by Beth Ehemann
I turned the knob, took one step into my office, and gasped. Streamers hung from corner to corner, confetti covered the floor, and at least thirty yellow balloons crowded the room.
“Happy birthday!” Ellie yelled, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and squeezing tight.
“Oh my God, Ellie. I can’t believe you did this.” I set my bag on the ground and turned to give her a real hug, which was hard to do because she wouldn’t stop jumping up and down.
“I came in so early just to blow those balloons up. Not gonna lie, I’m a little light-headed.”
I laughed into her shoulder, quickly blinking back tears. No one had ever made a big deal out of my birthday, and I’d always told myself it didn’t matter, but now that someone had, it was amazing. Ellie was amazing.
“My turn! I want in on this hug!” Ethan called out as he jogged over from his office and threw his arms around both of us. “Happy birthday, Dani.”
“Thanks, Ethan.” I reached up and squeezed his forearm. “Okay, you can let go now.”
“Wait. Just a few more minutes,” Ethan said, closing his eyes as he rested his head on Ellie’s back.
“Ethan!” Ellie and I both squealed, wiggling out of his grasp. He took a step back, stuck his bottom lip out, and sulked all the way back to his office.
I bent down and picked my bag up off the floor. “I wondered why you were being so weird to me this morning, you brat,” I said to Ellie as I made my way into my office, kicking balloons in the air as I went.
She brushed confetti off the chair and sat down. “I couldn’t look at you. It was so hard to ignore you, but I knew if we made eye contact, I would’ve caved, and I wanted you to be surprised. Were you surprised?”
I pushed a couple of balloons off my desk and looked over at her. “Are you kidding me? I was totally surprised. You’re the best, Ellie. Thank you so much.”
“You’re not gonna be thanking me next week when you’re still cleaning up confetti.” She covered her mouth, trying to hide her giggle, but her smiling blue eyes gave it away.
“No shit,” I agreed, sighing as I stared at the little silver and blue scraps all over the floor. “But I love you for it, so you’re forgiven.”
“Whoa.” Andy’s eyes bulged and his mouth dropped as he pushed the door open. “What’s going on in here?”
“It’s Danicka’s birthday!” Ellie sang cheerfully.
His eyes flew to mine, the corners crinkling slightly as he stared straight at me. “It is? I had no idea.”
“That’s okay, why would you?” I answered, feeling shy under his stare. I cleared my throat. “Actually, I had no idea Ellie knew, either.”
Ellie lifted her hands in the air, palms up, and grinned proudly. “What can I say, my stalker capabilities know no bounds—” She stopped suddenly and closed her eyes, cringing. “I’m sorry, Dani. Bad choice of words.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I waved her off. “It’s been over a week now. Hopefully the creep got bored and moved on to something more exciting,” I said, as upbeat as I could. My gaze slipped to Andy, and I gave him a quick wink.
“Yeah, well, let’s stay in for lunch for a while yet, okay? I don’t want you two out there alone, egging him on.” Andy sighed heavily.
“Does that mean you’re joining us tonight?” Ellie asked Andy, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
“Tonight?” I exclaimed, turning my attention toward Ellie.
She rolled her eyes as she stood, staring back at me. “Oh come on. It’s Friday and it’s your birthday. Did you really think we weren’t going to go out after work?”
I started to argue, “Wait. No. I have—”
Ellie held her hand up, stopping me. “Lies.” She shook her head. “You have nothing to do.”
“No, seriously. I—”
“Come on,” Andy interrupted with an adorable little smirk, his blue eyes sparkling. “First round is on me.”
Butterflies that had been dormant for years jolted awake with those five little words and began bouncing off the walls of my belly like they were hopped up on crack. “You’re going?” I asked, biting the inside of my lip to keep from smiling too big.
He narrowed his eyes, pulling his brows in tight as he tilted his head to the side. “Of course.”
“You don’t have to,” I blurted out without thinking.
Shut up, Danicka. Shut your stupid mouth. Don’t say that.
He shrugged quickly. “I wanna go.”
