The Art of Discipline: Dani’s Discovery (The Mockingbird Chronicles) (4 page)

Shoving the paper plates and napkins at Emma, Anna smirked. “Okay, boss, you cart that up there, and I’ll make sure Dani doesn’t lose us.”

Emma chuckled. “Anna, you just don’t want to carry anything upstairs.”

“Damn straight, boss,” Anna returned, brown eyes twinkling. “Come on, Dani, you can sit next to me and tell me everything about yourself.”

Accepting Anna’s invitation, Dani followed her up to the crow’s nest and found herself actually enjoying the friendly banter between the employees. With a little bit of a shock, she realized that their employees were more family than she had thought. Stevie and Anna were actually partners, and Will, who they treated like a son, apparently lived with them as well. Wondering just how liberal her uncle had become, she placed her empty soda can on the table in front of her as she picked up a slice of pizza. She took a small bite as she continued to watch the interaction around her.

“So, Dani, early bird or night owl?” Will asked.

Dani thought for a moment before answering, “Both I guess. I tend to get up early but stay up late as well.”

“All that means is that you’re burning the candle at both ends,” Anna interjected. “But I’m sure Emma will be able to help you with that.”

“As long as it’s not too early—she’s a bear in the mornings!” Stevie teased.

“Oh come on, Stevie, you’re just jealous because you find it impossible to sleep past eight,” Emma laughed.

“Damn right I do. I mean, why do you need to sleep past that anyway?”

Will laughed, “Because some of us would prefer to see the moon rise rather than the sun rise.”

“Yeah well, never thought I’d see the day where Sean opened at 10:00 a.m. instead of 9:00 a.m.,” Anna winked at Dani. “But then again, he usually liked for his manager to be here on time when the store opened.”

The group erupted into laughter, and Dani couldn’t contain the small smile that the teasing brought.

Filing away the information about Emma’s sleep preferences for another day, Dani reached for another diet soda but was stopped by Emma. “Time for water, I think. You need to be on your game for inventory.”

Dani rolled her eyes, “I’m a big girl. I think I can handle another soda.”

“How many is that for you today?” Emma pressed.

Dani shrugged her shoulders. She really had no idea how many sodas she’d had. “I don’t know, five, maybe six.”

“Ah,” Emma answered. “Well, let’s get to work then,” she continued picking up a bottle of water for herself.

Dani looked down at the can in hand and sighed as she put it back and grabbed bottle of water. Inventory, she thought. There had to be better ways to spend a Thursday evening.

Inventory started slow and spiraled down from there. The three employees chatted among themselves, with Emma chiming in from time to time with a rib or a giggle. Dani, however, started feeling terribly out of sorts. All the stories she was hearing about her uncle were putting her on edge. She tried to concentrate and ignore the chatting around her, but she kept finding her mind wandering.

Suddenly she jumped as she felt someone touch her arm.

“Dani, what are you doing?” Emma asked.

Dani looked down at her notes, realizing that she’d somehow missed a whole shelf, skipping from G right down to K. She frowned. “Sorry, I guess my mind is elsewhere.”

“This is important, Dani. The stock has to be right.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Dani suddenly hissed back. “It was one correctable mistake.”

“It was a mistake that could have cost us quite a bit of money if I hadn’t caught it.”

“Well, you did catch it. I guess that’s because you’re so good at looking over everyone’s shoulder every five minutes to make sure they aren’t screwing up.”

“Dani, this is the first time I’ve checked up on you all evening.”

“So what do you want from me, my firstborn? I said I was sorry. And the name is Danielle.”

A red eyebrow rose. “Alright, Danielle, I want to talk to you in my office. Now.” Without waiting for a response, Emma turned on her heel, fully expecting Dani to follow.

Dani didn’t disappoint, slamming her clipboard down onto the nearest shelf and stalking after her ‘boss’.

Watching them go, Stevie asked, “Who wants to take bets on when Emma finally beds her?”

“I’ll take the odds on that,” Anna chuckled. “That is, if Will doesn’t want in on the action,” she finished, watching as the women stalked away.

Will blushed and put up both hand defensibly. “Don’t look at me, ladies. I want no part in this.”

“Smart boy,” Stevie chuckled and then winced as she heard the fireworks start from Emma’s office.

