Page 16 of The Prez’s Daughter

“What do you do, Andy?” she asked.

It was strange, because when she was with Maeve, Andy had seemed a little flirty, almost nervous, and a little more attentive. Right now, he was far from it. He looked a little on edge, even annoyed. Something didn’t sit well with her. It was like she was getting two different people, and she hated it.

“I work for my grandmother, Bernadette. Whatever her heart desires is what I do for her.”

“Are you her only relative?” she asked.

“The only one that matters.”

Again, he seemed cruel.

“No one will put up with her nasty ways, so someone has to do it.” He shrugged. “That has fallen to me.”

“She has a lot to say,” Charlotte said.

Maeve had rarely gotten a word in edgewise, but at least Mrs. Bernadette hadn’t been her usual cruel self. Whatever Maeve had said to her had clearly put her on her good behavior.

The waiter came, breaking into the silence that could be cut with a knife. She had no idea what was going on.

“So, er, tell me about yourself,” she said, trying to remember every movie and book she had read about a first date. “Do you have any plans—”

“Tell me about you,” Andy said, interrupting her. “Trust me, I’m boring. I don’t have a lot going for me right now. I’m taking care of my grandma, and that is about all there is to it. Tell me about yourself. You’re a makeup artist, right?”

She didn’t like this. “I’m technically a training makeup artist. Maeve, the woman who worked on your grandmother, is the real makeup artist.”

“Is that what you hope to achieve?” he asked.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“You don’t have any real answers, do you?”

He was abrupt and rude.

“Uh, at the moment, I think it is a little soon to have all the answers.”

“You’re going around in circles. Is that because you don’t have to make a decision or because your dad makes them all for you?”

This made her frown. Charlotte hated confrontation. The only reason she accepted this date was because Mrs. Bernadette was so happy about it, and she also didn’t want to upset Maeve.

“My dad doesn’t make decisions for me,” she said.

“You’re the daughter of the Chaos Monsters MC President. I’m sure you do as you’re told.”

“I don’t know who—”

“Shut up,” Andy said, and sat forward. At the same time, he reached out for her hand and held it tightly.

To any onlooker, it would appear as a loving gesture. A man reaching across the dinner table, but the pain went up her wrist. She didn’t want to make a scene, but she gritted her teeth and felt the tears spring to her eyes.

“You’re mine now and you’re going—”

“Well, well, well, fancy meeting you two lovebirds here,” Savage said.

The hand at her wrist loosened immediately. She figured Andy was letting her go as they had been interrupted. However, shoving her hand beneath the table, she looked across to see Savage standing close to Andy, but he also had an incredibly tight grip on his shoulder. Again, to any onlooker, they appeared to be good friends, but she saw the pain pinching at the corners of Andy’s lips.

She didn’t feel any remorse.

“I don’t know what just happened there,” Savage said, letting Andy go and slapping him on the back. “But I have to wonder what it’s about.” He grabbed a chair at another table and took a seat. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. You two seemed to be having a rough time with conversation, and, well, I can fill a silent room. Charlotte, are you okay?”