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“But look what happened! You weren’t ready.”
Dani bristled. He may have had a point, but she hated knowing he doubted her abilities or thought she needed protection like an outsider or a child.
She dropped his hand.
“And I never said you needed my permission.” He recaptured hers, entangling their fingers. “I only meant Catherine wouldn’t ask you to attend an event solo without having a reason. An agenda.”
“She had one. She knew my presence would bring attention to what happened in a way hers wouldn’t.”
“Yes, and in the process, put you in the crosshairs of the media, the racist, xenophobic fringe, and the Company.”
Is this what she had to look forward to in a future with Jameson? She was happy to participate in these royal engagements because it was vital to her business concerns, but it was more than attending events. There were so many rules and protocols, and no one said what they meant, choosing to talk in riddles and issue cryptic warnings. Dani wasn’t in the mood, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with this for the rest of her life. She understood intrigue and backstabbing because she worked in entertainment, but she didn’t want to spend her days maneuvering accordingly at home!
“It seems this will be something we’ll need to figure out, right?For our future? How much we’re going to have to deal with your family?”
“I don’t want you to worry. You’re my priority. I won’t let them hurt you. And as soon as the state visit is done and we’ve satisfied our part of the deal with the queen, we’ll start thinking about our life together.”
Dani couldn’t wait for that either. Although her reasons were a little different from his.
She turned to walk backward, tapping his chest with her finger. “You’ll be unemployed. You’re gonna need to find a job because I’m not into being your sugar momma. That’s not my kink.”
“I’ll have you know I’m highly employable.”
“What did I say? Feeling yourself!”
“If I’m wrong, we’ll still manage. I’m quite well off.”
“Really?” As far as boasts about money, it wasn’t the most grandiose she’d heard, but for Jameson it was bombastic. She nudged his shoulder with her own. “How much?”
He scoffed. “We don’t need to get into the particulars.”
“Uh, yeah we do.” She rubbed her hands together. “Are we talking Jeff Bezos or Rihanna?”
His quick-witted reply wasn’t forthcoming and Dani frowned. She’d hadn’t really expected him to tell her how much he was worth—at least not at this moment!—but his discomfort was telling.
After several long, awkward seconds, he jammed his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat. “We would be quite comfortable. For a long time.”
Dani clenched her jaw. “I’m not after your money, Jay.”
“I never thought you were.”
“But if we have a future—”
“If?”
“—we’ll have to talk about money and our approaches to it.”
He’d be entitled to know about her finances, too, though the thought sank in her belly like a leaded stone. If it were up to her, they would put this conversation off for the distant future. Still, she’d seen so many relationships destroyed behind fights about money. Dani didn’t want that issue to come between them, when it didn’t have to.
“I don’t want you to worry...”
God, notthisagain.
“But I do worry. We grew up different.”
They came across a grove of trees that sheltered an antique stone bench. Dani dragged him over to it and they sat.
“Have you ever had your utilities turned off? Or come home to find a ‘pay or quit’ notice on your door?”
