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“Splendid! It will be a nice change of pace to have another man along. Elise and I start to wear on each other after a few days.”
While Dad chuckles, looking rather amused at what he just said, his words find a way to hurt me more than I want to let on so I diligently eat my fruit, trying not to let them get the best of me. I focus on my plate, looking away from Dan even though I know he’s watching me.
“Maybe having me along is just what you two need to shake things up a little,” Dan adds, a smile in his tone as if he’s mocking me.
I roll my eyes as the two of them start talking about the hunting season in detail. It’s like Dad has latched on to Dan as his new son; someone to replace Andries now that he has disowned him. Even better, Dan doesn’t mind participating in a lot of the things that Andries detests, like hunting and business talk. I’ve never seen Dan shoot a gun before, but the thought of him in his hunting attire, all his attention focused down the barrel of his rifle, is more attractive than I’d like to admit.
Mom and I chat about all the family members who attended the party last night, even though she seems reserved about the subject. Some of our relatives are giving both my parents the cold shoulder, knowing that they’ve shunned Andries and Roxanne and are basically boycotting the wedding. Familymeans a lot to my mother, and having them be mad at her must be painful. But Mom is her own person, and she doesn’t need to follow Dad’s lead on this if she doesn’t want to, so it’s hard to feel too bad for her. She’s made her own bed, and now she has to lie in it.
She’s going to break soon and reconnect with my brother; I can feel it. My only hope is that Dad and Andries come to an agreement beforehand, otherwise there won’t just be tension between my parents and brother, but also between both parents themselves. It sounds like a terrible time all around.
Dan’s phone vibrates on the table, and he lifts it to check the message, grinning his first real smile of today when he reads it. For one terrible moment, I think it might be some other woman texting him, but then he puts the phone down and looks around at us.
“That was my dad messaging me about his new car that he’s added to the collection. I think I’m going to head out so I can stop by and see him and Mom both on the way home.”
Mom gives him a polite smile. “Well, it was lovely to have you over, Dan. You’re welcome anytime.”
“Likewise,” Dad says, standing to shake the younger man's hand. “And I will see you on August fifteenth for opening day.”
“Absolutely. Can’t wait.”
“I’ll walk you to the door,” I pipe up impulsively, standing quickly.
Dan gives me an odd look. “Okay, then. Let me grab my things and I’ll meet you at the bottom of the stairs.”
Both my parents watch me as I finish my coffee and rush to go meet him once he’s finished packing. “What are you guys looking at?” I snap, irritated.
“Oh, nothing, dear,” Mom says, laughter apparent in her eyes. “Nothing at all.”
Dan is waiting just like he said he would be, not looking very excited to see me. “I assume you offered this escort to my car as a way to interrogate me in private?”
I walk beside him as we head outside to his car. “No. Well, yes. Maybe…” I pause, biting my lower lip in thought. Finally, I decide to just go for it and get my answers once and for all. “Why did you reject me last night, Dan? I don’t understand why you said the things you did…”
“Elise…” He sighs. “Honestly, why go through all this hassle? I’ve got a great friendship with your brother, your family likes me, and I don’t want to ruin all of those good things just because of the lust between us, or whatever it is.”
“There’s no reason it would ruin—”
“Stop. You know I’ve always been attracted to you.” He rakes his hand through his hair in frustration. “You fucking know it. Yet you still love playing this game to see how far you can push me, knowing that I’m so weak when it comes to you.”
“It’s not a game,” I insist, but he isn’t buying it.
Dan stops, turning to face me. We’re alone outside, and he drops his mask of aloofness, looking both hurt and incredibly stressed out. “Really?” He takes a few steps in my direction and stands just a few inches from me. “So what is it, then, huh? If it isn’t a game, tell me what it is.”
The words are right there on the tip of my tongue,I really care about you, but I just can’t say them. My pride won’t let me do so. I look away, eyes misting over, refusing to meet his gaze.
Dan scoffs in return. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he says, shaking his head. “Look, I don't want us to repeat what happened in the billiards room. If your brother finds out… hell, if your Dad finds out, I’ll be in serious trouble.”
“But what if Dad is okay with it? With us?” I ask immediately.
He laughs, incredulous. “Your dad? Really? You think Sebastian Van den Bosch would be okay with his favoritedaughter fooling around with a nobody like me? What world are you living in right now?”
“That’s not fair…”
“Make no mistake, my family might have some money, but they aren’t like yours. And we never will be…” He trails off, the emotions on his face almost too complicated to read.
Now it’s my turn to be annoyed. My family has welcomed him with open arms, and now he wants to play the class card? “Oh, Dan, please. You know my family isn’t like that. We just had breakfast with them.”
“Tell that to Roxanne,” he snaps, so sharply that I wince. “I’ve seen how they’ve treated her, and now your brother too. I have no interest in going down that path. I think we should just remain friends, okay?”
