Me: Ezra.

There’s a pause as I watch the dots pop up and disappear over and over again, and I am loath to admit how tightly I grip my phone, how closely I watch them as I wait for his reply. It takes him a full minute to finally respond.

Asshole: Let me know when you’re home. I want to call you and talk about it.

Me: I don’t have anything to say.

Asshole: Don’t be stubborn.

Me: I’m not being anything.

Asshole: Fine. Let me know when you’re home, so I can call to go over the list of interrogatories.

I clench my teeth. He really is an asshole, pulling this. He knows it’s not something I can refuse. Not with our first court date looming. Now it’s me typing and erasing a dozen times before settling on:

Me: Fine. Work only.

Asshole: Sure thing, Dani.

I’m just starting to seethe at his blasé tone, one I can sense through text, can practically hear the sigh following, but Bianca’s voice interrupts what was surely going to be an incoherent response.

“I hope you’re hungry,” she says kindly, holding a tray of something that smells delicious.

I stow my phone back in my pocket, but not without squeezing it too tight for the briefest of moments. “Starved,” I tell her.

“But no work while we eat,” she tells me sternly. “We will practice your questions after.”

I can’t help the quiet laugh that escapes me. “Fine, fine. You’re the boss.”

“Powerful woman,” she teases.

My smile is bright, even if thoughts of Ezra are still lingering at the back of my mind. “You’re goddamned right.”

OceanofPDF.com

Fifteen

Sour Patch: Fine. Work only.

I sigh while reading her response. It’s clear she’s pissed, but I had no doubt she would be.

Waking up with a boneless, snoring Dani sprawled over my chest had been an experience like no other, one that had filled me with elation and confusion all at once. I’ve never seen her like she was last night—with none of the biting tones or snarky retorts. Last night, she seemed…Well. She seemed different. Which I’m grateful for, because I feel different.

Maybe that’s why I’d been so terrified when I woke up. There was such a strong chance that in the morning light she would revert to the Dani who hides, the Dani who pretends she doesn’t want this thing between us, and after last night…I don’t think I could have stomached watching her expression change to that cold, closed-off look that she reserves for me. Maybe it makes me a coward, leaving before she had the chance.

I know there’s nothing I can say to her right now that will quell her anger, telling myself there will be time for that later. That Dani’s walls are something to be chipped away at slowly, not broken down all at once. With that in mind, I shoot off a complacent text, telling myself we’ll talk more later.

Me: Sure thing, Dani.

She doesn’t respond, but I didn’t actually expect her to. Tonight, when she’s home and ready to talk, we can discuss last night. I’ve already decided that I’m not going to let her keep running from me, even if that means following her at a slow, steady pace. I can be patient, I think. I know, with Dani, I’ll have to be.

A knock on the doorframe of my office jerks me out of my reverie. My eyes narrow at the sight of my brother. “What?”

“Stop with the scowling,” Eli warns. “I just came to tell you that you’re supposed to be at dinner tonight.”

“Pass,” I say immediately, giving my attention back to my phone. “Thanks for the not-quite invite though.”

“It’s nonnegotiable,” Eli stresses. “Dad wants you there.”

“Well, you can tell Alexander that I’m very busy trying to win his stupid case for him.”

“He said you’d say something like that,” Eli laughs. “In which case he told me to tell you that Lorenzo will be joining us. So will Mom.”

I straighten, tensing. “Why is Lorenzo coming to dinner?”

“They’re friends,” Eli says with a shrug. “Why wouldn’t he? I think they’re discussing some charity gala Dad is hosting soon.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. It’s ironic that Alexander would do anything so selfless, considering how selfish he really is. I have to assume it’s all for his precious image.

“Still not hearing why the fuck I should care to or need to be there for it.”

“Does it fucking matter? Dad wants you to come, and we both know this back-and-forth is pointless. Just make sure you’re at the house by six.”

My neck heats with irritation as I think of all the things I’d rather be doing than sitting at the same table as Lorenzo, Eli, and Alexander. Eli is right though; it really is pointless to act like I have a choice in the matter.

“Fine,” I huff. “I’ll be there.”

“Of course you will be,” Eli says, like there was never any question. “When are you prepping Lorenzo and his assistant for court?”

“Tomorrow,” I mutter. “They’re coming by the office.”

“I’d like to sit in.”

My eyes flash to meet his. “That’s not necessary.”

“Too fucking bad,” Eli snorts.

“Honestly, just take the fucking case, Eli. If you’re going to hover over every goddamned part of it, then why don’t you just—”

“Stop being dramatic,” Eli cuts me off. “I’m just making sure there aren’t any snags.”

I grit my teeth. “How thoughtful of you.”

“Just make sure you’re not late to dinner,” Eli says flippantly as he pushes off the doorframe.

I don’t answer as I watch him disappear, contemplating getting a very strong lock for my office door. One that neither of my family members have a key to. It’s a nice fantasy. I scrub a hand down my face as I imagine the disastrous night looming ahead of me, knowing that there will be nothing appealing about sharing a meal with possibly three of the worst humans in existence while my mother sits quietly like some sort of living doll, not allowed to speak. And then I still have to talk with Dani at some point.

It’s going to be a long fucking night.

•   •   •

I arrive at my parents’ place fifteen minutes late just to piss off Alexander; I know he’s unlikely to say anything with Lorenzo present, and the irritated look he’ll most likely give me will make it slightly worth it. I can already hear subtle laughter from the dining room when I step through the front door, steeling myself for a night of bullshit as I traipse through the cold hallway toward the brightly lit room.

The four of them are gathered around the polished wood table that sits under the crystal chandelier, each holding a glass of red wine, save for my mother, who is tucked in her chair with her hands sitting demurely in her lap. Alexander looks up at me as I walk through the door, his eyes narrowing for a second before he schools his expression.

“Ezra,” he says blandly. “I thought for a moment you might not be coming.”

“And miss all the fun?” I paste a fake smile on my face as I pull out a chair next to my mother. “You know how much I love family dinners.”

“This one is funny,” Lorenzo chortles, his cheeks already flushed in a way that tells me this isn’t his first glass of wine. “Chip off the old block, eh?” Lorenzo barks out another laugh. “Not really though, I suppose.”

I see my mother flinch from the corner of my eye, and I curl my hands into fists under the table. “Always good to see you, Lorenzo.”