Daniel handed her a burger, taking the guest chair beside her.
“These aren’t bad,” he said after the first bite.
“Would I steer you wrong?” The waxed paper crackled as she unwrapped hers.
“Apparently not. Where did you get them?”
“Across the street. You know it’s a national chain, right?”
“Really?”
She shook her head and laughed lightly. “There’s a whole world out there you’ve never seen.”
He stopped eating and gave her an intense stare. “You want to show it to me?”
Amanda felt a surge of guilt. He was coming around. He was willing to meet her halfway, to experience new things. And she still hadn’t budged.
It wasn’t Daniel’s fault that Patrick was a Machiavellian genius. More than any of his siblings, Daniel had tried to exert his independence. And the fact that Bryan was the only Elliott who’d succeeded in breaking free was partly thanks to Daniel.
She swallowed, making a decision. “Only if you’ll agree to show me your world.”
He crumpled his wrapper and tossed it into the trash. “What do you want to see first? Paris? Rome? Sydney?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of The Met.”
“You’ve already been to The Met.”
“But you can get better tickets.”
“La Bohème, followed by pizza?”
Amanda laughed and stood up, tossing her own wrapper in the trash. “I’ve got an appointment at one,” she told him.
He moved in front of her, kissing her gently on the lips and reaching for his tie.
“Uh-uh.” She shook her head and held the tie fast. “Souvenir.”
“Fine,” he agreed easily.
While she gathered her purse and took a last drink, he moved around the desk. He opened a drawer and extracted another tie.
Amanda dropped her paper cup in the bin and followed him around. She commandeered the second tie.
“Hey!”
“No tie.”
He grabbed for it, but she backed away.
“What do you mean no tie?”
She looped the second one around her neck. “Price you pay for spontaneity.”
“Nancy’s going to know what happened.”
Amanda shot him a grin. “Yeah, she will.”
He took a step toward her. “Amanda—”
“Call me.” She quickly scooted out the door.
Eleven
At precisely two o’clock, Daniel strode into his father’s outer office. Making love with Amanda had taken the edge off his anger. Making love with Amanda had taken the edge off everything.
But then, making love with her had also reminded him all over again how cruelly his father had manipulated a frightened, pregnant teenager.
“Is he here?” Daniel asked Mrs. Bitton, barely breaking his stride.
“He’s expecting you,” she answered.
Daniel swung the door wide, then shut it firmly behind him.
His father didn’t look up from the papers he was signing. “Do we have some kind of a problem?”
Daniel took a few steps into the office, struggling to keep a rein on his temper. “Yes, we have some kind of a problem.”
Patrick glanced up. “And that would be…?”
“You blackmailed Amanda.”
Patrick didn’t flinch. “I haven’t said more than three words to her in sixteen years.”
Daniel took two more paces. “You threatened to take Bryan away from her.” His voice rose, nearly shaking. “How could you do that? She was eighteen, pregnant, defenseless.”
Patrick set down his pen and squared his shoulders. “I did what was best for the family.”
Daniel smacked his palms on the desktop. “Best for you, yes. Best for the family, maybe. Best for Amanda? I don’t think so.”
“Amanda wasn’t my responsibility.”
“Amanda is my wife!” Daniel shouted.
“Was your wife.”
Daniel clamped his jaw and sucked in a breath.
Patrick rose to his feet. “This is ancient history, Daniel. And I have a meeting.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Don’t I dare?”
Daniel pointed a finger at his father’s chest. Strangely, the man who had intimidated him all his life didn’t look so intimidating now. “We’re not finished with this conversation.”
Patrick started around the desk. “We are definitely finished with this conversation, and you’re damn lucky you still have a job.”
Daniel stepped sideways, blocking his father’s exit, folding his arms over his chest. “You are going to apologize to Amanda.”
Patrick’s eyes glittered and a muscle ticked in one jaw. “Amanda made her choice.”
“You gave her no choice.”
“She chose to sleep with you.”
“You know nothing about what happened that night.”
“Are you telling me she was unwilling?”
Something exploded in Daniel’s brain. He doubled up his fists and leaned in. “Are you suggesting I raped her?”
“Did you?”
“No! Of course not!”
“Then she made her choice. There was a baby. An Elliott baby. I protected the family, and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.” Patrick started to go around Daniel.
This time Daniel didn’t stop him. His voice dropped to a growl. “You betrayed her, and you betrayed me.”
Patrick’s voice shook with anger. “I protected this family.”
Daniel pivoted to glare at him. “You were wrong.”
Patrick stared back for a long moment, then he walked out of the office.
Daniel hadn’t had it in him to work the rest of the day. Going home held no appeal, and he was too upset to call Amanda.
He ended up at the family table at Une Nuit, Bryan’s restaurant. Bryan wasn’t there—just as well. Daniel was content to hunch in a dim corner and sip on his second single malt. He had a lot of thinking to do.
“Hey, bro.” Michael slid into the chair in front of him.
“Hey,” Daniel answered, checking to see if anyone was with Michael. He really didn’t feel like company at the moment.
“Heard you reamed out the boss.” Michael signaled to the manager for his usual drink.
