“I think my brother has become a gang-banging druggie,” Kayla said with satisfaction.
“No, Kayla, that can’t be it,” Dani said quickly. “Your brother is not like that.”
“And how do you know what my brother is like?”
Dani ignored her implication. “I can’t believe that these pictures are all over the Web. Does Nathan know? Can’t you get them taken down?”
“Why are you so upset? This was your idea. Mom and Dad will probably ship him off to rehab! I can’t find my father anywhere, though. If you see him, tell him that I’m looking for him.” Kayla practically skipped away.
Dani saw Olivia standing under an umbrella. She worked her way down the wide steps, past the martini bar. “Do you know where my dad is?’
Olivia shook her head. “I’m not sure. This is a nice party, isn’t it? The Dodds are really friendly, and Evan in particular is very down to earth.”
“I’m going to look for my dad. You know how it is. I’m sure one of the models here has snagged his attention by now. Men, huh?”
Dani knew that Mark would know what to do about the Nathan situation. She headed inside the house to find her father and stopped just outside the kitchen. She could see that Evan was at the sink rinsing dishes, while Mark leaned against a counter talking, a dishcloth flung over his shoulder. Dani smiled. She was about to step into the room when Mark spoke to Evan.
“I’ll admit I was not ecstatic when I found out I had a daughter. You know how it is, right? You’re in the business. I like my life, and I didn’t want a kid interfering.” Mark chuckled. “Finding out you have a teenage daughter makes you feel older overnight. I told everyone that Dani wasn’t my kid, but then I told my agent about her. She’s the one who suggested a daughter could be good for my career.”
Dani’s heart pounded.
“Let me guess,” Evan said. “If I know Renna, she said to use Dani. And so you did.”
“You know it. Renna said this was the perfect moment to become a devoted family man. And then I hooked Dani up with Kayla, and here we are.”
Dani silently turned and ran.
Mark sighed. “I did every underhanded thing I could think of to get what I wanted,” he said bitterly. “So it should be easy to send Dani back to Michigan, right?”
Evan frowned. He shut off the water and picked up a beer. “In theory, yes.”
“Except something happened.”
“What was that?”
“After all the scheming and manipulating, I fell for the kid. I’m crazy about her.”
“You woke up.”
“Yeah,” Mark said nodding. “I woke up.”
“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Evan said gently. “I know. Come with me. I want to show you something.” Mark followed Evan into his study. “Look at these pictures.”
There must have been thirty photographs of Evan’s family: a vacation on the beach, pictures of the kids at different ages, Evan’s wife wearing a witch costume on Halloween. Mark picked up a beaming husband-and-wife photo from Evan’s wedding. He set it down and looked at a photo of Evan and a young Kayla.
“That was Kayla’s first day of kindergarten. Do you notice my pink socks? Kayla insisted that I coordinate with her pink dress. Even at that age she was headstrong.” Evan laughed. “I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything.”
“Well, clearly you were meant to have a family.”
“No, I wasn’t. This life almost didn’t happen.”
Mark turned to Evan. “What do you mean?”
Evan smiled. “I don’t mind saying that I was a pretty successful bachelor. There are a lot of perks, right? It’s fun, it’s easy, and I could be there today. I could be alone. But I got smart. I woke up.” He winked at Mark.
Mark looked back at the photos. “Listen, I’m sorry about my motives for introducing Kayla to Dani and about trying to get an audition. I haven’t handled anything right.” He slumped into a chair. “Evan, what am I going to do about Dani? She’s leaving me, and it’s going to break my heart.”
Chapter 39
Dani flew through out the front door, wiping away her tears, and plowed into Nathan.
“Dani?”
“Sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. I have to go.” Dani kept her head down and tried to step around him.
He reached out and grabbed her. “I’m glad I found you. I wanted to explain about the picture.” Nathan stopped, bending down to get a good look at Dani’s face. “Hey, what’s wrong? What happened?” he asked gently.
“Nothing.” Dani wiped her face. “Nothing that matters.” She looked up at him. “Can we get out of here?”
Nathan brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Yeah. I’ll get you out of here.”
He took her by the hand and led her to the driveway. Nathan called to the family driver and touched the small of Dani’s back as they slid into the back seat. She leaned her head against Nathan.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine. Where are we going?”
Nathan leaned forward and gave the driver an address. “I want to show you something.”
Dani shut her eyes. She didn’t really care where they were going as long as it was away from Mark.
They rode in silence until Beverly Hills was long gone. The limousine drove through grimy streets, past old apartments. Finally, Nathan spoke. “We’re almost there. Kayla told me she showed you the photo. I don’t care what she thinks, but I do care what you think. There,” he said pointing to a building.
“Why were you down here?” Dani asked.
“Have you ever noticed that Kayla misplaces an awful lot of her stuff?”
“Yes, I have, actually,” she said.
“I volunteer at an organization that puts together birthday parties for kids whose families are too poor to do it themselves.” Nathan kept looking out the window. “Kayla has too much junk. Some of these kids, Dani, they’re eleven years old, and they’ve never had a party. I know it’s not much, but you should see the look on a kid’s face when they blow out the candles on a Spiderman cake and unwrap an iPod.”