“Oh my God.” A smile rolled slowly across Ellie’s lips as she looked back and forth between the two of us. “I feel like I’m watching the most adorable conversation on the playground right now. Are you two going steady now?”
“Shut up, Ellie!” I snapped, my face heating with embarrassment. I looked up, expecting Andy to be just as mortified as I was, but instead he had a cocky smile on his face, his eyes glued to me. “Both of you, get out! I have work to do.” I waved my hands, pushing them toward the door. Ellie giggled as she walked past Andy, whose playful gaze was still lingering. Thankfully, he stepped in right behind Ellie and left, closing the door behind him. I picked up a piece of paper off my desk and fanned myself, suddenly hot even though the air conditioning was blowing full blast and my office felt like an igloo.
About thirty seconds later my cell phone chirped, and Ellie’s smiling face popped up on the screen, signaling a text.
E: Seriously. Could you two be any cuter? I want to be in the wedding, k?
I rolled my eyes and turned my phone to silent, determined to actually get some work done even though all I could think about was going out after work. I was a woman trying to kick ass in a man’s world, so other than Sadie, who was busy being a new mom, I didn’t have a lot of girlfriends. Ellie and I had connected the second I stepped through the door at Shaw Management and never looked back. We were polar opposites, but I loved the way she completely picked up on what I was thinking without me even saying a word. She’d been saying for weeks that she could see something between Andy and me. While I shot her down every single time, deep down inside, I hoped she was right. Every time there was a knock on my door, I prayed it was him. Sometimes I left my door open just so I could catch a glimpse of him walking in or out of his office. If he passed by my door to go to the supply room, I suddenly decided I needed more paper, just so I had an excuse to talk to him for a minute. Little did anyone know, I had eight extra packages of paper stored in my empty drawer, which would probably take me years to use.
Sighing, I shook my head of all the crazy, teenage-girl thoughts that were swirling around and threw myself into my work.
A couple of hours later, I was munching on a salad in my office since Ellie had ditched me for lunch with Kevin, when there was a soft knock at my door.
“Come in!” I called out, trying not to spit lettuce all over my desk.
The door creaked as it opened, revealing a smiling Andy, holding a yellow gift bag.
I swallowed and licked the leftover dressing off my lips as I smiled at him. “Hey,” I said cheerfully.
“Hey yourself. Since Ethan and Ellie are both out for lunch, I figured now was a good time.” He took a couple of steps into my office and set the little gift bag down in front of me. “Happy birthday, Danicka.”
My mouth popped open as I stared down at the gift bag in shock. “Wait, you went out and got me a gift today?”
He sat down in the chair across from me and shook his head.
“But I thought that you didn’t know—” I stopped talking and narrowed my eyes at him skeptically.
He pressed his lips together and tried to keep a straight face. “So I wasn’t totally honest about not knowing it was your birthday.”
“You little liar,” I accused with a small grin as I wiped my hands on the napkin and pushed my salad off to the side. “By the way, yellow is my favorite color.”
“I knew that, too.”
His words hung in the air between us, shifting the mood from playful to something
. . . more.
“Hm. Interesting,” I said lightheartedly as I peeked into the bag. I couldn’t see much except for white tissue paper, but whatever it was, was heavy. Wrapping my hand around a box, I pulled it out carefully and set it on my desk. I felt Andy’s eyes on me, watching every movement I made as I eagerly unwrapped the tissue.
As the tissue fell and the box was revealed, my mouth fell open. “I can’t believe you did this.” I shook my head, staring at the new camera lens that I’d been wanting for months. Looking up at his proud smile, I swallowed a small lump that had formed in my throat. “How did you know?”
He licked his lips and shrugged. “I watched you take a ton of pictures at the Home Run Derby last month, and when I overheard you and Ellie talking about cameras the other day, I heard you tell her what kind of camera you had and that you’d wanted this lens for a while. So I got it.”
My eyes stung with tears that I quickly tried to blink away. “Andy, this lens was really expensive, that’s why I was waiting to get it.”
