When I looked up, Abby was grinning at me. There was still a hint of darkness to the way that she looked at me, but she seemed more relaxed after hearing that admission from me. “It should scare you,” she said jokingly, and when I chuckled, her sadness seemed to evaporate.
“So you still want to go on another date with me?” I couldn’t help it; I just had to ask.
Abby continued to smile at me, though. “What did you have in mind?” she asked.
Chapter 24
Abby
I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT going for drinks with Daniel’s best friend on Friday, but I was also flattered that he wanted me to meet his friend so soon into this relationship, or whatever it was. I was glad to hear that his friends were so supportive of his being with me. Unlike Matt and Leanne.
I felt a pang in my heart every time I thought about that. I wanted them to be excited for me. But instead, I hadn’t even told Leanne I was going for another date with Daniel. I hated keeping things from her, and I knew that I would tell her about this eventually. But I didn’t want to go into the date feeling all tangled up inside, and I knew that she wouldn’t approve, no matter how many stories I told her about the good things that Daniel had done that week.
I hadn’t even told her about Wednesday evening yet, when he had called me into his office just to make sure that I was okay. When he had told me that he cared about me.
I was nervous enough about this date with Daniel and his friend that I didn’t need my own drama stressing me out as well.
I shouldn’t have been so worried, though. Austin was great. He and I hit it off immediately. He was funny and charismatic, same as Daniel. And I had to think that if Daniel surrounded himself with people like Austin, then surely he couldn’t be such a terrible person. Right?
We got drinks and appetizers and chatted, getting to know one another.
“So you’re from around here?” Austin asked me.
“Born and raised,” I affirmed. “Actually, my brother and his wife live in my childhood home still.”
“Not unlike someone else I know,” Austin said, nudging Daniel, who rolled his eyes.
Austin told me all about his start-up company, which sounded like an incredible idea, and then we chatted about my role with McGregor Enterprises. But it didn’t sound like there was any judgment there with me sleeping with my boss. I appreciated that.
Daniel’s phone rang, and he grimaced down at it before looking over at me. “Would you mind if I leave you two alone for a minute?” he asked. “It’s Geoffrey.”
Geoffrey was one of our high-profile clients, and of course I couldn’t say no. Besides, I liked Austin. I wasn’t worried. “Go ahead,” I said, smiling at Daniel.
“It’ll just be a minute,” he promised us before stepping away from the table.
Austin smiled at me around the rim of his glass. “He likes you,” he commented.
I blushed but grinned in response. “He sure seems to, anyway.”
“And you?” Austin asked. He held up both hands. “Promise I won’t pass it on to Daniel just yet. Just want to know if I’m going to need to kick your ass for breaking my boy’s heart.”
I laughed and glanced outside, where Daniel’s silhouette was just visible as he paced back and forth, his phone pressed to his ear. “I like him,” I admitted to Austin. “Maybe more than I should this early on.”
“That’s good,” Austin said, nodding approvingly. He paused. “Just be careful with him, that’s all I ask you. Daniel’s been alone for a long time now. And he’s been hurt before too.”
“What do you mean?” I asked in surprise. I knew that he had been alone for a while, and that the mansion was way too big for just him. But hurt before? How so? The man was the epitome of confidence; it was hard to imagine him being vulnerable at all.
Austin shook his head, though. “It’s not my place to say,” he said. “Just, like I said. Be careful with him. He’s like a brother to me, and I don’t want to see him hurt again.”
I wanted to promise him that I wasn’t going to hurt Daniel. I wanted to make all sorts of promises, in fact. But I remembered how against this relationship Leanne and Matt were. And I remembered what Daniel had said to me in his office, about how I would have to choose my family. About how that was what he would do if he had any family left.
Was I going to end up hurting Daniel either way, regardless of what I wanted? I sure hoped not. But who could tell. Instead, I just nodded at Austin. “I’ll be careful,” I promised.
I just wished that I knew what I was up against. But I understood what Austin meant when he said that it wasn’t his place to say. If Daniel wanted me to know, then he would tell me. When he decided that he could trust me, then he would.
I remembered in his office how he had told me that he cared about me. I had to believe that he did trust me, at least a little. Maybe he would tell me about his past soon. I was already getting to the point where I was almost ready to tell him about mine.
Almost. I wasn’t quite there yet, but if things kept going the way they had been, if the weeks kept passing and feeling like months or more, who could say?