The Intern (The Dalton Family #4)(49)

I locked my finger with hers. “I pinkie promise.”

She wiggled off the stool and took off for the stairs. “I’ll be back!” she shouted as she climbed the large floating staircase.

Ford never had a problem with me picking up his daughter’s room, something that occurred every time I babysat; therefore, I knew he wanted to talk to me.

Once Everly was halfway to the second story, I wiped my hands on a dishrag. “What’s up?”

He grabbed a beer from the fridge, twisting off the cap as he returned to the island, where I was standing. “Just making sure things are good at work. Dominick mentioned Declan has been a little spicier than normal.”

I snorted. “I never said that to Dominick.”

He tossed the metal cap in the trash. “You didn’t need to. We’ve noticed that on our own.”

By we, I assumed he meant him and his brothers.

“Listen, we all know Declan isn’t the warm and fuzzy kind. He’s crass and moody and—”

“Dickish,” I chimed in.

He said, “Mmhmm,” as he took a drink. “That too.” He wiped his mouth. “The other night, when you were watching Eve, I met the guys at the bar, and Declan was there. I gave him one of the chocolate chip cookies that you had made.”

I knew what night he was talking about; it was the same evening that Ford had met Sydney, his new nanny.

Since this story was about Declan, I rolled my eyes. “He texted me from the bar, asking if I’d poisoned the cookie.” I winced, not sure if I wanted to hear the rest of what had happened, but I knew Ford would tell me the truth. “What did he say to you?”

“Well, he was more than pleased with the cookie. He even moaned while he was chewing.”

“God, he’s an asshole.” I held my breath. “But that’s it? That’s really all that was said?”

He rested his arm on my shoulder, a move that was so fatherly. “Aside from some bitching, yes.” He studied my face. “I need to know how you’re feeling about this internship. You haven’t really said much about it to me. Are you hanging in there? Learning? Or are you on the verge of quitting and telling us all to fuck off?”

Whatever I told him, he would never repeat. That was the kind of relationship I had with Ford.

We’d always been the closest. Maybe because he was the youngest and there were only six years between us. Maybe because he was the softest of the three brothers.

Still, this was difficult territory.

Ford and Declan were friends, and Ford was also Declan’s boss.

“I’m loving it. The passion and knowledge I’m gaining from Declan’s team is addictive. They’ve welcomed me in, and I couldn’t be more excited about my future and the opportunities I’ll have once I pass the bar.”

“And Declan?”

Ford had left the question rather ambiguous.

I wondered if he’d done that on purpose.

“He’s challenging.” I exhaled loudly. “In lots of ways.”

Ford leaned his upper body against the counter, cupping his beer. “Talk to me.”

I went over to the fridge and grabbed myself a beer, taking a long sip before I straddled one of the stools. “I’m going to paint you a scenario.”

“All right.”

Why was my brain conjuring up these questions when Declan had been such a bastard to me?

Why, when his words had sliced me open, the wound still fresh and raw, did I want more from him?

Why, when I had proof that he’d been with Madison, was I somehow able to see past that?

I didn’t know.

But what I did know was my knowledge of men was limited, and I didn’t understand the opposite sex at all. Not the way they thought, how they reacted, or how they processed. I couldn’t work through this on my own. I needed help, someone on the inside, and Oaklyn wasn’t that person. Since I couldn’t have this conversation with my brother, that left Ford.

“There’s this girl and guy who meet one random night. Things happen between them. Physically, I mean. Think sparks, like the Fourth of July, loads of chemistry, breaking down barriers like they never existed.” I paused, my pulse spiking as I thought of the way we’d kissed. “The night ends, and so do they. But fast-forward a tiny bit, and the girl and guy now work together—a partnership that neither of them knew was coming.” I was tempted to put the beer on my forehead just to cool myself down, but I didn’t. “Now, the guy is her boss, and since her first day of employment, they’ve hooked up again. You’d think the setting would be perfect for dating, for more evenings together, for anything”—I pressed my cold hand against my chest instead—“but no. He wants nothing to do with her. Actually, that’s not true. He’s a total dickhead to her.”

“Jesus, Hannah. I wasn’t expecting that.”

My head fell, focusing on my beer. “Yeah …”

“I mean, I had a feeling something happened by the way he’s been acting, but that’s not what I assumed had gone down.”

I looked up. “Elaborate.”

“Whenever your name gets brought up, he loses his shit—that’s not normal behavior.” He swiped some of the frosting from the edge of the bowl and licked it off his finger, the same way his daughter had. “There are two reasons why a guy would act that way. One, he doesn’t want anyone to know how he’s really feeling, so that’s his way of masking his emotions. Two, he has zero respect for women in general, and that’s his true personality. Declan is type one.” He took another fingerful of frosting. “But I figured he was still in the thinking phase, not in the acting-on-it phase.”