“I bet that sucked for you to have to say, didn’t it?” She smirked. “You’ve said far worse to me and never choked out an apology. If you’re worried about me quitting, don’t be. I’m in it for the money. Although there’s only so much I’ll take from you before I go to Walmart and beg them to save me from working for you.”
Ash found himself laughing again. If he could stop being an asshole, he might actually enjoy her company. Maybe they could get to a point where they could consider friendship. That ain’t all you’d like to do. He did his best to block out the voice in his big head that was communicating directly with the little head in his pants. Both of them were constantly pointing out the fact that he was attracted to the woman that he insulted on a regular basis. He pulled up in front of her building and put the car in Park before extending a hand toward her. “How about another cease-fire? I’ll do my best to keep my asinine comments to myself in the future.”
Dana placed her soft hand in his, and Ash found his body responding to that small touch. “I’m sure you won’t be able to hold out for long. Let’s face it, I rub you the wrong way. We’re oil and water and whatever else there is that doesn’t mix. As long as you know that I’ll continue to give as good as I get, we should be fine.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Ash answered honestly. That was one thing he admired about her. She no longer took anything from him. And damn, she was creative with her insults. If he were a less confident man, he’d seriously have a complex by now. He’d admit that he’d checked out his dick a few times after some particularly cutting remarks about his size. Not that she had any firsthand knowledge, but a man couldn’t help feeling paranoid about stuff like that. He reached for his billfold and counted out her payment for the night along with a generous tip because she’d more than earned it when she sent Claudia tumbling backward. “I’m hosting a business dinner at my apartment next Thursday evening. Will that work for you?”
She tucked the money into her purse without counting it and nodded. “Sure, that sounds good. Will Zoe and Dylan be there?”
“They will. I’m sure you’ll decide to avail yourself of the hotel boutique again. How in the world did you manage to spend that much on a dress and shoes?”
Dana smoothed her hands down the formfitting black sheath she was wearing before asking, “Are you complaining about the end result? Did you perhaps want me to meet your family wearing jeans and flip-flops? I’d be glad to put something like that together for the next occasion. I believe I still have my old prom dress. It’s a gorgeous shade of hot pink with lots of poufy lace. Plus, I had the heels dyed to match it. You could buy me a corsage and maybe get a matching tux for yourself.”
Ash couldn’t contain his grimace as he pictured them in the attire she was describing so vividly. He had no doubt that she’d show up exactly like that if he continued on. Hell, he didn’t care about the money; he just enjoyed goading her about it. “Er—no, I have no desire to relive your high school years. Pick out whatever you like. Go ahead and get several outfits, both dressy and casual. Maybe I can get a volume discount. I’d go with some higher heels next time though. You still look like—”
“I hope you’re not going to say your little sister,” she interrupted dryly. “Considering tonight, it would seem wrong to be compared to Claudia. Other than her, you only have brothers, right?” When he nodded yes, her smile brightened. “Are any of them hot? With a better personality than you? What am I talking about, Dylan is already sunshine and puppies compared to you. Do you have a bad attitude because you’re the ugly duckling in a family of hotties?” Slapping a hand on her thigh, she added, “I bet that’s it! Wow, it must be rough. You know, usually the plain ones develop a sense of humor out of necessity, so what happened to you? Not only are you the least attractive, you’re the surly one as well. That hardly seems fair.”
Ash knew his mouth was hanging open. He’d never been labeled the unattractive brother before. To the contrary, women seemed to find him very handsome. “I’m not . . . You’re wrong. Hey, where do you think you’re going? I’m not finished talking here.”
His awkward words fell on deaf ears as Dana opened her door and slid from the car and onto the nearby sidewalk. “As you said earlier, I have an early day tomorrow, so good night.” He called after her again, but she slammed the door in his face and never looked back.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered before shaking his head and pulling back out into the street. She’d done it again, dammit. She’d deftly turned the tables on him. Instead of irritation though, he found himself chuckling softly. Well played, munchkin, well played. For the first time in his life, he was actually looking forward to the upcoming business dinner. Thanks to his pretend girlfriend, his world had suddenly become a lot more interesting. And that thought also scared the hell out of him.