“What in the hell is your problem?” Dani accused as soon as she’d crossed the threshold.

“Close the door, Danielle, and have a seat,” Emma replied calmly.

Dani smirked for a moment before slamming the door and then plopping herself down on one of the chairs in front of Emma’s desk.

Emma sighed. “Was that really necessary? You’re acting like a spoiled brat again, Danielle.”

Dani couldn’t help but sulk. “Yeah, so?”

Emma shook her head. “I know this isn’t easy for you. Being in the store probably brings back a lot of memories. But,” Emma emphasized, “that’s no reason to be disrespectful to me. Out there, I’m the boss, and I can’t let you treat me as anything but.”

Dani tightened her jaw. She knew Emma was looking for an apology, but at the moment, she was in no condition to give one.

Giving Dani a chance to respond, Emma waited patiently. When it became clear that she wasn’t going to, Emma sighed once again. “Fine, then you are done for the night.”

“Excuse me?”

“I believe you heard me. Go up to your apartment, go out, I don’t care, but you’re not welcome to work with us if you are going to keep up with the attitude.”

“But…” Dani trailed off. “Aren’t you overreacting?”

“Good night, Danielle,” Emma said once before getting up and leaving her office.

Dani sat dumbfounded for a moment. Finally, she got up and stalked out of the office. Rushing up to her apartment, she went straight to the bedroom, slamming the door in frustration before throwing herself on the bed just as the tears began.

* * *

The next two days were rough. Emma and Dani spoke only when it was necessary, and the tension between them just seemed to keep getting worse. It came to the point that when they were both on duty, Emma would spend her time in her office, while Dani would hide behind the counter.

She wasn’t really sure how things got out of hand, but Emma kicking her out of the store was a real eye-opener. For the first time in a long time, she’d cried herself to sleep, not just because of Emma, but because she realized just how abhorrent her behavior had become. She’d been depressed, distracted, and plain unpleasant to be around ever since she’d arrived. Not that Emma had made things easier. It seemed that every time they spoke, they would end up in some sort of alpha-dog contest. Still, Dani was regretting her actions and wondered if she should try again.

That night as Dani was closing up the store and was just about to head up to her apartment, she practically ran into Emma. The redhead was carrying a stack of books at least a foot taller than her when she tripped on the rug, sending the books flying. Letting out a string of muttered curses, Emma bent to pick them up. Dani watched her for a moment before sighing and moving to help her.

“It’s alright, I got it,” Emma insisted as she saw Dani approach.

“Nonsense,” Dani argued. Between the two of them, they quickly cleaned up the mess. “So,” Dani started casually after the books had been placed on the correct shelf. “Do you have any plans for dinner?”

“No,” Emma quickly returned. “I was just going to heat up a can of soup or something.”

“Ah. Well, you know, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I made a real ass of myself the other night. Why don’t you let me make it up to you and let me buy you dinner?”

Emma smiled. “I’d like that. I know of this great little Italian place.”

“They have stuffed shells?”

“Amazing ones,” Emma reassured her.

It didn’t take long to get to the restaurant. Dani hadn’t realized it was only around the corner, so they didn’t bother with a car and just walked. Once seated, Dani sipped on a diet soda while Emma tried to make small talk. They chatted a little bit about Uncle Sean and some about their childhoods. Eventually though, Dani brought the conversation back to what Emma had said to her after her encounter with Mrs. Pemberton.

“You know, I was curious about something,” Dani started. “The other night, what exactly did you mean when you said that Uncle Sean spanked you?”

Emma nearly choked on the water she’d just tried to swallow. When she caught her breath, she shook her head in disbelief. “After everything else, that’s what you want to ask?” she teased. “You sound like you don’t believe me? Didn’t he ever spank you?”

Dani couldn’t help a slight blush. “Let’s just say I was a handful when I was a child. My grandparents really didn’t know what to do with me. It’s why I spent most of my summers here.”

“I’ll bet,” Emma returned with a smile. “You’ll have to tell me more about your childhood sometime. Uncle Sean loved to brag about you, but I could always tell by that twinkle in his eye that you were really a hellion.”

“Hey,” Dani pouted. “Was not.”

