by Dalia Wright
“Come sit, you’ve got to meet Connor.”
Danika turned her attention to the man who Ally had been talking with. “Hi,” she held her hand out to him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Connor looked her up and down, then stared at her hand with a raised eyebrow. He shook her hand – well, sort of. It was more like the way a little kid would hold it out if they didn’t know what they were supposed to do.
Danika avoided wrinkling her noise as she sat down beside him and turned her attention to her old friend. “So, how have you been?”
It was a stupid question and she knew it, but what else was she supposed to say?
“Oh goodness, it’s been amazing.”
Danika listened as her best friend gave her all the details about how she managed to meet a rich photographer from LA, and all about the crazy romance – all about how he had proposed to her on a private tour of Disney World, and about the wedding plans.
She let out a deep sigh staring at the man across from her. “I don’t know what it is, but he is just so amazing. Of course, he took me shopping when we first met.”
“Well of course,” he said, grinning, “I couldn’t be seen walking around with a girl who wore dressed in mall brand clothing.”
Danika flushed. She couldn’t believe he would say that out loud. She stared down at her own clothing. Of course they had been bought in a mall; despite the fact that they were good quality, they were still bought in a mall.
Ally cleared her throat. “So, anyways… how are you doing Danika?”
“I… I’ve been busy, that’s mostly it. Working, and whatnot.” She shrugged as if it hadn’t been three years since they spoke.
As if nothing in her life had changed. Which it hadn’t, except her daughter.
“Oh, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m… between jobs right now.” It wasn’t a total lie, she was looking for a new job. She bit her lip.
“Anyways…” Ally paused, reaching into her purse and reached into her Juicy purse, pulling out a small black envelope with lace along the trim. “Here – I mean you are going to be my maid of honor, right?”
“I….” She’d been thinking long and hard about it. “I’m really sorry to do this to you, but the truth is… I just don’t think I would be a good enough maid of honor to you.”
“You… you mean… you’re not going to be my maid of honor?”
“I’m sorry Ally, I really am it’s just… I know I wouldn’t be good enough and I can’t bring myself to be a maid of honor if I’m anything less than what you deserve.” It was true. She wasn’t sure that she could be a good enough maid of honor.
“I… I guess I understand… Micky will be thrilled to be maid of honor. Honestly, I think she was kind of jealous that I hadn’t asked her already.” Danika could hear the hurt in her high school friends voice. She paused, the two friends locking eyes. “Anyways, you should come to the wedding at least; there will be a spot waiting for you. And you’re welcome to come to the rehearsal, I’m sure Seth would get a kick out of seeing you! Momma always said you two were going to get together,” she laughed softly.
Danika forced a laugh through her lips. I wonder what everyone would say if they knew the truth. Probably nothing she’d want to hear. Maybe it’s best I leave now before things get too open.
“Well, it was really nice to see you, but I’ve got to get going.”
“Really? I mean, I thought we could catch up and chat. Maybe I can stop by your place sometime and you can catch up.”
“That… would be nice,” she lied. The truth was she didn’t want to have time to catch up with Ally. Ally was clearly successful and happy. Sometimes Danika wasn’t even sure if she was even happy. She forced a smile over her lips and stepped away from the table. She hadn’t even finished her coffee, but she’d lost her appetite a long time ago and was still feeling like she might be sick.
She turned to Connor. “It was very nice to meet you, and I’m so glad Ally’s found someone she wants to spend her life with.”
“Are you sure you have to go?”
“Oh, yea… I have… um, someone waiting for me.”
“Ohh.,” again, Ally sighed softly, “I can’t wait to meet him!”
Great. Now she would have to come with an excuse for not having a date to the wedding.
“So, will you at least come to the dinner on Saturday?”
“I… I’ll let you know.” She would have to come up with a good excuse for it. When it came down to it, she would have to come up with a reason to avoid as much of the wedding as she could. She couldn’t bring herself to not go to the wedding. Her high school friend would be devastated. But she didn’t want to stay there very long and run the risk of running into Seth. She thought about what Ally had said. Did she really think Seth would be happy to see her? But how am I supposed to face him after the last time I saw him?
Chapter Four
Seth looked around as he pulled up to the large house that he’d bought his parents. It was huge; the pictures hadn’t done it justice.
When he signed his first major contract he had spent most of the money on buying his parents this place and then paying for all the renovations to be done on it, which included doing the outside and putting the pool in.
What the fuck?
Why were there so many cars in the driveway? What did his parents have planned for him?
He let out a groan as he pulled up to the house and shifted the Audi into park. It wasn’t anything fancy, but he had one back home for day-to-day driving and he loved it. This was not what he’d had in mind when he got home. Actually he would have rather be staying at a hotel, but his parents had insisted that he stay with them. And now here he was.
He stepped out of the car and headed for the house. When he reached the door, he didn’t bother to knock. He didn’t bother knocking before he entered the house. Everyone was seated in the living room, and everyone turned to stare at him.
