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Haley grins at me. “Really well. I might even have some spare time to think of book ideas.”
“You have to tell me all of them so I can vote.”
She laughs. “You’ll probably be the only one voting.”
“I’m voting,” Leo says. “What are we voting on?” He didn’t hear. He’s watching Dad, down beyond Haley and Elaine.
“Haley’s book.”
Haley cuts into her chicken with the side of her fork. It’s good. I’ve already had a few bites. Plus, it’s always good. My mother would fire any chef who got it wrong. The pieces on Haley’s plate get smaller. When she thinks I’m not looking, she gives a tiny shake of her head to Leo. He answers her by brushing his hand over her shoulders.
I taste a sip of my wine. The wine’s good, too. It would be better if Emerson was here.
When I told him about the dinner, his eyes went blank. So did the rest of his face. I counted heartbeats. Three of them passed before his expression came back. It’s too soon for him to come with me. It’ll take more advance planning.
“Is it true you moved out of that apartment, Daphne?”
My father’s voice cuts through the conversation at the table, causing a hush. I have a flash of pure panic. I can’t pretend he’s not talking to me. I can’t wait to answer him. It shouldn’t be a big deal. He was worried when I was missing.
So I tighten my grip on my wine glass and meet his eyes. “Yes, I did.”
“Is she still with you?” He aims this question precisely at Leo.
I’m not letting him answer for me. “No,” I say quickly. “My new situation is a big step up from the apartment, so that’s good. You didn’t like that place.”
Leo has his hand on his silverware. Resting, lightly, on his knife. I think it’s a reflex more than anything.
“I hated that place. It was beneath you.”
“The place I am now isn’t beneath me.”
“And where is that?”
He’s angry. I don’t know why I questioned it at first. I take a deep breath and steel myself. I’m not a child anymore. I’m not going to be afraid.
“Emerson’s house. It’s on the water. Outside the city, but not too far.”
For several moments, I think I might have gotten away with it. My father’s glaring at me. His cheeks are flushed. He doesn’t look drunk so much as he looks upset.
“That man doesn’t have anything to offer you. Not even a decent family name.”
“He’s—he’s very successful, Dad. He’s made a fortune as an art collector. He has more money than he knows what to do with.”
“Who gives a fuck about money?” His voice is on the edge of a snarl. Leo reaches out like he’s going to pick up his water glass, but he doesn’t. He’s putting anything he can between me and our father. Haley slides closer to Leo on her chair. “He’s not in our circle. I didn’t choose him.”
Only Lucian and Sophia are pretending to eat. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my mother holding her wine glass close to her chest like a shield.
“No, you didn’t, Daddy. I chose him. But I’d like for you to meet him one day.”
“That’s not how it’s supposed to work.” My father drops his knife onto the table cloth. “I remain shocked that none of you know this. You in particular, Daphne. Children don’t run off with whoever the fuck they find on the street.”
“He’s an art collector.” Foolish. Bad move. I shouldn’t argue. There’s no proving the point. No winning. I can’t stop. “I didn’t find him on the street. I met him in the gallery.”
He saw me from the street. That much is true.
My father smiles.
Smiling like that is the scariest thing he does. At the table, anyway.
