Winner Cake All

by Denise Swanson

  Muttering to herself, Dani stood, smoothed her hair, and hurried down the hallway.

  Before reaching for the doorknob, she checked the foyer’s window and gasped. Her hand on her chest, she backed away from the glass.

  What was her father doing standing on the porch? It had been five months since she’d moved into the mansion and he’d never visited before.

  Heck! She’d lived in her apartment seven years and he’d only been there twice. Once the day she graduated from college and once when he had an early flight out of Normalton Airport and decided to spend the night rather than drive in from Towanda.

  After nearly a year of excuses as to why they couldn’t get together, her dad’s sudden appearance was just what she needed to add to her already über stressful day. There was no reason she should rearrange her plans, even if they only included a long, hot bath and a book, to be at his beck and call.

  She’d pretend not to be home and he could text her. That way she could prepare herself for whatever reason he finally wanted to see her. After all, electronic messages had been his preferred method of communication since she moved away from home at age seventeen.

  Unfortunately, before she could get out of the foyer, her father’s impatient tenor came through the solid wood door, “I know you’re there, Danielle.”

  Her father’s familiar, irritated tone sent a stab of dread through Dani’s heart and her stomach felt as if a rhino had stepped on it. Forget next week. She was getting one of those doorbells tomorrow.

  Dani had a good idea why he’d shown up. He read the Normalton News from cover to cover and had doubtlessly seen her name in the article and wanted to know what she was doing at the engagement party. But she really didn’t want to see her dad or hear how she’d disappoint him once again.

  “You know you’re being childish.” Her father raised his voice. “And I don’t have all day.”

  Dani stepped forward, but stopped with her hand on the knob. Why should she obey him? Why should everything run on his schedule?

  “Open the damn door!” A thump followed Dani’s father’s order. “I’m leaving on an extended business trip and I need to be at the airport by four. I’ve already had to reschedule an important meeting because of you. Don’t make me late for my flight too.”

  Dani groaned as he pounded on the door again. It was probably better to get it over with today than worry about it until he returned to town. If she talked to him now, at least she knew he’d be gone in half an hour.

  Still, her stomach clenched. Facing him was worse than being a contestant on Survivor. Heaven only knew what horrible things he’d say to her before he voted her out of the tribe.

  Forcing her hand to turn the deadbolt, she took a deep breath and eased the door open. Jonas Sloan stood with his fist raised, evidently ready to keep knocking until he got his way.

  Her chest tightened at how much older he looked than the last time she’d seen him. His gray-blond hair had receded even more, leaving a large expanse of forehead, and the wrinkles around his mouth were etched so deeply they looked worse than the cracks in her driveway.

  But what really concerned her was the color of his face. It was redder than the paprika she used in her goulash recipe. He really needed to get his blood pressure checked before he had a stroke.

  Without acknowledging Dani, her father brushed past her into the foyer. He scanned the area, clearly taking in the sweeping staircase and rich woods. He turned and looked into the parlor for a long time.

  Then nodding to the antiques, he said, “So that old lady who went to college with my mother left you this? Free and clear? Didn’t her heirs object or try to sue?”

  “Nope.” Dani crossed her arms. “Mrs. Cook didn’t have any family and her will was ironclad.” She added, “Plus, she was Grandma’s Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority sister, not just a college friend. That relationship is for life.”

  Jonas scowled. “Why didn’t you sell it? You don’t need all this room.”

  “I thought about it.” Dani cleared her throat. For some time, she had intended to tell her father about her change in career, but she’d wanted to do so in person. She’d tried to visit him on several occasions, but he’d always had an excuse not to see her. This was her chance.

  “What stopped you?” he asked in a tone that didn’t convey curiosity as much as displeasure.

  “The kitchen. Once I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for a catering business.”

  “So that was why you were at that fancy party?” Jonas snapped. “How do you have time for that? I hope you’re not slacking off on your real job.”

  As Dani started to speak, her father pinned her with an enraged glare. For a moment she was distracted by his resemblance to Ming the Merciless and forgot what she was about to say.

  Jonas prompted her: “You know, the profession you went to college to learn.”

  “Ah, well, the thing is, you know I’ve always wanted to be a chef.” Dani battled to stand firm when what she really wanted to do was run.

  Jonas exhaled noisily, an angry expression twisting his face.

  “So, a few months ago”—Dani forced herself to continue despite her father’s obvious hostility—“I quit my job and opened up Chef-to-Go.”

  “You resigned from a well-paying position with benefits and a good chance of promotion?” Jonas clarified as if he couldn’t believe it.

  “Yes.” Dani was getting worried. Her father was way too calm.

  Suddenly Jonas sputtered, “You’re telling me you’ve thrown away your education, an education for which I shelled out a lot of money, and now you are, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than a glorified—”

  Without thinking, Dani cut him off. “Cooking has been my passion since seventh grade. You know I wanted to go to culinary school, but you refused to pay for anything other than what you termed a real degree.” She tensed. Now she was in for it. Her father was not a man who tolerated interruptions, especially from women. “I mean…”

  “You mean you deliberately went behind my back and flushed your career down the toilet to cook for rich people and be treated like a servant?” Jonas shouted, his complexion now closer to eggplant. “You always did test the water by jumping in with both feet rather than doing something sensible like dipping in a toe first.”