Six
That was freaking amazing,” Zoe gushed to Dana the next day as they wiped down the tables in the coffee shop. “Dylan and I laughed all the way home. I kept seeing Claudia’s legs in the air after her chair flew backwards. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve dreamed of her falling?”
Dana giggled at her friend’s excitement. “I did feel bad about it for a while, but then I remembered how ugly she’s been to you and how bitchy she was to me. I swear, women need to stick together, not try to destroy each other. I’ve never understood why some people feel the need to be so petty towards others. Life is not a competition and it takes more energy to be negative than it does to be positive.”
Zoe held up her hand for a fist bump. “I completely agree. But competitive and superficial women like Claudia aren’t happy unless they’re tearing someone else down. That’s what she gets off on. But maybe next time she’ll think before she acts like that.”
Dana’s head was down as she cleaned a chair when she heard Zoe clear her voice loudly. Without bothering to look up, Dana continued ranting, “And the whole thing with her father was so weird. Did you see him practically carry her from the room? Their behavior is disturbing on so many levels. I can’t believe Charlotte puts up with that.” Once again Zoe made a strangled sound that finally got her attention. Glancing up, she saw her friend and employer nodding toward the door. Dana’s eyes widened as she recognized Claudia and two other girls who appeared to be around the same age entering the coffee shop. She couldn’t say that she hadn’t been expecting something like this. Even Ash had warned her that Claudia would be after her. “Oh great,” she sighed. “I’m guessing she isn’t here to support her sister-in-law.”
“Not bloody likely,” Zoe groaned. “Why don’t you go in the office and I’ll get rid of her. I’m not going to let her make a scene in my shop or insult my best friend.”
“I love you for that”—Dana smiled—“but I don’t want to show any weakness near her. If I run now, she’ll have the upper hand. I promise to take it outside if I get the urge to pull her bleached blond hair out.”
Claudia had spotted them by that point and was strutting through the shop as if she owned the place. Confidence practically oozed from every pore as she and her friends laughed at some private joke. She came to a stop a few inches away from them with a sneer firmly affixed to her face as she took in Dana’s work uniform. Without saying a word, she stepped around them and pulled out a chair from the table they’d just finished cleaning. Her minions followed suit, lowering their designer-clad asses gingerly onto the wood as if it were a snake that would bite them. “We’ll have nonfat cappuccinos,” Claudia demanded. Then she looked down at her expensive watch before adding, “And we’re in a hurry.”
Dana didn’t expect any manners, but she was pissed that Claudia didn’t bother to acknowledge Zoe. After all, they were family. Squeezing her friend’s arm, she said, “I’ll take care of it.” She didn’t want Zoe caught in the crosshairs of the war she’d started with the surly sister-in-law from hell. Laughter followed in her wake as she turned and walked toward t
he front of the shop with Zoe following closely behind. She clearly heard Claudia remark on her big ass, but again told herself to let the insults go. She refused to take the bait and make a scene here. That would play right into Claudia’s hands and she wasn’t giving her that satisfaction. “Ignore them,” she whispered to Zoe as the other woman stiffened. “The sooner we get their damn coffee, the sooner they will leave.” Dana took a deep breath and calmly arranged the cups on the counter. Within a few minutes, she had all three coffees ready. Zoe picked up one and Dana took the others. She plastered a pleasant smile on her face in preparation for delivering the order to a smug Claudia.
She’d barely set the last cup down when Claudia took a sip and promptly spit it on the front of Dana’s shirt. “Oh my God,” she hissed. “I told you nonfat. This is whole milk; I can taste the difference. Can’t you hear properly?”
One of the clones with her gave a nasty laugh before saying, “What did you expect, she works here with Chloe, doesn’t she? I told you we should have gone to Starbucks.”
