The Art of Discipline: Dani’s Discovery (The Mockingbird Chronicles) (5 page)

Dani returned a shy smile as Emma pulled away, but then Dani realized with a shock that she suddenly felt sad and was desperately missing the touch of the smaller woman. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she felt a warmness when Emma touched her. It was entirely too pleasant, and she couldn’t help but to find herself yearning for the touch once again.

The next few minutes were a blur, and before Dani knew it, she found herself picking at her bagel and sipping orange juice. Tasting the tangy flavor, she wrinkled her nose and wondered what had happened to her soda. Emma was sipping the coffee she’d brought, but Dani’s giant Styrofoam cup was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing the odd expression on Dani’s face, Emma asked, “What? Do I have cream cheese on my face?”

“No, I’m just glad you’re enjoying breakfast,” Dani replied, not wanting to mention the real reason for her distraction.

“I am, and you should too. Eat, young lady, before I inhale another one,” Emma laughed as Dani took a real bite of her food.

Dani returned Emma’s smile and managed to consume the rest of her bagel with the same eagerness. She even managed to finish almost half of the glass of orange juice.

“Well, I think I need to get dressed so we can get this day started.” Emma rose from her seat and patted Dani’s hand. “Thanks again. Feel free to wait for me. Maybe Atticus will poke his head out and say hello.”

Dani watched Emma as she walked toward her bedroom. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off Emma or the way she walked. Sighing, Dani shook her head, stood up, and began to clean up the breakfast mess.

A few minutes later, she’d put the bagels away and the dishes in the sink. She still hadn’t found her diet soda, however, and was contemplating running back to her apartment for another one when she felt something rub against her ankle just before hearing a loud “meow”.

Looking down, Dani smiled. “You must be Atticus,” she cooed bending over to pick the gray cat up. He was adorable: green eyes, short hair, and little white boots on all four feet with a matching white stripe running from his forehead to his nose. “My, you are a big boy, aren’t you?” she questioned, carrying the cat to the couch. Sitting down, she allowed him to get comfortable on her lap before scratching him behind the ears.

“So Uncle Sean and Emma found you in the alley, huh?” she continued to scratch the cat as he purred loudly. She hadn’t petted a cat in ages. She had one when she was younger, but after it scratched her grandmother’s favorite sofa, the animal had suspiciously disappeared. She had been heartbroken. Uncle Sean told her she could have a cat at his place, but she had turned him down. No need to get attached to something that could just be taken away.

“I see you’ve met Atticus,” Emma’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes, he’s very friendly.”

Sitting down next to Dani, Emma reached over to scratch the cat’s chin. “I still remember the day we found this furball.”

“Oh, tell me about it?”

“Uncle Sean and I had just come back from a book convention in Indianapolis,” Emma explained with a smile. “It was a long drive, and we were ready to order in and head to bed. In the alley, next to the dumpster, I noticed this small white and gray ball of fur.” Emma stopped as her fingers brushed Dani’s for a moment before continuing. “Anyway, I investigated and discovered Atticus. He was cold and half starved, so we brought him upstairs with us, and he and Uncle Sean bonded immediately. The rest is history.”

“I take it Uncle Sean named him for his favorite book?”

Emma laughed. “Actually, I named him, thought it was a fitting tribute for your uncle.”

“Yeah, I love reading, and Uncle Sean introduced me to so many books, but
To Kill a Mockingbird
was different for him somehow.” Dani chuckled as the object of her scratching suddenly stretched before leaping onto the floor and disappearing toward the kitchen.

Emma’s hand still rested on Dani’s knee, and she made no motions to move it. Dani smiled as they shared a moment and just watched the cat.

“So, what is your favorite book?” Emma asked.

Dani laughed fully at this. “I have too many to name and am totally eclectic in my tastes. I’ll read anything from teen-fiction to biographies, to sci-fi, to mysteries.”

“Well then, it’s a good thing you have access to a bookstore on a regular basis now, isn’t it?” Emma asked. The twinkle in her eye wasn’t lost on Dani as she patted her knee before standing. “I guess we should get to the aforementioned bookstore and start our day.”

