Tension pulled at Raymond's features and clouded his eyes. "She has been happy. She's good at this job."
Dane scrunched up her face and shook her head. "Being good at a job doesn't mean it makes her happy. It just means that she takes pride in her work. Have you asked her what would makes her happy?"
"I know my daughter."
She shrugged. "Uh…no disrespect, sir, but you really need to talk to Nick. I mean talk to her, not dictate things to her or tell her what to do, but actually talk to her. I think you'll understand her a bit better if you did that."
Despite a moment of contemplation, he tried again to change her mind instead of changing his own. "Does she think she can support the both of you by up and leaving a promising career?"
Dane wasn't too sure how to answer that one. She didn't like how he was attempting to manipulate her by bringing her relationship with Nicole into something that bothered him. She needed to put a halt to that before he ended up bringing his wife into the matter and she'd get double-teamed by her girlfriend's parents. They had tried with limited success to work on her like they worked Nicole.
They bullied Nicole into things that she didn't want to do. She had seen it and heard far too many tales about it. She resisted because she didn't want to become a victim of it and Nicole tried to resist now, too. Still, the Cardells persisted.
"Well, she wants to do science and she should do what she loves. That's what I always tell her and I mean it."
Raymond eyed the musician suspiciously. "How long did it take you to talk her into this, Danny?"
She scratched the end of her nose. "Basically since I moved in. She's miserable with this type of work. It's not for her and she doesn't want to do it. She should do what makes her happy, not something that's expected of her."
"And you know her so well?" Raymond snapped, looking Dane right in the eye and glaring sharply at her.
Dane kept her composure, not even thinking about taking the bait of getting into an argument with him. She simply stated what she felt were facts. "I know she's not happy with working here. Yes, she does her work and other people's work, and she does it well with very few complaints. Do you know why she complains so little here? Because she comes home and doesn't shut up about the shit she takes here for at least an hour, and it's an hour if it was a good day. Hell, if you guys dump new stuff on her while she's already swamped and she has to help these so-called lawyers around here, she might not shut up about it until I put dinner in front of her. She barely knew how to relax when I first moved in with her and she didn't know how to vent very well, either. She vents now and she's able to put the stress down. And do you know what she does after that? She unwinds with a chemistry book. She's a chemistry nerd, pure and simple. She. Likes. Chemistry."
"Oh, so now you know everything about her?" he huffed, glowering at her.
Dane sighed and ran her hand threw her hair. "Raymond, I won't argue with you about Nick. This is what she wants and that's why she's doing it. You won't use me to talk her out of it, either. I want her to go and I don't give a damn what it costs me as long as it makes her happy. You should know that by now."
Raymond growled, the noise rumbled deep in his massive chest. He glared even harder at Danny, who was quite unfazed by the stare. Little did he know, but she had to put up with far worse looks on days when Nicole forced her to go to physical therapy.
Suddenly, Raymond laughed and threw his arm around Danny's shoulders. A half smirk worked its way onto her face; apparently, she was out of trouble for now. He's so weird, she thought. One minute he hates me and the next he likes me.
"You know, Danny, this is one of the many things I like about you. You stick to what you think is best for Nikki and you never let us talk you out of what you think is best for her. Now, Kate will kick your ass the next time she sees you, though," Raymond proclaimed with a laugh.
"Doesn't she always? I'm pretty sure she owns the property rights to my ass," Dane remarked with a small, amused smile.
"She will after this. She was hoping I could get you to talk to Nikki. We want her to follow in our footsteps, Kate especially." Raymond shook his head.
"I know you guys do, but you have to realize that her going to school has nothing to do with you. She's not rebelling or anything like that. She's not trying to hurt your feelings, either. She's just doing something for herself for once. She deserves this. She needs this. If you talk to her about her classes, you see the way her whole face lights up, then you'll know. She needs this,"
"I know, Danny. I know, but I had to try. Kate will be on a tear until she gets used to this. I'll be using you as a shield," Raymond quipped with a friendly smile.
She smiled back. "The hell you will. I'll be hiding two states over thank you very much."
"Smart move. Well, I'll let you go. Oh, Danny."
"Yes, sir?"
"Don't let Nikki take on too much in school and don't let her walk away from this job until she's fully secure with another one."
Dane nodded. "I will, Raymond. I know how much you guys worry. Do you think that you guys could ease up on the caseload?"
Raymond breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "I will do that. I don't want her to get overwhelmed. I'll also talk to people about bugging her for her help."
Dane grinned, happy to hear that he was actually paying attention to the things that she said. "Thank you for that, sir. She'll really appreciate that and so will I."
"All right. Now, do you know how to get to Nicole's office?"
Dane shook her head as a response. He gave her directions and they said their farewells. Raymond smiled as Dane exited the office. He had warmed up to Danny since meeting her. Dane hoped he accepted Nicole going to school instead of trying to use her to talk Nicole out of it. He and Kate would have to learn to accept that Nicole wanted to be a chemist and they had pushed their desires on her.
