Fringe Benefits (15 page)

“I’m sorry I ran away.” She held the warm cup in her hands before sipping more tea.

“You didn’t run away. You had a headache.”

She nodded. “Car rides get to me sometimes.”

“Car rides and unexpected surprises—
bad
surprises. So how about a good surprise?”

“Hmm?” she hummed as she took another drink. “A good surprise?”

“Yep. Turns out my mom likes you.”

Dani didn’t mean to snort. It just slipped out.

“I mean it,” Nate insisted. “She does, and I can prove it.”

“How?”

His dimples were going to be the death of her. “She promised not to cook for you.”

Nate had chosen the restaurant, but Dani didn’t really care. She wasn’t particularly hungry, so it really didn’t matter where they went. To have to sit across the table from Kat and Jackie would be difficult regardless of the locale.

A week
. How was Dani supposed to survive a week with Nate’s ex hanging around, probably trying her best to seduce him? And then there was his mother. He might have tried to convince Dani that Jackie liked her, but doubt remained. For the time being, she put on a confident façade and tried not to let anyone know exactly how flustered she was.

All she truly wanted was to go home, but there wasn’t a chance she would run. She would never let Kat or Jackie know exactly how much they rattled her. She was already angry at herself for her cowardly retreat. The victorious look in Kat’s eyes when Nate had led Dani from the basement had been more than enough to put starch in her spine.

“So is Nate going to be as good a teacher as his mom?” Mark asked.

Meeting Jackie’s husband had been a pleasant surprise. Mark Brennan was handsome enough to be a model, the gray peppering his dark hair only adding to his appeal, and he was kind and welcoming. Having expected him to be in Kat’s corner for her obvious attempts to snag Nate back, Dani was pleased that Mark accepted her with open arms.

Dani favored him with a smile, and not one of the fake ones she had to give Kat or Jackie. “From the way you phrased the question, I’ll assume Jackie was a terrific teacher.”

“You betcha I was,” Jackie replied.

Mark simply nodded.

“Then, yes. Nate is going to be every bit as good. The kids adore him, and from all the times I’ve observed his class, I can tell he really knows his stuff.”

Nate’s hand settled on her thigh, where he gave her a pat. “Thanks.”

“Just telling it how it is,” she said. “English is such a tough subject to teach. Most of the kids come to class thinking it’ll be boring.”

With a shake of his head, Nate said, “Silly kids. With all the great books out there to read? Boring my ass.”

Dani nodded. “I know, right?”

“Biology was easier,” Jackie admitted. “The students got to get their hands dirty. Dissections. Labs. Experiments.”

Mark draped his arm over Jackie’s shoulders, something Nate also had the habit of doing that Dani enjoyed. “That and every single one of them thought you walked on water.”

“Hardly,” Jackie said with a scoff.

Kat had been a bit sullen through the meal, probably sulking at how comfortable Mark seemed to be with Dani. She jumped into the conversation. “So do all the girls flirt with Nate? I imagine with his good looks—”

“They do,” Dani replied as sweetly as she could manage. “He’s just humble enough not to see it.”

“Nate, be careful.” Jackie’s brows gathered in concern. “Don’t ever be alone with any of the girls.”

He nodded. “Dani already gave me that talk. Helps that her room is right across the hall.” His hand moved over her leg, tickling a little closer to the juncture of her thighs with each rub. Thankfully, his actions were concealed by the long green tablecloth. “She seems to have a sixth sense as to when I need her.”

The heat in the restaurant shot up, or at least Dani’s internal temperature did. The way Nate had so openly showed her how much she meant to him every time Kat was around had helped Dani find her confidence to stand firm against the little digs Kat kept throwing her way.

“Must be weird,” Kat said. “Having all those young girls making eyes at you.”

“I honestly don’t see it,” he replied.

“You never did realize your own appeal.” Kat batted her eyes at him.

Nate appeared unfazed, which made Dani smile. “Dani was the teacher of the year for the whole corporation last year,” he said. “Quite an honor, and she was one of the finalists for Illinois teacher of the year.”

Her face flushing warm at the compliment, she winked at him. “It was just my turn. After all, Mallory won a couple of years back. Jules was teacher of the year her fifth year at Douglas. And Beth has won that title twice.”

“So it’s the Ladies Who Lunch for the win.” He punctuated the teasing by giving her a pinch on the butt, which only made her face warmer.

Bad thing about being so fair skinned was that blushes were like flashing neon lights.

