apparently wasn't above hitting on his son's girlfriends in the present. Perhaps it made him feel young again; certainly, the cheeky flirtatious grin he shot me wouldn't have looked out of place on a boy of sixteen.
“Well, you certainly can't say she doesn't have Jessica Botano's looks,” Clarence said with a smirk. “She's stunning, Danny. Well done.” The way he turned to Danny, completely ignoring me or any say I might have in the matter, hit me to the core. I flushed red with embarrassment against myself.
“Thank you,” I said stiffly. I couldn't risk being impolite now – as nervous as I felt, I knew the last thing I wanted to do was isolate Danny's parents. However unconventional this was, this was definitely a “meet the parents” moment. A chance to impress Danny, to show him that I was long-term girlfriend material. Just like Peyton was. Peyton... I caught a glimpse of Joanne on the barge, laughing and flirting. Was what she said about Danny true? Had he already had it – that one great love that makes all others seem meaningless by comparison? I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Could I only be second best for Danny?
“She may be Jessica Botano's daughter,” Danny shot out, taking my hand, “but her beauty is all her own. Neve's one of a kind, Dad.” His voice took on a strange, child-like urgency. He wasn't just complimenting me, I noted – he was trying to convince his dad, to gain some measure of approval from the father who barely seemed to notice that Danny existed. “And don't forget her talent. I mean, really, Dad, Neve's one of the best song-writers I've ever worked with. You must have heard it on the radio – our first single. It's selling rather well, actually.”
“Yes, yes, I must have done,” Clarence said airily, in a voice that made it clear he'd probably never bothered to do it. “Roni tells me what to listen to – don't you, Roni? She's in charge of my social media.” He guffawed.
Roni leaned across the table, reaching out to lightly touch Danny's hand. Her eyes were blue and enormous, full of emotion. “It's really a very good song,” she said. “I always like to keep track of whatever Danny's involved in. If he decides what he really wants to do is form a band, then I support him every step of the way.” She smiled at him, but her maternal words felt strange – even unsettling – coming from her lips. The way that Roni – clearly a couple of years younger than Danny – was affecting this parental role even as her eyes nakedly told the story of her longing for him bordered on the surreal. I felt thoroughly uncomfortable, although from the looks of it not nearly as uncomfortable as Danny. No sooner had she reached out to touch his hand than he visibly stiffened, shooting me an almost apologetic look. Against myself, I felt an instinctive stirring of jealousy. Was Danny genuinely uncomfortable with the way Roni Taylor – a woman so beautiful it made you want to stop whatever you were doing to paint a sculpture of her – looked at him, or was he just embarrassed about revealing her feelings for him in front of me or his father? I couldn't imagine any guy turning down a girl that looked like Roni, and my heart sank slowly. This whole family was decidedly more eccentric than my own.
“Yes, yes, well, well – we've all got our wild oats to sow, eh?” Clarence winked and nudged Danny in the ribs, looking at me with a decidedly emphatic stare. “But eventually we learn to grow up and do the right thing, isn't that right, Danny? I'm hoping once Danny finally gets this degree business out of the way we'll see some proper use out of him at Blue Enterprises.”
“Dad...” Danny's voice was filled with warning. His father's words had evidently cut him to the
“Well, you certainly can't say she doesn't have Jessica Botano's looks,” Clarence said with a smirk. “She's stunning, Danny. Well done.” The way he turned to Danny, completely ignoring me or any say I might have in the matter, hit me to the core. I flushed red with embarrassment against myself.
“Thank you,” I said stiffly. I couldn't risk being impolite now – as nervous as I felt, I knew the last thing I wanted to do was isolate Danny's parents. However unconventional this was, this was definitely a “meet the parents” moment. A chance to impress Danny, to show him that I was long-term girlfriend material. Just like Peyton was. Peyton... I caught a glimpse of Joanne on the barge, laughing and flirting. Was what she said about Danny true? Had he already had it – that one great love that makes all others seem meaningless by comparison? I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Could I only be second best for Danny?
“She may be Jessica Botano's daughter,” Danny shot out, taking my hand, “but her beauty is all her own. Neve's one of a kind, Dad.” His voice took on a strange, child-like urgency. He wasn't just complimenting me, I noted – he was trying to convince his dad, to gain some measure of approval from the father who barely seemed to notice that Danny existed. “And don't forget her talent. I mean, really, Dad, Neve's one of the best song-writers I've ever worked with. You must have heard it on the radio – our first single. It's selling rather well, actually.”
“Yes, yes, I must have done,” Clarence said airily, in a voice that made it clear he'd probably never bothered to do it. “Roni tells me what to listen to – don't you, Roni? She's in charge of my social media.” He guffawed.
Roni leaned across the table, reaching out to lightly touch Danny's hand. Her eyes were blue and enormous, full of emotion. “It's really a very good song,” she said. “I always like to keep track of whatever Danny's involved in. If he decides what he really wants to do is form a band, then I support him every step of the way.” She smiled at him, but her maternal words felt strange – even unsettling – coming from her lips. The way that Roni – clearly a couple of years younger than Danny – was affecting this parental role even as her eyes nakedly told the story of her longing for him bordered on the surreal. I felt thoroughly uncomfortable, although from the looks of it not nearly as uncomfortable as Danny. No sooner had she reached out to touch his hand than he visibly stiffened, shooting me an almost apologetic look. Against myself, I felt an instinctive stirring of jealousy. Was Danny genuinely uncomfortable with the way Roni Taylor – a woman so beautiful it made you want to stop whatever you were doing to paint a sculpture of her – looked at him, or was he just embarrassed about revealing her feelings for him in front of me or his father? I couldn't imagine any guy turning down a girl that looked like Roni, and my heart sank slowly. This whole family was decidedly more eccentric than my own.
“Yes, yes, well, well – we've all got our wild oats to sow, eh?” Clarence winked and nudged Danny in the ribs, looking at me with a decidedly emphatic stare. “But eventually we learn to grow up and do the right thing, isn't that right, Danny? I'm hoping once Danny finally gets this degree business out of the way we'll see some proper use out of him at Blue Enterprises.”
“Dad...” Danny's voice was filled with warning. His father's words had evidently cut him to the
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