Relatively Famous (16 page)

“Oh, I love camping.” Dani looked at Olivia wistfully. “I’ve gone a bunch of times with my mom and her boyfriend.”

“Really? I’ll work on Mark and see what I can do about that.” She turned to leave and then stopped. “Hey, is what I’m wearing okay for a wine tasting? I’m feeling a little nervous about being around that crowd.”

The simple dress was noticeably more fitted than what she’d been wearing at the flower shop
,
and Dani could actually see her figure. “You look really pretty,” Dani said. “I’m glad you and Mark are having fun.”

“We are. I’m not really sure why we are, though. Do you know that he has Dolce and Gabbana on speed dial? But I like him.” She shrugged and headed up the wide staircase.

Dani flopped back down onto the couch and beckoned Jason closer with one finger. “We’ve got four minutes left.”

**********

Mark tasted his eighth wine. The host of the tasting insisted that this was one of the best wines California had ever produced. They had tasted pretty much the same to Mark. He, Olivia, and thirty other people were an hour outside of L.A., milling around the cavernous wine cellar that sat beneath the gargantuan house. It was dark in the stone
-
walled room
,
and the air was heavy, practically suffocating him. Mark usually loved mingling with crowds like this one, but something was off today. He took another sip of his wine. It was a good thing Olivia had driven
,
because he had definitely had too much to drink.

He scanned the room and found Olivia standing with three statuesque women. She had managed to find some common ground with this high-powered, expensively dressed, well-traveled crowd. People seemed to really like her.

Mark watched as Olivia touched the arm of the woman next to her. “Come by the shop anytime
,
and we’ll put together a beautiful arrangement for your party,” she said.

The woman smiled broadly. “It’s wonderful to see you and Mark together. You’re quite a change for him.”

Olivia was the one who had resisted the whole idea of coming to a wine tasting, and there she was having fun while Mark was having a crummy time. He caught Olivia’s eye
,
and she excused herself from the group. She walked over to him and slid her hand into his. They’d been dating for two weeks
,
and they hadn’t even so much as kissed. Not that he had gone out of his way to kiss her yet, but she hadn’t given him much opportunity. Was he supposed to make out with her while clinging to a rock wall or balancing on water skis? And every time that he drove her home, she practically flew into the house. Olivia kept going out with him, though, so he must be doing something right. Nonetheless, behaving like platonic friends was not going to help his image.

“Do you want to go outside for a minute?” he asked her. “I could use some air.”

“Sure.” She followed him up the stairs and out of the house to a long garden path. “This is stunning! It must have cost a fortune, but look at the gardens here!” Olivia whirled around, admiring the many flowers and exotic plants.

“Yeah. Beautiful,” Mark grumbled.

Olivia touched a flowering shrub. “Mark, what do you know about Jason?”

“Who the hell is Jason?” he asked.

“Jason is the young man at your house who was draped across your daughter.”

“Oh, him. He’s okay.”

“You might want to pay some attention to them,” she said. “You know what? This party is much less awful than I expected. Are you having a good time, too?”

“Whatever.”

“Why are you so grouchy today?”

Mark let go of her hand and glared at her. “You want to know why I’m grouchy? I want to know why you won’t kiss me.”

Olivia froze. “What?”

“I want to know why you won’t kiss me,” he repeated. “We’ve been going out for two weeks, and nothing. I’ve gone on all your exhausting day-long excursions and I’m tired and I would like to know why you won’t kiss me.”

“Oh. I just thought we were taking things slowly.” Olivia looked at him shyly. “I didn’t realize that you
wanted
to kiss me.”

“Maybe I don’t.” Mark turned and walked f
a
rther down the path. Suddenly he stopped and spun back around. “Or maybe I do.”

Mark surprised himself by rushing forward. He was going to get this kiss over with. He hesitated and then pressed his mouth to hers. Without realizing it, his hands were cradling her face as he moved his lips against hers
,
and Olivia was pressing her body into him and running her fingers through his hair.

Mark abruptly pulled away. “There. Now I’ve kissed you.”

“Yes.” Olivia’s voice shook. “Yes, you did.”

Mark took her hand. “Let’s go back inside.”

Chapter 31

Dani was forty-five minutes late to Kayla’s
,
and she blamed Jason. It wasn’t her fault that he was so yummy, and with her father gone at the wine tasting, she hadn’t been in a rush to kick him out. Although Dani had been spending a lot of time with Kayla and her friends over the past few weeks, this was the first time she had been to Kayla’s house. Dani walked past a reflecting pool, through lush plantings, and
past
some abstract sculptures. She rang the bell. She’d thought Mark’s house was huge, but his place didn’t begin to compare to the Dodds
’
. The housekeeper answered the door and pointed her up the stairs, but she should have handed Dani a map. The modern house was dominated by sculptural lines and disappearing glass walls that accented the city-to-ocean views. Dani headed tentatively up the wide staircase and stood at the top of the stairs. She had no idea if she should turn left or right, both long hallways offering many doors that could be her friend
’
s. “Kayla?” Dani called. “Kayla!” Dani walked past what must be a screening room with plush reclining chairs, past a fully stocked library, and then into a bathroom that could have passed for a private salon.

“Kayla?” Dani hollered. “Where are you?’

“Thank God you’re here!” Kayla stuck her head out a door from the opposite end of the hallway
,
and Dani made the long walk to her bedroom. Not surprisingly, the room was beautiful. “I need your help. Where have you been?” Kayla threw a pile of dresses onto the gargantuan bed. “By the state of your neck I’d say you were with Jason. You’ve been thoroughly taken in by the city’s most eligible vampire, I see.”

