“That’s exactly why,” Dani said softly.
I dropped my hands. “Huh?”
Her eyes looked sad as she shook her head slowly. “What she just said about why you hired me? That’s what everyone will think. That’s what everyone will say about me. That’s exactly why it would never work between us.”
“Dani, Blaire’s an idiot. You should never listen to anything she says.”
“But she’s right.” She shrugged. “People will think you hired me for all the wrong reasons. It would ruin both of our careers and put your whole firm in jeopardy.”
“No, don’t think like that—”
“I have to think like that because it’s the truth. I like you, and I like the way I feel when I’m with you, but we’ve both worked too damn hard to ruin everything over a little like.”
“Listen.” I stepped forward and gently grasped her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. “No one is going to think that. You were an agent long before I hired you.”
Her eyes stared off into space. “It won’t matter. None of it will matter. Everyone will talk about it, how Double D is screwing her new boss. I’ll lose all credibility. So will you.”
“Dani—”
“I gotta go.” She stopped my rebuttal before it started. “See you in the morning.” With that she rushed past me and out the front door.
CHAPTER 22
Danicka
Monday morning reared its ugly head no matter how hard I wished it away. I lay in my warm bed and briefly thought about calling in sick, but I knew that Andy would see right through that and end up on my doorstep within the hour. Rolling onto my side, I opened my eyes and stared right at Roxy, who let out a loud sigh.
“Why are you grumpy? You’re a dog.” I reached out and ran my fingers along the curve of her face, petting her gently between her eyes. “You don’t have to deal with work or men or bills or men or stalkers or men. Wanna trade lives?”
My cell phone vibrated from my nightstand. I scooped it up, happy to see my dad’s smiling face on the screen.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hey, pumpkin! How are you?”
I rolled onto my back and sighed. “I’m okay. Tired. I feel like I could sleep for three days straight.”
“Maybe you should.” He chuckled. “Take the day off and rest.”
“Nah, I need to keep busy or I’m gonna go nuts.”
“That’s my girl. Have you talked any more to the detective assigned to your case?”
“Detective Larson? Nope. Yesterday was Sunday, though, so I didn’t really expect to. Hopefully today.” I climbed out of bed and slipped my arms into my robe.
He was quiet for a second. “You sound down.”
“Dad. My car was vandalized by a psycho who’s also been sending me creepy messages for a couple months now. Of course I’m down.” I tried not to sound annoyed, but it should’ve been obvious to my dad why I wasn’t my normal, perky self.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. That was stupid of me,” he apologized sincerely. “Want me to come there, Dani? I can be on a plane later today.”
“No, Dad, that’s okay. Thank you for offering, though. I appreciate it.” I pulled the phone from my ear and checked the time. “Listen, I gotta jump in the shower or I’m gonna be late for work. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay, honey. Call me before bed, okay?”
“Got it. Bye, Dad.” I ended the call and tossed my phone on my bed, scaring poor Roxy. Part of me wished that he wouldn’t have asked if I wanted him to come here. I wished that he would have just hopped on the next plane out of California, been at my house by dinnertime, and stayed until they arrested the crazy asshole trying to scare me. Asking for someone to comfort me was not something I’d ever been able to do, and I wasn’t about to start now.
As I pulled into the parking garage and around to my normal spot next to Andy, sadness washed over me. Why me? Why now? For the first time since I told Cole Woods where to shove his comments, I second-guessed whether leaving Leighton Management was the best decision, and I hated that. I hated second-guessing anything. To me, second-guessing was a weakness, the opposite of confidence, something I strove for every single day. When I made a decision, I owned it . . . good or bad. But at that moment, for just a fleeting second, I wondered what if.
A knock on the window inches from my face scared me so bad I screamed out loud. The big grin on Ellie’s face faded fast as her eyes grew wide.
“I’m so sorry! Oh my God. I’m sorry,” she rambled as I opened the car door.