  Dani’s shoulders drooped. Her father was all about appearance. He would never understand that doing what made her happy was more important than having a prestigious career and lots of money.

  Her silence seemed to enrage him and he thundered, “What do you have to say for yourself, Danielle? Why am I not surprised that you didn’t think this out? It was the same thing when you didn’t give poor Kipp a chance to explain and just dumped the man.”

  “Poor Kipp?” Dani’s head jerked up and she straightened her spine. “Are you freaking kidding me? He had a fiancée, and it wasn’t me.”

  “Kipp told me that he was waiting for the right time to end his engagement.” Jonas tsked. “His fiancée had some mental health issues and he couldn’t break up with her until he was sure she wouldn’t harm herself. You wouldn’t have wanted that, would you?”

  “Of course not.” Dani rolled her eyes. “But if that was really true, and I seriously doubt it, he shouldn’t have started dating again until he was free from his obligation to her. Or at the least, he should have been honest with me about his situation so I could have made an informed decision as to whether I was willing to date him or not.”

  “He fell in love with you at first sight,” Jonas protested. “Just like I did with your mother. He was afraid you wouldn’t give him a chance.”

  “He was right.” Dani raised a brow. “Come on, Dad. Would you have deceived Mom like that? Made her nothing but a side chick?”

  Pain flickered across Jonas’s face and he slowly shook his head.

  “Because you really loved
her.” Dani put her hand on her father’s arm. “Kipp was only after what he could get. Be it free satellite TV, home-cooked meals, or se…” she stuttered, unwilling to go down that path with her father. Besides, she hadn’t slept with her ex, much to his frustration.

  “But he…” Jonas trailed off, clearly unable to come up with an adequate defense of the man he’d been endorsing.

  Sensing a weakening in her father’s approval of her ex, Dani said, “Kipp approached me a few months ago, supposedly to make amends, but his real reason was because he was in trouble and needed money.”

  “Oh?” Jonas conveyed his doubt regarding Dani’s truthfulness with that single word. “Why would he need cash? He’s got to make a good living. For crying out loud, he’s a doctor after all.”

  Dani explained her ex-boyfriend’s problems and what had happened to her because of them, then demanded, “So now do you understand?”

  “How could I have been so wrong about Kipp?” Jonas sagged against the wall.

  Feeling sorry for her father, even though she knew she shouldn’t, Dani led him into the kitchen and said, “Do you have time for a cup of coffee or something?”

  Jonas checked his watch. “Coffee would be great.” He took a seat on a counter stool and looked around. “This is really nice. Modern.”

  “Yep.” Dani poured a cup of java from the already brewed pot and handed it to him. Remembering his sweet tooth, she got out the sugar bowl and put it in front of him. “Mrs. Cook had it all remodeled and brought up to code.”

  “What do you do with the rest of the house?” Jonas added several teaspoons of sugar, stirred, then took a sip from his mug.

  “Right now, I have three college girls who rent rooms from me, but when I get some capital together, I plan to renovate the remaining rooms and take in a few more boarders. I also want to create a couple of apartments out of the old carriage house.” Dani hesitated, then took a slice of chocolate-pecan tart out of the fridge and slid it in front of her father.

  It was left over from her Sunday night personal chef gig. Her employers had raved about the pastry, but since they were leaving on a trip the next day, they’d told her to take the rest of the dessert home with her. They had said that it was too scrumptious to go waste.

  “How is your business doing?” Jonas picked up the fork she’d put next to his plate and dug into the dessert. “Are you in the black?”

  “I am.” Dani watched her father taste the tart and when he ate another bite, she smiled. “With the girls’ rent and not having a mortgage, I’ve been able to operate at a profit from the beginning.”

  She crossed her fingers. She was telling the truth, but the profit margin was a lot slimmer than she, or her father, would like.

  “That’s impressive.” Jonas finished his piece of tart and licked the fork clean. “Let me know when you’re ready to renovate, I can give you the name of some reliable construction companies.”

  “That would be great.” Dani’s heart lightened. “From what I made from the disaster engagement party and what Mr. Whittaker is paying me to do the memorial luncheon for his deceased fiancée, I should be able to start right after Christmas.”

  Her father seemed to have accepted her decisions to quit her HR job and open a catering business. He was finally treating her like an adult. Maybe they could finally have a positive relationship.

  They chatted amicably for a while about the plumbing and electrical considerations of adding rooms and occupants to the mansion, then he drained his coffee cup and said, “I should probably get going. I can’t miss this plane or I’ll have to wait until Wednesday for the next one. Either that or drive to the city to catch one from there.”

  That was the problem with a small airport; the flight schedules were sparse and often inconvenient. Still, it was usually better than going into Chicago and taking off from the disaster known as O’Hare. Midway was a little better, but still crowded.

