Dani almost laughed. Give up the pretense, he said. And what were they doing? Creating an even more dangerous lie.
“No.” Lola gave a broken sob and reached blindly for the table, looking like she was on the verge of collapsing.
“My child.” Edgar was immediately at her side, supporting her and directing her into a nearby chair.
Storm had moved, too, but when his father caught her he froze. He stood back while Edgar patted her hand and spoke soothing words to her.
“I’ll get a glass of water.” Janet got up and hurried out the door.
For a moment longer Storm hesitated then he approached the now sobbing woman. “Lola, please. Don’t cry.” His voice was quiet and low and his face dark and serious. It was obvious that he was not enjoying Lola’s distress. “I hate it that you’re hurting right now and that I’m the cause. If I could have done anything-”
“You could have loved me.” Lola lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at him with stricken eyes. “Why couldn’t you love me, Storm? What is it about me that you hate so much?”
“Lola.” This time Storm’s voice was full of frustration. “Let’s not go back there.”
Lola sniffed then grabbed at the handkerchief Edgar held out to her. She dabbed at her eyes then looked over at Dani. “And who’s she? What made her so special that you chose her and not me?” She glared at Dani across the room then her hateful stare turned into a frown. “Where have I seen you before?’
Dani’s heart almost reached her throat. What if she was found out? She and Storm would have a lot to answer to. Her eyes went to him but he was scowling at Lola. The woman had the power to blow their cover to the sky.
Suddenly the tears dried up and Lola turned her full attention on Dani. “I know you…” she said, her voice uncertain but then she repeated it, her voice more confident this time. “I know I know you. I just can’t say from where.” She looked from Dani to Storm then back to Dani.
“There’s something fishy going on here,” she said, “and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”
Her eyes fixed on Dani, she got up and thrust the now damp handkerchief toward Edgar. Then she turned and her back ramrod straight, she walked out of the room, leaving them all staring after her.
Dani’s eyes went back to Storm. Now what?
“Well, the good thing is my parents love you.” Storm took a swig of his beer then relaxed in his chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. They were at an outdoor café, one she’d never even heard of but he recommended highly. She did not regret his choice. Tucked into a cul-de-sac at the outskirts of an exclusive resort, its clientele included many of the rich and famous of the Chicago area. It had been two days since the drama with Lola, and Storm and Dani were just getting the chance to do a postmortem and discuss their plan of action going forward. After Lola had stormed out they - mostly Storm - ended up fielding a barrage of questions and by the time they left Hunter’s Lodge they were both too exhausted to even talk about it further. This evening, though, they would have to plan their next move. Who knew when Lola would strike again and next time she might deliver the killing blow to their pretense.
“You hope your parents love me," came Dani’s rejoinder.
“I know they do,” Storm said without hesitation. “I could see it in the way my Dad warmed to you. Even my Mom who’s a bit more reserved was into you. You could see that she was actually concerned about how you felt when Lola came by.”
“I have to admit, they were pretty nice to me,” she said as she brushed a stray curl off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. The light breeze of the outdoors kept blowing wisps of hair across her face. A drawback of dining outdoors but one she could definitely live with. The fresh air and the warbling of the birds in the nearby trees made it all worthwhile. "Still, I don’t think they’ll be quite so welcoming when they find out who I really am.”
“I know my parents, Dani, and they’re not snobs. Of course they’ll accept you for who you are.”
“Not if they find out my role in this farce. They’ll hate me for it.”
Storm shook his head and there was a look of regret in his eyes. “It’s me they’d hate. I’m their son and I’m the one deceiving them.” He pushed the beer bottle away and leaned forward. “You know, when my father congratulated me he looked so contented that the guilt slapped me right between the eyes. I almost caved in and told them the truth.”
Dani nodded slowly. “I remember. I could see you were uneasy.”
“Uneasy is an understatement," Storm said with a grimace. “I felt like a dog to be deceiving them like that.” He leaned back in his chair and gave her a rueful smile. “When I first thought of it, it had seemed like a great idea. I didn’t know I was going to get soft when it was time to execute.”
“So…do you want to call it off?” Dani spoke in a low, quiet voice, not wanting to give away her emotions. At his words her heart had jerked in her chest and it hadn’t been a happy feeling. It was as if she could not bear for the bond they had to dissolve.
“Not on your life. We’ve gone too far to turn back now. And besides,” he shrugged and lifted his eyebrows, “you've seen how Lola behaved. If she gets wind that this is all fake she’ll be after me again and this time I won’t be able to shake her loose.”
“I admire your modesty,” Dani said, laughing at the way he sat there looking so full of himself. “It must be very trying to have women throwing themselves at you all the time.”
“Actually, it is," he said, his look earnest. “Try being a rich, not to mention startlingly handsome, man for a day and you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
“Oh, you.” She laughed and leaned over to give him a playful punch. She was joking around about it but she could understand exactly what he meant. Of course he’d have women after him. He was an eligible and very desirable bachelor.
And that was why it was so important for her to keep her distance, at least from an emotional standpoint. Storm had his pick of women and when he was really ready to settle down he’d select his life partner from his own circle. She could not afford to start feeling soft toward him. If so, she’d do it at her own peril.
“There’s a party coming up in a couple of weeks, one I’ve got to attend. And I’ll need to have my fiancée on my arm.” He cocked one eyebrow at her. “Are you game?”