Kat cocked her head. “Are you okay, Dani? Having a hot flash or something?”

How old does she think I am?
Dani needed some payback, which made her bolder than she probably should’ve been. “Nah. Just blushing since Nate’s over here pinching—”

“Hey,” he scolded. “That’s private.”

From the scowl on Kat’s face, she’d figured out exactly what was happening. “How long have you been a teacher?” she asked. “Nineteen years? Twenty? Longer?”

Ah, finally
. The slam about the difference in their ages. Dani let it roll right off her back. “Long enough to know the ropes.”

“Put the claws away, my wee Kat.” The stern frown Mark threw at his daughter was enough to almost make Dani bust out in a grateful giggle. Then he directed his attention to Dani. “What did Nate mean by the Ladies Who Lunch?”

Dani gave him the story of how the Ladies had been born that cold day in Chicago so many years ago. “The name just stuck. Everyone calls us that now, although Jules isn’t teaching anymore. She’s selling real estate with her husband. But Mallory, Beth, and I are still in the trenches. Probably always will be.”

“Don’t let Jackie get you alone.” After Mark playfully jostled his wife with his elbow, he added, “She’ll give you her lecture on why you and Nate should be getting out of education, like you’re on the
Titanic
and it’s going down, down, down.” He held his nose and puffed out his cheeks, as if going underwater.

Jackie punched him on the upper arm. “I won’t
lecture
them. I’ll simply give them some good advice and the benefit of my hard-earned wisdom.”

“I understand totally why you’d think education is a bad career,” Dani said. “It’s pretty crazy right now. I guess I like working with the kids so much, I put up with the crap and try to minimize it.”

“Can I ask you something?” Kat had folded her arms under her breasts and leaned back in her chair, shooting daggers at Dani with her dark eyes. “Doesn’t it bother you that you’re so much older than Nate? I mean, you live in such a small town. Don’t people gossip about you having a younger boyfriend?”

“Kat…” Mark growled.

“No, it’s okay,” Dani said. “I don’t mind answering.” She leveled her best don’t-fuck-with-me smile at Kat. “I’m really not that much older than Nate. Not quite… what?” She turned to Nate to include him, even though she knew exactly how much older she was. “Eight years?”

“Seven and change, sweetheart. You could be my very own cougar if you were older. But alas”—he picked up her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles—“we’re just a regular couple.”

“So you can see,” Dani continued, “the age thing really isn’t an issue.”

Kat let out a snort.

The waiter came over to see if anyone wanted dessert. The pasta had more than filled Dani’s stomach, and all she wanted was to go home and relax. Unfortunately, she’d be going to the Brennans’ home, and she couldn’t even look forward to snuggling up against Nate when it came time to go to bed. When he’d told his family that he’d moved upstairs with her, he hadn’t asked if the Brennans minded his sharing a room with her now. The basement was Dani’s for the week, but Nate was taking one of the upstairs bedrooms.

No one was in the mood for something sweet, so the waiter was leaving the black folder on the table right when Dani’s phone rang. She’d wanted to get the check, but Mark reached for it first. Since her phone continued to ring, she wasn’t able to argue with him. She fished her phone out of her pocket, ready to silence the ringer and let it go to voice mail. Then she caught the name of the caller.

Robert
.

A rush of adrenaline sent her heart slamming against her chest. There was no reason for him to be calling unless… “Beth.” She offered the group a sheepish apology. “I’m sorry, but I really need to take this.” As she rose to stride toward the entrance so she could step outside the restaurant, she answered the call. “Robert. What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, Dani. Beth’s in the hospital.”

Shoving open the door, Dani stepped out into the quiet night air. “What happened?” A million horrifying scenarios ran through her head. A car accident. A mugging. Beth’s stomach bug was really appendicitis.

“She couldn’t stop throwing up. Well, not throwing up so much as heaving. There can’t be a thing left in her stomach. I finally insisted we go to the ER because she was so damned dehydrated that her lips were cracking and bleeding. They’ve got her on IV fluids and are keeping her at least a day or two.”

“That’s a hell of a stomach bug. I’ll get home as soon as I can.” If Nate wasn’t ready to leave his family, she’d just drive back by herself. Maybe he could get a rental car, or once Beth was better, Dani could come back and get him.

“That would be great. She’s really worried about Emma. We dropped her off with Jules, but…”

“I know, I know. Jules already has her hands full with the twins since her manny has fall break off.”

Nate came outside to stand next to her and took her hand. “Everything okay?”