Dane quickly put the conversation with Raymond out of her mind. She went down a floor and navigated the long halls of the firm before she found her lover's office. As she drew closer to the door, she wondered if she should knock or just walk right in to really drive home the surprise. Her good manners won out and she knocked when she got to the door. She was greeted with an annoyed groan.
"Yes?" Nicole's voice called.
"Somebody order a stripper?" Dane asked as she opened the door. She saw Nicole at her desk and emerald eyes poured over a pile of documents.
***
"Danny?" Nicole was out of her seat in a flash and wrapped her in a hug that made it seem like they were apart for days instead of hours. "What're you doing here?" she asked in a quiet but amazed tone. Never before did she think that she'd like a surprise visit at work from a lover, but Danny had to go and prove her wrong.
"I came to see the sexiest, most brilliant woman on the planet," Dane answered with a charming grin.
"And you stopped by to see me first?" Nicole teased.
Dane laughed and leaned down to place a deep kiss on willing lips. "Only to see you, Chem. Only to see you."
"You are just too sweet for your own good, honey. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure? I hope like hell you didn't ride your bike all this way just to surprise me at the office."
Danny yelped and threw her hands out in defense. "No, didn't ride my bike. Crow picked me from my last lesson and drove me here. I wanted to have an early dinner with you before you went to class."
Nicole couldn't contain the grin on her face. "Aw, that's so nice, honey. I would love to have an early dinner with you. Are you going to hang out with Crow afterwards?"
"I had to make that deal in order to get her to drive me here," Dane replied with a light laugh.
The lawyer chuckled. "She still doesn't think too highly of me, huh?"
"Nope, but her opinion doesn't matter. I think you're just swell. She's promised to try, if I ever bring you around. She's not a bad person or a bad friend, but she's not used to the new me yet."
They both knew Crow was trying to ad
just to Dane's lifestyle changes. Nicole liked it because she wanted Danny to have a friend, even one who didn't seem to care much for her. Dane was giving Crow a chance. Danny even admitted to having to adjust to Crow, thinking of her as a friend rather than a groupie or a parasite. The musician realized Crow was a decent person and good friend, unlike most other people she knew. She thanked Nicole for helping push her into that friendship. Nicole thought Danny was doing a good job handling her first true friendship, hanging out with Crow every now and then
"You mean, the Danny that exclusively dates someone with a degree and a career and has a permanent home to return to every night without drugs being involved?" Nicole teased.
"Yeah, that Danny. The Danny that wants to take you to dinner before it's too late."
"Should I pick you up after class?"
"I'd like that. I'll call you and let you know where I am around nine, okay?"
"Sounds good. Remind me to get you a cell phone sometime soon so I can call you when you're out."
Dane smiled. "You trying to put a leash on the Great Dane?"
"You know it, Big Dog. I want everyone to know whom you belong to."
"Trust me, there's no doubt about that one." Dane leaned down and kissed Nicole again. The lawyer felt her knees go weak.
They managed to break apart for the few moments that Nicole needed to put her work away. Dane fetched Nicole's coat and eased it onto her shoulders. Dane wrapped her arm around Nicole's waist and they exited the office. They smiled at each other and locked eyes, emerald on silver, promising love, devotion, and happiness.
The End.
About S. L Kassidy
What is there to know about me? Not much. I was bred, born, and raised in New York and I have no desire to live anywhere else. One day, I would like to travel to a few places, but for now I am content where I am.
I started out writing poetry in junior high and continued to do so for ten years. I wrote short stories, usually fantasy and romance stories, for my own entertainment throughout high school and college. Back then, I wrote strictly for me and those stories remain locked in the back of my closet in little notebooks, written in my almost unreadable, tiny handwriting. In between writing those stories and poetry, I managed to get a college degree in history.
After graduating college, I had a semester off before graduate school and I didn't really have anything to do with my time. So, I took a chance and wrote a fanfic and dared to upload it to the Internet. I was surprised that other people enjoyed my work and I've been posting ever since. I had quite a bit of fun with fan fiction and eventually decided to try my hand in original fiction. I suppose it was sort of like coming back around to what I had been doing in high school and college, except this time the stories were for whoever wanted to read them. I uploaded my first original story a few years ago and haven’t looked back. I plan to continue writing as long as I continue getting ideas for stories and it continues to be fun.
Contact Information
E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SL-Kassidy
Desert Palm Press: www.desertpalmpress.com
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The Guardian Series by Stein Willard
A Guardian’s Touch – Book 1
A Guardian’s Love – Book 2
A Guardian’s Passion – Book 3
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The Interim by AJ Adaire
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Awaiting My Assignment – Friends Book 2 by AJ Adaire
Anything Your Heart Desires – Friends Book 3 by AJ Adaire
A Guardian’s Salvation – Guardian Series Book 4 by Stein Willard
The Unbroken Warrior by Stein Willard
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Scarred for Life Page 39