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Now in London, Dane pulls to the curb next to Eaton Square and steps from his car. Paying little attention to his surroundings, he crosses the street, a car honking at him as he walks in front of it and nearly gets hit. Shaken, he leans against the lamppost on the opposite curb, taking a moment to get himself together, then continues toward his father's house, one door down.
Relieved the cruise season is over, Dane's happy to be home, although it feels like he left part of his heart in Germany. The blowout with Brittany crushed him, his feelings still raw. He understood her anger, but the hurt he saw in her eyes and the tear sliding down her cheek tore him apart. He wanted to hold her, take back his words spoken out of anger, and tell her they'd work it out. But she didn't want him to come near her, the situation worsening when she left early the next morning without giving him a chance to apologize or talk about what happened.
Once Dane had gotten over his shock and anger, he realized they were both to blame, neither forthright with the other. In truth, hiding who they each were and why they were on the cruise was done out of necessity, not trickery or malice. But he should have trusted Brittany enough to tell her who he was. His failure to do so before she'd found out on her own had broken her trust, which he'd worked hard to regain.
And now she hates him for it.
Dane climbs the four steps to the portico and knocks on the black double front door. It quickly opens, and a middle-aged man in uniform stands there.
"Good evening, Sterling." Dane steps into the marble-floored reception hall with its white-and-gold wallpaper, Greek columns, hand-crafted molding, and chandelier.
"Good evening, sir. It's nice to have you back. Your father will be pleased to see you. Now that the cruise season is over, he's eagerly awaiting an update."
"Thank you, Sterling. It's good to be back." Dane turns toward the staircase leading to the first-floor reception rooms. "I hear quite a few voices. My father's birthday party must be well underway."
"It is. Guests started arriving a half hour ago."
"I supposed I should go upstairs and join the celebration."
"That would be an excellent idea. I'll take your coat before you go."
Dane slips out of his outerwear and hands it to Sterling. Then he makes his way up the portrait-lined stairs, the voices louder the farther he goes. Entering the main reception room, Dane looks around and frowns. Although the room and the rest of the nine-bedroom house are tastefully elegant, it's too over the top for his taste, his preference being something more modest.
"There he is. There's Dane," his father calls out, spotting him immediately. "It's good to have you home, son." He puts his hand on Dane's shoulder and hugs him.
"Thanks, Dad. It's nice to be home. And happy birthday."
"Thank you, son. It's hard to believe another year is gone. They go too quick."
"That they do." Dane studies his father. He's healthy, trim, mentally astute, and energetic at sixty-three years old. Not to mention looking at least ten years younger than his age with his full head of slightly graying dark hair and smooth face.
"Son, I know we've talked on occasion since you've been gone, but now that the cruise season has concluded, I'd like to go over your observations and any suggestions you may have in detail. Let's see if we can schedule some time over the next couple of days to do that."
"Tomorrow would be best for me. I have tons of catching up to do, and once I start, I'll be buried for days."
Dane's father rubs his chin, his face pensive. "Tomorrow should work. How about ten o'clock in my office?"
"I can do that. I've made a list of issues to discuss, so it should be a productive meeting. One, in particular, I'd like to go over involves an addition to our passenger contract regarding disruptive guests. We had a gentleman on board that was exceedingly troublesome, and although we couldn't prove it, I was pretty certain he had intentionally tried to hurt another passenger. I contacted Bernard in legal to see what I could do and learned we have nothing in the contract addressing that type of situation."
"I'm proud of you, Dane. You're doing what I'd hoped you would—observe, learn, and provide input. I wanted you to walk away with a greater understanding of our operations from the ground up. And I'm pleased you took ownership of the task I threw at you."
"I appreciate that, Dad. I know I balked at the assignment when you gave it to me. But it turns out you were right. It was beneficial to the company and to me as well." Catching something moving out of the corner of his eye, Dane turns, spotting his father's close friend Rupert Montgomery approaching them.
"Arthur! Happy birthday, old man," Rupert says.
"Rupert, glad you could make it this evening. And I wouldn't be so quick to call me an old man. You're right up there with me."
"I suppose I am." Rupert turns to Dane and extends his hand. "Dane, my boy, I haven't seen you in about a year. I'd heard you were away. I'm glad to see you're back."
"I'm glad to be back. I arrived yesterday." Dane shakes Rupert's hand.
"Are you still living in London? If I remember correctly, you had a house by Holland Park."
"I'm still there."
"You know, Dane, Lillian is back in London. She's always been fond of you. You should give her a ring."
"I'll keep that in mind. Well, I should find Rada. Dad, I'll catch up with you later. Mr. Montgomery, it was nice to see you. Excuse me." Dane nods and walks away, irritation creeping up his spine that the infernal matchmaking suggestions were already starting, although he should be used to it by now. It was a serious downside and unwanted consequence to having money.
