31. The Guy
31 THE GUY
Daphne
Cal invited me to meet his “guy”—saying I should prepare for an afternoon at a horse barn. Slightly confused, I donned a pair of Lanie’s breeches and a polo. I drove to a posh barn in Lake Forest. I wasn’t sure what this had to do with the “guy”, but assumed it was a good cover to keep us out of hot water. My confusion only increased as I reached the barn aisle and saw Cal talking with Chloe as she tacked up a big grey with two bold, big socks.
“Daphne, you made it,” Cal said.
I didn’t greet him with a kiss. I never dared do that in public. It was an odd contrast. I’d been in his bed the morning before, but now we were only friends. Chloe was my sister’s best friend, so I didn’t worry too much. In a way, it made our trysts a little naughtier. If shagging your late father’s business associate and friend was forbidden, being the mayor’s favorite distraction in private didn’t make it feel less cheeky.
“Hey,” I said. “Chloe, who is this?”
“Malcolm,” Chloe said. “He’s my grand prix prospect. A new toy.”
“A very expensive toy,” Cal said.
“He earns his keep with the ladies,” Chloe said. “We imported him. He’s a baby still—only five—but there aren’t any studs with his lines in the US yet. We’re doing a lot of business. I gotta grab his wraps. Gimme a sec.”
She disappeared. I whispered, “Cal… where’s the guy?”
Chloe returned from the tack room.
“That’s my guy,” Cal whispered, nodding at Chloe.
“Chloe?” I asked, confused.
“Yeah?” Chloe asked.
“Sorry. He just said… you’re the guy?”
“Nope,” Chloe answered. “I’m the badass bitch who is here to back you, Daphne. That’s what I am.”
“Noted,” I said.
“I’m glad to discuss whatever it is we need to. But I figured you could take out my schoolmistress, Claire, while we talk. She’s a bit of a pain, but she’s less spooky than this annoying prick.”
She patted the stallion’s shoulder.
“You’re good to ride, right?” Chloe said.
“I am. I have a helmet in the car. Based on what your brother said, I wasn’t sure what the assignment was.”
“It is secret squirrel stuff. Grab your hat. We’ll go out on the trails. This is the easy day for this one.”
I agreed, returning to my new car—a gift from Mum—to grab my brain bucket. When I approached Chloe, Cal held a bay mare with resting bitch face.
“Daphne, this is Claire. She’s sometimes a cunt, but she’s nice to ride. Promise,” Chloe explained.
“Typical mare,” I said. “Are you joining us, Cal?”
“I am opposed to horses. As you can see, they loathe me.”
“No, that’s just her normal face,” Chloe giggled. “He’s a wuss.”
“I’m aware of my mortality. We’re not all rubber like you, kid.”
Chloe fastened her helmet. “Well, go up to the lounge and have a pop or something. There’s always snacks. We won’t be gone forever.”
We took the horses outside to a waiting mounting block near one of two massive indoor arenas. It was a horse palace. It put our nice, but much simpler stables outside London to shame. I rode there for years before going through IVF. I sold my horse when it became clear I wasn’t around enough to enjoy her.
Chloe swung up on her massive horse without issue. I looked at Claire like she was a fire breathing dragon. This did not bode well. Cal held her as I swung astride her and grabbed my reins.
“You good?” He asked protectively.
“I’m good,” I promised.
Cal patted my boot and left. I followed Chloe across the parking lot towards a break in the trees. A wide path greeted us. It was nice to see a show barn with trails. It spoke volumes about the care the horses received outside daily training.
“This place is gorgeous,” I caught up.
“I love it here. The coach is amazing, too. She’s working wonders with Malcolm. And Claire is in a part-lease with a teenager who thinks she hung the moon. It makes me happy to know they are cared for. Of course, Mom comes out to check on them. She’s not one to ride, though.”
“What does she do?”
“Oh, she just lived to be a horseshow mom. Cal is terrified of horses, and I don’t think it was within the budget when he was young, but the minute I wanted a pony, Mom was there to buy it.”
I smiled. “She always wanted one?”
“Always. I got to live the dream. I always had everything I needed. I am very spoiled, I realize.”
“Yeah, but you’re doing your own thing, too. I won’t judge you for making money through some unconventional means.”
