Contractor (39 page)

standing right there."

"…muffin top?" Henry murmured.

"Don’t call me that," Eleanor said.

"Ever again."

"Of course not, kitten."

"Daniel."

"Boobear?"

"Please stop."

"But puddin’. I just gots to es’press mah

feelins somehow."

Henry’s eyes widened, then he burst out

laughing. "Eleanor, I don’t believe I’ve ever

seen you verbally backed into a corner in my

entire life."

"You give him too much credit."

"I’m overcharged on all my credit

cards," Daniel said.

Henry looked at Eleanor, than back at

Daniel. He peered at them like a botanist

examining a plant he’d never seen before.

"…Daniel, why don’t we sit down and get to

know each other?"

****

Daniel had to admit that the dinner was

as good as advertised. Being hungry enough

to eat a horse helped. He must have had fifty

rolls off the appetizer tray—they were these

light, buttery, garlic-coated nuggets small

enough to shove straight in and chew down

in one gulp. He kept throwing waves up to

Rachel. She looked quite in-charge,

coordinating the black suits and always

chatting into a walkie-talkie.

Henry was turning out to be Daniel’s

favorite person at the party. He was

incredibly casual. He thought Daniel’s

lightest pokes at Eleanor were the most

hilarious things he’d ever heard. The rest of

their illustrious table didn’t know how to

react, so the two of them dominated the

conversation.

"Did I mention I cooked for her?"

"You cooked for Eleanor? You’re

kidding."

"Mr. Astor, I never kid. The quickest

way to a woman’s heart is through her

stomach."

Henry burst out in a hefty belly laugh.

"What did you eat?"

"Lasagna. Just ask her, it was the best

thing ever."

Everyone immediately looked at

Eleanor. She took her time sipping from a

glass of seltzer water. "It was good."

"That’s not what you said at the time,"

Daniel said.

"That’s precisely what I said at the

time."

Daniel looked back at Henry. "She had a

great line the first time I addressed her as

Miss Astor."

He leaned in. "What?"

Daniel mocked Eleanor’s light voice.

"Finally
someone
in this place addresses me
appropriately
. I was starting to think we’d

gone back to finger painting caves and

dancing at fires."

Henry slapped Daniel on the back and

laughed his head off. Eleanor looked at her

lap. When he calmed down, he turned to his

daughter. "Eleanor. Did you really say that?"

"I did."

He shook his head. "Well. I suppose it is

your birthday, and Daniel seems to consider

it joke material than anything else."

"Oh, it was a little frosty," Daniel said,

"but we didn’t really get to know each other

until after I met Rachel."

Henry turned away from his daughter.

"Oh, you know Rachel too?"

Eleanor drew a small line across her

throat and shook her head. Daniel didn’t

even hesitate. "Absolutely. We hit it off over

that lasagna, actually. I’ve been helping her

out with her calculus, among other things."

"I owe you some thanks, then. She’s

been with us for some time. I consider them

both my daughters."

"So I’ve heard." Daniel smiled. "It’s

great she’s got that kind of support. She’s a

wonderful person. Even Eleanor lets her

guard down around Rachel."

"Please, Daniel," Eleanor said. "Try and retain some sense of tact."

"Don’t be such a stick in the mud. I

haven’t said a word everyone shouldn’t

know." Daniel took the opportunity to offer

Rachel a big wave. Rachel noticed all the

eyes focused on her. She bit her lip, looked

around uncertainly, then did a little wave

back with her fingertips. "She’s such a doll."

He nudged Henry with an elbow. "Get it? A

doll?"

Henry snorted, then started to laugh.

"That was terrible."

"I’ve got a million of ‘em."

Meanwhile, the dinner party had begun

to disperse. Tables were being moved to

clear the floor for whatever all the rich

people had planned. Daniel’s building sense

of expectation faltered when it turned into a

giant schmooze-fest. All they did was stand

around and talk to each other.

A middle-aged woman came up to their

party. She was attractive, dressed in a

sweeping maroon gown and elegant silk

scarf, though she had a particularly big,

hooked nose. Eleanor flicked her eyes

toward her and scratched her temples.

Daniel gave her a subtle nod, wondering

what exactly the beef was.

"Henry!" The woman was all over him

in moments. "Oh, and Eleanor," she said, in the tone of someone remembering something

unimportant. "Happy birthday."

Eleanor was stony. "Madame Flemmet.

Glad you could make it."

"I wouldn’t miss it for the world."

She wrapped an arm around Henry.

Eleanor’s father made a face, but didn’t say

anything. Eleanor looked pissed to hell.
Oh.

So that’s the beef.

"Henry," she said, "what do you say we show these kids how to dance?"

"Well…I’m don’t think I’m quite up for

it."

Daniel detected the hint of a French

accent in her words. Was she foreign? "Oh,

don’t tell me your knees are bothering you

again."

Henry coughed slightly. "Yes, afraid

so."

"Excuse me, Madame Flemmet?" Daniel

asked.

Flemmet paused and looked Daniel up

and down. "…Eleanor’s date, yes?"

"Yep. Do you smell something funny?"

Everyone stopped, confused, but they all

sniffed the air automatically. "…ah…no.

Why do you ask?"

"I was trying to place a passing scent. I

thought you might have an advantage in that

arena after observing your most impressive

facial feature." The roundabout insult took

time for them to process. It started dawning

on faces one by one—Flemmet’s last of all.

Eleanor turned away, bending over to control

her laughter. "Must have been my upper lip.

Could have sworn I got a whiff of doxy."

Flemmet was baffled by the last word,

but others gasped. Eleanor snorted into her

hands. Henry used the opportunity to slip

away. "What on earth is a doxy, young man?"