Daniel nodded. He wondered how accurately the gossip had spread.
“Business matter?” asked Michael.
“Personal,” said Daniel.
Michael accepted a martini from a waiter. “Amanda?”
Daniel squinted. “What did you hear?”
“That you ordered Mrs. Bitton to reschedule Dad’s meeting—nice one, by the way—and that you went up one side of him and down the other.” Michael took a swig of his drink. “And you’re still standing.”
“Still employed, too.” Daniel was pretty amazed about that. Not that he’d cared at the time.
Michael snagged the olive from his martini and popped it into his mouth. “Only person I can think of that would make you go off like that is Amanda.”
Daniel banged his heavy scotch glass on the table. “He threatened to take Bryan away from her if she didn’t marry me.”
Michael was silent for a moment. “I know.”
“You know?”
Michael nodded. “He was afraid it would kill Mom to lose her grandchild.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I was keeping my head low at the time. Remember, I was the guy who got you the suite.”
“But later?”
“Later you two seemed happy. Then, when things fell apart, it hardly seemed like the kind of information that would help.”
Daniel rocked back in his chair. “It was unconscionable.”
Their brother Shane appeared and slid into the seat next to Daniel. “What was unconscionable?”
“Dad blackmailed Amanda into marrying Daniel,” said Michael.
“When?” asked Shane.
&nbs
p; Daniel turned to give his younger brother an amazed look. “In high school.”
“Oh, that time.”
“Was there another time?” Daniel asked.
“How’d he blackmail her?” asked Shane, ignoring his brother’s comment.
Daniel chugged the last of his scotch, still seeing red at the thought of his father’s actions. “He threatened to take Bryan away. He forced her to marry me in order to keep her baby.”
Again, on cue, their sister Finola appeared and sat down next to Michael. “Could’ve been worse,” she said.
Her three brothers’ gazes swung her way.
Then they all went silent, remembering that Patrick had forced Finola to give up her own baby at fifteen.
Shane reached across the table and took his twin sister’s hand. “Yeah, it could’ve.”
“Aw, Fin,” said Daniel, feeling like a jerk. At least he’d had the chance to raise Bryan.
Michael signaled for a round of drinks. “You ever wonder if this family needs therapy?”
Finola turned to look at her oldest brother, twin tears refusing to spill over her lashes. “What do you mean wonder? We’re scrapping it out like a pack of dogs for our father’s job.”
Daniel dumped a sliver of ice into his mouth. “After this afternoon, it might be a three-way race.”
Shane scoffed out a laugh. “What in the hell did you do?”
“I yelled at him,” said Daniel.
“You yelled at Dad?” asked Finola, amazement clear in her voice.
“I ordered him to apologize to Amanda. I may have stopped him from leaving his office there for a minute, too.”
“Bodily?” asked Michael.
“No blows were exchanged,” said Daniel with a dark laugh.
Shane chuckled along with him.
“It may be a two-way race,” said Michael.
Everyone turned their attention to him.
“With Karen’s health I just don’t have the energy for this. She needs me, and I am going to be there for her.”
“Maybe I’ll back out, too,” said Shane.
“What are you talking about?” Michael asked Shane. “You have no reason to back out.”
The waiter arrived and set drinks out all around.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Finola said to Shane. “You love your job.”
“I may love the job, but I hate being manipulated. He’s hurt us all. At one time or another, he’s screwed up everyone’s life.”
The other three nodded.
Daniel felt as though blinders had been peeled away from his eyes, and they could never be put back.
“When he made me take the job,” said Daniel, “when Bryan was sick, and he told me it was the only way to clear the bills, it was the worst mistake I ever made.” He pushed aside the memory of Bryan’s heart defect, not wanting to relive the tense time before the surgery made his son whole.
Finola cocked her head. “But if you hadn’t come back—”
“Amanda and I might still be married.”
“Impoverished,” said Michael.
“But married,” said Shane, lifting his highball. “Chuck it, Daniel. Chuck it all and marry Amanda.”
“Whoa,” said Michael. “How’d we get there?”
Daniel laughed, but a small corner of his brain told him to take Shane seriously.
“You’re bitter,” Finola said to Shane.
Shane leaned forward and stage-whispered to his twin, “I’m cutting back the field. I’d rather have you in charge than Daniel.”
Daniel elbowed Shane. “Hey. Why?”
“She likes me better than you do,” Shane said to his brother.
“That’s true enough,” said Daniel.
Michael chomped down on his second olive. He waggled his eyebrows in Daniel’s direction. “I don’t think we can just let Finola walk away with it.”
“Hell no,” Daniel chuckled. “She’s a girl.”
Finola bristled. “Here we go again.”
Amanda blinked, just to make sure it really was Sharon Elliott standing in her office doorway.
“Surprise,” said Sharon, sauntering into the office in impossibly high heels, a black denim skirt and a black-and-white cropped sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a slick knot and her makeup was as bold as the outfit.
Julie made a face behind the woman’s back and pulled the door shut.
Amanda closed her case file and came to her feet. “Can I help you with something?”
“Actually, it’s me who’s here to help you.” Sharon pulled her deep red lips into a smile and sat down in one of the guest chairs, tucking her purse in the space beside her.
