“So the difference could have happened gradually,” Ivy said.
“Or…” Dani paused, wondering if she should complete her thought.
“Or?” Starr prodded.
“Or, maybe it wasn’t Regina who changed.” Dani got to her feet, grabbed another serving of pudding from the fridge, and slid it in front of Laz. “It could be that once you got sober, you saw her more clearly than you had through the alcoholic fog.”
“Going through rehab and counseling could have made you more aware of others’ feelings.” Ivy patted his arm and he put his hand on hers.
“I’d like to think that.” Laz grinned and dug into the new dessert.
“You were certainly kind to me when you offered to make sure my necklace was okay and bring it to me.” Ivy beamed at him.
“If I had been sober, I would have been able to stand up to Reg and gotten the locket for you that night.” Laz continued to eat.
“Does alcohol make it more difficult for you to do the right thing?” Dani asked. Hearing how dumb that sounded, she added, “I mean, even if you know what you should do, does being intoxicated make it hard to go against what others want you to do?”
“Not guys.” Laz’s cheeks reddened. “But it’s hard to say no to girls.”
Starr leaned over and hissed in Dani’s ear, “Mommy issues, I bet.”
Dani narrowed her eyes at Starr, then smiled at Laz. “When you’re raised to be a gentleman, it makes it tough to act differently.”
“I guess.” Laz finished his second bowl of pudding and wiped his mouth. “That was awesome. I can see why Reg had you save some desserts for her.”
“Thanks!” Dani got up. “Why don’t you guys go into the family room while I clean up?”
Once she’d agreed to have Ivy, Starr, and Tippi live with her, Dani had removed the antique furniture from the back parlor, replaced it with a comfy sectional and a flat screen television, and renamed it the family room.
“Let me help.” Laz leaped to his feet. “I’ll clear the table.”
“I’ll help too,” Ivy said.
“Nope, Laz and I have got this.” Dani herded the three girls out of the kitchen. As she filled the sink with hot water, she considered how to reintroduce her original question to Laz. Finally, she said, “We got a little sidetracked and you never did tell me what happened to make you start drinking the night of the luau.”
“Well…” Laz deposited a stack of dirty dishes on the counter next to Dani. “As I said, I’d noticed that Reg seemed to be getting meaner.”
“Yes.” Dani kept her back to him, hoping it would make it easier for him to talk about it.
“The afternoon before the party, she sent me, and a hundred of her closest friends, a nude picture of Bliss Armstrong.”
“I thought Bliss was Regina’s best friend.” Dani raised a brow and asked carefully, “Why would she do that to her?”
“A few weeks ago, I made the mistake of paying Bliss a compliment. Reg had been steaming about it ever since.” Laz’s voice faltered as he spoke. “In the picture, Bliss was obviously passed out and there was something written on her back.”
“What?” Dani asked, not sure she really wanted to know.
Laz swiped the screen of his cell phone and handed it to Dani. She recoiled at the close-up of a nude girl lying on her stomach. When he enlarged the photo, Dani saw that Not looking so pretty now was written in lipstick down her spine.
Chapter 11
Dani and Ivy stood on the front porch with Laz. The threatened rain had never materialized, but the air was still muggy and Dani was thankful for the newly installed overhead fan.
While Laz and Ivy said their goodbyes, Dani stared at the front lawn. The streetlamps cast a harsh glow on the yard and she could see that the grass was getting long. It would need cutting again soon and she still hadn’t done anything about the overgrown bushes. Since she couldn’t afford to hire a landscaper, there was only one option: her live-in help. She just had to figure out which of the girls would complain the least if they were reassigned from food prep to lawn duty.
As Laz said his final farewell and walked down the sidewalk toward his car, Dani smiled and waved. After dinner, he had helped her with the dishes, then joined the girls in the family room for a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity.
It had been the first time any of Dani’s boarders had had a guy over, and she hadn’t been sure whether to stick around to keep an eye on them.
Although she had finally decided that the young women weren’t her wards and she wasn’t some sort of Victorian-era governess, Dani had agreed to take responsibility for them, so she’d compromised and remained in earshot of the group. As a bonus, since she was hanging out in the kitchen, she got a head start on the next day’s lunches.
As she’d sliced and diced, she’d heard wave after wave of laughter. It had sounded as if they were all having a great time and Dani hadn’t been able to resist slipping down the hallway and taking a peek.
Tippi and Starr had been seated on the sofa in front of the coffee table with Laz and Ivy sprawled next to each other on the floor. The four of them appeared to be having fun together, but Laz’s gaze had constantly sought Ivy’s and he’d repeatedly touched her arm.
Which was the real Laz? Was he the drunken jerk that he’d been at the luau? Or the nice guy he seemed to be now? Had he truly been upset with his fiancée’s cruelty or had that just been a convenient excuse to drink?
“Right?” Ivy’s excited voice interrupted Dani’s internal debate.
“What?” Dani blinked in confusion.
“Isn’t Laz’s car awesome?” Ivy bumped Dani’s shoulder with her own.
“I guess.” Dani squinted
