Risky Shot (3 page)

Kenna saw her and waved. The pretty woman turned and waved too. “Dani, this is my friend Paige. Paige, Dani.”

Paige and Dani exchanged pleasantries and followed Kenna into the Cafe.

She felt nervous. If she was honest with herself, she felt left out. Kenna had obviously moved on with her life. A fiancé, a new house, new friends, and fairy godmothers, she felt even more uncomfortable when they walked into the cafe and people stopped talking. She looked around and saw everyone turning to stare at her. It didn't qualify as paranoia when every person in the room was actually staring at her.

“Don’t worry, they always do that with someone new,” Paige leaned back and whispered as they made their way to a booth. They were about to sit down when two older women, one pleasantly plump and one resembling a bean pole came racing forward.

“Is it true? Is Danielle finally home?” the bean pole with white hair asked as she came rushing past Kenna and Paige to wrap Dani up in a tight hug. What was it with tight hugs? They almost broke bones, but at the same time you couldn’t help but wish for one.

“Move over, Daisy Mae.” The matronly woman nudged the bean pole out of the way and grabbed Dani. Before she could ask who she was, Dani was bent in half and surrounded by soft, fluffy cleavage as the older woman stroked her hair and told her they’d look out for her. She tried to respond, but the words got lost in the woman’s bosom.

She heard Kenna laugh and say, “Miss Violet, from experience I can say you might want to let her up for some air.” Dani was released and the two women stood eagerly in front of her. Kenna stepped forward and placed a hand on the plump lady’s arm. “Dani, this is Miss Violet Fae Rose.” She patted the bean pole next, “And this is Miss Daisy Mae Rose. They own the Blossom Cafe.”

“It’s nice to meet you, ladies.” Dani said. She still felt uncomfortable with everyone watching her and couldn’t believe the lack of shame on their attempts to eavesdrop.

Kenna took the attention away from her and she could have hugged her for it. “Could we have some of that wonderful raspberry sweet tea and a round of chicken salad?”

“You betcha. I also just took out some fresh bread pudding and just made a new batch of bourbon butter sauce. Bless your heart, you must be starving. You’re nothing but skin and bones. I’ll bring some out for dessert.” Miss Violet said as she hustled back to the kitchen and Miss Daisy took off floating from table to table spreading the news of her arrival to town.

She felt like the prodigal son returning home, but this wasn’t home. It seemed to be Kenna’s new home, but Dani didn’t have a permanent home. She spent the last five years in New York City. While growing up, she split her time in Italy, Maine, and New York City. This was a state she had never stepped foot in. How could these people expect her to call this home? She closed her eyes briefly and decided they could think whatever they wanted.

Finally the people stopped introducing themselves and Dani felt like she could eat. The more she thought about it, the more she realized this wasn’t just a Southern thing. And it wasn’t as odd as she had first thought. She remembered to the little bar in Milo, Maine that served as the gathering spot for the locals and realized they would have done the same thing if a friend of her family came in. She thought of the outdoor cafe and wine shop her parents owned in Rivoli, Italy and knew they, too, knew their customers and would recognize someone new with a regular.

“So, the reason I asked you to lunch,” Kenna started before taking another sip of her sweet tea,. “was that I wanted to see if you were interested in working for me while we settle things in New York.”

Dani had already asked for a refill and was heading for glass number three. It was amazing. She didn’t even know she liked sweet tea! Dani thought about Kenna’s offer. She was fighting conflicting feelings towards Kenna, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a little money to spend. If things in Paige’s shop were as cute as the belt she had on, then she knew she’d need it. She also wanted to make sure she could pay Miss Lily. She could always get money from her trust, as it wasn’t frozen with the trustee in charge of each withdrawal. But she was determined to live on her own and away from her parents’ fortune until she was thirty. She had three more years to go.

