty took her hand to pull her toward the door.
She knew Dusty understood her. Most of the time, better than she understood herself. It didn’t lessen her nerves, but together they would get through this evening. He had her back.
~ ~ ~
“And you must be Roger.” Dusty held out his hand to shake with the imposing man. They’d arrived at the restaurant first, barely beating her mother and stepfather. Ben, and then Dusty’s father, arrived minutes later.
Everyone seemed to want to get the evening started.
Roger looked the type to be on time or early for any occasion. He stood with near military posture in a clearly expensive suit, with thick gray hair as carefully coiffed as his wife’s. Dusty hadn’t thought to ask about that part of the man’s background. He didn’t remember anything military mentioned in what he’d read.
Yes, Roger did seem arrogant. Dee had been spot-on with her assumption there.
After a momentary hesitation, Roger shook his hand. Dusty might have imagined it, but the man made him wary. “I’d like you to meet my father, Evan Williams.”
As the two men shook hands, Dusty admitted to himself he was getting an uh-oh feeling. He met Dee’s eyes. Her face was carefully bland, though she looked as if she was doing okay. This was going to be a rough night. He wished he could distance her somehow from it. No way that was going to happen.
Deciding on the seating quickly, Dusty put Ben and Roger at opposite ends of the table, with Dee beside him facing his father while he sat across from her mother, giving him the opportunity to visit with Roger as well. Tactically it was the best he could do. Part of him wanted to smile at the term. He wasn’t going to war, was he?
Conversation was slow to start. Roger wasn’t helping with his blatantly negative attitude against the gathering. Maybe it was the proximity to the first husband, or missing a golf game, but Roger was being an ass about everything.
“This is the entire wine list?” Roger sniffed at the choices and glanced again with disdain at the exit from the kitchen. They were no closer than most tables. “Where is the sommelier?” He actually snapped his fingers.
There was no doubt in Dusty’s mind Roger wouldn’t be picking up the tab for whatever wine he chose. If the man sniffed one more time, Dusty decided he’d toss a handkerchief across the table.
Finally, he just concentrated on Dee’s mother, Meredith. And couldn’t help but notice how Dee kept eyeing her mother as though not sure she recognized her.
Right about now he’d give real money to have five minutes alone with Dee.<
br />
~ ~ ~
Dee glanced over at her father. He didn’t seem at all disturbed at Mom’s appearance.
God, I am.
Her mother couldn’t be more than a size two and not very healthy looking. Her face was pinched and if Dee wasn’t mistaken, she’d had work done. Her tentative attitude, glancing at Roger often as though for permission to speak, was unfamiliar. Dee longed to pull Dusty aside and tell him how the secure woman she was accustomed to being around was missing from this gathering.
There were no laugh lines around her eyes, no trace of gray in her carefully styled hair, and her clothes, while more expensive, were too conservative. Mom had never been this thin before. Now she was nearly gaunt. The jeans and t-shirts she’d worn to Saturday games and romps with the boys and Dee were long gone.
Roger was a large, brusque man with thick gray hair and a fairly toned body. He obviously spent a lot of time on the golf course and didn’t seem to mind showing off his arrogance or his money. He had a definite opinion about everything and apparently felt the world should share it. Or—and she thought this more likely—be given the opportunity to listen to him pontificate about it.
Dee disliked him on sight.
This was not the mother Dee knew. With Tom, she had never been subservient. Women’s shelters obviously still had a place in society. Dee had no facts to base her feelings on, but she’d bet money her mother needed one.
Dusty’s father, Evan, was charming but quiet. Unlike the other two men, his hair was still dark with a hint of gray at the temples. His eyes were a deeper hazel than Dusty’s. Nearly as tall as Dusty, he was a little heavier, and possessed an aura of calm. He also gave the impression he was as reluctant to engage with the far end of the table as she was. Evan spoke with her mother once or twice, since he’d been seated next to her. He was obviously more comfortable with her father.
Dusty bore the brunt of her family. Poor guy.
Would he still want to marry her after this?
“We’re very pleased to meet a friend of Dee’s,” her mother said. “I don’t believe she’s ever brought a man home, so this is a real treat for us.”
Roger didn’t look as though he agreed, but kept his mouth shut for once. He’d already complained about the wine, the service, and the location of the table. More than once Dee wished the man hadn’t bothered to come.
“We’re very happy to be able to arrange this dinner,” Dusty replied, as the plates were removed, wine refreshed, and dessert menus distributed. “Dee and I have some news to share, and we hope you’ll be as happy as we are.”
Dusty took her hand and squeezed her fingers lightly. “Dee and I are getting married.”
“What?” Mom looked shocked, while Roger glowered.
“You just met.” Roger spoke with an air of finality. “Such an announcement is premature.”
“Not really,” Dee said firmly. “We’re getting married tomorrow. I know it’s a surprise, and very short notice. We didn’t want a lot of fuss. Of course we hope all of you will attend with us.”
Evan spoke up immediately. “That’s wonderful. I’m so happy to have you join our—”
“You’re being ridiculous,” Roger interrupted. “There is no way you could possibly make such a decision so quickly.” He spoke as though from a position of high authority. “Don’t expect me to bankroll some huge wedding.”
Dee sat back in her chair, stunned. Had her stepfather understood anything she’d said? How could he expect some large gala by tomorrow? They’d asked for nothing and had no plans to. She glanced at her father who had removed the napkin from his lap and was starting to speak. He had avoided conversation with Roger so far.
