here,” he said, and when Danielle didn’t respond, he looked over his shoulder.
She sat, pale as a ghost, staring at her computer screen.
“Danielle?” He moved toward her. “What’s the matter?”
When she only shook her head, he sank to her side and turned her computer so he could read the screen. What he read made his insides cold. “Ted?”
“He thinks I’m running.” She closed her eyes. “I am running. Damn it.” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “I hate this. I hate being on the run, being scared. I’m going to turn this around, Nick. Somehow.”
“You will. We will. It’s too big to do alone.”
“Maybe I can just repay him for whatever he feels she’s worth.”
Nick knew enough about Ted to know that this problem wasn’t going to be resolved that easily. “I don’t think money is what he wants.”
“You’re just saying that because you know I don’t have any.” She grimaced, then touched his arm. “I’m going to pay you back, Nick, for all you’ve done. I’ll—”
“Now you’re going to make me mad,” he said mildly. “Look, let’s just see what Donald says. If it works out like you hope—”
“It will.”
“If it works out,” he repeated, “we’ll go from there.”
“There’s that we again,” she said, her eyes filling with that wariness he was getting damn tired of.
Get used to it, he wanted to respond, but as he didn’t fully understand the “we” thing himself, he kept quiet.
T HEY PULLED UP to Donald’s new office, then parked and sat for a moment, studying it.
“Well,” Danielle said with false cheer, reaching for the door handle, not wanting Nick to see hernerves, but knowing they were all over her face. “Here I go.”
Nick put a hand on her arm. “How did you meet Donald?”
“Uh…” Tired of having made poor choice after poor choice, she hesitated to tell him. “Emma. We were at a show, but I really don’t think she’d…”
“Don’t you?”
“No,” she said firmly, meeting his fathomless gaze. “She thought she was doing the right thing. She really did. She won’t interfere again.”
Or would she?
Truth was, this industry was small, incestuous in that they all knew one another. It could come out in simple conversation.
“Just be prepared,” he said grimly.
They entered the building together. Danielle looked up at the tall, silent, almost unbearably sexy man at her side and marveled that he was there at all. With her.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, putting his hand on the small of her back as if touching her was the most natural thing in the world.
What was she thinking? Only that she’d like him to touch her like that always. “Nothing.”
“Uh-huh.”
She looked up into a smile that made her stumble.
He tightened his grip until she caught her step. “Thanks,” she whispered, squeezing his hand. “But, Nick? Someday I want to be there when you need me. ”
Surprise lit in his eyes, as if no one had ever offered that before. After a long beat he said, “I just might hold you to that.”
D ONALD WAS STANDING at the receptionist’s desk when they walked in. The art director took a look at Sadie, definitely not shocked to see her, then looked up at Danielle.
He was a small, compact man, fit and tanned, wearing an expression tuned to not happy. “Danielle…what a surprise.”
But it hadn’t been a surprise at all, she thought, taking his proffered hand. “I made an appointment.”
“Yes, I was just looking over my schedule.” He glanced at his receptionist. “Your name registered when I saw Sadie.”
He wasn’t thrilled to see her. Uncomfortablenow, she glanced at Nick, who was watching Donald carefully. For a woman who prided herself on her newly-found independence, she didn’t question her relief at having him with her. “The last time I saw you,” she said, “you mentioned a possible commercial endorsement for Sadie.”
“Yes I did.” Donald leaned down and roughed
She sat, pale as a ghost, staring at her computer screen.
“Danielle?” He moved toward her. “What’s the matter?”
When she only shook her head, he sank to her side and turned her computer so he could read the screen. What he read made his insides cold. “Ted?”
“He thinks I’m running.” She closed her eyes. “I am running. Damn it.” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “I hate this. I hate being on the run, being scared. I’m going to turn this around, Nick. Somehow.”
“You will. We will. It’s too big to do alone.”
“Maybe I can just repay him for whatever he feels she’s worth.”
Nick knew enough about Ted to know that this problem wasn’t going to be resolved that easily. “I don’t think money is what he wants.”
“You’re just saying that because you know I don’t have any.” She grimaced, then touched his arm. “I’m going to pay you back, Nick, for all you’ve done. I’ll—”
“Now you’re going to make me mad,” he said mildly. “Look, let’s just see what Donald says. If it works out like you hope—”
“It will.”
“If it works out,” he repeated, “we’ll go from there.”
“There’s that we again,” she said, her eyes filling with that wariness he was getting damn tired of.
Get used to it, he wanted to respond, but as he didn’t fully understand the “we” thing himself, he kept quiet.
T HEY PULLED UP to Donald’s new office, then parked and sat for a moment, studying it.
“Well,” Danielle said with false cheer, reaching for the door handle, not wanting Nick to see hernerves, but knowing they were all over her face. “Here I go.”
Nick put a hand on her arm. “How did you meet Donald?”
“Uh…” Tired of having made poor choice after poor choice, she hesitated to tell him. “Emma. We were at a show, but I really don’t think she’d…”
“Don’t you?”
“No,” she said firmly, meeting his fathomless gaze. “She thought she was doing the right thing. She really did. She won’t interfere again.”
Or would she?
Truth was, this industry was small, incestuous in that they all knew one another. It could come out in simple conversation.
“Just be prepared,” he said grimly.
They entered the building together. Danielle looked up at the tall, silent, almost unbearably sexy man at her side and marveled that he was there at all. With her.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, putting his hand on the small of her back as if touching her was the most natural thing in the world.
What was she thinking? Only that she’d like him to touch her like that always. “Nothing.”
“Uh-huh.”
She looked up into a smile that made her stumble.
He tightened his grip until she caught her step. “Thanks,” she whispered, squeezing his hand. “But, Nick? Someday I want to be there when you need me. ”
Surprise lit in his eyes, as if no one had ever offered that before. After a long beat he said, “I just might hold you to that.”
D ONALD WAS STANDING at the receptionist’s desk when they walked in. The art director took a look at Sadie, definitely not shocked to see her, then looked up at Danielle.
He was a small, compact man, fit and tanned, wearing an expression tuned to not happy. “Danielle…what a surprise.”
But it hadn’t been a surprise at all, she thought, taking his proffered hand. “I made an appointment.”
“Yes, I was just looking over my schedule.” He glanced at his receptionist. “Your name registered when I saw Sadie.”
He wasn’t thrilled to see her. Uncomfortablenow, she glanced at Nick, who was watching Donald carefully. For a woman who prided herself on her newly-found independence, she didn’t question her relief at having him with her. “The last time I saw you,” she said, “you mentioned a possible commercial endorsement for Sadie.”
“Yes I did.” Donald leaned down and roughed
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