“Hmmm, let see. DER loves HJC? What did he do when he saw that carved into the support beam in the loft?” Dani scowled as Emma continued to tease her. “Who was HJC anyways? Pre-teen crush? Let me guess, Hector? Hank?”

Dani chewed her lip, looking rather flustered. Quickly tiring of the teases, she spat out, “Heather. Her name was Heather.”

“Oh,” Emma suddenly pulled back. “I didn’t know. I mean, I thought maybe, but he never said.”

“I was thirteen, and stupid and angry and in love. I got grounded for being out too late, and bored to death, I carved that up in the loft. Didn’t think he’d find it, but he figured out pretty quick who HJC was. It’s how he found out I was gay.”

Emma was quiet for a long moment. “It’s still there, you know.”

“What?”

“When we redid the loft, he refused to let the workers sand it down.”

“Oh,” Dani replied. “I didn’t know.”

“So,” Emma continued, after another awkward moment. “How did that go? Him finding out?”

Dani shrugged. “I think he was a little uncomfortable, but he told me it didn’t matter. Didn’t change how he loved me.”

“Sounds like him,” Emma smiled.

“Yeah. Didn’t stop him from blistering my backside for carving up his store though.”

Emma threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, now that definitely sounds like him.”

* * *

Early the next morning, Dani slowly entered the bookstore. The nightmare had woken her up again, and she again had been unable to return to sleep. Managing to wait until dawn, she went for a long run before stopping by a bagel shop. She was balancing a giant diet soda in one hand, a large coffee in the other, and bag of bagels somewhere in between. Cursing as she dropped her keys, she repositioned everything so that she could bend and pick them up. Finally making it to the stairs, she managed the ascent without dropping anything else.

Her hands full, she smirked as she used the toe of her shoe to knock on Emma’s door. Waiting a moment, she knocked again, this time harder. While she waited, her mind flowed back to night before. They had a good time at dinner. Maybe she hadn’t been giving Emma a fair chance. They were both stressed from the recent events, and maybe if she put a little more effort into being friendly she and Emma might find some common ground. If nothing else, the little redhead was certainly easy on the eyes. It might just be worth it to get to know her better.

Still not getting an answer, she kicked the door a third time and was rewarded when Emma opened it. Dani opened her mouth to announce herself but was suddenly taken aback. Emma had a scowl on her face a mile wide, but seeing her in her pink and purple poodle pajamas, her tousled red hair, and fuzzy pink slippers, it was all Dani could do but gape. She was adorable.

“What?” Emma’s curt question brought Dani from her musings.

“I brought breakfast,” Dani answered quietly.

Emma raised an interested eyebrow as she practically snatched the bag from Dani’s hand. “You’re lucky you brought food, or else I’d have to kill you for waking me up at this ungodly hour.”

Dani took a step back, the harsh tone of Emma’s voice suddenly making her want to run for cover, but her thoughts were interrupted by a giggle. Confused, she met Emma’s green eyes, noticing the spark of mischief hidden within them. “Well, don’t just stand there. Get in here before you start catching flies,” Emma teased.

Dani closed her mouth, not realizing that she still had it open. “I didn’t know what you liked,” she quickly explained, trying to recover as she followed Emma into her kitchen, “so I got a little of everything.”

“So, to what do I owe this surprise?” Emma asked as she pulled out a plate for each of them and started rummaging through the bag. “Go ahead and sit down and make yourself comfortable.”

Dani pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and did as requested before answering Emma’s question. “Well, you see…”

“You got chocolate chip bagels? My hero!” Emma suddenly screeched, interrupting and making Dani jump at the same time.

“Yeah, I like them too,” Dani replied. “I had a good time last night. I just wanted to thank you again for accepting my apology.”

Emma stopped and turned to acknowledge Dani. The sincerity in her gentle blue eyes was clear, and Emma found herself distracted for a moment as she suddenly realized that Dani was something more than Uncle Sean’s spoiled niece. The woman was physically attractive, no doubt, but for the first time she saw that there was more to her.

Emma quickly crossed the kitchen and sat down in the chair next to Dani’s. Reaching out, she took Dani’s hand in her own and smiled. “Thanks, Danielle. I know that wasn’t easy for you, but I already told you I accepted last night. I think it’s time we both move on and try to get along better in the future.”