Dana could feel her face flush with anger. She didn’t give two shits if they insulted her, but she wouldn’t let them do it to Zoe. Especially since she knew it was all directed at her. Leaning forward, she put both hands on the table and glared at the bitches sitting there. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you kids any manners? Oh wait, I think we’ve already established that education was never your strong suit.”
“You fucking cow,” Claudia hissed. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. You might have Asher fooled, but I see right through you. You’re nothing but a little gold digger who thinks she hit the lottery.” A mocking laugh escaped her throat as she added, “Don’t get any ideas. Ash sleeps with a different woman every week. You’re nothing special. The novelty of slumming with you will wear off soon and he’ll kick you to the curb like all the others. I have to admit, I’ve never known him to be into fat chicks before though. You may not make it as long as the slender ones.”
Zoe was shaking with anger when she stepped forward and gently pushed Dana to the side. “You need to get out of my shop. And if I were you, I wouldn’t ever come back here. I won’t have you talking to my friend like that. I might have to put up with you at Charlotte’s, but I own this shop and believe me when I say that you’re not welcome here.”
Dana felt her eyes sting at her friend’s defense of her. She knew a war with Claudia would make things difficult for Zoe in many ways and she regretted putting her in this position. She should have thought it through before she’d agreed to accompany Ash last night. Business dinners were one thing, but causing problems between family members was something else entirely. The uppity little bitch might deserve to be knocked on her ass, but now Zoe would pay the price for Dana’s interference. With that thought in mind, she swallowed her pride and turned to her friend. “It’s okay, really. I’ve dealt with difficult customers before. I’ll go make some more drinks for them and then I’ll work in the kitchen for a while.”
She had already turned to remove the offensive cappuccino when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Zoe was shaking her head as she stopped Dana. “Absolutely not. They’re leaving. It wouldn’t matter if you and I were personal friends or not. I’d never allow anyone to speak to an employee in that manner. I don’t care that she’s related to me. Well, actually, that makes her behavior even worse. Dylan would never stand for anyone to treat a member of his staff like that either. Since you are my best friend, I’m doubly pissed over it. Now please let me handle this.” With that, she marched back to the table, where the three women still remained, and said in an icy voice, “It’s time to show yourselves out or I’ll have security remove you.”
“This is my hotel,” Claudia snapped. “If I want to stay, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Zoe gave her sister-in-law a smile completely devoid of humor and calmly walked behind the counter and picked up the telephone. Within a few minutes, two security guards entered the shop. After speaking briefly with Zoe, they ushered a sputtering Claudia and her group of clones out the door. Dana heard Claudia screech, “Do you have any idea who I am?”
Dana watched Zoe carefully, waiting for the reality of what had just happened to sink in. But instead of looking rattled, her boss was calmly making what appeared to be a frappe while humming under her breath. “You want one?” she asked Dana as she nodded toward the blender. “It’s caramel, your favorite.”
Approaching her unusually calm friend, Dana asked hesitantly, “Are you all right?”
Zoe gave her a blank look in return before shrugging. “Sure, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Um—because you just had your bitch of a sister-in-law tossed out of here on her ass. And something like that would normally freak you out. So this whole calm vibe you’ve got going on is a little creepy.” Grabbing Zoe’s nearby cup, Dana asked suspiciously, “Is there booze in this?”
Laughing, Zoe said, “No, but that’s not a bad idea.” Then she added, “Oh my God, did you see Claudia’s face when those guys walked up to her table and told her she had to leave? I swear, I think I peed myself a little bit. And that horrible friend of hers, the redhead. Her name is Megan and she’s just as bad as, if not worse than, Claudia. She’s been to a couple of family dinners, and you should see the way she hangs all over Dylan and Asher. She doesn’t give a damn if I’m there or not. Plus, she always purposely calls me by the wrong name to get under my skin.”
Rolling her eyes, Dana said, “So she did say ‘Chloe.’ I thought I’d heard that wrong. I noticed the way she was egging Claudia on. The other one didn’t say much. In fact, she appeared kind of embarrassed.”