She had put herself through school on her own with scholarships from beauty pageants and modeling gigs. She bought and paid for that ugly brown Chevy Lumina all on her own. It was her symbol of independence. The terms of her trust fund stated that she could withdraw the money through her trustee, a manager at the bank. But she had to provide her parents with a detailed list of what she used the money for until the age of twenty-five.

She gained access to her trust at eighteen, but in typical teenage rebellion swore to herself and her parents that she was an adult and not accountable to anyone but herself. In another fit of Teenage Know-It-All Syndrome, she told everyone at the lawyer’s office she wouldn’t touch the trust until she was old. At eighteen years of age, thirty seemed old enough and she swore to everyone there she wouldn’t touch it before her thirtieth birthday.

There had been some very hard times, scary roommates, lots of car trouble, and horrible jobs. In the end, Dani had reached the age of twenty-seven without touching her fortune. In all truth, only Kenna knew about it and for that reason she knew Kenna was giving her the opportunity to do what she loved while allowing her to stay true to herself and not touch the trust.

“That sounds wonderful. What do I get to do and when do I start?”

“Oh good! I was missing you in the office too much! You can start tomorrow if you want. You will be doing a lot more client interviews and coming to court with me as well.”

Dani was starting to feel alive again. Even if it didn’t quite feel like the home everyone thought it should be, it was definitely nice. And if the bread pudding with bourbon butter sauce was any indication of the desserts here, she was in heaven. No fifteen dollar skimpy serving of artsy food here!

“If you want, we can head over to the office now. You can meet the secretary, Tammy, and the attorney that owns the building, Henry.”

Paige gave a snort.

“What?” Dani asked.

“I think it’s more fun if it’s a surprise,” Paige said as she nudged Kenna. They burst out into giggles. Just as quickly as the feeling of inclusion came, it left.

Paige said goodbye at the moss green building housing the Henry Rooney Law Office and the McKenna Mason Law Firm.

“Come on in. I would say welcome to your new home, but no more ninety hour work weeks for us! Welcome to your office that you will use mostly during regular business hours.” Kenna opened the door and Dani was met by a nice lobby with a brown leather couch and accented with its own pixie.

“Dani, this is Tammy. Tammy, this is Danielle, my paralegal from New York.” Tammy came out from behind her desk and they shook hands.

Dani was pretty sure she had just met Tinkerbell. The woman’s hair was short and spiky. It was dyed more yellow than blond. She was tiny in every way. She couldn’t weigh more than one hundred pounds and she’d be shocked if Tink was five feet tall.

“Oh! Kenna’s friend from New York. I am so glad you made it down. Did you run into any trouble?”

“No. Besides my car constantly overheating, there were no problems. It’s nice to meet you.”

“We’re going to have so much fun working together! Yell if you need anything,” Tammy said as she raced back to her desk to answer the phone.

Kenna walked Dani through an archway and into a hallway lined with offices. A man about her height and just a couple years older sat on a leather couch reading the latest law updates. He looked up and his eyes stopped on Kenna’s breasts and never quite made it to her face. When Dani came to stand beside Kenna, she noticed his eyes move up only so much as to account for the height difference between Kenna’s breasts and hers.

“Hey, who’s your friend?” His courtroom slick voice annoyed her already.

“This is my friend and paralegal from New York, Danielle De Luca.” Kenna turned back to her, “Dani this is Henry Rooney. And no, his eyes have not made it up to your face yet.”

Henry stood and Dani noticed he had an amazing ability to avert his gaze to any body part besides the face. She was also sure he had so much gel in his hair that she could see her reflection.

“Do you happen to have a band-aid?” finally he moved his eyes to hers. He was not bad looking, rather handsome really. His nose was a little large for his face and his tan a little too orange, but he had a great smile that made his brown eyes dance.

She shook her head, “No, sorry I don’t.”

He walked toward her, his eyes somehow deepening in color. His lips pouted slightly. “That’s too bad. I think I hurt myself when I fell for you. You think you can kiss it and make it better?”

