swallow. "No, thank you."
"Dani--"
"Please, Zach. Leave it alone."
She signaled the waiter for more coffee, ending their conversation. What the hell was going on with her? One thing he knew about her was that she wasn't into playing games. She was open and honest. He knew she had to be hungry. So why wouldn't she just eat?
Fiona reached over and took Dani's hand. "I have to thank you again for getting the cake. It was such a huge relief to me."
Dani smiled. "I was glad to do it. But I think you'd better thank Zach instead of me. I'd probably still be driving around Oakville looking for the bakery if I'd been on my own, assuming I made it that far. I'm really not very good with manual transmissions."
"In that case, thank you Zach."
"You're welcome." He turned to Dani. "I thought you said you could drive a stick shift."
"I said I could drive a stick shift. I didn't say how well."
"Now the truth comes out."
"My only experience consists of one lesson when I convinced my brother Tony to teach me how to drive his truck. I stalled it in an intersection during rush hour traffic and couldn't get it started again. For some reason he wouldn't give me a second lesson."
Everyone at the table laughed at her story. He wished she didn't feel the need to turn every remark, every compliment, into a self-deprecating story.
"I think you took a big risk sending Dani to get the cake," Chantal said. "There was a time she would have eaten three cakes that size before lunch. You're lucky it made it here intact."
She laughed uproariously at her own joke, but no one else joined in. Dani smiled, but he caught the tremor in her hand as she took a sip of her coffee. Anger filled him when he saw the hurt in her eyes, hurt Chantal had deliberately heaped on her.
"Dammit Chantal--"
"Zach, don't you think," Jonathan said, "a person's character counts more than what they look like?"
He blinked. "Of course it does."
"You and Dani proved what a good team you are together. And to me, having friends willing to go the extra mile, figuratively and literally, matters more than anything else."
Zach stared into Jonathan's earnest face. What exactly is he trying to tell me?
"Jonny is right." Todd raised his wine glass in a toast. "To Dani and Zach, great friends who saved the day."
"To Dani and Zach."
A blush rose up Dani's cheeks. She lowered her gaze. "Thank you."
He could see how uncomfortable the praise and attention made her. He took her hand and squeezed it. She looked up at him and smiled, but the pleasure he'd seen in her eyes earlier when he'd told her how beautiful she looked was gone.
For the remainder of the evening, he watched as she chatted with the others, smiling and making polite small talk. But she didn't tell any more funny stories, or exhibit any of her natural exuberance. It was as if a light had gone out inside her. He found himself wishing he could do something, anything, to put the joy back in her eyes.
Finally, the evening ended. He said goodnight to Todd and Jonathan's parents and thanked them for hosting the evening, and then gratefully retrieved his coat and Dani's so they could leave. When he returned from the cloakroom, Chantal stood waiting with Dani.
"Zach, you forgot my coat. Would you be a dear and get it for me?"
There was no way to get out of driving her back to her grandfather's house, short of knocking her over and racing to the exit. "Sure."
He helped Dani put on her coat and then went back for Chantal's fur. When he returned, he helped her put it on. She gave him a wistful look, regret in her eyes.
"You always were such a gentleman. I miss that." She turned to Dani. "I'm so sorry about that stupid remark I made about the cake. It was totally uncalled for. I hope you can forgive me."
Dani took a deep breath and glanced away before turning back to her.
"I think we'd both like to forget it. So let's do just that."
Chantal took both her hands in hers. "Thank you, Dani. You're such a good person."
Her
"Dani--"
"Please, Zach. Leave it alone."
She signaled the waiter for more coffee, ending their conversation. What the hell was going on with her? One thing he knew about her was that she wasn't into playing games. She was open and honest. He knew she had to be hungry. So why wouldn't she just eat?
Fiona reached over and took Dani's hand. "I have to thank you again for getting the cake. It was such a huge relief to me."
Dani smiled. "I was glad to do it. But I think you'd better thank Zach instead of me. I'd probably still be driving around Oakville looking for the bakery if I'd been on my own, assuming I made it that far. I'm really not very good with manual transmissions."
"In that case, thank you Zach."
"You're welcome." He turned to Dani. "I thought you said you could drive a stick shift."
"I said I could drive a stick shift. I didn't say how well."
"Now the truth comes out."
"My only experience consists of one lesson when I convinced my brother Tony to teach me how to drive his truck. I stalled it in an intersection during rush hour traffic and couldn't get it started again. For some reason he wouldn't give me a second lesson."
Everyone at the table laughed at her story. He wished she didn't feel the need to turn every remark, every compliment, into a self-deprecating story.
"I think you took a big risk sending Dani to get the cake," Chantal said. "There was a time she would have eaten three cakes that size before lunch. You're lucky it made it here intact."
She laughed uproariously at her own joke, but no one else joined in. Dani smiled, but he caught the tremor in her hand as she took a sip of her coffee. Anger filled him when he saw the hurt in her eyes, hurt Chantal had deliberately heaped on her.
"Dammit Chantal--"
"Zach, don't you think," Jonathan said, "a person's character counts more than what they look like?"
He blinked. "Of course it does."
"You and Dani proved what a good team you are together. And to me, having friends willing to go the extra mile, figuratively and literally, matters more than anything else."
Zach stared into Jonathan's earnest face. What exactly is he trying to tell me?
"Jonny is right." Todd raised his wine glass in a toast. "To Dani and Zach, great friends who saved the day."
"To Dani and Zach."
A blush rose up Dani's cheeks. She lowered her gaze. "Thank you."
He could see how uncomfortable the praise and attention made her. He took her hand and squeezed it. She looked up at him and smiled, but the pleasure he'd seen in her eyes earlier when he'd told her how beautiful she looked was gone.
For the remainder of the evening, he watched as she chatted with the others, smiling and making polite small talk. But she didn't tell any more funny stories, or exhibit any of her natural exuberance. It was as if a light had gone out inside her. He found himself wishing he could do something, anything, to put the joy back in her eyes.
Finally, the evening ended. He said goodnight to Todd and Jonathan's parents and thanked them for hosting the evening, and then gratefully retrieved his coat and Dani's so they could leave. When he returned from the cloakroom, Chantal stood waiting with Dani.
"Zach, you forgot my coat. Would you be a dear and get it for me?"
There was no way to get out of driving her back to her grandfather's house, short of knocking her over and racing to the exit. "Sure."
He helped Dani put on her coat and then went back for Chantal's fur. When he returned, he helped her put it on. She gave him a wistful look, regret in her eyes.
"You always were such a gentleman. I miss that." She turned to Dani. "I'm so sorry about that stupid remark I made about the cake. It was totally uncalled for. I hope you can forgive me."
Dani took a deep breath and glanced away before turning back to her.
"I think we'd both like to forget it. So let's do just that."
Chantal took both her hands in hers. "Thank you, Dani. You're such a good person."
Her
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