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Probably the praise he has for Dani.

Since my father’s death, I’ve been under the scrutiny of my mother, who’s always been in CEO mode. It’s times like this that I miss my father’s input in life things.

“That’s what I’m going for,” I say, holding out my hands to emphasize it. “I’m just good at picking women who use me to rise the ladder in the family business and then move on.”

That’s what Tanya had done.

“Does Dani work with you?” Oliver asks, tucking his wallet into his back pocket.

I shake my head. “She’s a development person over at Boston University.”

“So she’s in research?” The confusion on Oliver’s face has me going through everything Dani has told me about her job.

“No, she plans mixers and parties for alumni, I guess.” I turn to search for Dani after I say that, knowing, as her boyfriend, I should know details like that.

“I don’t know,” Oliver says. “Dani is different from everything I’ve seen.”

I smile, seeing her weave through several tables to get back to where we stand. “Yeah, she is.”

It’s not something I’m ready to accept, but there is something about Dani that makes me want to plan for the future. Even though, given our agreement, that should be the furthest thing from my mind.

She makes it seem like I’m finally breathing fresh air after being trapped in the same room for decades.

“Ready?” she asks, slipping her hand to hold onto my elbow gently.

We step out of the restaurant and Oliver takes her free hand in his, leaning over it. He’s about to kiss it and my defenses rise, making me want to strangle the guy.

Ollie glances at me and straightens. I doubt I’ve seen a bigger grin from him. “That’s what I thought.”

Dani’s head swivels back and forth between us and I take in a deep breath, trying to figure out how to bridge this situation. Because Dani is curious and she’s going to ask what this was after Ollie leaves.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” Oliver says, raising a hand to wave. “I have to head back to my hotel and get ready for a big day of travel tomorrow. Good luck and I’ll let you know what I find out, Miles.”

He waves and turns to leave.

Dani sighs next to me and leans in a bit more. “That was fun.”

I laugh and nod. “Yeah, it was, wasn’t it? What do you want to do now?”

She yawns then. “As much as I would love to continue to hang out, I think I need to get to bed. I’ve been up way too late planning this mixer so my boss doesn’t freak out.”

I nod, leading her over to the valet station and handing one of the attendants the ticket. “Okay, Cinderella. We’ll get you home before midnight.”

She laughs and I watch her profile, knowing that each moment I spend with her is making it harder to remember this isn’t real.

CHAPTER12

Dani

Top Shelf was everything I could’ve imagined and more. The food was incredible, the ambience swanky, and meeting Oliver had been my second favorite time of the evening.

The first was definitely the doorstep drop-off. It’s been so long since I’ve actually been taken to the door by a date that having Miles stand next to me on the stoop gave me a shot of that feeling when you have a new crush.

The part that surprises me the most though, was Oliver’s admission that Miles hasn’t had the best streak in his dating life. Then again, he dated Amber, so that should have been a huge clue right there. Miles has been every bit the gentleman, and it makes me wonder if he’s dated the women he has because they are the only ones he’s ever known, or if that is just his default setting.

A huge part of me hopes it’s the former.

Fakerelationship. What part of that does my brain not comprehend?