“I’m not sure who she is,” Zoe replied. “It’s usually just those two bitches. I’ve tried my best to be nice and keep the peace, but she crossed the line today, when she brought that crap in here. This is my business and you’re my friend. I couldn’t care less if Claudia hates my guts. She’s nasty to me either way. I’m certainly not going to let her get away with that kind of behavior here. I’m sure she’ll run home and play the innocent victim with her father and Charlotte, but big deal. I’ll tell Dylan what happened tonight so that he’ll be prepared, but there’s no way he’d expect me to turn a blind eye to her antics. He’s told me before not to take any shit from her.”
“No one’s ever defended me like that.” Dana started to tear up as she said, “You have no idea what that meant to me, Zoe. I’m so sorry that I’ve put you in such an awkward position though. I should have known that it would come to this. Ash warned me she’d be gunning for me, but I was cocky enough to think I could handle her alone.”
Zoe reached out and squeezed her hand. “You’re more than my best friend; you’re like a sister to me. You’ve always had my back and you know that I’ve got you covered as well. You’d wipe the floor with Claudia before you’d let her hurt me. So don’t expect me to do anything less for you. We’ve both had our share of dealing with the mean people of the world. The great thing is that we have each other now.”
“Damn straight,” Dana whispered as she wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes.
They’d been so distracted that they hadn’t noticed anyone coming into the shop until an amused voice chimed in, “According to Mommie Dearest, you ladies have been busy today. Security? I have to admit, I’m pretty damn impressed. I could hear Bart yelling in the background about the humiliation his baby had suffered. I had a hard time not laughing.”
“Oh shit,” Dana groaned as she dropped her head. “I take full responsibility. Tell them Zoe was just defending her big-mouthed friend.”
Ash pulled out a stool from the bar and lowered himself onto it. “Never show your enemies weakness, munchkin. You know better than that. And who gives two good fucks about Bart or his crazy daughter? Even my mother didn’t sound as if she particularly gave a shit. She was going through the motions of protest for the sake of appearance.”
Looking resigned, Zoe asked, “What did Dylan say about it?”
Ash grinned. “Well, he hasn’t actually said much. He’s been too busy laughing. Oh wait, there was some bragging about what a kick-ass woman he married.”
Standing up straighter, Zoe said, “You know, I think I’ll go say hello to him. Maybe see if he wants to catch an early dinner.”
Dana gave her friend a light push when she hesitated. “I’ve got it covered here. Go do—er, I mean, see your man.” That was all the encouragement she needed. With a wave over her shoulder, Zoe was gone, leaving Dana to deal with Ash on her own. “I appreciate you being nice for her benefit. And before you start in on me, I tried to handle Claudia without security having to cart her off. But Zoe wasn’t in the mood to take any attitude from your stepsister today, and I can’t say as I blame her. I don’t know your sister well, but I’ve got to believe that she was at a whole other level of nasty while she was here.”
Pointing to Dana’s shirt, Ash asked, “Did she do that to you?”
Suddenly self-conscious about her stained clothing, Dana turned away. “It’s no big deal,” she mumbled. “I guess I committed the horrible sin of using whole milk in her drink. I did offer to fix her another one.”
Ash had a hand on her arm and he gently turned her back to face him before she could gather her composure. “Dana, I’m not planning on defending that bitch,” he said kindly. “I wish you’d have called me when this was going on. She had no right to come in here and be cruel to you and Zoe. I’m sorry that I caused that to happen to you. I knew better. Hell, I even warned you, yet I didn’t take any actual steps to protect you from her malice.”
As usual, she was defenseless against a sweet Asher. She found herself flustered and tongue-tied. She was touched by the note of genuine concern in his voice. Finally she managed to croak out, “It’s fine, Ash. I’m a big girl. I wasn’t exactly prepared for Claudia to show up this soon, but I should have been. You paid me to help you out with a complicated situation and this comes along with it. If it makes you feel better, I don’t think she’ll come back in here. Zoe was a little scary today when she went off on her. Claudia might think twice before she tangles with her in the future.”