Chapter 2 #2
Dani tried to play it cool, even though every time she thought of it, shame and embarrassment rose from the depths. It took everything she had to shove it down again and play it off like no big deal. But she was good at that. Lots of practice.
“Well, Michael also happens to be my brother’s best friend, which means he saw me as nothing but a little sister too.
He was in med school out in Minnesota at the time, but he came back to South Eagle High School since it was Maria’s graduation too.
I was desperate to impress him, show him I wasn’t a little girl anymore. ”
“Of course. And what was your master plan?”
“I was chosen to do one of the speeches, so I wanted to make an epic statement.”
“Yeah, because you’re subtle and demure.”
“Shut up.” Dani stuck out her tongue.
“And mature. So mature.” Felicity’s giggle was infectious.
And it was exactly what Dani had hoped would happen. So much better than stewing in humiliation.
“So…what happened during your speech?”
“I was wearing super high heels—”
“Right, because you’re trying to impress the hot college boy.”
“And he was sitting in the front row because, of course, Maria was valedictorian. So her family had special seating arrangements.”
“Let me guess. You tripped, fell, and he was front and center and saw your granny panties?”
“Not quite. I mean, I did trip, but it was worse than that.”
“You mean you mooned the crowd?”
“No. I had a T-shirt cannon.”
“I don’t get it.”
“I told you. I was going for an epic speech. I was the school mascot that year. I knew how to hype up a crowd. I even had the theater manager rig confetti in the auditorium for me. It was supposed to fall during my grand finale, and I was going to shoot off a couple of shirts into the crowd, like a big pep rally.”
“But?”
“But as I was trying to aim my T-shirt cannon at the front row so Michael would get the shirt, the cannon wouldn’t go off. I tried again, and the shirt hit a stage light instead and started smoking. The fire alarms went off, and the sprinkler system activated. I drowned the audience.”
Felicity gasped. “You didn’t.”
“And as the alarms blared and everyone ran, that’s when I tripped and fell off the stage.”
Dani didn’t mind one bit when Felicity howled with laughter. When she could finally catch her breath, she wiped her eyes.
“Oh, how I wish I could’ve seen that. No wonder you don’t want to go home. Did you get hurt when you fell?”
“Nah. Michael caught me. But a classmate broke his leg, and one lady got trampled and almost sued my family. The disaster was all over the papers. I’m surprised CNN didn’t run the story.”
“Ouch.” Felicity grimaced. “Wait, go back. What about the guy? He caught you as you fell? That’s romantic.”
“Not when I looked like a drowned raccoon, mascara running down my face. Besides, he’s always catching me at my worst moments. Like, literally catching me.”
“You mean that wasn’t the first time?”
“Nope. The first time, I was ten. I messed up my dad’s presentation by using his professionally printed posters and display boards for my puppet show.
He was so mad.” She couldn’t blame him. He’d lost his job the next day.
She could still see the shame in his eyes when he’d sat them down to tell them they’d be moving.
“I tried running away. I climbed up to the roof of Maria’s house and was going to live there.
But Michael found me. And while I was trying to get down, I fell. ”
“Awww, and he caught you?”
Dani smiled. “Yeah. He’s like a real live hero.
The kind of guy who always does the right things.
Oh, and he’s Italian. I mean, smoldering brown eyes and dark, thick hair.
Of course I fell for him. And somehow, he always got stuck cleaning up my messes.
He actually broke his arm catching me on that fall. ”
“But he’s a doctor? I’m not seeing why it’s a bad thing to go back home if he’s there. Besides, high school was how long ago?”
“Well, he’s not a doctor now. He quit med school and became a cop.”
“Even better. A hot cop. You get out of speeding tickets. Where’s the downside?”
Dani didn’t want to get into the fact that Michael’s career switch had come on the heels of his own mother’s murder.
It had torn the town apart to have Police Chief Martinelli shot in some back alley, rumors of police corruption almost destroying the Martinellis’ reputations and businesses.
She couldn’t dwell on it without getting sucked into a soul-deep darkness.
But it only emphasized what she already knew: She was never gonna be the kind of woman Michael needed.
A woman who wouldn’t create more problems for him.
“Did you not hear the part where he gets stuck cleaning up my messes? In fact, the last time he rescued me was when he caught me drinking at a Christmas party when we were both home on break, but I was underage. I spilled my heart out and then puked on his shoes and passed out. He took me to my brother’s apartment, and I haven’t had the guts to face him since. ”
Felicity looked properly horrified. “Oh, honey.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So when was that?”
“Seven years ago.” Dani sighed. “Not that it matters. Even without all that, I still messed up big time today. The FBI is probably right to send me to some Podunk office where I can’t cause too much destruction.” She shrugged and hopefully pulled off a nonchalant vibe.
“No. That’s not the end of your story.” Felicity sat up straight and leaned forward.
“Huh?”
“Come on, Dani. This is your shot. You’re a kick-butt federal agent. You started a whole new career and worked hard to get where you are now. Go home. Show Michael, show the Bureau, what you’re capable of now.”
“Show them what? That now my catastrophes have federal implications? I was fooling mys—”
“It was your first sting.” Felicity shook her head.
“Shake it off. You don’t get through flippin’ Quantico if you’re not top of your game.
You’re one of the toughest and smartest women I know.
You try to hide it, but you can’t. So go show them in Renegade.
Take the biggest, hardest case they have and solve it.
Work at it until they see what you can do. ”
What was it Macy had said earlier?
When you botch it—because everyone does—be the kind of agent who admits her mistakes, learns, gets up, and tries again.
“I don’t know.” Dani stared at her family picture from last Christmas. Her mother would be thrilled to have her back. She could see her brother, his wife, and her nephews happy for her. But no one even knew that she was in the FBI. What would they say?
“Come on, Dani. So you messed up. It doesn’t mean you have to give up. I know you can do this. Show everyone that you’re not that girl anymore. Prove to the Renegade office you can operate in any of the big cities.”
She had gotten top marks in most of her classes at Quantico. So maybe it wasn’t completely unheard of. “So…I solve a big case, prove I’ve got what it takes, and then maybe they’ll reassign me?”
“Exactly.” Felicity nodded. Paused. “Although, if you run into the hot cop again…maybe you’ll want to stick around.”
“Negative. I don’t belong in Renegade. I want to fight real crime, you know? Go undercover. It’s what I trained for. But I think you’re right. I just have to prove myself.”
“Yes! You can do this. Put in your time, and before you know it, you’ll be heading to New York or Miami like you wanted.”
Dani caught the vision and ran with it.
She could do this. The work part of it, anyway.
Having to live in the same city as her father though?
That was another matter. And as long as she avoided Michael too, she’d be great.
Because if she was going to do this, she couldn’t be distracted by anything—not trying to please her father, and especially not falling back into the arms of an old crush.