“FAWN?” DANA REPEATED as she paced the length of the meeting room on the same floor as the party. “Her name is Fawn? Who does that to a child?”
“It’s a family name.”
“Great. So her mother is Doe and her father is Buck?” Dana swung around to face Garth. “Wait a minute. How do you know her name?”
He didn’t even bother to look uncomfortable, she thought bitterly as he leaned against the wall and put his hands in his pants pockets. “I’ve known Fawn and her family for several years now. And no, her father isn’t named Buck.”
Dana wanted to spit. “Tell me we’re calling the police. If we’re not…” She didn’t know what she would do but it would be really, really painful. She wasn’t sure who she was going to hurt, but someone was going down tonight. There would be blood. Or at least serious bruising. “Where is
“Her name isn’t her fault.”
“How nice for her. And the stealing?”
Garth had led both women out of the ballroom, then a tall, older man had collected Fawn. While Dana seethed in frustration, Garth had whispered to him and then led Dana into this empty room.
“Don’t think you can distract me into forgetting,” she said. “I’m pissed.”
“I can tell.”
“She stole. Not just the bracelet, but a watch and a ring. I don’t know what they were worth, but there were a lot of diamonds. What is she? A professional jewel thief?”
“Not exactly.”
The door opened and to Dana’s amazement, Fawn rushed in. She ran directly to Garth. Worse, he didn’t back away or sidestep. Instead he let her wrap her arms around him and hold on as if she would never let go. Things went to hell very quickly as he returned her embrace.
Dana knew she was the wronged party in this trio, but righteous indignation didn’t make her feel any less awkward. Fawn was tiny and perfect. Next to her Dana felt half mutant. Fawn belonged-Dana never would.
Garth looked at her over Fawn’s head.
“It’s not what you think,” he said.
“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”
Fawn turned in his arms, but grabbed his hand. “I’m making a mess of everything, aren’t I?”
“Yes,” Dana snapped, not caring when the other woman winced.
The older man from before stood at the open door. “Fawn, we have to go.”
Fawn raised herself on tiptoes and pressed her mouth to Garth’s. “I’m sorry,” she said as she backed away. “You know that, don’t you?”
He nodded.
Then they were gone.
Dana folded her arms across her chest. “If she’d been the gardener instead of a pretty socialite, you would so be throwing her ass in jail,” she said bitterly. “It’s all about power and social position. And looking like an angel doesn’t hurt, either.” She turned to him. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
Garth hesitated.
“Figures,” she muttered and started past him.
He grabbed her arm. “Wait. Fawn has a problem. She takes things. She has plenty of money and could afford to buy anything she wants, but sometimes…”
“Ask me if I care,” Dana said, pulling free of his grasp.
“She’s trying.”
“Not very hard. Give me a break. Poor little rich girl has a problem. So what happens now? None of you will press charges, so it never happened. Let me guess, Daddy takes her home and we go on with our lives.”
“Everyone likes her,” he said.
“So that makes it okay.” But Fawn wasn’t the entire problem, she admitted to herself. There was a bigger one she couldn’t ignore anymore. “How do you know her?”
He hesitated.
She waited. The information was only a few computer clicks away. Skye would know her last name and then a quick Internet search would give her more than she wanted to know.
“It was a long time ago,” he began.
Dana felt beyond stupid. They’d gone out. Of course. Why hadn’t she figured that out the first second she’d seen them together?
But Fawn was the opposite of her. How could he have been interested in Fawn and then want to be with her? Which brought up a whole lot of other questions she didn’t want to answer.
“We were engaged.”
“YOU DON’T WANT TO do this,” Lexi said, standing beside Dana’s chair.
Dana ignored her and typed in Garth’s name along with the phrase “and women.” The Internet responded instantly, producing over ten thousand listings. She picked one at random.
There was a picture of Garth with a tall skinny woman who had to be a model of some kind. No one normal had such bony knees and elbows. She clicked on other articles and saw Garth with plenty of heiresses, successful businesswomen and even an actress. There was a theme to his women-they were all beautiful and accomplished. They had style, possibly grace and moved effortlessly in his social circle.
She was a small-town deputy who, until a few weeks ago, hadn’t worn a dress in nearly ten years.
“What was I thinking?” she whispered.
“I can’t answer that until you tell me what’s going on,” Lexi said, then pulled up another chair and sat heavily. “My back hurts.”
Dana turned to her, the search forgotten. “Are you all right? Do we need to go to the hospital?”
“No. My back hurts. I’m seven and a half months pregnant and getting bigger by the second. Of course my back hurts.”
Dana drew in a breath. “Don’t scare me like that. I have enough stress in my life.”
“If you tell me what happened, I can help.”
It was a reasonable statement, especially considering Dana had shown up that morning with a suitcase, asking if she could stay.
To her credit, Lexi hadn’t asked a lot of questions, but instead had shown her to a guest room. Dana had gotten out her laptop and gone online to find out the truth about Garth. Something she should have done weeks ago.
Everything was right there, in the pictures. Woman after woman, smiling at the camera. Leaning against him or holding hands or linking arms.
She’d been a fool. Worse, for him, she’d been convenient. He didn’t even have to make a booty call. The booty was right there in his condo.
“I don’t need help,” she said. “I’m fine.”
“You are so going to tell me what’s going on,” Lexi said. “Dana, I mean it. What happened?”
Dana turned to her friend. “I’m sorry. Everything is totally screwed up and it’s all my fault. Well, his, too. Mostly his.”
Lexi covered her face with her hands and shrieked. “What are we talking about?”
“Garth was engaged.”
Lexi dropped her hands to her lap. “I knew that. It was a few years ago. Three or four. Rich girl. Then she sort of disappeared. What does that have to do with…Oh. You met the ex.”
“I more than met her.”
Dana told her what had happened, ending with Fawn’s father taking her away.
“She was stealing?” Lexi asked, sounding outraged. “And nothing happened. Why am I even surprised?”
“That’s what I said.”
Dana thought about Fawn in Garth’s arms. Jed had been right. She would never fit in.
“I don’t belong with him,” she said.
Lexi frowned. “What does Fawn have to do with you and Garth?” She held up a hand. “I know finding out about someone’s past is never easy. But I’d like to point out all you have to deal with is an ex-fiancee. Cruz didn’t tell me