  Jonas stood up and headed down the hallway with Dani following him. When they got to the foyer, he paused and cleared his throat. Then he ran his hand over his hair and twisted his expression into a grimace.

  “What’s up?” Dani knew her father well enough to see that there was something he wanted to say, but didn’t know how to start.

  “In addition to checking on you after reading in the paper about that unfortunate woman’s death, I wondered if, that is…” Jonas licked his lips. “How did you come to cater Franklin Whittaker’s event?”

  “One of my clients recommended my company to his fiancée. Then after interviewing me, Yvette and their wedding planner hired me.”

  “So you don’t know Whittaker?” Jonas asked, his disappointment evident.

  “Not really.” Dani wondered what her father was getting at. “I suppose that I’ll see him Sunday at Yvette’s memorial since, as I mentioned, he hired me to cater the dinner after the service. Why do you ask?”

  “My company would like to supply the equipment for the food stands at his ballparks.” Jonas shoved his hands in his pockets, not meeting her eyes.

  “Ballparks?” Dani asked, surprised at the plural. “He has more than one?”

  “Whittaker already has controlling interest in several smaller stadiums across the Midwest. Now he’s venturing into the major leagues.” Jonas beamed. “And he has plans to enlarge the concession areas in all of them.”

  “Which is why you finally made time to see me.” Dani closed her eyes to halt the sudden threat of tears.

  She had thought for one brief, shining moment that she and her father could get past all of the hurts and disappointments, but he only wanted to see her because of business. Her chest hurt and she absently rubbed the spot over her breaking heart. Would she ever learn not to get her hopes up?

  “Of course not.” Jonas’s denial didn’t ring true and he awkwardly patted her shoulder. “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long. I just…” He shook his head. “It’s just hard for me to do much that isn’t work. I think about it, but then I’m overwhelmed.”

  “You should see a therapist.” Dani had always suspected her father was clinically depressed. “He or she might be able to help you feel better. To get over Mom’s death and move on.”

  “Like you did?” Jonas barked. “Laughing with your friends the day of her funeral?”

  “I was only fourteen years old.” Guilt choked her. “It seemed unreal.”

  She’d been heartbroken when her beautiful mother died, and certain memories or events could still trigger a bout of crying, but she hadn’t felt anywhere near the depth of her father’s grief. Should she have?

  “Well, I don’t want to get over it, as you so casually put it.”

  “It’s been sixteen years, Dad.” Dani got between her father and the door. “Do you really think Mom would want you to live like this?”

  “I refuse to discuss this with you.” Jonas pushed Dani aside, opened the door, and marched outside onto the porch. “I’ll allow you to make your own decisions and you let me make mine.”

  He was nearly to his car when Dani called after him, “If I see a chance, I’ll mention your company to Mr. Whittaker on Sunday.”

  “Thanks.” Jonas stopped and walked back to Dani. “Here’s my card. Tell Whittaker that I can send some links for him to look at.” His voice was rough when he said, “I’ll be back in two weeks. Maybe we can have dinner.”

  “I’d like that.” Dani wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw something she hadn’t seen in years in her father’s gaze. Could it be affection?

  Chapter 17

  After her father left, Dani sat in the parlor staring out the front window trying to absorb everything that had happened in the past few days. She’d been holding it together, but Jonas’s visit had taken away the last of her emotional control.

  It was difficult enough to come to terms with Yvette’s death, let alone that she’d been
murdered. Add to that, despite Gray assurances, Spencer might be a suspect in his ex’s homicide, and it was just too much to handle.

  Dani couldn’t quite believe that the detective would truly ignore an ex-husband on the scene. He might give Spencer the benefit of the doubt, but he was probably keeping him on the back burner and still investigating him.

  Then there was Dani’s father. His arrival had been a shock. Although at first he’d acted exactly how she’d expected, toward the end he’d seemed almost to believe that she’d make a success of her business.

  Or was their whole conversation an act on his part because he wanted Dani to help him get his foot in the door with Franklin Whittaker? Maybe instead of affection, that last gleam she’d seen in his eyes had been satisfaction that she was doing what he wanted.

  She’d never been able to read her father very well. Could she be just interpreting his expression to be what she hoped to see?

  Dani rested her head against the back of the settee and closed her eyes. There was something else bothering her. Something she’d tucked away to worry about when she had more time. What was it?

  Yvette’s death. Check. Her murder was never far from Dani’s mind.

  Spencer. Check. Concern for his situation in the case was right up there too.

  Dani’s business was fine. There was nothing she could do about her father. But there was definitely something niggling at her.

  The girls’ behavior!

  It was odd that she’d seen so little of them since Saturday night. It was even odder that they hadn’t talked to her about their boyfriends. Had Laz slipped off the wagon? Was Robert seeing someone else? Did Caleb like Tippi as more than just a friend?

  Resolving to sit down with the three of them soon and get caught up on what was happening with her young friends, Dani made herself stand up. She was due at the food pantry in fifteen minutes and she still had to change clothes.