by Gina LaManna
By that point, Dane had arrived, and I’d thrown myself into his arms. The rest of the afternoon and evening had passed in a blur of lawyers and doctors and police testimony. The only thing I could remember clearly was that Dane hadn’t let me out of his sight. Not until this morning when I’d demanded a little space in order to resume my scheduled duties.
When Mrs. Dulcet arrived with the food, Richard dug into the spread with wild gusto. I let him eat in peace, knowing how magical it felt to have tasty items appear on a platter with the snap of a finger.
In a way, I understood Richard more than I understood Dane. He’d wanted to cancel the gala, sentence me to bed, and demand a week of nothing but quiet rest.
“Seriously,” Richard said, plowing through the cheese. “How do I get this sort of royal treatment?”
I gave a teasing grin. “Fall in love with a billionaire?”
“But...” he frowned. “I love Stephanie.”
“I was joking, Richard. Money isn’t everything. I took the job here because I needed the money, but I stayed because I fell in love. I would still be here even if Dane lost his company tomorrow and went bankrupt and poor. I love him, not his lifestyle.”
A clattering sound from the hallway told me that Mrs. Dulcet had approached at just the wrong moment and probably dropped her tray. I thought I heard a sniffling sound, and I wondered if she’d heard me. She retreated quietly, leaving me alone with Richard.
“No wonder the billionaire loves you back,” he said nobly. “You kick ass at this romance business.”
“Not really, but I guess when it’s real, you just know.” I cleared my throat, uncomfortable with the switch in discussion that’d pointed the conversation toward me. “Anyway, how is Stephanie?”
His eyes lit up. “She’s fantastic. We have our third re-date tomorrow night. She’s loved everything you’ve taught me to do. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it, Lola. I’ll never be able to repay you.”
“You’re already repaying me by letting us rent out The Lost Leprechaun. That’s more than enough.”
“You’re paying us to do that.”
“Well, you didn’t have to give us such a good deal,” I said with a grin. “Now, how about we go over the details? The invitations have already gone out, and we’re getting RSVPs by the boatload. I have a plan for the decorations here that I’ve jotted down. What do you think?”
We spent the next several hours perusing the plans and outlining every last detail, menu item, and drink selection. Richard would’ve stayed at the castle forever if I’d let him. He lingered well after lunch had been served, and Mrs. Dulcet was no help in the matter. I highly suspected that she enjoyed having the little Irish man around, due in no small part to his wild appreciation for everything she set before him. He even gave rave reviews to the tap water.
It wasn’t until Babs and Annalise arrived that he finally got the picture thanks to Babs’s stern goodbye.
“Good riddance,” Babs said, once she’d practically thrown Richard out on the front steps. “Was that little man bothering you all afternoon?”
“He’s a lifesaver, actually,” I said, and explained our grand ideas to transform The Lost Leprechaun into a venue fit for Amanda Clark. “What do you think about the decoration plans?”
“I think I’m still annoyed,” Babs said with a frown. “I mean, the venue sounds great, but I’m still upset about yesterday. I can’t believe Dane didn’t allow visitors to the castle all night!”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” I said, wincing. “In his defense, it was a crazy day. After the whole incident with Ryan, he went into protective mode.”
“Yeah, but we’re your best friends,” Annalise said. “We wanted to come and see that you were okay for ourselves. All we heard was that you almost died and Ryan fell off a cliff.”
“In case you can’t read between the lines,” Babs said with a bitter scowl, “we’re expecting thorough details even though it’s an entire day late.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh. I quickly filled the girls in on everything that’d transpired on the road between Ryan and me, including my sunglasses shank, my trip to the gas station, and his attempted dive into the rocky waves. “He survived and will be headed to prison. He gave a full confession to Andrea’s murder.”
Babs nodded, still sullen. “Dane’s uncle had nothing to do with it?”
