In the Stars_The Friessens

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  His dad lifted out the cartons, the brisket, the slaw, and the wedged potatoes. “Thoughtful of you, even though your mom started dinner this morning. She made chili, but this will be great to go with it, save me having to put a salad out.”

  “What will be great?” His mom appeared around the corner from her office in back, glasses perched on top of her deep red hair, which was starting to lighten in places. She had vibrant blue eyes and a smile that warmed all their hearts.

  “Danny picked up dinner for us from the Wetzels,” His dad said.

  His mom smiled, lifted a potato wedge, and bit into it. “Yum, this is great. Grab some plates for all of us. I’m starved!”

  “Just for you guys,” Danny said. “I’ve got a date.”

  His mom and dad exchanged a look.

  “With the babe in the hot car?” His dad said, and his mom elbowed him. He laughed.

  “Her name’s Charlie, Dad. Evie and a guy named Rand are also coming. We’re going out for a bite to eat, to have some fun.”

  His mom and dad were staring at him as if there was more, which, of course, there was.

  “I didn’t know Evie and Charlie were friends,” his mom said, appearing confused.

  “They’re not. It’s just…well, it was Charlie’s idea to get Evie out, her being down on her luck and all. It’s a nice gesture on her part, considering.”

  “So Evie isn’t dating this guy, Rand? You’re kind of setting them up?” his mom asked.

  He wasn’t sure what he was seeing in her expression—curiosity, maybe, or she wasn’t keen on the idea. He wasn’t too sure. “Evie isn’t dating anyone,” he said. “This is all Charlie. She was there with me when we spotted Evie’s truck broken down, and her dad’s restaurant isn’t doing well, either, so she thought…”

  “So that’s why you bought dinner?” His dad said.

  Danny shrugged. “Well, kind of. When I got there to the Tasty Pig, I had to walk past the chain next door, which is booming, but there was just one guy sitting at their place. I wanted to do something. Evie mentioned something last weekend when she came by about her dad cutting back on hours, and I didn’t think much of it, but then Charlie mentioned Bill’s business is in financial trouble. He can’t cover payroll, and the only staff are Evie and her mom.” He took in the exchange his mom had with his dad. “I totally forgot to mention that to you, by the way. Then when I called Evie today, her cell phone was disconnected, so it’s worse than I thought.”

  His mom and dad appeared surprised.

  “That’s not good,” His dad said, “but it’s even worse that a banker is sharing personal client information with his daughter, who in turn is sharing that same private, confidential…” He didn’t finish, just staring at Diana. “We still have our accounts at that branch, don’t we?”

  His mom shrugged, and Danny could see her unease. “My business account and our joint account,” she said.

  His dad was staring at Danny as if he’d done something wrong.

  “Charlie knows she shouldn’t have said anything, Dad. It kind of slipped, but it’s not an excuse. She shouldn’t have shared what she did, and I told her so, but nevertheless, I’m kind of glad, because now I’m thinking Evie could use some help. Like, Mom, you could use some help around here. As an assistant, Evie would be great, or doing some stuff around the ranch.”

  Diana leveled sharp blue eyes his way. “I would give Evie a job in a heartbeat if I thought she’d take it, but she’s smart, Danny. Don’t you think she’ll figure out this is some kind of handout? I know Evie well enough, and her mom, too, to know that they wouldn’t take kindly to that. Jed, did you know the Wetzels were struggling?”

  His dad just ran his hand over his head. “I didn’t, but that’s not something a man shares with his neighbors, and the fact that Charlie shared banking details with you doesn’t sit right with me. That’s a private matter. Kind of has me wanting to have a word with Perry about his policies and his responsibilities with confidentiality. Then there’s our accounts. It’s no one’s business what we have.”

  “Or we could just close our accounts and move to another bank,” Diana said.

  Danny could see this getting heated to the point that something could backfire for the Wetzels. “Or you could forget I said anything,” he added.

