Danny?
This just kept getting better and better.
"We still need to settle in, obviously." Lindsey's eyes drifted to the bags on the floor. "But I hope you're both free for dinner tonight. We're taking you out to the nicest place in town."
Daniel cleared his throat. "We were just there not too long ago," he said. "I think we could use a little variety."
Lindsey waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "The second nicest place, then. Or the dive with the greasiest burgers, I couldn't care less. I just want to get to know my new sister-in-law."
"Greasy burgers sounds great, to be honest," I said. "I'd love to eat someplace where I can wear jeans."
"Perfect!" Lindsey went over and clasped Daniel on the shoulder, jostling him gently. He flinched a little, and then smiled. "What do you think, Danny? Jerry's Grill? I bet it's just like the one back home."
Daniel chuckled a little. "Really? We haven't been to one of those in…God. How long's it been?"
"I'd rather not think about it," said Lindsey. "I just remember you always used to throw a fit whenever Dad wouldn't let you get a milkshake."
She looked at me then, for some reason, and I wasn't sure what I was meant to say. "Too much sugar?" I supplied, trying to imagine Daniel as a little kid bouncing off the walls because somebody let him have too much candy.
Lindsey frowned a little. An awkward silence reigned for a few moments.
"Burgers sound great," Ray piped up from his chair. "Six o'clock?"
Daniel opened his mouth to object, but Lindsey shook her head, instantly silencing him. "Shut up, Dan. Nobody else likes to wait until the crack of midnight to have their dinner. You can just take it to-go if you absolutely have to wait until the most fashionable hour to eat."
I giggled. I couldn't help it - I'd always hated that he wanted to take me out to dinner so late, but I figured that was just how it was going to be with him. He commanded so much quiet authority. But not, apparently, when his sister was around.
A familiar melody, tinny but clear, echoed through the room.
"Oh," said Lindsey, reaching into her pocket. "That'll be the hotel. We'd better go meet our shuttle."
"I'll help you with your bags." Daniel got to his feet, but Lindsey stopped him with a single look.
"For Christ's sake, Danny. My arms work." She chuckled. "See you at Jerry's at six!"
Once they were safely down the hall, I turned to look at Daniel. He had the thousand-yard stare of a bomb survivor.
"She's quite a firecracker," I said.
"I'm sorry," he said, quietly, not looking at me.
"No, I like it." I pulled one of the chairs over and sat close to his desk. "I like her. She doesn't take any bullshit, does she?"
He finally cracked a smile. "No," he said. "No she does not. Least of all from me."
"I can't wait for tonight," I said. "Seriously."
Daniel looked relieved. "Lindsey's cultivated a certain personality," he said. "To get by. To thrive, really. She runs the biggest architectural firm in Boston. You don’t get to where she is by playing nice with men like me. It's a reflex by now, I think." He shook his head. "Anyway, she's my big sister. She's allowed certain liberties."
"I should say so."
It made perfect sense, now - someone with Daniel's ambition but without the advantage of his XY chromosome would naturally develop Lindsey's personality. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he admired his sister, perhaps with just a touch of that awe that younger siblings tend to carry for their older brothers and sisters, even when they should, by all rights, be equals.
"It really will be fun to have dinner somewhere casual," I said. "Don't you think?"
"I suppose." Daniel was shuffling papers on his desk. "How's it going out there? Do you almost have everything wrapped up?"
"I guess," I said. "You know, you'll never find another designer quite like me." I was mostly kidding, but I suppose a part of me was fishing for a compliment.
He smiled wryly. "Get back to work, Ms. Wainright. I'll come by for you at five thirty."
"I'm going to need to cut out early if you want me to have time to get home and get ready, sir," I said, with exaggerated politeness.
"Of course. Go home at four and relax."
"Oh, thank you, sir."
He shook his head. "You're picking up a bit of my sister's bad attitude," he said. "I'm not sure I like it." But he was smiling.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Thorne. I'll make sure to work on it."
And with that, I sashayed out of his office.
Chapter Eight
We arrived at Jerry's Grill right on time, and Lindsey and Ray were waiting for us on the bench outside. Lindsey waved enthusiastically with both hands, pulling me in for another half-hug like she hadn't seen me in weeks. "You'll love this place," she said. I loved the smell already - one hundred percent authentic beef and fry oil.
It was noisy and hectic inside, but our smiling hostess led us on a long, winding pathway to an empty booth near the back of the restaurant. Unlike many of the faux-Americana burger joints that had sprung up modeling themselves after places like this, the black and white photographs and memorabilia on the walls were all authentic. I'd heard of this place before - it always garnered a mention on those food-centric travel shows, and had a top spot on "iconic places to eat" lists for my city. People were always surprised when I said I'd never been, but there wasn't much money to eat out when I was a kid. And as an adult, going to place like this alone just seemed…sad. It was the kind of place you'd bring your family.