Dani grasped his hand and squeezed, hoping he’d realize she couldn’t answer him yet. “I’ll call Jules and let her know I’ll be there as fast as I can drive. I can get Emma and take her to your place—if that’s okay? Figured it would be easier if she had her own stuff.”

“That would be great,” Robert said, his voice full of relief. “You’ve got the garage door code, right?”

“Yep.”

“I want to stay here with Beth.”

“I understand. I’ll text as soon as I have a rental car for Nate.”

“He won’t come home with you?” Robert asked.

“Not really sure,” she replied. “I haven’t asked him yet, but he might want to stay with his family.”

“Well, drive carefully. I need to get back to Beth.”

Nate jumped as soon as she pulled the phone away from her ear. “What’s wrong?”

“Beth’s in the hospital.”

“What happened?”

“The stomach thing was a lot worse than she thought,” Dani replied. “They need me to come back and take care of Emma.” Instead of putting him on the spot, she asked, “Think you can get a rental car for the ride home?” She pulled up Google on her phone. “Maybe you can go with me now since we passed the Indy airport on the drive in. Then you could get a rental—”

“Put that phone away,” he insisted. “We’ll go to Mom’s house and grab our stuff, then get right on the road.” He checked his watch. “We should be there before midnight.”

“You don’t have to leave, Nate. I’ll pay for the rental.”

“Don’t be silly.” He held the door open. “I know you’re worried about Beth, and I can give you some help with Emma.” He took her hand and led her back to the table. “Mom, Mark, I’m really sorry, but we have to cut our visit short.”

Dani couldn’t stop a smug smile at the notion he’d deliberately excluded Kat from his apology.

“What happened?” Jackie’s gaze kept shifting between her son and Dani, who tried hard not to see accusation in her eyes.

“My best friend’s in the hospital.” Dani took her jacket from the back of her chair and then plucked the black folder, hoping that it still held the check. “Please let me pick up the tab for tonight.”

“Too late,” Mark replied as she opened the folder. “Took care of it while you were outside.”

The final receipt showed his credit card payment. He’d left a generous tip, so she couldn’t even offer to pitch in for that. “Thank you.” She set the folder back down. Figuring she needed to give Nate one more chance to change his mind, she took his hand. “I know you were looking forward to visiting your family. I can help you get a rental car before I drive back to Cloverleaf. It’s not a problem. The airport’s on the way home anyway, and—”

“Nope. We’re both going.” Turning to his mom, he said, “I’m sorry. I really am, but Beth and Robert are my friends, too. Dani’s going to stay with their daughter, Emma. She’s barely a toddler and Dani will need my help.”

Jackie didn’t even try to hide her disappointment. “Maybe you can come back in a day or two?”

“Maybe,” Nate replied before looking to Dani.

If Beth was in the hospital, she was in bad shape. The woman avoided doctors as though going to their office was a sure way to turn a simple problem into a life-or-death situation. Allowing herself to be admitted meant it would take days for her to recover, and Dani planned to be there for her, Robert, and Emma.

But she sure didn’t want Jackie blaming her for Nate leaving. “I really think you should stay. I doubt I’ll be able to come back, but there’s no reason for you to go.”

Jackie opened her mouth, but Mark’s hand quickly covered it. “We understand.” He frowned at his wife until she sighed against his palm. “You two need to be there for your friends. I hope Beth gets well soon.”

Kat stood. “Nate, may I speak to you in private for a moment?”

The look he gave her was the same one he offered students when he was about to send them to the office.

Dani intervened. “Go on.” She nudged his ribs. Not only was she dying of curiosity for Kat to finally show her cards, but she also didn’t want to come across as the jealous girlfriend.

Hesitating, he stared down at Dani.

She nudged him again, a little harder. “Go on. The faster you talk to her, the faster we can get going.”

“Well, since you’re finally agreeing that I’m going, too, I’ll give in. This time.” Motioning to Kat, he led her toward the entrance, probably to go outside where it was quiet for their little chat.

*   *   *

Nate would rather have been doing anything else in the world than talking to Kat. A flu shot. A punch to the face. An IRS audit. All would’ve been preferable. But then again, it was time to get her to stop her attacks on his girlfriend.

Damn, he was proud of Dani. She’d stood her ground, no matter how snarky Kat got. At least Mark had called his daughter out for being so rude, but had Dani not been asked to come back to Cloverleaf, that disrespect would no doubt have continued. Then Nate would’ve had to intervene as well. And he wouldn’t have been half as nice as Mark had been.