“Seth!” His mother jumped to her feet and rushed towards him. Her arms wrapped around him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re home.” She sounded like she was about to cry.
“Yeah… hi, mom.” It’s not like they didn’t talk; he just didn’t like coming home. Was that really such a big deal?
He blew out a deep breath as he looked around. Eyes fixed on him as he took everything in.
“It’s so nice to see you,” Micky stood. Although it had been a couple years since he’d last seen her but she looked the same, except the boob job. That was new, along with the blonde hair.
Her bright red lips curved into a smile that reminded him of all the girls waiting outside the locker room for him. Great.
“Ya, it’s nice to see you too.” He forced himself to say. He didn’t mean a word of it but that didn’t matter, his mother had taught him to be polite and respectful.
When his mother finally pulled away from him he had another set of arms wrap around him.
“Hey, Seth.” Ally’s eyes sparkled as she pulled away from him.
“Hey, miss bride-to-be.” He looked his sister up and down. Unlike the rest of his family, he’d seen her recently, and even still she was looking better than the last time he’d seen her- although a little on the thin side, but he didn’t dare say it.
“Are you going to come hang out with us and help us plan?”
“Oh yes, you should stay and help!”
He snorted. He had no intention of staying here while they planned the wedding unless he was forced into it.
“Alright, alright fine,” Ally pouted. She glanced around the room. “Danika bailed on me, too. It’s just like you two.”
“D-Danika? You’ve seen her?” She’s here? What was he thinking? Of course she was, it was her high school best friend’s wedding. He smirked, thinking about the girl. She was probably some big successful woman by now, and the last time he’d seen her she was more like a little girl getting ready to graduate.
“Oh yea, but… I think s
he might be on drugs or something.”
“What?” No, Danni would never do that. He knew her, and he knew his sister must be wrong. No, you don’t know her anymore, Seth.
His heart sank into the pit of his stomach as he realized he was right; he didn’t know her anymore. And that hurt him more than he wanted to admit.
“Do you have the address for her hotel? I’d like to stop in and see her.”
“No, that’s part of it. It’s like she didn’t want me to come see her. I don’t even know if she’s staying at a hotel,” Ally gasped. “You don’t think she’s sleeping in her car, do you?”
“I’m sure she’s not sleeping in her car.” After all, her mom still lived in town, according to their mother. He gave his sister a weak smile. “Well, I’m going to head out and get a drink with some of the guys.”
Alright, so it had been a lie, but he wasn’t going to tell his sister the truth otherwise she would suspect something. And he didn’t need that – neither did Danni. Seth’s cheeks flushed as he thought about the last time he had seen her. Ally might not have had her address, but it was a small town and Seth had a lot of resources. Over the past couple years, he’d come to learn that everything had a price. And he was willing to do whatever it took to find Danni so they could talk before the wedding.
Chapter Five
“Hi.”
Danika’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. She hadn’t heard his voice in years, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t spot it miles away. And right now he stood inches away from her.
She turned around to see the man she’d been praying she could avoid.
Suddenly it didn’t matter that it was raining. All she cared about was the man in front of her. She sucked in a deep breath and forced herself to straighten.
“Seth, what are you doing here?” She adjusted her purse over her shoulder. It was just about to get busy at the bar and she had made sure she wouldn’t be there, just in case he did show up.
“Funny thing about small towns; everyone wants to tell you everything.” He gave her a soft smile, his eyes roaming over her body.
Danika’s heart did a back flip. She sucked in a deep breath. Damnit.
“Although, if people had gotten right to the point I probably would have been here an hour earlier.” His eyes twinkled. He closed the distance between them. Danika felt her knees grow weak. “How are you doing, Danni?”
“Don’t call me that,” she said. She turned on her heel and headed towards home.
“You’re not even going to tell me how you’re doing?”
Nope. I’m not going to say a word to you and I’m going to hope you leave me alone so that I don’t have to tell you anything.
She ignored him as she headed down the ally, a shortcut home.
Warm fingers wrapped around her wrist, jerking her to a stop. Danika gasped. She spun to face Seth. He wasn’t the first man to try and grab at her but he was different. Because right now all Danika wanted was to let him hold her. Any part of her. No.
Maybe if she didn’t just have to worry about herself. Maybe if he wasn’t who he was.
She jerked away from him.
She saw the hurt fill his eyes as he looked away from her. “I get it,” he said. “But at least let me walk you to your car. I’d hate the idea of you walking along near this bar.”
Danika snorted. Sure, the bar kind of had a bad reputation, but it’s not like she wasn’t used to dealing with the men who came there. What would he say if he knew I worked there? She wondered.
“No need, I don’t have a car.”
A car was something she couldn’t afford, and in a town this small, it meant you walked everywhere. Not that she minded. It kept her fit, at least.
“You… you don’t have a car? Then how-”
“I was going to walk; I do have two legs that work just fine,” she snapped.