Dani sighed, already missing Emma’s touch on her knee, but she stood up and smiled. “If you insist,” she began, “so what’s your favorite book?”

Emma gave the taller woman a smirk, “You’ll just have to figure that out on your own now, won’t you, Danielle?” she teased, before leading the still speechless brunette out of her apartment and down the stairs.

* * *

“So you never did tell me why you stopped coming to the store,” Emma prompted.

Dani shifted uncomfortably in the booth. She and Emma had decided to go out for lunch, and she was now wondering if that had been a mistake. Shaking her head, she shrugged. “It kinda just happened. I was busy with college and then setting stuff up for Ryan’s Events.”

“But surely you still took vacations, especially while in school?”

“Well, sure, but it was easier to just stay away…”

“Uncle Sean would have loved you to come home,” Emma interrupted.

“I know. Geez, it’s not like I was trying to avoid him. We still spent time together, talked on the phone at least once a week.”

Emma sat back, studying Dani for a moment. “Then who were you trying to avoid?”

Dani narrowed her eyes. “That’s a rather personal question.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma apologized. “You don’t have to answer. I was just curious.”

Dani was quiet for a long moment before she gave in. “It wasn’t him. It was my grandparents.”

“Oh,” Emma explained. “Sean never went into details, but he didn’t seem to like them very much.”

“He wasn’t the only one,” Dani snorted.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Emma prompted again.

Dani rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to, but she had the feeling that Emma wasn’t going to give up until she got the story out of her. “I told you that Uncle Sean found out I was gay when I was a teenager, right?” Getting a nod, Dani continued, “Well my grandparents didn’t find out until a little later.”

“They didn’t react well?”

Dani snorted again. “I brought my first serious girlfriend to one of their fundraisers. I just turned twenty, and she and I had been dating about six months. Tabitha Prentiss came from a very good family with very old money. I thought my grandparents would approve.”

“They didn’t?”

“Let’s just say that they were civil to her but told me later that if I ever embarrassed them in that way again, they would make sure that I suffered for it.”

“Suffered?” Emma’s voice was quiet.

“Yes, basically cut me off. Money wasn’t really an issue. I already had access to my parent’s estate, but socially, if I wanted to ever get anywhere, they could have made it impossible. In essence, I’d become persona non grata with them.” Dani huffed. “As if I wasn’t already that.”

“So,” Dani continued, “I went back to school and only went back to their house after that when I was guilted into coming. I guess that’s the real reason why I stopped coming back to Fort Strymon. I kept busy and traveled or had other activities going on in my down time and vacations. It was easier to just stay away than to give them an excuse. Uncle Sean though, he never pressured me. He would always make the attempt to come see me. Even flew all the way to Paris to spend Christmas with me once.”

“God, I remember that Christmas. You have any idea how busy it is at that time of year? That was the first time Sean left me totally in charge. Between the stress and the excitement, I thought my head was going to explode.”

Dani chuckled. “Well, if I had known what he was hiding here, I would have spent my vacations very differently.” Dani suddenly blushed, realizing what she said.

Emma merely smirked, giving Dani a nod as they both turned their attention back to lunch.

* * *

Dani groaned. Working the counter was the most mind-numbing job in the entire store. Over the past hour, she’d waited on a total of five customers, and she felt like she could climb the walls out of pure boredom. The worst of it though, was Anna, whom Dani had been resisting the urge to choke over her non-stop chatter.

Picking up her can of diet soda, she frowned, realizing that it was empty. Scowling for a moment as she knew it was her last can, she suddenly got an idea. Smiling, she pressed the buzzer that would sound in the stockroom.

Dani waited until Will made it up front before opening the cash register. Handing Will a couple of bills, she put on her most charming smile. “Will, do you mind running out for me and picking up a case of diet soda? I completely forgot that I’m out and stuck here for at least another hour.”

Will smiled at her before wrinkling his brow. “Um, sure, but just this once. It’s not really part of my job description, you know.”

