Relatively Famous (19 page)

Dani took her arm away from her face and blinked against the sunlight that poured into her room. “Really? Because I owe you an apology for my behavior. So, I’m sorry.”

“Water under the bridge. It’s done and over, okay. Hey, did you know I spoke to your father on the phone the other day? He couldn’t stop talking about you and what a fantastic and amazing young lady you are.”

“I didn’t know he called you.”

“He called to check in with your mom, actually, but she was out
,
so I ended up speaking with him. He’s obviously crazy about you. But how could he not be?”

“Yeah, it turns out that Dad—” Dani stopped herself as a hard pang of guilt took over.

Alan finally spoke. “So you’re calling him Dad? I think that’s great, Dani.”

“You do?” she said, surprised at the relief she felt.

“Of course. Were you worried I’d be mad?”

“No. I mean…No.”

“Because I’m not. Kiddo, I know I’m not your father. And just because I’m not your father doesn’t mean I care about you any less. We have our own thing going, right? Nothing will mess with that. Even if, for instance,” he said, pausing, “I was to marry your mother.”

Dani sat up. “What? Does this mean…?”

“I asked Leila to marry me
,
and she said yes!” Alan said happily. “I know she wanted to tell you herself in person, but apparently I can’t keep my mouth shut.”

“Oh, my God! This is awesome! I’m so happy for you!” Dani bounced around the room.

“I’m sorry you weren’t here, but the time was just right. Business at the restaurant really picked up
,
and I was finally able to pay for a ring. Once I had the ring, I just couldn’t wait.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m so happy for you guys. I really am.”

“I’m happy for all of us, Dani.”

She told Alan about the camping trip and Mark’s lopsided tent
,
and then she told him all about the party that Mark was throwing for her on her last night in L.A. Mark had presented his idea on the flight back from Colorado and was so enthusiastic about it that she couldn’t say no. He’d insisted that she write out a guest list right then, and he promised to invite some of his friends, as well. Mark had suggested a winter theme and was already busy making calls to secure a great location.

When she’d hung up with her stepfather-to-be, Dani gleefully walked downstairs to find Mark. She stopped at the top of the stairs.

She heard Olivia say, “I like the way you
read
it
the first time better. I think it suits the character more, don’t you?”

Dani leaned over the banister. Mark and Olivia were on the couch together reading from a script, and it bothered her.

“You think?” Mark asked his girlfriend. “I can’t tell anymore. I don’t know what Evan is looking for. Maybe I shouldn’t even be trying out for this part,” he said as he tossed his script down.

“Babe, you’re doing great. Really.” Olivia moved closer to Mark and then lay down, resting her head on his chest. He ran a hand through her hair and kissed the top of her head. Olivia peeked up at him. “Don’t give up now. You still want this, don’t you?”

“Of course. It won’t be the end of the world, though, if it doesn’t work out. But you’re right. I’m not going to give up.” He leaned over and retrieved his script. “Okay, can we try that scene again?”

Dani pivoted around and tiptoed back to her room.

Chapter 37

There was a knock at Dani’s door. “Dani? Can I come in?”

“Nathan?” Dani jumped up in a panic and checked out what she was wearing. Gross. She had on pajama bottoms, a black tank top, and worse, she hadn’t even brushed her hair yet. Great. So much for keeping up her image. To make matters worse, Nathan looked perfectly adorable in his cargo pants and sleeveless shirt.

“Your father said it would be okay if I came up.”

“My dad is awake?” Dani glanced at the clock. It was just past nine in the morning.

“Yeah. He’s in the kitchen making breakfast, but you might end up starving to death. There’s a strange smell coming from the skillet,” he warned, cracking a smile.

“Ew. Thanks for the heads up.” Dani smoothed out her bangs
,
which she was sure were standing up on end. “Sorry, I’m sure I’m a total mess.”

“Not at all. You look beauti—I mean, you look fine. You always do.” Nathan tucked his head down. “Oh, here. It’s the official invitation to Ava’s party next week. You’re coming, right?” He handed Dani a large rectangular envelope with her name embossed on the front in orange lettering.

“I’ve already got my coconuts ready to make into a bikini,” she said.

“Nice. I’m still waiting on the arrival of my grass skirt. I don’t know what I’ll do if the shipment is delayed.” He feigned distress and lifted the back of his hand to his forehead.
             
Dani opened the envelope. She’d have to find the perfect thing to wear for Jason. She put the invitation on the desk and plopped herself down on the bed.

Nathan squinted his eyes, catching sight of something through the window. “Hey, is that a
t
anager?” He crossed the room. “It is! It’s a Western
t
anager. You don’t see too many of those around here.”

“A what?”

“A Western
t
anager. It’s a cool bird with red, orange, and black. I saw one at the Botanical Gardens once.”

“Come out on the deck.” Dani rose and beckoned to Nathan. “We can probably see better out there.”

Nathan followed her outside
.
T
he pair leaned over the stone wall to watch the bird at the feeder.

“I didn’t even know there were feeders out here. I don’t think they were here before…” Dani bit her lip as she stared into the tree. “Wow, that bird is really beautiful. She’s so colorful.”

“Actually, that’s a male. The females don’t have such bold colors. That’s how it is in nature,” he smirked. “I guess the males have to work harder to get noticed by the females.”

“I didn’t know you were a bird
-
watcher,” Dani said. “I have lots of feeders at my house in Michigan, but I’m just starting to identify birds. All those different sparrows look the same to me.”

