Inside, Rawhide’s Big Daddy took his usual spot behind his desk and pointed to the two plush visitors chairs. “Sit.”
Danny started to lower himself into the chair before remembering his manners and glancing over at Addison. “Professor?”
Addison shook her head. “I’d prefer to stand, thank you, Mr. Hollis.”
Behind the desk, Master Derek narrowed his eyes. “Would someone care to explain to me what’s going on here? Starting with why the prize centerpiece of today’s wedding is in pieces.”
Fuck. That was even worse than he’d thought. “It was my fault, Sir. I–I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
Addison’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t call him out for the lie, which he was grateful for. The last thing he wanted was for Kylie to?—
“Oh my god, you can’t stop lying, can you?” Huffing out a breath, Kylie crossed her arms, her chin jerking up as she met Master Derek’s furious stare. “It wasmyfault, Master Derek. I shoved Danny backward and he knocked Chef Angel’s swan over.”
Never in his four years at Rawhide had Danny ever seen Master Derek speechless. “Youshovedhim?”
“Yes.”
Kylie’s single-syllable answer seemed to shock him even more than the initial confession. “Why?”
“Because he’s a stupid jerk and?—”
At Master Derek’s sharp look, Kylie’s rant cut off abruptly and she seemed to shrink in on herself. “Well, heis,” she grumbled.
“You’ve just lost the privilege of talking for the next ten minutes, young lady. And unless you’d also like to forfeit your ability to sit comfortably, I suggest you stay quiet.” Shifting his attention to Danny, Master Derek jabbed a finger in his direction. “Why were you and Ms. Nichols fighting?”
“That’s a really long story, Sir.”
Settling into his chair, Master Derek leaned back and spread his hands. “I have as much time as we need. I suggest starting at the beginning.”
What the hell. Maybe laying it all out would help him make some sense of everything that had happened.
So he did as he was told and started at the beginning, with Addison telling them she had to chaperone the field trip and giving them their additional rules for the weekend. When he gotto the part about Kylie’s mother calling and how distraught she’d been, Addison made a distressed sort of sound that had Master Derek shooting her a quelling look.
And when he told Master Derek about the argument he and Addison had, how she’d suddenly freaked out and left, saying they deserved better, Kylie sat up straighter, her expression a mix of confusion and anger and hurt. But to her credit, she remained silent, all the way up through the end of Danny’s explanation.
“So… like I said. It’s my fault.” This time, he really meant it. Not because it was his fault he’d fallen, but because as he’d told the story he’d realized all the ways he’d so royally fucked up. “I never should have taken Kylie to Bozeman, and I shouldn’t have lied. Again.”
Turning, he reached for Kylie’s hand, relieved when she didn’t immediately pull away. “I’m really sorry, Ky. I just didn’t know what to tell you. I know that isn’t an excuse but I was just so sad and the thought of breaking your heart the way mine was breaking… I couldn’t do it.”
It felt like eternity, waiting for Kylie to respond. But eventually she nodded, slowly, her hand tightening on his. And in her eyes he saw his own grief, his own heartbreak, and he wished with everything he had he could take that from her.
“Thank you for telling me, Daniel.” Master Derek’s voice had softened considerably, and when Danny turned to look at him, so had his expression. “I’m going to talk to your… to Addison for a bit. You and Kylie can have a seat in the waiting area with Erika and we’ll have breakfast brought to you so you can eat something.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
The door opened behind them and he turned to find Erika smiling sympathetically at them, leaving Danny to wonder if she and Master Derek had some kind of telepathic connection.“Kylie,” Master Derek said, his voice once again going firm, “you still have two minutes left on your speech restriction. Erika will let you know when it’s over.”
At Master Derek’s nod, Erika ushered them back out to the waiting area, pulling the door shut behind her. Mischief glittered in her eyes as she grinned at them. “All right. Who wants donuts?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Addison
Her arms physically ached to hold her girl and her boy as the door shut behind them with such finality it made her want to weep.
“Addison. Take a seat, please.”
With one last longing glance toward the office door, she settled herself in one of the chairs and met her boss’s stern gaze. “I’ll be out of the apartments by the end of the week. I have a few suggestions for my replacement, friends who are also in the lifestyle.”