“Uh, thank you,” said Amanda, dropping into her seat.
Sharon sat forward, jiggling her diamond teardrop earrings. The jeweled rings on her fingers flashed as she folded her hands. “I know what you’re doing.”
“You do?” Amanda was preparing closing arguments for the Spodek case, but she doubted that was what Sharon was talking about.
Sharon nodded. “And I can respect it.”
“Thank you.”
“But I think you might be fishing in the wrong pond.”
“Oh?”
“Daniel is, let’s say, challenging.”
“Let’s say.” Amanda hoped being agreeable would get Sharon out of her office sooner.
Sharon reached for her purse, snapping open the clasp and retrieving a folded piece of paper. “I’ve taken the liberty of coming up with a list of potential men.”
“For what?” asked Amanda.
“To date,” said Sharon. She unfolded the paper, pasting on a just-between-us-girls smile. “They’re all good-looking, intelligent, available and, most importantly, rich.”
She held out the paper to Amanda.
Amanda gingerly took it. “You’re showing me a list of your dates?”
Sharon’s head tipped sideways, and her laughter tinkled though the office. “Not my dates,” she said. “Yours.”
Amanda dropped the paper. “What?”
Sharon shook her head. “Honey, Daniel is never going to fall for you again. Consider this a gift from one jilted wife to another.”
Ah. It all made sense now. “I take it you want him back?”
“Me?” Sharon laughed again. It really was a lovely laugh. Probably lured men to their deaths all the time. “I’m not trying to get him back.”
Sure, she wasn’t. Sharon had decided to become dating.com out of the goodness of her heart.
Oh, wait. Sharon didn’t have a heart. Which meant she was lying. She wanted Daniel back.
“Once you’re on the outs with Patrick, you’re on the outs,” said Sharon.
Amanda supposed that was true enough.
“Though there was a time,” Sharon continued, “that Patrick just couldn’t get enough of me.”
Amanda gave her head a little shake. “You slept with Patrick?”
“Of course not.” Sharon dramatically fluttered her fingers against her chest. “He recruited me for Daniel. He knew exactly what he wanted in a daughter-in-law.”
“And he got it,” Amanda muttered, knowing Sharon was exactly what Patrick would have ordered.
“For a while.” Sharon sighed. “Now, back to the list.” She stood up and bent over to read upside down. “Giorgio is nice, not too tall, but very well-groomed. He has a penthouse overlooking the park, and—”
“Thank you,” said Amanda, folding the list closed again. “But I’m not looking to date anyone.”
Sharon straightened, her mouth drooping into a little-girl pout. “But—”
“I’m afraid I’m very busy.” Amanda held out the list.
Sharon didn’t take it. “You’re dating Daniel.”
“Not really.” She was only sleeping with Daniel. That was as far as the relationship was likely to go. Sharon was right about one thing, though: to get Daniel, first you needed Patrick.
The door opened, and Julie stuck her head in. “Amanda?”
Amanda could have kissed her receptionist.
“There’s someone here to see you.” Julie actually seemed flustered.
Amanda didn’t care who it was, just so long as they got Sharon out of the office.
Amanda tucked the list into Sharon’s hand. “Thanks for stopping by.”
Julie opened the door wider.
Sharon glanced from one woman to the other. For a second, Amanda thought she was going to refuse to leave. But then she gritted her teeth, stood as tall as she was able and stalked to the door.
Suddenly, she halted in the doorway and swiveled her head to look back at Amanda. “It appears I underestimated you.”
Before Amanda could decipher the cryptic message, Sharon was gone, and Patrick Elliott himself was entering the office.
She squeaked out a desperate signal to Julie, but Julie had already scooted out of the way.
“Amanda.” Patrick’s nod was terse as the door closed behind him.
“Mr. Elliott.” Amanda nodded in return, her stomach clenching reflexively against her backbone. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been alone with him.
“Please, call me Patrick.”
“All right.” Now she was even more off balance.
He gestured to the guest chairs. “May I sit down?”
“Of course.”
He waited, and she realized he expected her to sit first. She did, surreptitiously wiping her damp palms over her slacks.
He then took his own seat. “I’ll get right to the point. My son tells me I owe you an apology.”
Amanda opened her mouth. But then his words registered, and she promptly shut it again. She stared in silence at the man she’d feared for decades.
“I disagree with Daniel,” Patrick continued. “I am not sorry.”
Amanda let out her breath.
Okay, now he was sounding like himself. His hair might have gone completely white, and the line of his chin might have softened. But his ice-blue eyes were as shrewd as ever. The last thing in the world he’d do was arrive at her law office, hat in hand, begging for forgiveness.
“I’m not sorry I kept Bryan in the family,” he continued. “And I’m not sorry I ensured Maeve had her grandchild. But I am sorry…” He paused, and his blue eyes thawed ever so slightly. “I am sorry that I didn’t have your best interests at heart.”
Amanda gave her head a little shake. Her ears must have been playing tricks on her. Had Patrick Elliott just apologized?
Dynasties:The Elliots, Books 7-12 Page 28