The laughter hit so strong and quick she doubled over. Tears rolling down her cheeks she grabbed for Kenna only to find her leaning against the door with her head thrown back and hand on her hip trying to catch her breath. She took a gasp of air and tried to stop laughing. She and Kenna were still giggling a minute later.

“Oh, I haven’t laughed in four months. Thanks Henry.” She put her hand on his arm as she stifled some giggles trying to escape.

This prompted him to overcome the shock of being laughed at to return to his normal, sleazy self again as he slid his hand over hers. “Anything else you haven’t done in four months that I can help you with?” His gaze had dropped to her breasts again.

“You need to be neutered,” Dani laughed as she removed his hand from hers and took her own hand off of his arm. He had sexual harassment written all over him, but it was more amusing than dangerous. He was kinda like a big puppy dog that just wanted to be loved, but tended to hump your leg to get your attention.

“Well, at least I got you to laugh,” Henry shrugged and turned back into lawyer mode. “So, you want to take the middle office?” He pointed to the second office out of three down the hall. The third was Kenna’s.

Kenna straightened up and Dani recognized her negotiation stance. “How much do you want for that other office?” Kenna inquired.

“Actually, I was thinking of a trade. If Danielle is alright with answering phones and covering for Tammy when she goes to lunch or is on vacation, I wouldn’t charge you rent.”

Both Henry and Kenna turned to her. “Is that okay with you Dani?” Kenna asked.

“Works for me.” She shook Henry’s hand to seal the deal and pulled it back after he held on a little too long and offered her a wink.

Chapter Three

Dani walked down the street and looked into the store windows as she headed back to the bed and breakfast. The stores lining Main Street were filled with antiques, local artwork, and a fresh market filled with local produce. She climbed the stairs at Miss Lily's and plopped down on the porch swing. It had been calling her name since she checked in that morning. She laid down on it, sinking into the soft chenille fabric. She left one foot hanging slightly over the edge so she could push off on the ground and slowly swing.

She was trying to relax, trying to prepare herself for tonight. She was dreading the interrogation by this FBI agent. Over the last four months, she developed a hard time trusting anyone. Police officers, FBI agents, private security… they all lied about what happened, who was where, and what they wanted done to her and Kenna. Trusting this FBI officer tonight was doubtful. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her queasy stomach. Her nerves were definitely getting the better of her. She heard the front door open and close.

“This was Kenna’s favorite spot too. She loved it so much she had Will hang one on their back porch.” Miss Lily sat down in the closest chair and set a large pitcher down on the small table between them. Miss Lily reached over and gently took Dani’s hand when she sat up. “What’s the matter, dear? You are so wound up I thought you’d snap. I can tell by your eyes that you’ve seen more and handled more than someone your age ought to. But, you can relax now. You’re among friends.”

“That’s my famous sweet tea with bourbon. Thought you could use an extra kick to help you relax a little.” Miss Lily paused and her eyes widened as an idea hit her. “I know what you need! You need a man.”

This time Dani choked, “Miss Lily!” She coughed a little before taking another sip. The stuff was good and after four months of having no alcohol, she was already feeling that tingling feeling wash over her.

“That’s exactly what you need. Someone to share your burden. Someone to share some other things with too,” Miss Lily giggled, taking a sip of her own tea. “I know the perfect person, well persons. Kenna’s friend, Paige, has five brothers! One is too young, but there are four eligible bachelors for your picking.”

Dani gave a little snort before taking another drink. “I am sure Paige would love to have me as a sister-in-law. You think she’ll help hook me up?” she said sarcastically.

“Sure. Although it’s kinda hard to choose between my brothers,” Paige walked around the side of the house and up the stairs to take a seat on the porch.

Dani felt her face turn red and decided to bury it in her spiked sweat tea. Great. With Paige's arrival, Dani was once again the third wheel.

“I thought Miles would be good. No, wait! Marshall would be best. After all, he owns a security company.” Miss Lily clapped her hands together and nodded to herself as if it was a done deal.