“Eh.” He waved his hand nonchalantly. “It was a small price to pay for such an awesome partner.”
I looked down at the lens again, purposefully avoiding eye contact with him. “It’s not small to me. I haven’t had the type of life where people go out of their way for me or make a big deal over the little things, so this is just . . .” My voice trailed off as I shook my head, not wanting to embarrass myself by crying in front of him.
“Dani,” he said in a tone that was soft, yet pointed enough that it made me lift my eyes to his. “If that’s true, then you haven’t been hanging around the right people.”
CHAPTER 19
Andy
“Woo-hoo! Who’s ready to par-tay?” Ellie squealed, clapping her hands together.
Danicka chuckled. “If you’re this excited in the elevator, I’m not sure I can handle you at the bar.”
“I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to handle me at the bar.” Ellie giggled as Danicka and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. From the minute Danicka stepped into the elevator, I was struggling to keep my eyes off of her. I don’t know if she had extra clothes in her office or went shopping or what, but the outfit she pulled together had me checking my chin for drool. A dark blue, shiny tank top with black jeans that looked like they were painted on her had my own pants feeling a little tight. Her hair fell down around her face in a wavy, wild mess in a way that I imagined it probably looked when she woke up in the morning, something I would love to witness firsthand. Images of her with hot, messy morning hair, wearing one of my button-down shirts, flooded my mind, and suddenly the elevator walls felt like they were closing in on us.
She’s your employee, Andy. Calm the fuck down.
“Wait a minute.” Danicka crinkled her eyebrows as she stood up straight. “I thought Ethan was coming. Did he change his mind?”
“He already had plans to have dinner with the boys, I guess, so he and Kevin are going to meet us there later,” Ellie answered.
“You and this guy seem pretty serious, huh?” I asked Ellie.
She shrugged. “Yeah, kinda. I guess so. We talk all the time and see each other almost every day. Does that make us serious?” Ellie looked over at Danicka, and my eyes followed. “Or are we supposed to have a conversation deciding whether or not we’re serious?”
“Don’t look at me.” She held her hands up in the air defensively, “I’ve never really had a serious boyfriend, so I have no clue.”
“Bullshit,” I said, a little harsher than I meant to.
Danicka’s eyes widened, and her brows shot up as she looked back and forth from me to Ellie. “I’m totally not kidding. I’ve dated a few guys here and there, but nothing serious. Nothing even remotely serious.”
I opened my mouth to ask her more about that when the elevator dinged. We all stepped out into the parking garage, heading toward our spots.
“Here’s what I’m thinking.” My voice echoed as we approached our cars. “I’m thinking I’ll drive all three of us. No reason for us to take three cars, right? Plus, after watching how Ellie was just acting in the elevator, she has no business being behind the wheel of a car tonight.”
Ellie threw her hands up in celebration. “I’m in!”
“Uh, you guys go ahead. I’m going to follow,” Danicka said, walking over toward her car.
“What? No, you’re not,” I argued. “That’s ridiculous. Get over here and drive with us.”
She shook her head as she dug around in her purse for her keys. “No, seriously. I hate not having my car with me and being able to leave when I want.”
“Come on, party pooper,” Ellie pleaded in a whiny voice. “Think about it this way, if he drives, we don’t have to count our drinks.”
Dani tilted her head to the side and stared at Ellie with a far-off gaze, contemplating what she’d just said. Finally she narrowed her eyes and said, “I don’t even remember the last time I was buzzed, let alone drunk.”
Ellie’s face lit up as she hurried around to Dani’s car, linking arms with her. “Even more reason to ride with us then!” she said excitedly as she dragged Dani over to my car.
“Okay, okay.” She giggled, slipping out of Ellie’s grasp. “Just let me put this stuff in my car.” She opened her backseat and set the flowers that had come from her dad and the gift bag from me inside.