  His mom leveled another difficult gaze his way. “I’ve taught you better than that. Gossip and sharing personal information about anyone, especially financial information, is never okay. Maybe Charlie isn’t the girl you should be seeing,” she said, and Danny didn’t miss the way his dad turned a heavy amused gaze her way. “I mean, like, how serious is this?”

  Danny just shook his head. He and Charlie were just having fun, right? “We’re dating, is all. It’s not as if I’ve asked her to marry me.”

  Oh, that had his dad looking his way. “You have something to share?” His dad said, and his mom appeared speechless as if worried he was serious.

  “No, Dad, nothing to share. I’m in prelaw, going to law school next year. I have plans, and they don’t include getting married any time soon,” he said, watching as a smile touched his dad’s lips and he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Well, you’d best be sure that girl you’re dating is on the same page as you,” he said.

  Diana raised a brow as if she had something to add, but Danny started to back up to the front door.

  “This is getting to be way too serious a conversation, so I’m going to go,” he said before he could say something else that would have his parents giving him a pile of advice he had no intention of hearing right now. Didn’t they get that this was just a few friends getting together, nothing serious?

  Chapter 6

  Rand wasn’t an uptight guy, Danny knew. He had light hair that he kept cut short, military style, and he had a great build like a lot of the football players, though he was five inches shorter than Danny. He walked in the front door of Ray’s Burger Bar, wearing a tight light blue T-shirt that stretched across his chest. He could see the guy hit the weights hard.

  “There he is. Rand…” Charlie sang out over the music that blasted from the jukebox, louder than usual, and she waved from where she sat on one of the four stools at the high round bar counter they’d moved to.

  Evie was dressed super casually in blue jeans and a faded green shirt, whereas Charlie was sporting a black silky short skirt that showed her amazing legs, tanned and smooth, and a white tank under a black sheer blouse. Her heels were strappy and black, adding another few inches to her height. She brought class to a place known for its ultra casualness.

  “Hey there,” Rand said and shook Danny’s hand, then took the stool opposite, with both girls in between them. “Charlie, thanks for inviting me—and, Evie, it’s been a while.” He was polite and had a deep voice. His smile was the practiced one Danny thought he used at the dealership.

  Menus were already on the table, and a waitress appeared, setting four glasses of water down. “Can I get you something to drink to start?”

  “I’m going to have whatever dark lager you have on tap,” Danny said, and he reached for his wallet to show his ID. The waitress just nodded.

  “Make that two,” Rand said.

  Evie just shook her head. “Water works for me.”

  “Oh, come on, Evie,” Charlie said. “Have something. I’ll have a hard lemonade. Actually, make it two. Evie, you can have one. Let loose for a bit.”

  Danny could see how Charlie was pushing a bit, trying way too hard, but Evie said nothing as the waitress walked away after checking all their IDs. He knew she preferred beer to coolers. Why she hadn’t said anything, he didn’t know. “You really want a cooler over a beer?” he teased.

  The look she leveled his way was a little hard to read, and he could see her discomfort. Evie was never one to suffer in silence, so he wondered whether it was the money thing. He’d already told her he was buying and was about to say something again when she lifted her hand and got the waitress’s at
tention. “Cancel one of those coolers and change it to your draft on tap,” she said.

  “Thatta girl,” Danny said.

  A minute later, the drinks arrived. They ordered burgers all around, except for Charlie, who insisted on a side salad and a lettuce wrap for a bun. Rand and Evie settled into a comfortable conversation as Charlie slid closer to him, sliding her arm through his.

  “See? Admit it, this was a great idea.” She had a fantastic smile that seemed to ooze all through her. Sometimes he thought it was practiced, but not today, not now. He knew happy, and he could feel it pressed against him.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been out with Evie. They normally rode horses together, had a beer at his parents’ ranch. Now, seeing her with another guy, smiling and talking, he thought for a minute she wasn’t carrying such a weight on her shoulders anymore. “Yeah, it was a good idea,” he said and glanced back to Charlie, who was leaning against him. He pressed a kiss to her offered lips and pulled back just a bit. “Sometimes you surprise me,” he added, taking in the pure joy that seemed to ooze from the mixed blue of her eyes.

