backed into the shower, her eyes never leaving Jake as he followed her in.
----
J ake wanted to laugh . Dani sat silent and pale beside him in the rental car. She looked as if she were being hauled to prison. Part of him wondered whether he should be offended that she didn’t want to meet his family, but he’d learned enough about her past in the last year to know it wasn’t anything but her own doubts about herself that were making her freak out.
Maybe it was those same self-doubts that made her unable to say those three little words he’d been waiting for. He knew she loved him, but she never said it. He couldn’t figure out why, and lately it was driving him insane.
He pulled into the driveway of the two-story home his mom and dad shared with their border collie. His sister, Jessie, should be there already with his two nieces. She’d recently gone through a divorce, and he was glad she’d moved back to New York.
Alyssa, his youngest sister and an NYPD detective, was coming tonight too, and apparently Zach, her boyfriend and a fellow E.D.G.E. operator, would fly in tomorrow for a night. Jake suspected the house would be over-the-top busy later, especially if his parents invited any friends over. But for now it should just be them and his parents.
A perfect setting for everyone to meet. And what better time than Christmas? Because there was no way he was going to propose without her meeting his family.
The front door opened. Their border collie, Sammy, barreled out, barking. Jake’s mother wasn’t far behind. Dani stared at them both like they were wild animals.
“Lose the knife, Dani.”
Her head snapped toward him. “What?”
“The knife,” he repeated. “The one in your boot? You won’t need it.” He pulled out his Sig and put it in the glove compartment. “Go on. My mother doesn’t like weapons in the house.”
He ignored her muttering as she put her knife beside his gun. She was just nervous.
He took her hand and squeezed. “Brace yourself, Hacker Girl.”
They got out of the car. His parents waited on the steps, with huge smiles on their faces. Jake went up and hugged them both before turning to introduce Dani.
“So this is the woman who’s been avoiding us,” his mother said.
Dani scowled and he looked skyward. He wasn’t sure whether he should duck and cover, or just give up entirely and head back to the B and B.
----
D ani stood to one side of the marble island in the very white, very large kitchen. It looked like something from a design show. In fact, the whole two-story house looked like something from a design show.
Mrs. Harrison bustled back and forth. Jake and his dad sat in the living room, watching a football game. Alyssa had shown up while Dani had been getting the tour from Mrs. H.
Alyssa had begged off kitchen duty saying she had to wrap presents, but Dani had seen her go into the office and call someone. She glared down the hallway in that direction. Maybe she should offer to help wrap presents. Anything to get out of the kitchen and away from the woman commanding it.
Normally on December twenty-third, she spent the night with Chuck, the cop who’d helped save her life and also convinced E.D.G.E. to hire her. He was all the family she had. This was the night they’d have one too many beers while watching the Die Hard movies. It was a good tradition; she wasn’t sure why she was messing with it. The Harrisons seemed nice enough—they just weren’t her type of people, really.
And who were her type of people?
Criminals?
No, not anymore. She traced a silvery vein in the white marble of the island.
The fact was, besides the family she’d started to collect at E.D.G.E., she didn’t have outside family or friends. And she was okay with that. She didn’t need anything else. Or anyone.
“So, Danielle,” Mrs. Harrison said. Apparently it was time for the let’s-question-Dani-while-pretending-not-to-question-her game again.
“You can call me Dani,” she said
----
J ake wanted to laugh . Dani sat silent and pale beside him in the rental car. She looked as if she were being hauled to prison. Part of him wondered whether he should be offended that she didn’t want to meet his family, but he’d learned enough about her past in the last year to know it wasn’t anything but her own doubts about herself that were making her freak out.
Maybe it was those same self-doubts that made her unable to say those three little words he’d been waiting for. He knew she loved him, but she never said it. He couldn’t figure out why, and lately it was driving him insane.
He pulled into the driveway of the two-story home his mom and dad shared with their border collie. His sister, Jessie, should be there already with his two nieces. She’d recently gone through a divorce, and he was glad she’d moved back to New York.
Alyssa, his youngest sister and an NYPD detective, was coming tonight too, and apparently Zach, her boyfriend and a fellow E.D.G.E. operator, would fly in tomorrow for a night. Jake suspected the house would be over-the-top busy later, especially if his parents invited any friends over. But for now it should just be them and his parents.
A perfect setting for everyone to meet. And what better time than Christmas? Because there was no way he was going to propose without her meeting his family.
The front door opened. Their border collie, Sammy, barreled out, barking. Jake’s mother wasn’t far behind. Dani stared at them both like they were wild animals.
“Lose the knife, Dani.”
Her head snapped toward him. “What?”
“The knife,” he repeated. “The one in your boot? You won’t need it.” He pulled out his Sig and put it in the glove compartment. “Go on. My mother doesn’t like weapons in the house.”
He ignored her muttering as she put her knife beside his gun. She was just nervous.
He took her hand and squeezed. “Brace yourself, Hacker Girl.”
They got out of the car. His parents waited on the steps, with huge smiles on their faces. Jake went up and hugged them both before turning to introduce Dani.
“So this is the woman who’s been avoiding us,” his mother said.
Dani scowled and he looked skyward. He wasn’t sure whether he should duck and cover, or just give up entirely and head back to the B and B.
----
D ani stood to one side of the marble island in the very white, very large kitchen. It looked like something from a design show. In fact, the whole two-story house looked like something from a design show.
Mrs. Harrison bustled back and forth. Jake and his dad sat in the living room, watching a football game. Alyssa had shown up while Dani had been getting the tour from Mrs. H.
Alyssa had begged off kitchen duty saying she had to wrap presents, but Dani had seen her go into the office and call someone. She glared down the hallway in that direction. Maybe she should offer to help wrap presents. Anything to get out of the kitchen and away from the woman commanding it.
Normally on December twenty-third, she spent the night with Chuck, the cop who’d helped save her life and also convinced E.D.G.E. to hire her. He was all the family she had. This was the night they’d have one too many beers while watching the Die Hard movies. It was a good tradition; she wasn’t sure why she was messing with it. The Harrisons seemed nice enough—they just weren’t her type of people, really.
And who were her type of people?
Criminals?
No, not anymore. She traced a silvery vein in the white marble of the island.
The fact was, besides the family she’d started to collect at E.D.G.E., she didn’t have outside family or friends. And she was okay with that. She didn’t need anything else. Or anyone.
“So, Danielle,” Mrs. Harrison said. Apparently it was time for the let’s-question-Dani-while-pretending-not-to-question-her game again.
“You can call me Dani,” she said
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