Dane's Storm(24)

She laughed softly, reaching up and placing her hand on his cheek then turning her neck a little more so she could kiss him quickly. “Anything I’ve ever done is a far cry from this masterpiece.” She turned around, craning her head once again as Dane nuzzled her neck. But when the click of heels met her ears, she dropped her hand and stepped away from Dane.

Dane’s grandmother cleared her throat and Audra met her eyes meekly, shy that she’d caught their public display of affection, innocent though it was. Mrs. Townsend raised her chin as she stepped forward. “Audra Kelley. It’s nice to see you again. Welcome to my home.” She extended her hand toward Audra and Audra took it in hers. Mrs. Townsend’s grip was firm, though her hand felt cold and bony. Audra pulled away as quickly as she could while still appearing polite. She hoped.

Audra smiled, praying it looked more steady than it felt. “Mrs. Townsend. Your home is gorgeous. Thank you for having me to dinner.”

Mrs. Townsend nodded once and Dane stepped forward, kissing her on her cheek. “Grandmother,” he said.

Her eyes warmed ever so slightly as she took in her grandson. “Dane.”

She turned and waved her hand, indicating, Audra assumed, that they should follow her. She glanced at Dane and he shot her a wink, his eyes amused. “She’s not as stern as she comes across.”

“I heard that, Dane Michael,” his grandmother said as she walked away, but it made Audra relax slightly. Maybe she did have a softer side to her, despite initial impressions.

They followed her into the dining room and Audra tried not to make it obvious that what she really wanted to do was stop every few steps and gaze at some architectural feature or design element in this luxurious house. If she could, she’d stop time and simply wander through it alone, exploring every nook and cranny, letting her eyes soak in all the impressive details. But she didn’t want to appear too stunned by the surroundings. She didn’t want to make it blatantly obvious that she lived in a house so small it could fit in one room of this mansion. The well-worn, mismatched furnishings probably didn’t cost a fraction of one of the paintings on the wall. She stopped suddenly. Was that a . . . Rembrandt? She couldn’t help it, she gaped.

“It is a Rembrandt.” Audra turned her head quickly from the painting to see Dalila Townsend approaching her, a smile on her face. “If that’s what you were wondering.”

Audra let out a breath, smiling back. “I was. It’s magnificent.”

A moment later, Dane’s sister, Dalila, came to stand in front of the painting with her and gazed at it. “I know. It’s what inspired me to take art lessons. Which, much to my great sadness, are making it clear to me that I have no natural talent.” She glanced at Audra. “Not like you.”

Audra shook her head. “That’s not true. I loved that flower you did a couple of weeks ago.”

“That was a self-portrait.”

She felt her heart drop. “Oh, um, well . . .”

Dalila burst out laughing, taking Audra’s arm in hers and leading her to the other side of the room where Dane had already gone. Dalila stopped. “I was kidding. It actually was a flower. But it was awful. It’s okay. I can admit my own shortcomings. No one can be amazing at everything.” She shot Audra a grin and she laughed. Audra had liked Dalila Townsend from the moment they met at the art class downtown. Despite her last name and social standing, she was down to earth and genuine, just like her brother.

Dane was talking to a boy who looked to be about fifteen, with the same brown hair and green eyes as he and Dalila. He must be their brother, Dustin. Dane grabbed Audra’s hand as she approached them. “Audra, this is my little brother, Dustin, the pain in the ass I told you about.” But he grabbed him with an arm around his neck and pulled him toward him in a mock wrestling move that made it obvious he was joking.

Audra laughed softly, shaking Dustin’s hand when he’d shaken Dane off. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just jealous because his little brother’s got more play with the ladies.”

Dane rolled his eyes but then smiled at Audra. “There’s only one lady I want any play with. You can take the rest.”

Audra’s heart squeezed with happiness and butterflies fluttered between her ribs. She still wondered at times how she’d found love in the arms of someone as handsome and wonderful as Dane.

“Gross,” Dustin muttered, and they both laughed.

“I’m sorry my mom’s not here tonight. She’ll be back from Europe next week.” Dane had talked well of his mother, saying she was a good mom, if a little bit flighty, with a great love for shopping and lunching with her friends—and exclusive resorts in Europe. Audra had met her briefly at Dalila’s party, but, truthfully, she was glad she could spend time with his family in small doses. It was nerve-wracking enough being around his grandmother. But before she could even nod, a bell sounded, and the chatter stopped. Dane’s grandmother reappeared in the room from wherever she’d briefly gone. They all took their seats and Audra glanced around nervously, her hands balled in her lap as the formal dinner began, two maids in black and white uniforms emerging from what she assumed was the kitchen with steaming platters of food. My God. She’d never dined like this before—not even in a restaurant. And this was the norm for them?

For the first part of the meal, she mostly listened to the chatter around her, smiling when appropriate, and trying to be engaged while also watching what the others did as far as table manners so she’d know she was doing the appropriate thing as well. She and her father didn’t exactly have five-course meals at their house—ever. Most often, Audra threw something in the microwave without even bothering to dish it onto an actual plate.