  “In a good way, I hope.” She pulled her lower lip in between her teeth, and he just smiled at her.

  “Yeah, all good.”

  “So, any more thought about dinner on Sunday? Please say yes.” She poured her bottle of overly sweet cooler into a glass as Danny lifted his beer and took a swallow.

  He shook his head. “You know, it’s a nice gesture on your part, wanting me to meet this lawyer friend of your dad’s, but it’s not really my thing. I’m more about making it on my own, and it’s a bit premature for me. I start law school next year at the University of Washington, and I’m not sure I’m comfortable with being offered some kind of favor, maybe being steered in a direction I’m not comfortable with. You mentioned it last Sunday and now this weekend, and it really sounds more like you’re handling my life. Even my parents would never do that.” He was shaking his head, and a frown appeared quickly on Charlie’s face. She’d gone from pure joy to something that resembled a stubbornness he’d yet to see.

  “This entire world runs on who you know, Danny. This is the perfect time to meet the kind of people who make things happen in this world. He carries a lot of weight still in Chicago and can open doors for you that you wouldn’t be able to open otherwise. He happens to come for dinner often. He and my dad golf almost every Sunday.” She was very distinct in how she spoke with a fire and passion when she really wanted something. “So I beg to differ on timing. You’re at the beginning of your career, and summer’s coming fast. It really would look great on your resume if you were working in a big law firm in some junior position. Chicago just happens to be—”

  “Whoa, stop with this Chicago thing. Is that what this is about? I think you forgot my mom is a lawyer here, and a damn good one. I don’t really need some big law firm, so don’t push, Charlie,” he added as he pulled back a bit, not liking the feeling of being directed. He was beginning to feel as if that was exactly what was happening.

  “Danny, that isn’t what I meant. Of course I know your mom’s a lawyer. I’m just trying to help, is all, and I told you already that Chicago is the one place in the cards for me. I have a plan for the future, and Chicago is a great place for lawyers.” She took a breath, and he realized that although Rand was talking and Evie was nodding, she was watching him and taking in everything Charlie was saying.

  He sat up straighter, feeling the tension and having to roll his shoulders to break off the anger that was starting to take hold. He didn’t like anyone getting in his business, trying to make him think a certain way, or, even worse, doing him a favor. “You know what, Charlie? North Lakewood is also a great place for lawyers, with lots of business. People and folks here need help, too,” he said.

  She shook her head. “Yeah, but billing costs are likely not even close to what you can make in Chicago.”

  So this was about money. He picked up a toothpick from the holder in the center of the table and shoved it in his teeth, chewing and staring over to her, seeing the flicker of emotions. He wondered whether she had any idea what she’d implied. “You should be clear on something with me,” he said. “It’s not about the money. If that’s what you’re chasing, you’ve got the wrong guy.” He shook his head, letting his meaning sink in.

  “I’m sorry,” she leaned in and whispered. “I didn’t mean to push so much. Daddy always said this is one of my faults that I need to work on, but when I care about someone, I just can’t help myself. I want to do everything I can.” She shrugged again, and he took in her sheepishness. “Forgive me?” She inched closer, teasing him with a smile.

  He lifted his beer and took another drink. “Let’s just have a good time, and no more shop talk.”

  Rand and Evie had slipped away to the small dancefloor and started bopping. Rand had great moves, whereas Evie was more reserved, but a few other couples joined them.

  “Hey, let’s go,” Charlie said and slid her hand over his arm, but he just stared at Evie. She looked like she was having a good time, and Rand pulled her closer when a slow song started.

  “Yeah, don’t really feel like dancing,” he said.

  The food arrived just as Rand slid his hand lower on Evie’s back, over her belt loop, which was only putting Danny more on edge.

  Charlie tapped his shoulder. “What’s wrong with you?” she said.

  He glanced over to her and took in how she was watching him. Then he looked back at the dance floor, over to Rand and Evie. “Nothing,” he said. “Let’s just eat.”

  He made a point of reaching for the salt and dumping it on his fries, doing his best not to watch Rand dancing with Evie. What was it about the guy that he didn’t think was good enough for her? His hand was holding her a little too close. Danny squeezed the glass salt shaker before putting it back.