“Good, cuz I forced Cal to take my ‘What I wore to the barn’ post and he totally rolled his eyes. Can you work on that?”
“He loves and supports you,” I assured. “But I cannot do anything to control him, Chlo.”
“Oh, really?” She raised her eyebrows. “That’s cute you think I believe any of that.”
“What?” I feigned confusion. How did she know ?
“Don’t lie. He says he’s sleeping with someone. I beat that out of him. And then you’re just… here and he’s trying to save the company and prop you up? Oh, sweetie, I’m a lot smarter than that.”
I didn’t want to insult her.
“Look, this stays here, okay? We haven’t told anyone .”
“I never tell anyone’s secrets—not even Lanie’s.”
“I am not asking to know anymore, Chloe. But it would be…” I wasn’t even sure what to call it.
“A media firestorm? Yeah. It would be something . A Delphine and Markham collab? It’s a joining of two dynasties—an empire to build. People would lap it up.”
“But it would not help your brother.”
“Oh, really? I see my brother has a hot, younger girlfriend from a legendary old money family quite beloved in the city.”
“A girlfriend in the middle of a contentious divorce. I have no idea what my squirrely ex is going to do.”
“I doubt it would change opinions on you two dating. Are you dating or just… hooking up?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer. “We’re exclusive, but it’s not like we can actually date .”
“Uh-huh. Just you wait!”
“Chloe—”
I didn’t finish my sentence. A deer hopped out of the brush. Chloe’s horse spooked. She sat her horse’s reaction well. Claire teleported. I knew I was about to lose my seat. Despite holding on for dear life, I quickly lost my grip, falling hard.
* * *
Cal
“Just rest, okay?” I asked.
“Cal, this is an imposition for you all?—”
“It’s really not,” I assured Daphne. “Just rest. Dad is making food. I’ll wake you for dinner, okay?”
“I still worry about sleeping?—”
“The doctors said it was fine, Daphne. What you need is rest . You’re a bad patient.”
She growled, “I hate this. I don’t want to be fawned over.”
“Well, you don’t have a choice, princess. Sleep.”
She mumbled something while curled under the covers. This place was usually occupied when I visited Mom and Tim north of the city and didn’t want to drive home. I left Daphne to sleep, returning downstairs. Chloe was in the kitchen devouring an entire cheeseboard while Tim prepped cocktails. Mom was at a tennis lesson.
“So, is she calming down?” Chloe asked.
“She’s fine,” I answered. “She’s resisting rest, but I think she will calm down eventually with nothing else to do.”
“I feel so bad she fell. Claire was a total baby about something silly.”
“This is why I don’t fuck with horses,” I said. “Make fun of me all you will, but Daphne is worse for wear.”
“She doesn’t even have a concussion, brother. Calm down. God, you’re too protective.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’d like not to start a war with the Delphines, okay?”
“Uh-huh. That’s totally what it is.”
Tim snickered.
“I don’t need you piling on, Tim,” I said.
“She’s a nice girl,” Tim said. “But you brought her here.”
I did. I figured the alternative was to drive her home and deal with her mother. Forced to pick a matriarch to deal with, I’d pick mine. I didn’t need to tell Danna Delphine anything we were up to. That wasn’t our dynamic. I figured Daphne would want to handle it more delicately than in her current state with two bruised ribs.
“Who did you bring here?”
My mother arrived, still dressed in tennis whites.
“Claire wasted someone. We’re trying to patch them up,” Chloe said. “You look… accomplished.”
“I just beat Danna Delphine quite triumphantly,” Mom said. “Her sour face was so satisfying. I unseated the Queen unceremoniously.”
Chloe burst into a fit of laughter. Tim made eye contact with me.
“Oh, fuck!” Chloe patted my back. “Well, this is awkward.”
“She just lost her husband. Could we try to be nicer?” Tim asked.
“For all the years she tortured me, I doubt it, sweetie.”
That was debatable. I gathered Mom and Danna felt they were the victims in this feud for the contest of Hostess with the Mostess in Chicagoland. Neither was the winner. They had different niches. Mom never got a fair shake given her status as a “new money” working woman. Danna only had to manage domestic matters for an old money husband, but she was often vilified for having strong opinions in a way a man never would.
