Page 8

Shawn

I squirmed under the glare from across the table. Today wasn’t supposed to go this far. The goal had been to show up at Daniel’s apartment and convince him to come on the trip, not to go out to dinner with him and his parents, but here we were.

Stacy smiled as she poured a serving of our house Cabernet for Mrs. Morgan. “If this isn’t to your liking, we can get you something else.”

Mrs. Morgan grinned, picking up the goblet and taking a healthy swig. “Don’t be silly. This is amazing. Some of the best I’ve ever had. I’ll take a full glass. Honestly, I’ll take a bottle for the table.”

Stacy looked over at me, raising an eyebrow. It was times like this that I’d step in and offer to pay for it. Something told me that would be overstepping with the Morgan family, and I didn’t know why. I never had a problem covering anything. A foot kicked me under the table and it was obvious Daniel didn’t miss that I didn’t offer.

My lips remained sealed as Stacy set the bottle on the table after offering to fill everyone’s glasses. She walked away and Mrs. Morgan pored over the menu. “What do you suggest, Shawn? The lamb sounds amazing, but so does the Chicken Piccata.”

This was my element. This was what I knew how to do, and my chest puffed with pride. “If you’re enjoying the red wine tonight, I’d suggest the lamb. It will pair well.”

Mrs. Morgan plopped her menu on the table. Her smile was light, but her son’s scowl only deepened. What the hell was that all about? Sure, I’d suggested the more expensive option, but his parents had seen the prices before we’d walked in the door. If they’d had a problem, they could have spoken up. Besides, she had already been considering it. “Lamb it is. Thank you, dear.” She picked up her glass again, taking a healthy swig and then looking at her son.

“Now tell me, Daniel, why don’t you want to go on this trip?”

Ah, so she hadn’t forgotten. Daniel slumped in his chair, and I wanted to laugh at how defeated he looked. I never expected that I’d find an ally in his mother, that the dude needed to take a freakin’ break, but here we were.

“Mom, I just...”

“Go. You only live once. Experience all the excitement while you can. I’d hate it if you missed out on anything because of what happened back home or because your father and I couldn’t help in some way.”

His dad still had his nose buried in his phone, not contributing anything to the conversation.

“Nathan, his brother Aiden is turning nineteen. That’s Chase’s boyfriend, by the way.”

Mrs. Morgan smiled. “We’re very familiar with Nathan and Chase. Thank you.”

“I wanted to take everyone up to my family cabin to celebrate the occasion. It’s near Snoqualmie Falls. It’s supposed to be beautiful this time of year...”

“So what you’re saying is that you offered to take Daniel to a place he’s never been to have some fun, and he told you no?”

I stared dumbfounded at the woman who looked at me without an ounce of amusement with a wineglass in her hand. She turned to Daniel and smacked him upside the head.

“You’re going.”

“The hell, Mom?”

I wanted to laugh. I’d never seen parents interact with their children like this. Sure, I had a pretty relaxed relationship with my parents, but mom wasn’t exactly... motherly, and Dad was more of a friend than someone I could depend on. It was always strange when he tried to play lawkeeper.

“I said, this young man offered to take you to do something fun, and I told you that you’re going.”

Daniel slouched even lower in his seat, which made him look ridiculous. His chin barely met the edge of the table, and he looked more like a pouting toddler. “I’m twenty-two years old. I think I can make my own choices.”

Thus began the great stare-off of 2024 between Mrs. Morgan and her son. It was a battle of wills that I didn’t think I’d ever witness. He was more stubborn than I gave him credit for, and at least I had his mom in my corner.

“I don’t have a car.”

“I offered to let him ride with me,” I supplied. That won me another nasty glare shot in my direction.

“Go. Daniel, I’ll never let you live it down if you don’t.” Mrs. Morgan took another sip of her wine.

With a notepad in hand, Stacy appeared at the table again and saved Daniel. “Are you ready to place your orders?”

When she disappeared again after everyone ordered their meals, Daniel sat up straighter in his chair. He ignored the fact that his parents were at the table and held his hand out to me. I stared at it for a moment, waiting for whatever challenge was about to be laid out for me.

“Fine. I’ll go under one condition. The ride up there, we don’t talk. You don’t indulge in idle chitchat, and I won’t bother you. No music. I’d rather not fight about it.”

“That’s a good forty-five minutes to an hour drive to the cabin, you sure...”

“Total silence or I don’t go.” Those dark brown eyes met me, unwavering in their determination to put me in my place.

My hand reached out, fingers wrapping around his slender wrist. Little bursts of lightning shot through my grasp, up my arm, threatening to make me release him, but I refused. No, Daniel Morgan wasn’t going to win this battle. He thought I couldn’t behave for a drive to the mountains; he was fucking wrong. I could do it and excel. It would be the quietest trip of his fucking life. Not even a pin drop would be heard. I’d make sure my mechanic checked my car and there’d be no rattles or anything.

Buckle up, Daniel. You want a challenge. Bet. I got your number.

When our hands dropped, Mrs. Morgan looked between us, finally catching on that there wasn’t exactly friendliness between us. There wasn’t anything. I wanted to get this guy to let his guard down, and he refused time and again. Maybe this trip would change that, but I didn’t see that happening.

Daniel was my code. My Pandora’s box. The case I needed to solve. He would let me in.

“ D on’t you ever...”

“I had no clue they were coming.”

Daniel threw his arms up as he paced the small room. He circled the couch before standing in front of me again. “Why the hell did you come here to begin with? You have no business in my personal space. It’s an invasion of privacy.”

My hands fidgeted with the sleeves of my jacket. Daniel’s parents had gone to their hotel for the night, leaving me alone with their son. There was no reason that I was still there. I’d gotten him to agree to come on the trip. All I needed to do now was turn my ass around and go home, but my feet remained glued to the spot. This was playing with fucking fire. He was about to haul off and slap my ass at any second. I could feel it in the air.

“Daniel...”

“No. I’m not letting you give me excuses. Get the hell out of my apartment. It’s bad enough that I have to stay with you for a week. Be here at eight am on Tuesday. I like to be on the road early.” He crossed his arms over his chest, sticking his nose in the air, daring me to challenge the request.

“I was thinking of seven.”

“Fuck seven, it’s eight or you can forget it.”

Why the hell was this so fun? The more riled up he got, the more attractive he was. His eyes blazed with a different type of heat and the way he stood in defiance? Yeah, I was all about that. Who knew I had a thing for those who just wanted to piss me off? Because that’s what he was fucking doing. It didn’t matter what time we left, he just wanted something to be within his control.

When he approached and placed his hands on me, those little zaps were back. There was no way in hell I was the only one who was feeling it. With the way Daniel kept shaking his head, he had to as well.

Daniel steered me by the shoulders to his front door. “Now get the fuck out. I don’t want you here and until Tuesday, forget this place exists.”

I laughed, actually laughed at how ridiculous this whole encounter was. I anticipated that he’d be pissed, but this was on a whole other level. The night had taken a turn I wasn’t expecting. Daniel had parents who cared about him, but he seemed intent on keeping so many aspects of his life hidden. There were things his parents were also hiding. I already knew about the thefts, and they’d alluded to those a few times, but hadn’t given more details. I was sure it was intentional.

“You got it. Daniel lives in an imaginary place that I’ve never seen... also, why the fuck is it so cold in here?”

“OUT!” He yelled, shoving me harder.

Once I was out the door, it slammed in my face. It took several minutes for me to process that the evening was over, that he wasn’t going to open the door and apologize for his behavior. He had a right to be mad. I’d be mad if someone inserted themselves into my personal life when I’d made a pointed effort to keep them out of it.