  Charlie slowly looked out to the dance floor and back to him. Whatever she was thinking, at least this time she kept it to herself.

  Chapter 7

  “You’ve been quiet for almost this entire ride,” Evie said. “Although I’m used to the quiet and deep thinker that you are, I’m thinking there’s something else going on with you, since this was your idea last night. Remember what you said as you dropped me off? ‘Evie, wouldn’t it be great to hit the trail in the morning? Come for a ride.’ Here I am, so why don’t you spill?”

  She squeezed the sides of the dark thoroughbred mare to move her closer to Danny. The horse was one from his dad’s herd, the same one Evie rode every time she stopped by the Friessen family ranch. They were high in the hills, the sun was bright, and the day was warm.

  Danny didn’t say anything, only glanced her way, wearing that ratty cowboy hat, one she’d swear he’d grown into. His arms were tanned in his faded red shirt.

  “You were having a good time with Rand last night. You had fun?” he asked.

  What could she say? She wasn’t about to mope around. “Well, yeah. Dinner out, great company… I wasn’t about to focus on problems I can’t do anything about. Is that what this is about, or is it more about the fight you were having with Charlie?”

  She’d noticed the tension. Charlie had gone from hanging off Danny, stealing a kiss, to being quiet. Evie had seen Danny mad before, and he wasn’t the type of guy anyone could push around. Whatever Charlie said had thrown the entire evening off between the two of them. Charlie had finally given up on talking to him as he finished his beer.

  He glanced her way again but then walked on, leading them. That was something he’d always done. He wasn’t the kind of guy who followed along with anything. Evie thought back to the night before. Rand had been kind of fun, but she’d picked up on the fact that he was all talk and kind of handsy. She was glad Danny had driven her home, allowing her to avoid the obligatory kiss.

  “You know, Danny, you’re not the easiest guy to be around when you’re in a mood. I guess I could continue to do all the talking and come to my own conclusions about what
’s up between you and Charlie. Obviously, she said something that pushed every one of your buttons.”

  It wasn’t lost on her that she was there alone with Danny on this ride. There was no Charlie now.

  He still said nothing and then pulled his horse to a stop, resting his arm on the saddle horn. “I don’t like being directed, pushed, or to feel like I’m being manipulated,” he said matter of factly and cryptically. Now she couldn’t help wondering what Charlie had said. As she’d sat alone in the back seat the night before, she hadn’t missed that Danny was brooding over something. Charlie had carried the entire conversation all the way back to her place.

  “You want me to comment on that, or are you just stating an obvious fact?” she said and took in the look Danny gave her. “Just saying, no one likes being manipulated. I take it you and Charlie are…what?” Dating, sleeping together, taking a break? She didn’t have a clue. She wanted to know, was dying to know, but she and Danny didn’t share that kind of personal stuff.

  He glanced up to the sky and seemed to be lost in thought, then directed his megawatt blue eyes at her, giving her all of his attention. He’d suddenly turned serious. “You showed up here last weekend, and I thought something was off, wrong. Then yesterday I dropped by the restaurant because when I called your cell phone, it had been disconnected.”

  The giant lump inside her stomach that had been a powerful ache over the past few weeks was only getting worse as she felt herself slipping deeper into a dark hole. “So you don’t want to talk about Charlie, but you want to talk about the fact that something had to give with me? I had a choice to make.” She shrugged as she glanced off in the distance, taking in the view. It was beautiful, and just being out there, it was as if she could shake off all her troubles and leave them behind for an hour or two. It was a freedom she needed right now, and Danny was refusing to give her that. “I don’t have the cash to pay it. Dad’s restaurant is barely making anything. I’m helping as best I can, but I haven’t been paid anything in…” A month, she thought, but she couldn’t share that. She’d told her dad she was fine and didn’t need it. He had so many bills and was struggling to pay suppliers and stay afloat. Even though her bank account was so low she didn’t even have the twenty-dollar minimum left to withdraw, it wasn’t that bad.