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“Danielle, I’m serious,” Dad snaps, escalating as he uses my full name. Then he rounds on my brother. “Benjamin, no more tabloid exposés about getting caught snorting coke.”
“Whoa, whoa!” Ben raises his hands in self-defense. “Allegedly,” he counters. “And that was over a year ago now. I’ve kept my nose squeaky clean ever since.” He flicks his nose jokingly as he shoots me a wink.
I snort, then clap a hand over my mouth when Dad levels a deadly glare in my direction.
The poor guy. His hair is closer to gray than brown these days, and I’m sure it’s in part because of the amount of stress my brother and I cause him. Then again, his job plays no small role either. And that’s on him. God only knows why the position of state attorney general isn’t anxiety-inducing enough for my father. No. He wants to be the top dog in New York.
“We get it, Dad. No front-page scandals. No misbehaving. We’ll be your perfect charity-toting children from now until November,” Ben promises, holding one hand up in the Boy Scout salute and placing his other hand over his heart.
My mom releases a heavy sigh as she closes her eyes to massage her temples. From her place behind my dad, she’s supposed to be his silent support, but she seems to know a hopeless cause when she sees one.
Dad’s expression grows thunderous, and I jump in before he comes completely unglued and has a stroke or something.
“We’ll be good, Dad. Really. Ben just doesn’t know how to say anything without being sarcastic.”
Ben sticks his tongue at me, looking far less like the man he’s grown into when he pulls such a childish face. I do it right back to him, never afraid to stoop low in the war of siblings.
“But seriously, Dad, I do actually have someone I’d like to introduce you to,” Ben says.
I quirk an eyebrow, sure my older brother is ready to pull another stunt right after I got him out of the last potential tirade.
“And who is that?”
“He’s a businessman I met a while back. Said he likes your policies and would be interested in helping fund your campaign.” Ben shrugs and runs his hand over his close-cropped buzz cut.
I miss his blond hair. He always used to wear his natural curls a bit wild, but he thinks they made him look young. I think the buzz cut makes him look like a jarhead. Not that I have anything against the military. But my brother’s not like that. He’s carefree and reckless, not a Marine, by any means.
“Really?” Suddenly, Dad’s tune changes.
And god bless Ben because, whether it was his intent or not, I think he just got us out of another half-hour of lecturing.
“Yeah. He owns a chain of nightclubs and restaurants in the city. I’m sure you remember the Aviary.”
My mouth starts to water at the mention of the fine-dining establishment on the top floor of the downtown Manhattan skyscraper. I’ve only eaten there once before—after Dad became state attorney general—and that restaurant exemplifies the word “elite.”
“Well, I’d be delighted to meet him,” Dad says, his face brightening and his shoulders relaxing.
“Great!” Ben slaps his knees with his palms and rises from the soft chocolate leather couch. “Are we done here then?”
I rise, too, impressed by Ben’s ability to cut short our torture.
“Well… I suppose,” Dad sputters, seeming thrown off by the sudden shift.
“Thanks for dinner,” Ben says, clapping Dad on the shoulder and pulling Mom in for a quick hug.
“You should visit more often, dear,” Mom murmurs, giving his cheek a quick kiss.
Ben’s eyes meet mine, and he gives a slight jerk of his head toward the front door. A silent communication that I should walk him out. I do, happy for any extra time I might get with my brother. I miss having him at home. We were always so close growing up, and now, I feel like he’s slipping through my fingers, finding new friends and interests without me.
As soon as we step outside, Hanson, our nighttime security detail, greets us with a curt nod.
“Mind giving me and my sister a bit of privacy?” Ben asks.
“I’ll go… do a perimeter check,” Hanson agrees, his serious face matching his low tone. It’s always business with that guy.
As soon as he’s out of earshot, I turn to Ben with a smile. “Seriously though, Mom’s right. I wish you would come home more.”
“Nah,” he says, making a face. “There’s a whole big world out there, Dani. You should get out and see it more often.”