“I go to the arboretum a lot and walk around,” Nathan admitted. “I’ve even taken a few classes there. But you can’t tell anyone that I’m secretly such a nerd, okay?” He gave her a nudge with his shoulder.. “Oops, there he goes.” The bird flew away.

Dani noticed how close she was to Nathan. Their arms were touching
.
Dani knew she should move away. What was she doing, standing so close to him? She swallowed. “Um, so what are you up to this weekend?”

“That’s the other reason I came by. My parents are having a barbecue tomorrow
.
T
hey’re hoping you and Mark will come by. Six
o’clock. Do you think you can come?”

“I don’t see why not. That sounds fun.”

“My dad was hoping to barbecue, but my mother insisted on having a caterer take care of everything. I’m sure we’re in for herb-encrusted tuna kabobs and truffled egg salad.”

“I’ll force it down.” Dani grinned. “I’m beginning to understand that no one around here does anything without professional help. And speaking of elaborate parties, you should be getting an invitation to the one my father is throwing for me on my last night here. A going
-
away party, I guess.” Dani shrugged. “I don’t even know who is on the guest list, so you’ll have to come so I have somebody to talk to.”

“Of course I’ll be there.” Nathan looked out across the lawn. “I can’t believe you’re leaving. It’s too bad you can’t stay longer.” Still shoulder-to-shoulder with Dani, he turned his head and locked eyes with her.

Instead of moving away, she held his gaze. “I know. I can’t believe how quickly the summer is going by.”

Nathan reached up and gently placed one hand on her cheek, stroking her face. He tilted his head slightly and cautiously leaned in. Nathan’s lips touched hers. He kissed her slowly, tentatively at first, and then Dani found herself pressing her lips hard to his. This was so different from the deep, assertive way Jason kissed her, like he always wanted more. Jason’s hands were constantly in her hair or roaming her body, pulling her against him, his breath hot on her neck. But Nathan was tender and precise…and somehow more provocative than Jason…

She pulled away slightly. “I shouldn’t do this.” Dani whispered more to herself than to Nathan.

“Oh,” he breathed. “I didn’t think…I didn’t know you and Jason was still going on.”

“Well, yeah.”

Nathan took his hand off of her cheek and took a step back. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

“No, it’s okay. I, uh, I have to get ready. I’m going out with Kayla. Your sister. Yes,” Dani spluttered. “So thanks for bringing the invitation over.”

Nathan inhaled loudly. “Yes. The invitation. The reason I came over here. I have to go, too.” Nathan retreated. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“We’ll be there.” Dani tried to look nonchalant and waved casually as Nathan left.

What had she just done?

Chapter 38

“There you are. I just texted you.” Kayla tucked her hair behind her ears and clicked a heel on patio.

“You texted me from fifty feet away?” Dani asked. “What did I miss?”

The Dodds
’
party was in full swing. Dani had barely seen Kayla
,
who had been busy flirting with a young actor.

“Turns out that Nathan
has
been up to no good.” Kayla smiled smugly.

Uh-oh. Did she know? “What, what do you mean?”

“Remember when we sent Sanchez to find out where Nathan was going?”

Dani breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah.”

Kayla pulled her phone from her tiny purse. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement. “According to this photograph, my brother has been slumming it. They couldn’t figure out what he was doing.”

Dani looked at the screen. Kayla was right. Nathan was walking up the steps of a crumbling apartment building. Internet headlines asked if the son of a famous Hollywood producer was involved with drugs.

“I think my brother has become a gang-banging druggie,” Kayla said with satisfaction.

“No, Kayla, that can’t be it,” Dani said quickly. “Your brother is not like that.”

“And how do
you
know what my brother is like?”

Dani ignored her implication. “I can’t believe that these pictures are all over the
W
eb. Does Nathan know? Can’t you get them taken down?”

“Why are you so upset? This was your idea. Mom and Dad will probably ship him off to rehab! I can’t find my father anywhere, though. If you see him, tell him that I’m looking for him.” Kayla practically skipped away.

Dani saw Olivia standing under an umbrella. She worked her way down the wide steps, past the martini bar. “Do you know where my dad is?’

Olivia shook her head. “I’m not sure. This is a nice party, isn’t it? The Dodds are really friendly
,
and Evan in particular is very down to earth.”

“I’m going to look for my dad. You know how it is. I’m sure one of the models here has snagged his attention by now. Men, huh?”

Dani knew that Mark would know what to do about the Nathan situation. She headed inside
the
house to find her father and stopped just outside the kitchen. She could see that Evan was at the sink rinsing dishes, while Mark leaned against a counter talking, a dishcloth flung over his shoulder. Dani smiled. She was about to step into the room when Mark spoke to Evan.

“I’ll admit I was not ecstatic when I found out I had a daughter. You know how it is, right? You’re in the business. I like my life
,
and I didn’t want a kid interfering.” Mark chuckled. “Finding out you have a teenage daughter makes you feel older overnight. I told everyone that Dani wasn’t my kid, but then I told my agent about her. She’s the one who suggested a daughter could be good for my career.”

Dani’s heart pounded.

“Let me guess,” Evan said. “If I know Renna, she said to use Dani. And so you did.”

“You know it. Renna said this was the perfect moment to become a devoted family man. And then I hooked Dani up with Kayla, and here we are.”

Dani silently turned and ran.

Mark sighed. “I did every underhanded thing I could think of to get what I wanted,” he said bitterly. “So it should be easy to send Dani back to Michigan, right?”

Evan frowned. He shut off the water and picked up a beer. “In theory, yes.”