I shook my head. “It turns out he is actually dating Leslie, but it’s a brand-new relationship. He wasn’t lying when he said it wasn’t serious. They just weren’t ready to tell family and friends yet. Anders told Dane all of this while I was hunting down Ryan yesterday.”
“What about the model,” Annalise said, “Leslie—is she just a prick?”
I gave a limp shrug. “I guess so. The fashion show is proceeding as scheduled, except my Angelo shades won’t be making the lineup in Regina’s event, but everything else should go off without a hitch. In fact, the Sunshine Times is doing an article on Shades of Pink—a huge feature!”
“That’s great!” Babs said. “It’ll be awesome publicity for the store. We just need to get Johnny to hurry along renovations so they can snap some pictures to run alongside the article.”
I gave her a playful nudge. “Maybe you can beg him for me. He might be partial to your requests.”
Babs wasn’t big on blushing, but her cheeks turned a shade of light pink. “We’ll see what I can do,” she muttered. “No promises.”
“I just wish Andrea was alive to see it—to finally have her dreams come true. It’s funny. I didn’t even know her when she was alive, but I feel like I know her a little now.” I held up my fingers a centimeter apart. “She was this close to becoming a superstar. I’ll bet this show would have catapulted her career to the next level.”
“I’d rather have seen her become a star over Leslie,” Annalise said, wrinkling her nose. “But it’s too late for that.”
“Maybe I can include a line about her in the article for Shades of Pink,” I said. “A last little tribute to her.”
“Shades of the Stars,” Babs said with a grin, spreading her hands out and gesturing to an imaginary headline. “I like it.”
“I think she’d have liked that,” Annalise said. “Her parents might appreciate seeing it, too.”
“Don’t think I forgot about my initial complaint,” Babs said hurriedly, steering the conversation back to its original topic. “I’m still frustrated about not being able to see you yesterday.”
“There wasn’t time!” I said. “After the police arrested Ryan, I had a quick trip to the hospital. Even though I was completely fine, it took a while to get through the paperwork and the once-over. Then it was a jaunt down to the station to give our full reports to the cops. It was dinnertime before we got back to the castle. I hadn’t showered, hadn’t eaten—we were exhausted.”
Babs looked as if she were struggling to find a good response.
“I don’t think Babs is just worried about yesterday,” Annalise murmured, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “It’s more than that, Lo.”
“What are you talking about?” I looked between the girls. “I don’t understand. I’m really sorry Dane closed the castle and you were worried, but you have to understand we were exhausted. I fell asleep before dessert—that tells you how bad it was. I didn’t have my phone, and all I could do was text you from Dane’s to let you know I was okay.”
“He can’t keep you away from us!” Babs blurted, then looked surprised by herself. “Look, I’m sorry I got upset about yesterday. I really do understand why Dane blocked out visitors, but it made me worry.”
“Why?”
“Lola, I really like Dane. In some weird way, the two of you are perfect for one another. But we were your friends first, and I’m worried that if you marry him you’ll forget about us.”
“Babs, of course not!” A wave of shock hit me with her confession. “That will never be an issue! You’re not just my friends; the two of you are m
y sisters.”
“I know.” A pained look bloomed on Babs’s face. “We love you, and we were scared stiff about you yesterday. We weren’t coming over to open beers and champagne—we just wanted to see your face and make sure you were okay. It was a little disheartening to hear that Dane had closed off the castle to all visitors and wouldn’t make an exception for us. We’re your family.”
“He was just concerned,” I said cautiously. “It wasn’t anything personal—I swear. I even told him already that if we get married, the two of you would be a huge part of my life. Nothing will change between us, I promise.”
“Don’t promise that,” Babs said. “That’s not true. Things should change if you’re married, and I understand Dane is—or will be—your best friend. That’s how it should be. But please don’t forget about us.”
I felt my eyes prick with tears. “I am really sorry that we made you feel this way. I’m going to talk to Dane about it. I swear, you two aren’t going anywhere.”