Dani looked at him apologetically. “This is all my fault. I’m the one who suggested that Kayla—”
“This is where that picture was taken. My backpack wasn’t full of anything illegal. It was full of streamers, and horns, and paper plates. They could have gotten a picture of me holding twenty helium-filled balloons, right? But those aren’t the pictures the media likes. No one brings balloons on a drug deal,” he said, smiling. “My dad already knows about my volunteer work. We didn’t tell my mother because she’d freak to know I was coming to this area.”
Dani noticed her hand was on Nathan’s leg, and she quickly removed it. “Okay. But I’m still really sorry. I never thought you were doing anything wrong. I wasn’t thinking when I suggested Kayla call—”
“Shh,” Nathan said. “Stop. You ready to go home?”
“Not really.”
“How about we drive around for a while?” he asked.
“That would be nice.” Dani lay back against the seat.
She looked out the window as the limo drove on. The sky was dark, and she watched the lights outside. They must be in L.A. now. She had no idea how much time had passed. Half an hour? An hour? Without realizing it, Dani leaned into Nathan. His arm was around her now, and he gently stroked her hair. It was soothing. She didn’t move away.
“You know you can talk to me about whatever happened,” he whispered. “I swear I won’t call the tabloids.”
“Thanks, but I think I should just go home.”
“Whatever you want.”
When the limousine pulled up in front of Mark’s house, Dani turned to Nathan. How could he be so understanding after what she had done to him and what had happened on her deck? She leaned over and hugged him. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Relax. Everything is fine.” He held her.
Dani raised her head up and, just as she was about to make another m
istake with Nathan, she saw someone leaning against Mark’s front door.
Jason stood with his arms crossed and grinned as the driver opened the door. Dani pulled herself away from Nathan. “I have to go. I didn’t know he was going to be here. Listen, Nathan,” she started, but he waved her words away.
“Yeah, sure. If he makes you happy then… I’m glad.” He nodded his head toward Jason. “Go on.”
Dani got out of the car and approached Jason. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Waiting for you,” he said, throwing an arm around her. “I stopped by the barbecue, but you were gone. Your father is still at the party.”
“Good. He can stay there as long as he likes.” Dani unlocked the front door and then suddenly kissed Jason hard. His breath was hot, and his arms felt good wrapped around her. She practically dragged him up to the second floor.
“We’re going to your room?”
“Why not? No one is home, right?” she said.
“So what do you want to do?”
Dani knew exactly what she wanted to do. The house was empty, and Jason was here. She dropped her purse and pulled off her shoes.
“How was the barbecue? How come you left without your father?” Jason asked.
“Stop talking.” She pulled Jason against her and wrapped her arms around his neck as she started kissing him. Dani could feel her breathing quicken as she slid her hands down his chest and stomach. She grabbed his shirt and pulled it up over his head.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I’m not complaining.” He kissed her back, responding to her insistence, and guided her onto the bed.
Dani didn’t want to think. She let Jason lay his weight on top of her while he continued kissing her mouth, her neck. She ran her hands through her own hair as she let him move down to her stomach.
What the hell was she doing?
Dani tried to pull Jason up, but he resisted, continuing to run kisses across her stomach. “Jason, stop.”
“What’s the problem?” he whispered, while one hand tried to move up under her shirt.
“I said stop it,” she insisted. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be doing this. This isn’t what I want to be doing.”
“God, Dani, are you kidding me?” Jason got off the bed and exhaled deeply. “You can’t do that to me. Seriously, we’ve been doing the same thing all summer and finally you drop the whole tame routine and then push me away? What am I supposed to think, huh?” Jason angrily snatched his shirt off the floor and yanked it over his head.
“Can you not make a big deal out of this, please?” Dani pleaded. “I’m sorry. Can’t we just pretend this didn’t happen?”
Just as Jason was about to respond, the door to Dani’s room flew open. “You are home. I tried your cell…” Mark stopped and took in the scene. “What is going on here?” He glared at Jason.
“Nothing is going on,” Jason said, eyeing Dani. “I’m leaving.”
“That’s right you’re leaving,” Mark growled. Jason tried to brush past him, but Mark reached out, stopping him with one strong arm thrown across Jason’s chest. “Don’t you dare show up at my house again,” Mark threatened. “Ever. Understood?”
Jason left the room without saying a word. Mark turned to Dani. “Are you okay? Did he…did he hurt you?”
She was seething. “What is wrong with you? I’m fine!” she exploded. “I can’t believe you just did that!”
Mark looked astounded. “Hon, you cannot be alone in your room with a boy. Especially that one.”
“Says who? Why do you even care?” Dani shouted.
“Hey, I care more than you’ll ever know.”
“Get out of here!” Dani threw a pillow at her father’s head. “Leave me alone!”
“Pick up your cell phone when I call and let me know where you are from now on.” Mark was furious. “I was worried. You’re only fifteen.” He dodged Dani’s next pillow and slammed the door.
Dani stomped across the room. “Fifteen? I’ll be sixteen in a month,” she snarled.
“Not until September ninth!” Her father’s voice echoed down the hall.