“What?” Dani clapped her hand to her neck.

Kayla disappeared into her walk-in closet. “Yes, he’s sort of known for his neck fetish.”

“How very
Twilight
of him,” Dani said, embarrassed.

“Yeah, he’s a regular Edward Cullen without the eternal loyalty and devotion.” Kayla emerged from the depths of her closet with a second pile of dresses. “Don’t get too attached, Michigan girl. Jason may be fun and all, but he’s not boyfriend material.”

“You never know,” Dani said. “I think he’s kind of into me.”

“That’s what
I
thought.” Kayla replied.

Dani frowned.

“I’m sorry!” Kayla gasped. “I thought you knew! It was nothing. It’s serious ancient history, though, so don’t worry.”

“Are you sure?”

“God, yes! He’s all yours. Enjoy yourself. For now. But don’t say I didn’t warn you about him. And I do mean enjoy, because he is totally hot, isn’t he?” Kayla pulled Dani out of the chair. “Help me choose a dress. My sister practically had an aneurysm when I said I wanted to get something new for her party
,
because she is afraid I might find a dress that will compete with hers. So, I’m stuck recycling one of these. What about this one?” She held up a glittery red dress.

“It’s beautiful.” Dani reached out to touch the fabric. “Or what about that black one?”

“Hm. That’s not a bad idea,” Kayla thought aloud, taking the dress from Dani and holding it up against her.

Nathan popped his head into the room. “I’m going out, Kay. Can you tell Mom or Dad? I can’t find them.”

“Hi, Nathan.” Dani waved hello. She hoped the red splotches on her neck had disappeared.

“Hi, Dani. What are you two doing?” he asked, eyeing the mess of dresses that covered the room.

“Helping Kayla decide what to wear to Ava’s party.”

“Don’t remind me. I can’t wait until that night is over and she stops torturing everyone around here. Do you know she nearly ripped Dad’s head off because he couldn’t get some singer she wanted to perform at the party? But you don’t have to worry about choosing a dress anymore.”

“Why? The party is now clothing optional?” asked Dani.

Nathan laughed. “Close. She decided that she wants the theme to be ‘Beach Paradise.’ Dad already canceled the sunken ships and cannons. That was for the pirate theme.”

Kayla moaned. “So what’re we supposed to wear? Bathing suits?”

“Pretty much.” Nathan slid a hand into his shorts pocket. “Dani, did you ever get an invitation?”

“No, Kayla just gave me the date and time.” Dani brushed her hair back.

“I’ll bring one by next week. You are coming, right?” he asked hopefully.

“I wouldn’t miss it. Where are you off to now?” Dani asked.

“Just meeting up with the guys. We’ll probably go surfing or something. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later.” He caught Dani’s eye for a second before leaving the room.

“Now I need helping choosing a bathing suit!” Kayla slammed the dresser drawer shut. “Better yet, a
new
bathing suit and a sexy wrap to go with it. And shoes!”

“I gather we’re going shopping?” Dani asked.

“Let me see if our driver is still here.” Kayla looked out her window. “He’s here. I guess Nathan isn’t using the car. He’s so strange.” She shook her head as she watched her brother.

“He’s not strange, Kayla. I think he’s cool.” Dani hadn’t failed to notice that surfing had left Nathan’s arms deeply tanned. And the sun had started to lighten his brown locks just a hint....

“You are truly bizarre
,
and I think he’s up to something. Abigail Jamison’s housekeeper told our housekeeper that she saw Nathan waiting for the bus by her apartment.”

“Unless you’re planning on hiring a private investigator, I guess you’ll just have to let it go.”

“But I want to know,” she said.

“Well, you could always get your paparazzi friends to do it for you,” Dani suggested jokingly.

“Dani, you’re brilliant!” Kayla grabbed her phone and punched in a message.
“
They owe me a few favors. Besides, it was your idea so don’t look at me like that.”

“I was kidding!” Dani said, horrified.

“We’ll just wait and see,” Kayla said, undeniably pleased with herself.

“You are bad!” Dani scolded.

Chapter 32

“Kayla?” A male voice rang out from down the hallway.

“In here, Daddy!”

“There you are!” Evan Dodd leaned against the door frame. “Oh, hello. You must be the famous Dani McKinley I’ve heard so much about. Nathan and Kayla talk about you all the time. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, too, Mr. Dodd.” Dani held out her hand.

“You have to call me Evan, and if you don’t I’ll have to call you Miss McKinley.” He shook her hand warmly.

Dani liked Evan immediately. Considering that he was a prestigious producer, she’d imagined he would be like those horrible people she’d met at the premiere of
The Clone Faction
. Instead, he had a very casual and sincere way about him. He had on loose-fitting jeans, a Gap shirt, and bare feet. Dani liked the way his eyes wrinkled at the corners when he smiled, and she was happy to see that he didn’t dye his handsome salt-and-pepper hair.

“Kayla, your sister would like to consult with you about her party. Something to do with the guest list. I’ve given up trying to keep track of what that girl wants,” he said, shaking his head.

“Don’t make me talk to Ava,” Kayla begged. “She’s even scarier than usual these days.”

“Just keep your head down, agree to her demands, and you’ll survive. If you’re not back in ten minutes, I’ll come make sure you’re still breathing.” Evan held up his wrist and pretended to set a stopwatch. “Go! Ten minutes and counting!”

“Back in a few, Dani
.
” Kayla glowered.

“I hope you’ve been having fun out here this summer?” Evan asked.

Dani nodded. Evan was easy to talk to
,
and she soon found herself telling him what it was like to spend the summer with her father and how everything was so different
from
back home.