Dee tensed.
“I don’t believe that will be an issue, Roger.” Ben’s voice was mild. “I believe they are requesting our blessing, not a handout.”
“You knew!” Her mother’s eyes had gone wide with accusation.
“They told me a couple of weeks ago when I visited.”
“We hoped our families would be pleasantly surprised. And we’re sorry if you’re not,” Dee said, thankful her voice held steady. “Dusty and I are marrying tomorrow. We’re not asking for anyone to finance anything. This is just for us. If you don’t wish to attend, that is your choice. We told you as a courtesy.”
“Dee, don’t you think this is a little premature? You’ve only known each other—” Her mother broke off and actually cringed as Roger leaned toward her and grabbed her wrist.
“Be quiet. Let them make their mistake. It has nothing to do with us. Just because I helped raise her is no reason for her to think she can count on us to get her out of a bad situation when the time comes.”
His grip tightened, and she went silent immediately. He’d leave a damn bruise on her mother’s arm, and all the woman had done was voice caution.
“Let my mother go.” Dee spoke quietly. Everyone heard the steel in her voice. It was not a request.
“You don’t speak to me in that tone, no matter how old you are.” Without warning Roger released her mother, reached past Dusty, and latched on to Dee’s arm.
Stunned, Dee didn’t have time to try to evade his grasp.
~ ~ ~
Dusty felt the jolt though he touched neither of them. The warm buzz that had surrounded him and Dee for so many months, surged in intensity.
Roger suddenly yelped, jerking his hand away. Blisters were already forming on his palm in what appeared to be a serious burn.
The buzz had never been so strong.
Neither of them had ever been injured by it. They had only pulled away from one another once during the buzz . . . in the bar when they’d first met. Dee had thought it was static electricity between them. They’d grown used to the sensation, missing it when they returned to the present.
“Dee?” He asked a lot of questions with just her name.
“I’m okay.”
Dusty checked her arm to be sure, but found no hint of red. He felt nothing other than the soft skin where he caressed her.
Roger cradled his burnt hand against his chest, his eyes showing disbelief and pain. Hostility.
Dusty noted Dee didn’t react to his injury as a daughter or a doctor. What the hell kind of relationship had she suffered with the man in this timeline?
Meredith actually cowered in her seat.
With pride, Dusty watched as Dee set her shoulders and faced the red-faced, blustering man. “Spousal abuse is against the law. As an attorney you should know that. If I ever see or hear of any possible retribution for this evening, I will file charges. As for the wedding, Dusty and I are not children nor, despite what you think, making a hasty decision. And for the record, we are having a baby as well.”
“Stupid slut! Now I know you’re lying.” Roger hissed the insult as others in the restaurant turned, attracted to the argument, watching them avidly with no attempt to hide the fact.
Dee gaped in obvious disbelief at her stepfather. Meredith had gone paler. Would Dee administer to her mother if she passed out? It didn’t seem likely from the hostility Dusty could feel radiating from Dee’s body. He caught Ben staring at Roger, a puzzled expression on his face.
Dusty wasn’t puzzled any longer. The man was an ass, plain and simple.
“I’ve done nothing wrong, and I won’t sit here and listen to your threats,” Roger blustered, as if suddenly aware of their location and of the prying eyes of strangers watching. “We’re leaving.” He shoved his chair back awkwardly and rose, still cradling his hand. He barely glanced at his wife as he turned away.
“I will be a witness if necessary.” Ben’s voice had quieted as he spoke to his ex-wife, which made the vow even more threatening.
“Ben, please.” Meredith still hadn’t stood.
Roger jerked her forcefu
lly from her seat with his uninjured hand, causing the chair to teeter. Evan grabbed it before it could topple over.
Everyone watched in silence as Roger hustled Meredith from the restaurant, his injury tight to his chest.
Dusty kept his thoughts to himself, but he agreed with Ben. Things had improved. Not people or human nature. Time to check into his theory more thoroughly.
“Let’s get out of here.” Dusty helped Dee from her seat.
And noted despite her bravado, her legs weren’t quite steady.
~ ~ ~
As Dusty parked outside the condo, his father and Ben drove up. Leaving the door open for them, he escorted Dee inside, anxious to make her comfortable.
“Let me get you some water.” He seated Dee on the couch and headed toward the kitchen just as their fathers came through the front door, both appearing shaken from the scene in the restaurant.
“I could use a drink.” Ben’s anger was still evident.
“I think we all could,” Dad agreed.
Dusty handed Dee her water, then left father and daughter alone for a moment, while he helped his father find the brandy.
They reentered the living room just as Ben blurted,
“How did I not see it? I’m not blind. I’m a fucking psychologist, but I allowed Meredith to mislead me, to have my daughter live with such an example for an adult male.” He turned to his daughter. “Dee, I didn’t know. God, did he hurt you too?”
Dusty felt the blood leave his face as his eyes met Ben’s and understanding bloomed between them.
“It didn’t happen.” Dusty grasped at the only thing that could possibly help. “That’s what you need to concentrate on, Ben. It didn’t happen. Whatever helped us save Daniel and William saved Dee, too. She didn’t suffer any abuse from Roger’s hand. She never witnessed it, because she wasn’t here. Her memory is of Tom as a stepfather. It wasn’t ideal, but what teenager has ideal parents?”