Chapter 40
“I have to tell you something.” Kayla floated next to Dani in Mark’s pool. “I’ve been putting it off because it really blows.”
Dani took a sip of her pineapple and seltzer. She peeked at Kayla, envying her metallic orange Dior swimsuit. “You already apologized for what you did to Nathan. We’re still buddies.”
“That’s not it. But I’ll admit that even for me, I went too far. I even apologized to Nathan. No, it’s something else.”
“What is it?” Dani lazily dangled her fingers in the water.
“It’s not good.” Kayla reached over and held Dani’s float. “I don’t want to upset you, but I think you have to hear this.”
Now what? Dani thought. She was still in a rotten mood about everything that had happened last night. She hadn’t spoken to Mark today, and Jason hadn’t answered her cell calls yet. And then there was Nathan…
“I know who leaked the story about you and Mark to the press.”
“What?” Dani was completely surprised. “What do you mean you know? How? Who did it?”
Kayla put her hand on top of Dani’s. “It took a little while, but I had someone find out.”
“Who was it, Kayla?” Dani demanded.
“Your friend from Michigan. Sam.”
No, no, no. That wasn’t possible. Kayla had to be wrong. There was no way Sam could have known, and even if she found out that Mark was Dani’s father, she wouldn’t betray her best friend. “Kayla, that can’t be right. Sam wouldn’t do that.”
“She did. She called a guy named Brian Harper who works for one of the major tabloids.” Kayla pulled off her sunglasses.
Dani’s heart sank as she thought about the possibility. Sam was the one person who had pushed Dani to embrace having a famous father and to take advantage of all that he could give her. Sam was the Mark Ocean fanatic. “Do you know how she found out?”
“Apparently she overheard your mom talking to her boyfriend one night.”
“I can’t believe she did this to me. Do you know how close we are? Do you know how often she would stay with us because things sucked so badly at her house? What a total…total…”
“Bitch?” Kayla finished for her.
“Yes,” Dani said coldly.
“I’m so sorry, but I had to tell you,” she said.
“No, I’m glad I know.”
“What are you going to do?”
Dani thought about all the times that she had talked to Sam this summer, never suspecting that her best friend had been so disloyal. “No, I don’t want to talk to her. I don’t want to hear her voice. I don’t even want to think about her. We’re done.”
“Really? You’re not going to have a huge blowout over this?”
Dani shook her head. “No. She’s not worth it. She’s not worth anything. I’ll send her an email. In fact, I’m going to do it right now.”
Kayla paddled to the edge of the pool and retrieved Dani’s phone. “Here.”
“Can you write it for me?” Dani didn’t want to look at the words she was going to have to say.
“Yup. Okay, I got her address. Shoot.”
“I know what you did,” Dani started, “ Don’t call me, don’t write me. Stay away from me and my mother.”
“Are you sure you want me to send that?” Kayla asked. “Maybe you should try and talk to her first. See what she has to say?”
“No. Send it. There is nothing she could possibly say that will excuse what she’s done. Sam isn’t my friend anymore. Maybe she never was.”
“Look, I haven’t known you that long, but this doesn’t sound like you.” Kayla said. “It sounds like me.”
“It’s me now,” Dani said.
“Hi, girls!” Olivia’s voice trilled across the pool area.
“God, she’s here again?” Dani muttered as she waved.
 
; “Mark and I are going sea kayaking in a few hours. You want to come?”
“No, thanks.” Dani floated away from Olivia.
“Okay. We’ll be inside for a while if you change your mind.” Olivia didn’t conceal the disappointment in her voice.
“Maybe another time,” Dani called over her shoulder. After Olivia had gone inside, Dani said, “You know what? I want to invite a friend over.”
“Who?”
“Bridgett. She’s actually a friend of Mark’s, but I think she’d like to come swimming with us.”
**********
Mark stared at the two women in front of him: Olivia, in her long khaki shorts and T-shirt, and Bridgett, in her red bikini and Chanel shades. Too bad he and Olivia hadn’t left earlier so he could have avoided this awkward meeting. Olivia, at least, looked amused as she eyed Bridgett’s voluptuous curves, but Mark was nervous and confused. What the heck was Bridgett doing here? Had he made plans with her?
“Oh, my God, Mark!” Bridget bubbled. “I’m so happy to see you! Where have you been hiding yourself?” She flung herself forward and hugged him tightly, bouncing on her toes with excitement.
“Um, Bridgett,” Mark said as he extricated himself from her grip, “this is Olivia. Olivia, this is Bridgett.”
Olivia held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said politely.
“You, too. Are you Mark’s sister or something?”
“No, she’s not my sister,” Mark said awkwardly. “She’s my, er, she’s my girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Bridgett wrinkled her forehead. “That’s a bummer. I was so happy about coming over. Well, I guess I’ll go swimming with Dani since I’m here. Bye!” she said happily and left for the pool.
Mark clapped his hands together and tried to figure out how to explain this to Olivia. Having that half-naked girl show up at the house for a date did not reflect terribly well on him. He turned to Olivia. “Liv, I have no idea why she is here. I’ve been out with her a few times, but I haven’t talked to her in a while.”