Page 72 of V is for Valentine
A whisper of jealousy went through her, but she quickly squelched it. She had no right to feel jealous of Sandra. She pushed herself upright. “You must have made some serious money with the sale of your startup.”
“I did. Davis, Lexington, and Rose are helping me manage it.”
“They’re good.”
“You’re probably better?”
“They’re local.” The words were barely out of her mouth when she heard footsteps on the stairs. She met Danny’s eyes.
“Rescue?” she murmured.
“Sounds like it.” He pulled his arm free and pushed himself to his feet. “Hey,” he shouted at the same time that Felicity yelled, “In here.”
Keys sounded in the lock, and then the door came open and Deke stepped into the room. “I’m not going to ask how,” he said.
“I am,” Danny replied. “How did you know we were here?”
“Sandra called me. Apparently, you guys were supposed to meet, and when she found your car here and the door locked, she called Pete, who called me.” He nodded at Felicity. “You best call home. Your dad is worried.”
“The breaker flipped the first time the blower went on,” Felicity said to Deke. “It appears to be the initial draw. You might want to look at it,” she suggested.
“Will do. First thing Mon…” The word died on his lips as he met her gaze. “I’ll swing by tomorrow morning and do what I can.”
“We appreciate that.”
Felicity led the way up the stairs, Deke made a joke about not getting locked into the school itself, then went on his way.
“I need to go,” Danny said. “I’m late.”
“I know.” She pushed her thumbs into her front pockets to keep from touching him. “My family doesn’t know about Sean.”
“I’m surprised.”
She understood because her family was tight-knit and seemingly shared everything.
“They know that we dated, but they don’t know that I gave up everything I’d worked for to follow him to Seattle only to be dumped. I…didn’t want to set a bad example.”
“They don’t suspect?”
“I never told them Sean was moving. Only that I was.” She let out a gusty sigh. “It’s quite possibly the only secret I’ve ever kept from them, and considering how things turned out, I’m glad I did.”
“Thank you for trusting me,” he said in a way that made her heart twist.
This man…
“I can’t fall in love with you, Danny.”
There. It was out. No more hedging or driving wedges.
Felicity sucked in a breath and defiantly met Danny’s gaze. Oddly, he did not seem one bit surprised at what she’d thought was a startling admission. And, to further complicate matters, beyond the lack of surprise, she couldn’t read him.
She didn’tneedto read him. The truth was there, lying between them. She could not fall in love with him. She wouldn’t let it happen. And if it did, she would not acknowledge.
He nodded as if accepting the statement, but Felicity wasn’t so sure.
“That’s it? No argument? No comment?”
The crooked Danny grin broke through, a touch softer than usual. “I’m saving my strength, Felix. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