“So,” Mom said. “Who did Claire attack?”
“Well, she teleported and bucked her off,” Chloe said. “But you should ask Cal since it was his friend .”
I cringed.
“Wait, is it Kristy?” Mom’s face brightened.
“No. Kristy doesn’t ride,” I answered. “Chloe, I’d like to strangle you.”
“Who is it?” Mom grew impatient.
“Daphne Delphine,” I sighed. “She went out with Chloe and?—”
“I’m sorry, but… you brought one of the Delphine girls back here?”
“Lanie is here literally all the time, Mom.” Chloe rolled her eyes.
“But not at your brother’s invitation.”
“I made an introduction. That’s all,” I lied. “Chloe is taking over the shares David willed me for the company.”
“David willed you shares?”
I winced. I left that out.
“He did.”
Mom shook her head. “And you’re… what? What is this? Why are you helping that girl?”
“Because Davey is running the damn company into the ground.”
“Yeah, that’s all it is.”
I slapped Chloe’s arm playfully. “You’re really testing my patience, kid.”
“Kid? Daphne’s what… eight years my senior? Get over yourself, Cal.”
“What is going on?” Mom grew serious. “Calvin, if you are… entangled with that girl… so help me.”
“If I am, it’s none of your business, Mom.”
“No, it is . Because you brought her into my house, she’s still married, and she’s just as pretentious as her mother. You couldn’t bother to find someone… less complicated?”
“Last I heard he wasn’t engaged to her, so calm down,” Chloe said.
I said, “I will remind you that Lanie is a frequent guest and you don’t react this way to her.”
“Lanie and her mother do not get along. She’s different. I don’t think she is a spy. Daphne is?—”
I countered, “What, Mother? A well-educated, ambitious woman trying to do right by her family’s company? I would expect you’d respect that as a woman who had to?—”
“I built a brand from nothing . She was David’s precious favorite child—a princess. She’s never worked for anything. What did she do? Lie on her back and play politician’s wife to no avail for years? I heard she couldn’t even give him a child and that was?—”
I pounded the kitchen island with my fist. “Mother, so help me if you say another unkind, false thing about Daphne, I will lose it! I will leave and I won’t be back.”
She fell silent, surprised I spoke up. I rarely got animated. Usually, I was a good boy who let her rant. Daphne was different. She did nothing to my mother and deserved none of her anger.
“Be kind,” Tim reminded. “Sweetheart, she’s just a girl. You’d hate anyone to describe Chloe like that, right?”
“What do you see in her?” Mum glared, ignoring Tim’s reasonable question.
“She cares about me,” I answered. “And… I have feelings for her. So, you can give up your hope that I will move on.”
Mom groaned.
“As for her marriage, he was an abusive dickhead. And the reason she didn’t have kids is not any of your business, but it is deeply painful for her. She’s good to me. Would you rather me be lonely, Mother?”
Mom sighed, annoyed. “When Danna finds out you’re having an affair with her precious daughter?—”
“We’re not having an affair,” I said. “That’s a silly way to describe a consensual relationship between two unattached adults.”
“She’s married .”
“She’s separated,” I said. “And the divorce is messy. She deserves so much better.”
“I think she doesn’t deserve you.”
“You think that about every person we bring home!” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Get over it. Don’t be an asshole, Mom.”
“I worry about your career.”
“That is mine to worry about, Mother!”
“What does Jo think?” Mom asked.
“She’s not wild about the idea,” I admitted. “But I’m not wild about ignoring real feelings for someone who cares about me. We are careful. Being open doesn’t help either of us.”
Mom grabbed an apple, shrugging. “Fine, whatever. You’re a grown man. However, I’d remind you the Delphines will never see you as an insider. If there is any chance to flip this around on you, they will.”
“This isn’t a calculated move to end my career,” I scoffed. “Daphne and I have feelings for one another. It’s not about some game of chess.”
“It is always a game of chess with those people,” Mom sighed. “It’s a bad omen. If she can bring you down, she will.”
I didn’t debate my mother because she wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t an insider. I did, however, know Daphne’s heart. And, either way, her downfall was tied to mine. We had much to lose by playing our cards too far from our chest.