Seth stared at her for several seconds. “No, come on.” He turned on his heel, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along with him.
Despite the fact that Danika tried to hold fast and not move, she found herself moving. Damit. He was too strong for her own good.
Danika fumbled over her own feet as Seth led her towards the black BMW. Her jaw dropped as she stared at it. Wow. She couldn’t believe that he owned something so nice. I mean, of course it makes sense. He’s rich and famous. This is probably a low-end car for him.
“Get in,” he pretty much ordered as he circled around the driver’s side. Danika thought about turning around and walking home, but it was still raining and she didn’t really want to walk home in the rain. The last thing she needed was to get sick.
With a huff, Danika opened the passenger side door and flopped down onto the seat. Doesn’t mean I have to talk to him. She thought.
Seth gunned the engine and she pointed towards the direction of her place. Great, he’s going to see where I live. Did it matter?
“I miss you, Danni. I tried to call you a couple times.”
Danika didn’t say anything. She knew he had tried to call her, that was part of the reason she changed her phone number. Well, that and she hadn’t had the money to pay for it for a couple months. Beka’s Christmas present was more important. She thought to herself as they headed towards the door.
“Are you going to the wedding?”
“Probably not.”
“You’re not? Why?”
Because I don’t want to. I can hardly afford it and my money could be much better spent. She didn’t say it. And I was trying to avoid you.
That hadn’t gone according to plan.
“Why were you outside the bar?” she asked, trying to turn the attention away from him.
“Someone said you might be there.”
Damnit. Sometimes she really hated living in a small town. She didn’t say a word.
“What I can’t figure out, is why you were there… I mean… Ally said she was worried about you but… I thought you hated drinking.”
Danika snorted. Really? He thought she was there to drink. “I guess you should have tried to get more information from others before coming to the bar.”
“Danni, what else was I supposed to do? You’d just have avoided me if I tried anything else.”
Of course I would have! Having Ally back home is hard enough. She bit her lip. The last few nights she’d hardly need able to sleep. Between worrying about what would happen if everyone found out, and feeling like an utter failure she was having a hard time getting to sleep. I’m not a failure. She told herself but despite the fact she’d told herself that hundreds of times, she wasn’t feeling any better about it.
“So… is everything okay? I mean, you were at a bar…”
“I work at that bar,” Danika snapped before she realized it. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. Oh god. She couldn’t believe she’d just told him that. “Not that it is any of your business. Turn right up here.”
After tell him that, did it really matter if he saw her house? No. Even though he would know what it was right away. Even though he would understand everything about her life. Everything she wished she could have hide.
“Y-you’re still living in town?”
She didn’t say anything. She let her silence be her answer.
“I thought you were heading off to college?”
“Yeah well, shit happened.”
Like a kid. But she wasn’t going to tell him that. No, she wasn’t going to be able to answer the questions he’d have for her if she told him about Beka. Stupid men. She thought.
“So… you got a boyfriend. He must be really special.”
“Turn right up here. And no, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Boyfriends weren’t really something that she had time for, and even if she did… there weren’t any guys in town that she’d want to date. None she would trust to be a good enough father to Beka, and most guys wouldn’t want to be with a woman who had a child.
Seth turned right. “It’s just up there.” She pointed
towards the apartment building that everyone knew was for low-income families.
He didn’t say a word about it as he pulled the car to a stop and turned to face her. “So, you’re really not going to be at the wedding?”
“Chances are I won’t be able to find a suitable outfit.” After all, there were only malls around here.
“Screw that. Wear whatever the fuck you want, Ally won’t care.”
She didn’t think Ally would, but she was sure Connor would.
“Look, at least come to the dinner. It’s only going to be a couple hours and then you can bail on the wedding without feeling bad.”
The idea sounded less than appealing. “Thank you for the ride home.”
He reached out, grabbing her wrist again. She spun to face him. Big mistake. His eyes sparkled as he looked her up and down. “God, you’re still as gorgeous as I remember.”
Her heart skipped a beat as her mouth fell open.
“You know, if you don’t have a boyfriend… and if you want someone to go to the wedding with, I’d be happy to take you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She knew he was probably just being kind, really, how could it be anything else? He was… he was a famous football star now, and she… well she worked a crappy bar job and took on any online jobs that she could find to help pay the bills. They were two completely different people.
She forced a smile over her lips. “Thank you,” she said as she slipped out of the car and headed home.
Her mind raced as she let herself into ground floor apartment she had. She closed the door and stared out the window just in time to see him drive away. She took a deep breath as she turned around.
“You’re home early.”
“Yes. I got a ride home with a friend. How was Beka today?”
The babysitter smiled. “She was as good as she always is.”
Danika’s heart filled with joy. “Thank you so much for looking after her. And… are you free tonight?”
While she was at work she’d gotten an invitation to stop by Ally’s mom’s house. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go, but she did want to catch up with her high school best friend.
