Tempting (19 page)

“Me, too,” Dani said, but even as she spoke, she wondered if it was really true. Mark would have complicated her life. Looking back, she couldn't find a good time for him to have shown up.

“She was terrified we would be caught,” he continued. “When she ended things, I thought the stress of the affair had finally gotten to her. I never thought she might be pregnant.”

“It makes sense. My grandmother would have made her life a living hell.” Gloria might be different now, but twenty-eight years ago, Dani was willing to bet she'd been the queen bitch.

Except Gloria had known. Or guessed. She'd known Dani wasn't a Buchanan for years. How had she found out? Had she just figured it out? As Mark could have?

She had the foolish sense that her father should have known about her. That somehow he should have sensed that she was alive, living only a few miles away.

Foolish little girl dreams, she told herself. She knew better. But knowing didn't seem to make them go away.

“So much has changed,” she said. “For all of us. You're running for president. That still shocks me every time I think of it.”

“Me, too,” he said with a grin, then his humor faded. “Dani, I'm an influential man. You're my daughter. I want to help you in any way I can. Money, introductions, whatever. I'm here for you.”

She blinked several times, not sure what to say. “Ah, thank you. I'm good.”

“The offer stays open. I'm always here for you.”

Is that what he'd told Alex about getting the charges dropped? While she was sure Alex appreciated not having his future ruined, she knew he wouldn't have wanted Mark to get involved.

She didn't want that, either. Rather than having her father do things for her, she wanted an emotional connection. Ironically she had a feeling it was the one thing he couldn't provide.

Katherine was the heart of the Canfield family. For a second, Dani knew everything would have been different if Katherine had been her missing parent.

Crazy, she told herself. And impossible. Katherine never would have walked away from a child. Not that Mark had—he hadn't known. Still, Katherine was the one she'd connected with and being around the other woman made her miss her own mother.

Dani didn't remember Marsha Buchanan. She'd been a baby when her mother had died. Gloria had raised her and her brothers. How different life would have been if Marsha had lived. Or maybe it wouldn't have been different at all. Gloria still would have run their lives.

Families were a complication, Dani thought. Now she had two. What on earth was she going to do with them?

 

C
AL WALKED
into Walker's office a little after three in the afternoon. Reid was already there, lounging on the dark leather sofas his brother had brought in. The room was now done in earth tones—a positive change after Gloria's white-on-white space.

“What's so important that it couldn't be handled by a phone call?” Cal asked as he settled across from Reid.

“The manager of Buchanan's is leaving,” Walker said. “We need a replacement.”

“Dani's the best choice,” Cal told him. “She's always wanted to run this place.”

“Agreed, but she's not going to take the job. She would think I was offering it because she's my sister and I don't know that she'd leave Bella Roma so soon after hiring on.”

He had a point, but there had to be a way to convince Dani this was where she belonged.

“Have Gloria ask her,” Reid said. “Dani will believe her.”

Walker smiled slowly. “That just might work.”

 

D
ANI SIPPED
the champagne. The taste was subtle but refreshing, with a hint of something…. “What did you do to it?” she asked Penny, who sat in an oversize chair with Allison in her arms.

Penny looked up innocently. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“You infused the champagne with something. A hint of…Damn, I can't place it.” Dani stared at the slender glass. “You can't infuse champagne. You'd lose the bubbles. But you didn't.”

“I'm intensely gifted.”

“What did you do?”

“I'm not going to tell you. You'll use it for Bella Roma and this is my private secret.”

“You're evil, do you know that?”

Penny grinned.

Elissa held up her glass. “I don't care how you did it, I just want more of it. This is fabulous.”

“I agree,” Lori said. “Plus I've never had champagne at two in the afternoon. I like your style.”

“Thank you,” Penny said graciously. “Style is important.”

“She's tempting you so you'll want to have this at the rehearsal dinner,” Gloria said. “Plus, she wants you to regret not having her cater the wedding.”

Dani eyed her grandmother. She would bet Gloria was right on both counts.

“I am interested in having this at the rehearsal dinner,” Penny admitted. “But for the rest of it, I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Elissa sighed. “You're never going to forgive me, are you? Even though I'm trying to let you enjoy the wedding.”

“I'll get over it,” Penny said with a sniff. “Eventually.”

“Don't let her bully you,” Gloria said. “She's a total bitch when she doesn't get her way.”

The room went silent. Lori and Elissa exchanged glances, as if not sure how to handle the comment. Penny stared at Gloria, probably plotting her response.

Dani wasn't sure if her grandmother was trying to be funny or if this was one of her infrequent sarcastic bursts. After all, no transformation was complete.

Determined to keep the mood light for Elissa, she looked at Gloria and said, “Takes one to know one.”

Gloria sipped her champagne. “Indeed it does.”

Penny laughed and raised her glass to the older woman. “I learned from a master.”

“You learned totally on your own, but I'm willing to take any credit being handed out.” She turned her attention to Elissa. “I have some ideas about the wedding. I don't want to push them on you, so please tell me to take a hike if you don't like them.” She frowned. “Young people don't say ‘take a hike' anymore, do they?”

“Not really,” Lori said cheerfully. “But that's okay. I'm quickly falling behind on what ‘young people' are saying.”