Babs bit her lip. “I, uh—I might have given him a piece of my mind already,” she said quickly, looking sheepish. “Sorry. I was a little frustrated last night.”
“If you ever feel that way again, just call the castle. Declare a Sunshine Sisters emergency meeting—I’ll let Mrs. Dulcet know those are of the utmost priority and to always put those calls through. You’re stuck with me for life, and I want you to know that without any doubts.”
“Good,” Babs said. “Because we do want to see you married and happy; we just want to be a part of it all.”
The three of us fell into some sort of a group hug, shared laughter and tears punctuating the conversation until Mrs. Dulcet appeared with appetizers and drinks around the cocktail hour. When she announced that dinner would be served shortly, Babs and Annalise made their excuses and said their goodbyes.
I walked them to the front door and down the stairs, waving as they climbed into Babs’s vehicle and pulled away from Castlewood. I was mid-stride heading back inside when a voice called my name.
“Lola, a word?” Dane had clearly walked to the front of the house from one of the warehouses in the back, and judging by the tense smile on his face, he didn’t have good news. “I was hoping to find you here.”
“Sure. Actually, I need to talk to you, too,” I said. “Babs and Annalise just left.”
“Ah.”
Something flickered across his handsome face, and I briefly wondered if he was thinking of Babs telling him off yesterday. I crossed the lawn quickly and slipped my hand into his, the slight scratches against my skin prickling at the contact.
“Everything is a go for the gala,” I said, easing into conversation. “We’ve got most of the RSVPs in already, and this morning I finalized decorations, drinks, and food with Richard. If all goes well, it should be a very unique event.”
Dane’s eyes flicked toward me. “You work too hard. You really should be resting.”
“And twiddling my thumbs? I don’t like to be bored.”
He smiled. “Thank you, Lola. For everything you’ve done.”
“There’s something else,” I said, shifting uneasily under his praise. “It’s not exactly a fun topic, and I don’t know where to start.”
“I have something to show you first,” Dane said, as he walked me back to the garage where his collection of sleek vehicles sat under the loving care of Gerard. “I have something for you in here, and I hope with it, you’ll forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” I frowned. “For what?”
“I assume your topic involves the formal complaints Babs lodged against me yesterday,” he said, shifting uneasily from one foot to the next. “She was very upset when I closed Castlewood to all visitors last night—without exception.”
“Yeah, that’s about right. I understand why you did it, but—”
“Please, let me finish speaking before you make any decisions.” Dane gave a tense smile. “I have been worried sick all day about us.”
“About us?” A pit lodged in my stomach. “What did Babs tell you that made you doubt us?”
My frustration was swinging on a pendulum between Babs and Dane. I loved them both with all my heart, and I needed them to get along. That was the only way any of this would work. We were all pieces of one big puzzle, and with any piece missing, my life wouldn’t be complete.
“It’s not her fault, although she did put something into perspective,” he said hesitantly. “I did a lot of thinking about what us being together would mean.”
I’d never seen Dane so unsure. He was usually so certain in his decisions that his now-visible nerves were somewhat frightening. My heart pounded as I waited for the other shoe to drop—I just knew he was going to tell me that things wouldn’t work, and my greatest fears would be realized, just when I’d thought I’d stumbled into happiness.
“Dane, spit it out,” I said. “You’re giving me an ulcer.”
He laughed, but it was coarse and dry and didn’t meet his eyes. “This way.”
A few steps further, and he pushed open the door to the largest showroom. I followed him inside, my hand gripped tightly in his despite the sting as we came to a dead stop.
“It’s yours,” Dane said, gesturing to the bright spotlight beaming down into the center of the room. “I wanted to make it a car, but Gerard and Mrs. Dulcet seemed to think that too big of a gesture. They said to start small and see how you reacted.”
A quirky grin wound its way over my face as I studied the display before me. “Uh, a bike? That’s the big surprise?”
