Dax snorts. “It only matters when I show up again. No one comes looking.” He rubs his hand down my arm. “What about you? Your family must be going nuts. Don’t you want to call them?”
“Nope. I’ve hit my limit of being ignored. Maybe it’ll scare Dad so much that he takes me on his next business trip instead of my brother.”
“Be careful how you play it. Does your home have a tower they can lock you up in?” Dax jokes.
I click my tongue. “My life isn’t much of a fairytale.”
“It mustn’t be,” Dax replies. “Otherwise, you’d be sitting here with Prince Charming.”
“I’ve met Prince Charming,” I say dryly. “He’s a disappointment.”
Dax laughs, holding his ribs. “Maybe you were supposed to kiss him. You know, like the frog.”
I giggle. “I didn’t take you for a guy who was well-versed in fairytale lore.”
Dax shrugs, sporting a boyish grin. “I went to preschool.”
My heart swells, and I’m overly eager to know so much more about this unorthodox but ruggedly handsome boy.
I rest my chin on Dax’s shoulder and sigh. “I just want my dad to see me as more than a party-planning socialite. Maybe giving him a scare will be the jumpstart we need.”
“Like an electric shock.”
“Yeah, just slightly less painful.”
Dax’s fingers play with my hair. “So, is there a party you’re currently planning?”
“It’s a little bit higher-end than a party, but yes. I want to raise funds for the Logan’s Point hospital, and we’re making it a black-tie gala.”
Dax lets out a long whistle. “Whoa.Classy. Isn’t black tie too fancy for Logan’s Point?”
I shake my head. “Not if we want the right people with big wallets to attend.”
“Sounds like it’ll cost a lot.”
“Our society events committee has a funds account for the actual event.”
“Don’t you think you should just donate that? Why blow so much money on a party to get more money?”
For a moment, my brain malfunctions.
Dax rubs my arm again, laughing. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of your whole deal.”
My back tenses as I lean against him. “No, it’s fine.” I tuck my hair behind my ears, taking a moment to let my body temperature cool down. “It’s just, those who usually donate won’t just do it without us bringing it to their attention. And we bring it to their attention by hosting events.”
Dax shrugs, continuing to run his calloused hand against my skin. “It’s all good, Vanessa. I don’t get it, but it’s not for me to get. I’m not someone who’s buying a ticket or getting invited.”
I mumble a laugh, letting my mind wander. “Oh my gosh, I can hardly imagine my family’s faces if I brought you along as my date.”
Dax sniggers. “Maybe that’s the jumpstart your dad needs.”
I lift my hand, softly dragging it over my bottom lip and chewing on my thumbnail. “Hmm. That’s an idea.”
Dax squirms against me. “I wasn’t being serious.”
I bat my lashes. “I bet you’d look great in a tux.”
Dax grimaces, shifting away. “Hell would have to freeze over.”
