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"Well, I certainly expect better of you!"
"And I want to hear about that cruise," Thomas Rutherford adds.
Eloise turns her nose up in a huff and looks away. Dane shifts his attention to Thomas, the two quickly engaging in conversation.
The dinner continues with Dane drawn into multiple discussions, eliminating Eloise's ability to monopolize his attention. Dane can see the frustration on Eloise's face and catches the irritated looks flying back and forth between her and Charlotte. Rada tries hiding her amusement behind her napkin from her seat across the table. Others remain oblivious to the game playing.
As the dinner starts to wind down, Dane looks across the table at Rada and sees her motion that it's time for them to go. He nods and slides his chair back, gaining Eloise and Charlotte's attention.
"Dad, I apologize, but I must take off. I'm a bit tired, having just returned, and need to catch up on some sleep." Dane places his napkin on the table and stands, waiting for Eloise's next move.
"I understand, son. I'll see you in the morning."
"I'm a little tired too. Would you mind taking me home?" Eloise looks up at Dane and gives him a deceptively sweet smile.
"I promised Rada I'd take her home, but you're welcome to join us. I can drop you off first."
"Someone else can take Rada home. I'm sure she'd prefer to stay a while," Charlotte chimes in, her gaze moving to Rada, silently demanding she agrees.
"No, I need to go now," Rada says, the corner of her mouth twitching.
Dane's hard-pressed to keep from laughing, knowing Rada's refusal has Charlotte cornered. She can't push Rada into staying without making a scene in front of their guests. Her only feasible choice is to let Rada leave.
"Charlotte, Dad, thank you for dinner. And, of course, happy birthday." Dane scans the table and issues a polite nod. Then he looks down at Eloise and arches a brow. "Are you coming with us?"
"No," she snaps.
"No problem. Have a good evening, then." He swiftly exits the dining room, Rada a step behind him.
After retrieving their outerwear from Sterling and bundling up against the evening chill, Rada hooks her arm in Dane's as they make their way out the door. She bursts into laughter as they descend the stairs.
"That was so much fun," she says triumphantly.
"Well played, sister. You've saved me from an excruciatingly painful evening."
"I did, and I haven't finished yet."
"Good Lord! What evil scheme are you planning now?"
"You and I are going to discuss your New York trip while you drive me home."
"Now you're not making sense. What New York trip are you referring to?"
Rada gives Dane a mischievous grin. "The one you'll be taking to fix your screwup."
Dane stops walking and stares at her. Then he slowly nods. Going to New York to see Brittany might be a long shot, but it's worth the chance to work things out.
He hopes he won't end up on the bottom of the East River as a result.
Chapter Twenty-One
Brittany
Thanksgiving—the annual celebration of thanks typically spent with family and friends. In my family, it means spending more hours than usual—or desired—with my mother and whoever her husband happens to be at the time. It's not that I have anything against the holiday or visiting with the woman who birthed me. I simply find her company challenging when forced to stay with her longer than thirty minutes.
With a sense of dread creeping into my consciousness, I check the time on my cell phone and groan. I have to leave in a few minutes to take the subway to my mother and her husband Herb's apartment on the Upper East Side.
Herb Friedman is husband number five and fifteen years older than my mother. A successful hedge fund manager and a genuinely delightful man, he's also the most intelligent and respectable of my mother's husbands, except for my father—otherwise known as husband number one.
