The Favor

I thought about pointing out that he could have simply relayed the information via phone, but he continued speaking.

“If Travis does confront you, call me immediately.”

I nodded. “Okay.” It wasn’t like I wanted to talk to the little prick.

Dane tipped his head to the side. “Had you ever intended to tell me about your father’s condition?”

I felt my mouth tighten. He hadn’t spoken a word about Simon or what happened last night until now. He hadn’t spoken of anything that wasn’t work-related, actually. I was glad. It helped me maintain the distance I needed. But I’d known he’d bring it up sooner or later.

“I was going to tell you before the barbecue so that you wouldn’t have been confused if one of his alters surfaced,” I said.

“Can you tell me about his other alters just in case they decide to say hello?”

It was a reasonable request. “Um, okay. Freddie is eight. It’s unlikely that he’ll talk to you. He’s shy, and he doesn’t trust easily.” He’d had it the hardest of all the alters, because he’d been the one to suffer the abuse. “Maggie is forty. She’s strong and caring and maternal, so she mothers and spoils me. She’ll probably say hi to you, and she’ll be nice unless you swear. She doesn’t like anyone cursing around her.”

“Noted. Are there any subjects I should avoid when speaking to them? I don’t want to push any buttons for them.”

Surprised and grateful that he’d be considerate enough to enquire—which seemed completely out of character for him, really—I replied, “Don’t ask about Simon’s family or past, and don’t mention Corrine.”

“All right.” Dane pursed his lips. “Who is Corrine?”

I flexed my fingers. The guy was unbelievably tenacious. “My mother.”

“Why is she such a trigger for him?”

“They didn’t have a good relationship, and it didn’t end well,” I replied vaguely.

“Deacon said she’d learned her lesson. What did he mean by that?”

And I was done. “That’s not important.”

“I think it is. What did he mean?”

“You don’t need to know,” I said, throwing his own words back at him. I didn’t say it to be a bitch. I said it because it was true, and I was subtly reminding him that he was just as tight-lipped about his personal life.

Dane’s eyes narrowed. “You’re upset that I didn’t elaborate on the things that Travis told you.”

“No, I’m not.”

He pushed away from the desk and slowly stalked toward me. My pulse quickened, but I didn’t let my nerves show. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

He stopped mere inches away from me. Those dark, all-knowing eyes flitted over my face. “You’ve been different. Reserved. You’re always the consummate professional at work, but you’ve been distantly professional since I refused to answer your question yesterday.”

Okay, it would be fair to say I’d been using my position as a sort of emotional shield to remind myself that our relationship was purely professional. I hadn’t really expected Dane to care, let alone mention it.

“I’m not upset,” I repeated. “I was annoyed with myself, not you. I should never have asked you to elaborate on what he said. It wasn’t my place to ask. I just … forgot that for a second. It won’t happen again.”

“Hmm.” Moments of silence ticked by. “I didn’t realize until last night just how much I don’t know about you, Vienna. You give people just enough information for them to assume they get the general picture.” He tilted his head. “You hold a lot inside, don’t you?”

“So do you.”

“Yes, we’re more similar than I ever would have thought.”

Um, I wouldn’t have described us as “similar,” given that—

Knuckles rapped on the door as someone sang, “Knock, knock.” It instantly swung open and Jen swanned inside, wearing a beaming smile that faltered when she caught sight of me. “Oh. I’m sorry. When I saw you weren’t at your desk, I thought you might be on your break or something,” she said to me. “I should have guessed you’d be in here.”

I didn’t realize I’d tensed until I felt the warm weight of Dane’s hand settle on my hip. That warmth seemed to seep into me and melt a little of my unease. She hadn’t come to o-Verve in the entire time that I’d worked there, so it was a surprise to see her.

She had his cell number, so what reason did she have to traipse all the way up here? It had to be important.

“I didn’t realize you were coming,” he said.

Jen looked at him. “I would have called you, but I figured that if I came here, I could kill two birds with one stone.” Her eyes slid back to me. “I want to apologize for my rudeness at the gala. It wasn’t me. I’m not that bitchy person. I just had an off-night.”

“Yeah, Dane told me you claimed it was petty jealousy,” I said.