I zipped around to the passenger side of my car and opened the door, barely in time for Ellie, who hopped in first, heading straight to the backseat. Dani pressed her dark red lips together in a tight smile, her eyes fixated on mine, as she brushed past me, chest to chest, and slid into the passenger seat. As I closed the door, I looked up toward the ceiling and said a quick prayer asking to be able to contain myself for the whole night. I hadn’t been with a woman in a long time, and for a couple of months now, Dani and I had been sending each other weird vibes, things bubbling just under the surface. Between the seductive way she just looked up at me and the outfit she was wearing, I had a feeling they were about to boil over.
When we got to The Penalty Box, Dani’s requested hangout spot for the night, I told the girls to go on in ahead while I made a quick phone call.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I said when Gloria answered the phone.
“Good. The kids left for Blaire’s a little bit ago, and I’m just packing up to head over to Paul’s.”
A shiver of guilt swept through me when she mentioned the kids going to Blaire’s. That was the first night I’d ever sent them off to Blaire’s without being there to say good-bye. While I was happy to be out with Dani and Ellie, I definitely missed seeing my kids, even for a couple of minutes.
“All right, well, have a fun weekend. I’ll see you Sunday night.”
“You too.”
We hung up and I headed inside to find the girls. Earlier in the day I’d called to make sure that Brody and Viper were around and to see if they wanted to come and join us, so it was no surprise to find Ellie and Dani sitting back in the reserved booth behind the bar. What I didn’t expect to find was Louie, the backup goalie and resident scumbag, with his arm around Dani’s shoulder. I inhaled sharply through my nose and ran my tongue along my top teeth, instantly annoyed.
“What’s up, brother?” Brody extended his hand to me as I walked up to the group.
“Not much,” I answered him while staring straight at Louie, who was too busy talking to Viper to notice my glare.
Viper lifted his chin and nodded at me when he realized I’d walked up to the group. “Hey, man. Glad you guys called today.”
“Yeah, me too.” I reached out and bumped his fist, then purposely directed my hand toward Louie, who would have to let go of Dani in order to shake my hand back. I already hated the guy, but with him hanging all over her the way he was, I wanted to knock a few of his fake teeth back out.
“What’s up, Andy?” He gave me a wide smile as he shook my hand, immediately putting his back around Dani’s shoulders as she pinched her lips and ro
lled her eyes. Knowing she obviously wasn’t enjoying it made it just a hint less irritating, but I still wanted him away from her.
“Not much. I see you’ve met my new girl?” I questioned, knowing that I was making her sound more like a girlfriend than a partner, but at that point, I didn’t give a shit.
“Actually I’ve known Double D for a while.” Louie grinned down at her. “We go way back.” The slimy way he said it made my stomach flip as I tried not to let the shock show on my face that someone like Danicka would have dated someone like him.
“Calm the fuck down, Louie,” Dani said, rolling her eyes. “I let you buy me coffee one time.”
“Well, it was a pretty hot date,” he said close to her ear in his best creeper tone.
Dani rolled her shoulders to free herself from his grasp. “Oh, please. First of all, it wasn’t even a date. Second, the only thing hot going on between us was the coffee.” She turned her gaze from Louie to Ellie and nudged her shoulder. “Scootch in a little, would ya?”
“Oooooh!” Viper cupped his mouth with his hands and whooped as Ellie quickly slid deeper into the booth to make room for Danicka. “Bet that one stung, huh, Louie?”
“Whatever.” Louie swatted the air toward Dani. “That bitch thinks she’s tough shit, but she ain’t nothin’.”
Before Danicka or anyone else could say anything, I quickly grabbed his forearm out of the air and squeezed it tightly as I took a step closer to him. I lifted my chin and stared him straight in the eye. “Don’t ever call her a name again. Understand?”
“Jesus, man!” Louie grumbled, pulling his arm free. “You need to chill.”
“This is chill. If I wasn’t, you’d be trying to get up off the floor right now.” I glared at him until he finally backed down and looked away.
“Whatever. I’m out. You guys have fun with this asshole tonight.” He pointed a thumb at me and walked away quickly.
When I turned back toward the group, all of their eyes were on me, staring incredulously. “All right!” I called out, clapping my hands together. “Who’s ready for some drinks?”