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“What?! They’re stupid!”
I laughed. “Yeah, he was wearing the glasses.”
“Eww.”
“Girls, girls. Danny’sveryhandsome.”
We both looked at our mom. Her taste was significantly different from ours, clearly. My mother liked men who looked slick and put together, with killer smiles and sparkling veneers. Something about people who flaunted their money seemed to attract her. Katie and I saw through that. Guys like Danny didn’t have anything else going for them. Of course, he had to show off his money to make up for his awful personality.
Meanwhile, I preferred a man much like Wesley Taves…if not exactly like him. Even though he had much more money than Danny, being the owner of a Fortune 500 company, he didn’t have to throw his wealth in my face to make me pay attention to him. Everything in my body pulled me toward Wesley. He was magnetic. Effortless. From the moment his arms were around me, I was under his spell and I couldn’t look away.
I hadn’t been able to shake the depth of his dark brown eyes and the smell of his musk, his protective touch, and the sound of his deep voice. The only sense I had not used was taste.
And God, how I would have liked to taste him.
I cleared my throat.Get over it, Cara. A man as sexy as that could have any woman in the world. Why would he want you? Besides, he’s probably twice your age.“Right…well. Danny was Danny. Cocky and oblivious. So much so that he nearly ran me over with his car.”
My parents had the gall to laugh. Katie gaped. “What the hell, guys?”
“I’m serious! He nearly —” I huffed. “If Wesley Taves hadn’t been there to pull me out of the way, I’d be in traction!”
Dad got his act together faster. “I’m sorry, Cara. It seemed like you were being dramatic at first.”
Any time I tried to express myself, I was being dramatic. I couldn’t even tell my parents I was nearly hit with a car without them thinking I was making things too big a deal.
“Did he apologize?” Mom asked.
“He wanted to make it up to me — the whole debacle with another potential buyer being there, so he asked if I wanted to grab dinner tonight, but —”
Mom gasped, clutching her chest. “Why didn’t you go?!”
“Yes, pumpkin, you should have gone!”
My parents were clearly interlopers. I had no doubt they talked daily with the Mordens about ways to set Danny and me up. “Dinner doesn’t make up for nearly squashing me with the front of his car. Besides —” I went on with a glimmering, sweet smile “— I had dinner with you guys.”
Mom waved her hand, as if it was nothing. “Well, you can always see us. You should have gone, sweetie.”
I pursed my lips. I didn’t have it in me to tell them I didn’twantto go on a date with Danny. Lucky for me, Katie came to my rescue.
“Ugh. You guys, Danny isnotCara’s type. He’s too obsessed with looking cool and way too frat boy. Cara’s never been into that.” She was right. I was into the suave and stoic type. The Wesley Taves type. He could go right into the dictionary next to the definition of my type. “Besides, he’s a total dick.”
I snorted into my wine. I grinned and mouthedthank youto her. She had a straightforwardness I could only dream of. For some reason, it didn’t seem like our parents were as controlling of her, although she still lived at home. Maybe having eyes on her helped.
Mom clutched her heart, scandalized. “Katie! Don’t say such a thing. Danny is a nice boy.”
“To you, maybe. But he’s such a fuckboy.”
“That’s enough,” Dad boomed. “Katie. Apologize.”
“He nearly hit Cara with his car!”
“Katie.”
“Andhe lives in Midtown!”
I cackled at that. Living in Midtownwasone of Danny Morden’s biggest crimes.
Katie was such a pro at diverting attention that we didn’t speak of Danny Morden or Wesley Taves the rest of the night. When it was time to go, I gave each of my parents a kiss on the cheek and Katie a big hug. “You’re the best.”