“Oh, I understand that, but I’m also your boss, and I think we can make an exception.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he pocketed the money and grinned sheepishly. “Well, since you put it that way, sure, I’ll be happy to go get your soda for you.” Heading for the door, he turned around for a moment. “Might want to close the register, and don’t forget to replace what you gave me. We don’t want the drawer to come up short.”

Dani agreed, trying not to respond too curtly, “Sure thing, thanks for the reminder.”

* * *

Dani was curled up on the overstuffed chair in her uncle’s apartment and deeply engrossed in a book when she heard a knock on her door. Checking the time, she realized that it was a bit past seven, and it was probably just Emma with dinner.

With the exception of the little tiff over inventory night, Dani and Emma had managed to eat dinner together every night since. Dani had found herself looking forward to the ritual, and since tonight was Tuesday, it was Emma’s turn to pick up the takeout. Smiling, Dani rose to answer the door, hoping that Emma had opted for Chinese.

“Danielle,” Emma’s voice caught her by surprise, “you and I need to talk.”

Dani’s smile suddenly faded. “Sure, come in. What’s up?”

Emma didn’t give Dani a chance to think as she suddenly rounded on her. “Did you take cash out of the drawer to send Will out on a personal errand this afternoon?”

Dani took a step back, confused by Emma’s anger. “Well, yes. I gave him ten dollars, and I was going to put it back, but I forgot. Here, I’ll get it out of my purse.”

Dani started past Emma, but the redhead grabbed her arm. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sit down,” Emma commanded.

Dani frowned but did as she was told. “Don’t you think you are overreacting? It was just ten…”

“The money is just part of it,” Emma cut her off. “Didn’t I tell you that if you needed cash, to get it out of petty cash? You never take anything out of the drawer.”

“Well, yes, but you weren’t there. And it’s not like you’ve given me the key,” Dani argued. “Besides, I was going to put it back, not like I was stealing it.”

Emma shook her head. “Maybe not, but it’s more than that. Will is paid by the hour. You sending him out on a personal errand
is
stealing. The store paid for the time he was gone, and his job wasn’t being done while he was gone.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think of it that way. I’ll replace the money and won’t use Will that way anymore.”

“You’ll do more than that. I’m going to dock two hours off your pay, and tomorrow you’re going to spend the day helping Will in the stockroom.”

“Oh, come on. You’re not serious? I’m supposed to be off tomorrow.”

Emma narrowed her eyes, “This is not a joke, Danielle. I told you the rules about the cash drawer and the employees. They are not your personal assistants. They don’t work for you, or even for me. They work for the store.”

“Last time I checked, I was still half owner of the store; I think you are being a little ridiculous, Emma.”

“Your uncle left me in charge. Therefore my rules, his rules, are still in effect. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to accept that check at any time.”

Dani bristled. “You know I won’t do that.”

“Good, then let me remind you of another one of his rules. If something like this happens again…”

“Yes?” Dani challenged as Emma paused.

“Well, I think you remember what your uncle used to keep in his top drawer. Let’s just say that it’s now in my top drawer, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Dani scowled at the threat. She wasn’t so sure that the petite redhead wouldn’t follow up on it, but she had a hard time really believing it. Emma wasn’t Uncle Sean, and threats were just that, threats. Still, her mind flowed back to the letter that her uncle had left her. Emma was technically under her rights, under the contract that he’d set up between them, to do exactly what she threatened. If Dani didn’t agree, she was always free to accept that check and walk away.

“I’m going now. Just remember, tomorrow Will has class, so he starts early. He’ll be expecting you at 8:00 a.m.”

“Fine,” Dani agreed. “Not bothering to get up.”

Pausing for a minute, Emma gave her a short nod before letting herself out. Dani watched as the door closed before she let the tear escape down her cheek.

Chapter Three

Dani had gone to bed hungry and upset after Emma’s visit. She didn’t realize how much she had looked forward to their dinners together until it didn’t happen. Added to that, was the idea that she needed to go in on her day off. It seemed pointless and just a way to satisfy some urge Emma had to play boss. Dani was no stranger to running a company. She’d run her own for the last four years. She knew how to mess with employees, and how they messed with bosses too. Deciding that she wasn’t going to give into Emma’s demands, she made up her mind to deal with tomorrow her own way.