Dane gave a quick nod. “It’s not just any bike,” Dane said. “It’s electric.”
“An electric bike?” I moved forward and ran my hands over the sleek surface. “I’m going to be the coolest kid on the Sunshine Shore, Dane Clark.” I paused in my examination of the beautiful, shiny finish to wink at him. “This is so generous of you, but I’m a little confused—why were you so nervous to show me? It’s a very sweet gesture and of course I appreciate it. You didn’t have to worry so much.”
“It’s not about the bike,” he said softly, pulling me closer to his side. “I know you probably feel stuck at the castle with no transportation.”
“I don’t—”
“I never want you to think I’m controlling you or holding you hostage. Sometimes I tell people—including you—what to do because I think I know best, but that is not how a relationship works, and I’m beginning to understand that. I want to make it very clear that I only want you to be here because you choose to be here, Lola—not because I’m demanding it of you. End of story.”
“Of course I want to be here, Dane!” I slipped around so we faced one another. “What made you think I felt differently? I’m here because I love you. I don’t understand where this is coming from.”
I sensed something bursting from his chest, an emotion he’d held inside breaking free as he let out a shuddering breath. “Babs called me last night,” he said, and offered the slightest of smiles. “With some very choice words.”
“She told me,” I said. “I think she feels bad about it. You have to understand, she likes you, she was just emotional.”
“I know she does.” He surprised me with the admission. “She gave me a tip, and it made me think. She explained that if I tried to hold you back, to constrain you and impose my rules and keep people from you, that things wouldn’t work. That you need your freedom and space in order to grow and thrive.”
I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I looped my arm around his waist and rested my head on his chest.
“I tend to have a rigid schedule, and I’m used to making decisions on my own without thought for others. I only do what I believe to be in your best interest, of course, but I was terrified I had pushed you away by keeping your friends from you last night.”
“I appreciate you looking out for me yesterday, Dane. I know you only meant to take care of me.”
“It’s not just about yesterday. I don’t want to force you to tell me where yo
u’re going or demand you work from the castle. I was even glad when you were stranded here without transportation because it made you reliant on me, and I liked that.”
I gave him a smile and snuggled in. “Dane, we’re all human. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know, but I just...” He hesitated, resting his cheek against my forehead. “I’m worried that I won’t be enough. You are so vibrant and brave and free and determined and beautiful, and I’m none of those things. Calculating, maybe, and rich. But that’s not enough to make someone love me.”
“I don’t love you for either of those reasons. I love you because of what’s in here.” I rested my hand on his chest and wriggled into a proper hug position. “Thank you for caring enough to be concerned, but you don’t have to worry.” I leaned up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. “I just want you. Sure, it’d be great if you get along with my friends, too, but it’s a process. We’ll get there—together.”
He met my lips with a kiss back, warm and tingling and trembling with anticipation. A rush of relief came on his exhale as he pulled me into a viciously tight embrace.
“I only want to be the wind at your back, Lola, never the...” he hesitated, and I could feel his brain struggling. “What’s the saying?”
“I’ve got no clue.”
“You amaze me every day,” Dane said, leaving the poetics behind. “I wish you hadn’t had to face Ryan alone, but obviously, you’ve shown the world that you can take care of yourself. I am beginning to see you don’t need my help.”
“You’re right,” I said, my voice a whisper across his cheek as I pulled him closer so I could murmur directly in his ear. “I just need you.”
Chapter 30
THE MORNING OF THE charity gala dawned misty and gray, a surprising change for the Sunshine Shore. Normally, it’d call for a cozy morning tucked in bed, maybe a sick day called in to the office and some cookies warming in the oven, but not this time.
Despite it being a Saturday, I’d been up at the crack of dawn, wrangling my friends from their beds as soon as it was safe. With some hefty bribes, I convinced Babs and Annalise to join me at The Lost Leprechaun to help get the place organized and decorated for the evening’s event.