Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
I must have slipped into a tearful sleep, because a gentle knock on my bedroom door woke me from addled dreams.
Crumpled and disoriented, I squinted down at my watch.
I’d only been asleep for around half an hour, but it felt more like three days.
Tangerine light was pushing through my closed curtains, and the birdsong was lazy.
I rubbed my eyes and let out a groan. My head felt washed out.
There was another knock on the door.
Evan?
I lurched off the bed and recoiled at my appearance in the dressing table mirror. Evan’s deception had squeezed the colour from me. My reflection reminded me of a gargoyle more at home jutting out from The Ramblings.
If it was Evan again, he could sod off, no matter how much he flashed those eyes at me or sweet-talked me in that husky rumble of his.
I yanked open the door, ready to hit Evan with a volley of home truths.
But it wasn’t him.
It was Dane.
His Nordic good looks collapsed when he saw the state of me. ‘Jesus.’
I sniffed and raked a hand through my hair. ‘Thanks for the ego boost.’
‘Sorry.’ He hesitated. ‘Can I come in?’
‘I’m really not in the mood for company right now.’
‘I can see that.’
‘Look, Dane, I don’t mean to be rude, but if you’re just going to stand there and tell me what a fright I look, I already know.’
‘I’m not.’ His eyes softened. ‘You look like you could be doing with a friend.’
My bottom lip trembled.
‘I’m sorry I’ve behaved like a prize twat. You didn’t deserve that.’ His mouth broke into a gentle smile. ‘Can I come in please, Daisy? Honestly, I’m a good listener when I’m not droning on about myself.’
‘Ok. Thanks.’
I stood to one side, and Dane strode past me, all long blond hair and canvas trousers.
He sank into the chair at the dressing table and waited until I’d clicked the bedroom door shut and I’d dropped down on the edge of the bed. ‘So, what’s the beef between you and Captain America?’
I didn’t want to dredge it all up again, and I certainly didn’t want to cause a rift or any distrust in the Lord family. Evan told me none of them knew about him being Fox, and even though I was hurt and resentful, I wasn’t malicious.
It wasn’t up to me to tell his family. They should hear it from him.
I dropped my attention to the bedspread before looking back up at Dane’s concerned face. ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
‘Look.’ Dane leaned forward and twisted a couple of the ornate rings he wore around his fingers. I noticed that one was a Celtic cross and the other was of a thistle. ‘I’ve never been known for my ability to read a room. I’ve tended to be more absorbed with myself than other people.’
I shuffled on top of the bed. I couldn’t disagree with him on that one. From the moment I’d stepped into The Ramblings, Dane had reminded me of Narcissus: in love with himself, to the exclusion of everyone else, though charming and charismatic with it.
But as I watched him now, flashing me long looks and tapping his feet nervously in his canvas trainers, I realised he was a changed man to the one I’d met a few weeks ago.
He was pensive.
‘Dane? What is it?’ I asked.
He rubbed his peppering of blond stubble. ‘I’m not known for being lost for words. I’m normally the mouthy, confident one. Hard to believe, I know.’ Dane tossed back his hair and coughed. ‘Christ, this is tough.’
‘What is?’
He levelled his powder blue gaze at me. ‘Like I said, I should’ve chosen a much better time, but now I’m here with you, I’m worried that if I don’t seize the moment and say it now, I might not get another chance.’
He took a gulp of air. ‘I like you, Daisy. I like you a lot.’
My eyes widened.
Grandpa had been right. He’d noticed Dane looking at me in a certain way and had commented on it, but I’d dismissed it.
Dane resumed talking. He was actually blushing. ‘You aren’t the usual sort of woman I meet. You’re…’ He flicked one ringed hand. ‘You’re special, Daisy. You made me look closely at myself. You think of other people. You’re kind and caring, and you’ve got the most amazing eyes.’
I didn’t know what to say or do. I looked everywhere around the room, finding the curtains swishing in the gentle evening breeze so fascinating. I was flattered. Very flattered. But…
The silence crackled.
‘Can you say something?’ joked Dane. ‘You’re giving me a complex.’
I shuffled forward on the bed, so that my feet were almost touching the carpet. ‘I don’t know what to say to you. I mean, I’m very flattered. You’re a gorgeous guy, but…’
‘But I’m not Evan.’ His voice was resigned.
‘No, that isn’t what I was going to say. I was going to say that now is not the time.’
He appraised me with a sad but knowing look. ‘You’re in love with him, aren’t you? My darling, big brother. The one who can do no wrong.’
If only you knew, I thought inwardly, my stomach clenching. I rubbed my arms. ‘No. I’m not in love with him.’ The words rang empty in my ears. If I was struggling to convince myself, how could I convince anyone else?
‘Don’t kid a kidder,’ replied Dane with a resigned twinkle, stretching his legs out further. ‘I hate to say it, but there’s so much chemistry between you two, you could blow up an entire laboratory.’
Shame-faced at Dane pointing out the obvious, I watched him play around with a couple of his leather wristbands. He raised his eyes. ‘You’re something else, Daisy Madden, do you know that?’
I let out a self-conscious laugh. I was worried I’d burst into tears any moment now. Dane was being so lovely to me, and his kindness and attention were stirring up a huge pot of emotions. ‘That’s really sweet of you to say so.’
‘It’s true. You’re selfless. Look at how you’re trying to help Mum and Dad with this place. Not to mention that teenage girl who was having a crisis of confidence. Louise told me about that.’
He flicked me a toothy smile. ‘When you first rocked up here, I thought you were just this cute little thing I could impress.’ He paused. ‘But then you gave me that mouthful – and quite right, too – after our disastrous walk, and boy did you give me a verbal dressing down!’
‘Sorry.’
‘No, don’t be, I needed them.’ His mouth lifted. ‘And then I saw first-hand you getting stuck into arrangements for the tour. Kind of ironic, really. I don’t tend to have much trouble attracting the attention of women, and then the one girl I genuinely do like fancies my brother.’
He stood up. ‘Like I said, you two definitely have the Romeo and Juliet vibe going on.’
He strode towards the door and opened it. He turned around and studied me from under his brows. ‘Yep, karma I guess for the way I’ve treated girls over the years. Evan is one hell of a lucky guy.’
Then he was gone in a haze of streaming hair and rock T-shirt, leaving me feeling even more confused. Out of the two brothers, was Dane the good guy after all?