Page 35 of Damien
Thinking about my date with Vanessa tomorrow, I shrug. “You’re more than welcome to stay, but you’ll need to drive your car. I’m busy tomorrow and won’t have time to bring you back.”
Nodding, Davis agrees, “Sounds good. God… I need a night out. I haven’t had one in I don’t know how long…” he trails off as if he’s trying to remember.
Knowing Davis, it’s been awhile. He rarely lets loose and relaxes these days, so I offer, “I’ll even be your wingman tonight.”
“Why won’t you be scouting for your own possibilities?” he asks with interest.
Instantly, Vanessa’s beautiful face fills my mind, and I smile. Her expressive hazel eyes, pink full lips, and a smile that melts me from the inside out. But it’s too soon to say anything, so I stick with vague details. “I… um… just started something new… and until I know what’s going on there, I’m keeping my focus on her.”
“Sounds serious…” Davis picks up on my mood. “Does she happen to be part of your plans tomorrow?”
Yeah. Davis knows me better than anyone, so there’s no use in hiding anything. I find myself nodding as I quickly reply, “Yep.”
“I see…” Davis draws out.
Pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant, I ask something only a brother can. “Can we keep this between us? I’ll fill you in on the details later but for now, I’d rather not mention it to Dani. You know how she gets when she thinks one of us might be serious with a girl… I’d rather just enjoy our time with her and Luke and keep my personal life out of it.”
“Hmmm…” Davis puts a finger to his lip as he looks out the window. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d almost think youweregetting serious with a girl… but we both know you don’t do serious relationships—after Amber.” He opens the door and hops out before I can respond.
Fuck. The last thing I want to think about is Amber. But this thing with Vanessa is nothing like that. Could it be? No… it’s nothing like that. In the short time we’ve known each other, I’m certain of that. Vanessa is nothing like Amber.
Hopping out of my truck, I spot Dani and Luke getting out of his SUV. Heading in that direction, I holler a greeting to get their attention, “Look what the cat drug in…”
Dani rushes to me and launches herself into my arms for a hug. “Dame. God, it’s been too long.” Being a good six inches taller, I lift her like I always do when we hug. From the moment I’ve been able, this is our thing. Her curly hair springs to life and assaults my face unintentionally. When I set her down, Luke’s there to shake my hand.
“Good to see you, Luke,” I offer as I pull him in for a bro hug.
“Damien,” Luke offers as I release him.
“What about me?” Davis asks as he approaches.
“Oh, Davey, we won’t forget you,” Dani says as she hugs him just as fiercely. “God, I’ve missed you, too. We have to get together more often.”
“Can’t breathe,” Davis exaggerates, and she finally lets him go. He’s just as big as I am, so we all laugh at his response, since Dani’s a dwarf in comparison. But we all know she’s a hugger. She always has been.
When she releases Davis, she announces, “I don’t know about you, but I need to eat. Let’s go. Luke made reservations.”
The restaurant isn’t that fancy, but I’m not surprised he’s gone to the effort. We’ve learned it’s easier to let him do his thing and get a more secluded place in the restaurant. Most don’t recognize him—but now that Dani and Luke are pretty famous in their own worlds, it’s best not to risk it.
When we get inside, we’re immediately escorted to a back room where our table is ready and waiting for us. After looking briefly at the menu, we give the waitress our orders.
Davis asks Dani about her meeting today, and we spend the entire time waiting for our food listening to how her book might have a movie option—which is huge news. Since this is the first she’s been able to tell anyone, she’s more excited than usual about the possibilities. She gushes over the potential actors who would play the part, and I’ll admit, I’m impressed with the A-List names that roll off her tongue.
“I mean… can you imagine… with names like these, my books will become household names.”
“Uh, Dan,” Davis interrupts. “You kinda already are… not to burst your bubble. The last girl I dated was more into you than me, I think… once she found out who my sister was.”
Dani bats the air in dismissal. “Oh, I doubt that…”
Davis looks to me and shrugs. Obviously, he isn’t joking but won’t argue with Dani. She’ll never believe him anyway. She’s like the only one on the planet that hasn’t realized now that she’s with Luke—they’ve pretty much become a social icon.
“So, Damien,” Luke draws out in his barely there accent from Tennessee—clearly changing the subject. “Dani says you’re almost done with your kitchen. If you need any help, I can give you a hand before we take off this evening.”
“I’d appreciate that, Luke. The top cupboards will go in much easier with a second set of hands. It honestly won’t take more than an hour or so if you’re serious. I was gonna ask a guy from my crew if he’d be able to help me, but I’d much rather get them done sooner.”
“You know all you had to do was ask,” Davis reminds me.
“I know. I know.” I put a hand up to stop his train of thought. “I was gonna ask you either way to give me a hand with the top cabinets tonight—whether or not Luke volunteered. But if the three of us work on it, we can knock them out in no time.”