"An experienced woman," Daniel

answered smoothly.

It took another moment, but she put it

together. "…scathing as I’d heard. I don’t

like to judge from hearsay, but I suppose Mr.

Aiken was correct."

"Aiken again? I bathe in the negative

opinion of that arrogant dick."

"Eleanor, dear," Flemmet said, "who are you associating yourself with these days?"

Eleanor straightened, then took a long

breath. "Madame Flemmet, this is Daniel

Fitzgerald. My friend."

"Sure, best friends now that I’m not

working against you," Daniel said. "I guess you’re pretty enough that I’ll let it go."

Flemmet looked at Daniel. She closed

her eyes for a long moment, then opened

them. "Is he a mundane?" Flemmet asked.

"You can’t be serious about him at all."

"Mundane?" Daniel said. "I’ll have you know I’m talented at all kinds of eccentric

and exciting things. I’ve got a level 53 ranger

in Hellfire Online. I can whistle really well.

I can even do magic tricks. Didn’t bring my

cards, though."

A few people in the group exchanged

glances. Eleanor and Henry looked at each

other. Something passed between them. All

in all, it amounted to one very long,

awkward silence.

Daniel immediately tried to figure out

what had triggered it. Maybe he’d just gone

too far.

Eleanor grabbed Flemmet by the arm.

"Madame Flemmet, help me greet my

guests?"

"Ah…certainly, dear."

The rest of the party quickly dispersed

into the crowd, leaving Daniel scratching his

head. He stood with Henry while Eleanor

entertained the crowd near the present table.

"Don’t think I didn’t see what was going on

there, young man," Henry said.

"…sorry."

"Oh, not at all. If anything, I should thank

you."

"Annoying people is my real talent."

"Madame Flemmet is…persistent, but I

could live with her for a few minutes. Thank

you for being there for Eleanor."

"No skin off my back."

"Her mother died when she was only

two years old," Henry said. "Eleanor is as

fiercely brilliant and competent a successor

as I could have hoped for, but I think she

might be spoiled." He looked at Daniel. "She needs someone like you. An equal. Not in

wealth or class, but a person that can cut

through the fog and knock her down to size. I

can tell she likes you."

"…what? Really?"

"No one else would dare speak to her

like that, and if they did, she’d deal with it

quickly. I don’t know what happened that

gave you permission, but run with it as long

as you can."

"…she loves you very much," Daniel

said. "Too much, sometimes."

"You are referring to the tension

between Eleanor and Rachel."

Daniel pursed his lips. Henry might be

good-humored, but he didn’t miss a beat.

"Yes."

"Can you tell me anything about that?"

"I think I’m making progress."

"I’m more impressed with you by the

minute."

"I didn’t really do anything special,"

Daniel said. "I think…they were just stuck

there. Wound up in cobwebs. They just

needed a crazy person to come in swinging a

torch."

"And you fit the bill!" Henry said. He

chuckled. "And here I didn’t even know

about you until three days past. I’m glad

Eleanor got around to it."

"Not Rachel?"

Henry frowned. "What is your

relationship with them, exactly?"

Daniel fingered the lock of hair on his

forehead. "…Mr. Astor, can I come clean

with you?"

Henry’s face firmed up. "You’d better,

Mr. Fitzgerald."

"I’ve been dating Rachel for quite some

time. Things are very serious between us.

Eleanor had a hard time figuring out what to

do about it, and she lashed out at me. I don’t

think she likes being ignored. Anyway, I’m

on loan to Eleanor tonight. Apparently this is

her way of apologizing. We both see it as a

favor to the other person, though. Funny."

"I won’t ask for the details," Henry said.

"Rest assured I’ll keep an eye on it from the

background. I won’t let her do anything

stupid."

"I appreciate that."

"Hmph." Henry snorted softly. "So

close, and yet so far."

"Close to what?"

Henry smiled at him. "You and Rachel

will make a fine couple. But take care of her.

She’s more fragile than she seems."

"I know." Daniel stepped in front of him

and looked him in the eye. "I promise I’ll

protect her."

Henry had a strange look on his face.

"…strong words, Daniel. I wonder if you

really know what they mean."

"More than you, old man."

Henry burst into his deep, rumbling

laughter. "Good answer."

****

Daniel stayed low key after that, letting

Eleanor take center stage. The constant

introductions and ritzy doublespeak of the

implied and the half-said made his head hurt.

He didn’t know anyone, and he didn’t want

to know them, so once Henry left to take care

of the formalities, Daniel established himself

at an empty table.

Eleanor danced with at least a dozen

other guys in between opening her presents;

he sat, watched, and ate pieces of her

towering birthday cake. She often drifted

back toward him for brief conversation, only

to be pulled away a minute later. He could

see the request in her eyes, but after his

discussion with her father, he’d lost his

motivation.

He wanted to see Rachel in a pretty

cocktail dress. He wanted to walk Rachel

out onto the dance floor. He wanted to make

Rachel laugh. But she was stuck on the

balcony and he was stuck on a date with a

rock of ice he’d only just made peace with,

so he sulked and picked at his cake.

"Mr. Fitzgerald."

Daniel glanced up. "Hey Matt. Mind if I

call you Matt? What’s up?"

Matthew Aiken looked as though he’d

smelled rotting meat. "I noticed you sitting

here. You’re a cello virtuoso, correct?"

"I leave the judgment of my skill to

others," Daniel said. "I’m pretty badass in Hellfire, though. Not that you’d appreciate a

matter of such prerequisite gaming

refinement."

"…right. Well, I’ve taken the liberty of

alerting the band that you’ll be playing for us

after this song ends. Thought you’d want to

know." Matthew grinned and walked off.

"They’ll be announcing you in just a few