After we sat down and ordered a round of sugary alcoholic drinks - I almost wanted to burst out laughing when Daniel agreed to a pitcher of strawberry margaritas - I actually began to feel relaxed and at home for the first time since Daniel had "proposed" to me. Lindsey soon launched into the epic saga of her most absurdly difficult client, and we were all laughing uproariously even before the margaritas started flowing.
"…and then he goes, 'well, you're supposed to be the expert!'"
Lindsey was wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, and I was right there with her. Back before I'd landed this job, I used to do a lot of work on the side for absolutely impossible people, because I simply couldn't afford to say no. It was comforting to know that even people on Lindsey's level still struggled with such things.
Of course, I'd never have to do anything like that again, if I played my cards right.
"Well, you won't have to worry about that for much longer," Lindsey said after a moment, like she was reading my thoughts. "Lucky, lucky."
"Yeah," I said, staring into my drink.
"Well, I wouldn't ever want to quit work anyway," said Lindsey lightly, pushing her drink aside as the server came back with our orders. "I'd go crazy. I'm like one of those sheepdogs that always needs something to occupy my time, or I'll destroy everything. Oooh, who got the bleu cheese burger? That looks fantastic."
We dug into our food, and the conversation fell silent for a while. I kept glancing at Daniel. It was strange to see him in a place like this, and strangers still to see him not looking uncomfortable in the least. Even with barbecue sauce dribbling down his chin, he was somehow still the man I knew - and yet, utterly not.
I was deathly curious to know more about his childhood memories of this restaurant. They were obviously bittersweet, perhaps more bitter than anything - but that didn't kill my curiosity in the slightest. I had a feeling if I could get Lindsey alone, I might be able to learn a little bit.
"Mmm," said Lindsey, setting her burger down in its basket to wipe her hands and face. "The burgers here haven't changed a bit. I love it."
"That's because they've never cleaned the grill," Daniel said, dryly.
Ray looked down at the burger in his hands. "Gross," he said.
"All the best burger places don't," I supplied. I was pretty sure I remembered seeing something about it on a T.V. show about the world's greatest diners. "It gets so hot that nothing ever goes bad, so all the flavor stays on there for years and years."
"You'd better be kidding," said Ray, downing the rest of his margarita.
"Deadly serious," said Daniel. "She's right. It's nothing to worry about, don't you think the health inspectors would have said something about it by now if it was?"
Ray shook his head, regarding the burger hesitantly for a moment, but then he shrugged and raised it to his mouth again.
"And the burger wins out!" Lindsey grinned. "The burger always wins out, doesn't it?"
"If it's the right burger? Absolutely." I broke a huge steak fry in half and dipped it in ketchup.
"Maddy." Lindsey leaned across the table. "I know you're busy, wrapping up work and planning the wedding and everything, but can I take you shopping tomorrow? Just us girls. Those two can hang out and toss a football around in a parking lot or whatever the hell they do. I've been doing a little independent research, so I know all the best vendors and boutiques. I'd love to take you around. What do you say?"
I grinned at her. "I'd love to!"
By the time we all left Jerry's, everyone was in a happy mood. Daniel and Ray were joking around with each other, and Lindsey was telling me about all the ridiculous mishaps from her own wedding ceremony and planning process. I hadn't actually given any real thought to the whole thing - I supposed Daniel would go along with whatever I wanted, but I didn't know what I wanted.
"…the point is, no matter what happens, everything will be fine. We can talk more about it tomorrow. I know it's stressful as hell, the industry puts all this pressure on us, but there's no reason why it has to be a big old mess. Especially not with me helping you out."
She hugged me goodnight, and then we all parted ways. I found myself getting into the town car with Daniel and not even questioning where we were going; I'd spend the night at his place, of course, and that was all right with me.
The next morning, Lindsey came by at ten o'clock on the dot. We started out with breakfast in a trendy vegetarian diner - "I'm not vegetarian, obviously, but sometimes I like to pretend" - and then hit the fancy shopping district.
"So do you have a dress picked out yet?" Lindsey wanted to know. "I got the impression that Daniel wanted to have the wedding sooner rather than later. He hates anticipation and long-term planning. Always has."
I shook my head. "I figured I'd just pick something off the rack. Doesn't have to be a 'bridal gown,' you know? Just something nice."
"Yeah, that's for the best. Some of these places, they tack another eight hundred dollars on the price tag of anything that's 'for a wedding.' I know it doesn't really matter, but I object to it on principle."
I nodded. "I really just want to keep things casual." This was true; I just couldn't reveal why. "I want to marry Daniel because I love him, not because I want to have a Big Day. You know?"
Hell, I was almost convincing myself. Well done.