A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity - Victorine E. Lieske Page 0,24
couldn’t do the work, so they’d gone easy on her. If she were truthful, she’d taken advantage of that.
Tears stung her eyelids, and she blinked to cover up her reaction to his words. What could she even say to that? She had no idea what she would even study to be. She wasn’t good at anything. To cover up the embarrassment, she just laughed and waved off his suggestion. “I’m feeling like getting in the hot tub. Want to join me?”
He stared at her a moment, but then shut off the golf cart and nodded. “Sure. Let’s order take-out first. I’m starving.”
“Sounds good.” Dani didn’t want to dwell on the fact that she wasn’t ever going to amount to anything in her life. She knew she was a failure in her father’s eyes. She didn’t need to see that same disappointment in Austin’s gaze as well.
Chapter 12
The loud sound of metal scraping on cement filled the pool area, and Austin cringed. He picked up the deck chair, moving it over by the hot tub. His physical therapist had said he should avoid heat on his knee, so getting in was not an option. But he would sit beside the pool and chat with Dani.
She came out of his room, a towel wrapped around her neck. The swimsuit she’d picked out at SaleMart was blue with white stripes down the sides. It fit her well. Maybe too well. He turned his head so he wouldn’t get caught staring at her figure as she walked toward the tub.
She tossed her towel and phone on the chair next to him. “You’re not getting in?”
“I can’t. The heat isn’t good for my injury.” He motioned. “But you get in. I’m fine.”
She pouted, but slipped into the water. “It stinks that you can’t enjoy the hot tub.”
“It’s no big deal.” He said the words, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t highly disappointed he couldn’t get into the warm water. It looked quite inviting.
The bubbles surrounded her, and he was reminded of the Jacuzzi incident. He couldn’t help but smile. She’d been so distraught, so he couldn’t laugh at her, but she’d looked hilarious with all the foam on her head. He didn’t have a photo, but he doubted he’d ever forget it. That image was seared into his brain.
She leaned her head back and relaxed into the water. “This feels wonderful.” She jerked around to look at him and cringed. “Oh, sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. Enjoy the water.” He looked up at the stars. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. And even though the resort was well-lit, he could still see the Milky Way. The vastness of it made him feel small. “It’s a nice evening.”
“Yes. I love it here. The weather is always gorgeous.”
They stayed silent for a few moments before Dani turned to him. “Hey, I forgot to ask. Did you find a place with a room for me?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. No one has any openings.” A tiny bit of guilt struck him, because that wasn’t entirely true. He’d found a few hotels, but they were on the cheaper side, and he didn’t like the idea of taking her to another nightmare. No, he’d rather make sure she was safe than have to explain to the police why Danica Jordan was murdered at a place called Assault-and-Batteries are Us.
“Oh. Then…?”
“It’s fine if you just stay with me for a few days. Until something opens up.”
Her phone chimed. Dani scrambled out of the water so fast, you would have thought she saw a fin swimming around her. She quickly wiped her fingers and grabbed her phone off the deck chair.
“Who is it?” he asked, hoping she didn’t say her boyfriend. He silently reprimanded himself. So what if she had a boyfriend? Did he think she’d be single? She was Danica Jordan, after all.
Her face fell, and she frowned. “It’s just Shelby. My father’s assistant.”
A small twinge of jealousy made him wonder who her boyfriend was. A famous actor? Someone he knew? Austin pushed aside those thoughts. It wouldn’t do him any good to be thinking things like that. He cleared his throat. “What does she want?”
She read the text in a fake high voice, imitating Shelby. “Your father has received your messages and will reply as soon as he is able. Are you behaving? No more embarrassing incidents?” A massive eye-roll followed and she tossed her phone back on her chair. “Ugh.”