“Me, too,” Elissa added. “Unless you want to count the things Zoe tells me. Of course she's only five. So what ideas do you have for the wedding?”

She sounded a little nervous as she asked the question.

“Too much input?” Dani asked.

“My mother,” Elissa told her. “We're making up for lost time in a hurry. I love her desperately and I know she's just trying to help, but sometimes I want to scream.”

“Hopefully this won't make you scream,” Gloria said as she braced herself on her cane and pushed herself to her feet. “I don't know why I even kept it, but I did and it's yours if you want it. You're a bit taller, but I wore impossibly high heels with it.”

They followed Gloria into the living room. The furniture had all been pushed aside and in the middle of the room stood a dressmaker's form wearing a stunning ivory wedding gown.

The dress was silk and lace, with long sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. The lines were exquisite, the lace incredible. Dani didn't know a whole lot about designer clothing but she recognized an extraordinary gown when she saw one.

“It's French,” Gloria said from the doorway. “Couture. You are welcome to it, if you want it.”

Elissa went pale. “You can't mean that. It's too wonderful.”

“I was impossibly horrible to you, Elissa. I accept that I'm rude and difficult, but I threatened you and your child and that is unforgivable. You've been very kind to me. Wary, but kind. This is my way of apologizing.”

Elissa shook her head. “You don't have to do that.”

“I know, but I want to.”

“The dress should go to Dani.”

Dani took a step back. “I'm good with this.” The dress was amazing, but not her style. Besides, Dani liked Gloria making the effort. She
had
been awful to Elissa.

“Dani already knows I love her,” Gloria said.

“I do,” Dani said, knowing a year ago it never would have occurred to her that the other woman even liked her.

“But you're so skinny,” Elissa murmured. “I'm not even close to that thin.”

“I hadn't been sick back then. Now if you don't like the dress, just say so. I'll understand. But if you're interested, try it on. We can get it altered to fit you.”

Elissa made a sound low in her throat, then rushed at Gloria. The two women embraced.

Penny moved close and hugged Dani, then pulled Lori into the embrace. Baby Allison cooed between them.

“Hell of a family,” Lori murmured. “Gloria's got me tearing up. I hate that.”

“Me, too,” Dani said happily as she sighed. “Me, too.”

 

D
ANI RETURNED
to the Canfield home to take Bailey shoe shopping. The teenager had called the previous evening with the exciting news that her mother had said yes, and that she had a Nordstrom gift card in her possession as an early birthday present.

But the person who opened the door to let her in wasn't Katherine or even Bailey. Instead it was a tall, handsome man she'd recently seen naked.

Alex grinned at her, glanced over his shoulder, then stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind himself. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close.

She raised her head in anticipation of the kiss and when his mouth touched hers it was every bit as hot and tingly as she'd hoped.

She loved the feel of his lips against hers. She loved the firm pressure, the way he smelled and tasted and how right they felt together. She loved the way her body melted from the inside out and that all the worries of her life just disappeared. There was only the man, the wanting and the kiss.

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. The position had the added advantage of allowing a full body press. He was hard to her soft, and very hard in really interesting places. She rubbed against him. He groaned, then stepped back.

“Trouble,” he said as he stroked her cheek. “You're nothing but trouble.”

“It beats being boring.”

“Yes, it does. Bailey asked me to come along on this historic shopping event. Is that all right?”

“Sure. But are you up to an afternoon of shoe shopping?”

He grimaced. “Not my idea of a good time, but Bailey wants me along and it was a chance to see you.”

“I like that.”

“Good.” He put his arm around her and led her inside. “Give me five minutes to change out of this suit and I'll be with you. Bailey's changing, as well. Katherine's in her office. Why don't you go say hello to her?”

She considered her options. “I think I'd rather help you change clothes.”

“My first choice, as well. If I say yes?”

She shook her head. “It was cheap talk. Getting naked in your mother's house is a level of tacky I'm not comfortable with.”

He leaned in and kissed her again. “Then I'll see you in a few minutes.”

Dani watched him head upstairs. She glanced around the foyer, but none of the other children were around. While she wanted to say hello to Katherine, she didn't want to intrude. Still, saying hello shouldn't be too much of an interruption.

She walked down the hallway that led to Katherine's office. The room was on the south side of the house and got a lot of light. She remembered the warm yellow walls and blue pattern furniture from the tour Katherine had given her the last time she'd been there.

The door was partially open. She reached up to knock but lowered her hand when she heard her name mentioned.

“Of course I'm delighted about Mark's daughter,” Katherine was saying.

Dani shifted slightly and saw Katherine was on the phone. She started to back up, then paused, wanting to hear what the other woman said.

She was going to hell for sure, she told herself. Talk about childish and disrespectful. Yet, there she stood.

“Of course,” Katherine continued. “Yes it was a shock, but not a bad one. Mark is thrilled.” There was a pause, then. “Oh, no. He knew Dani's mother long before we were engaged. Things ended, I came to Seattle and the rest is history. Uh-huh. I think Dani is very happy to have family. Yes, she was very young when her mother died.”

Katherine turned. Dani took another step back. Okay, she really had to leave. Only before she could, she saw Katherine touch her face. Then the light caught her skin and Dani realized the other woman was crying.