Austen hid her grin behind another forkful of cake.
Tim’s wife, Janine, dropped into an empty seat next to Austen and regarded her with an amused smile. “Are you eating for two?”
“What? No! We’re not… I mean, we are, but it’s not like we can…um…” Austen’s cheeks heated.
Janine laughed. “I meant, are you eating Dee’s cake too since she’s busy entertaining Mason and Mila.”
“Oh.” Austen shoved another forkful of cake into her mouth.
“Although you two really should think about having a baby. Dee’s so adorable with the kids.” Janine gestured across the room.
Dee had apparently given up her attempts to make the twins appreciate her architectural genius. She lay still as the toddlers piled blocks onto her.
Aww. Austen watched her with a smile. “Maybe one day, if Dee is up for it. But first, we have to get Feathered Friends off the ground. Plus we’re not even living together.”
“Dee still hasn’t asked you to move in with her?” Janine widened her eyes comically. “And here I thought lesbians were supposed to be the U-Hauling kind.”
Austen shook her head. “Not us. We spend the entire day together at work, so we thought it would be healthier for our relationship to keep separate places for a while.”
Not that they ever spent their evenings apart. Most days, they drove to Austen’s apartment after work and spent the evening there so Toby wouldn’t have to be alone. Half of Dee’s clothes had somehow migrated to Austen’s place by now, and even though the apartment was small, Dee hadn’t asked for some alone time yet.
“That sounds reasonable.” Janine rubbed at a wrinkle between her brows as if trying to remember something. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think Dee has ever lived with any of her girlfriends.”
She hadn’t, and that was part of the reason why Austen had wanted to give her space and take it slow.
They both turned to look at Dee again, but that spot on the floor was empty.
Austen’s gaze veered through the living room, then froze.
Instead of still lying on the floor, covered in colorful blocks, Dee was standing with her father, Caleb. Gone was the more playful expression that she often showed when it was just her and Austen. She hid behind the poker face that Austen had seen her wear during tough business negotiations.
The twins were tugging on her pants legs, vying for her attention, but Dee was completely focused on her father.
“Oh wow,” Janine whispered. “I didn’t know they were talking again.”
“They weren’t—until now,” Austen whispered back, her gaze still on Dee and her father, who stood stony-faced while he listened to whatever Dee was saying.
“I’d better go get the twins so they can talk,” Janine said.
Under the pretense of helping with twin number two, Austen rushed after her. She wanted to be close in case Dee needed her support.
“I could have told you that from the start, Danielle,” Dee’s father said as they came closer. “You should have set up a company with a broader customer base.”
Dee’s shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. “Actually, niche companies can be just as successful nowadays. Pet bird ownership is on the rise in the US, especially in cities where people don’t have enough space for a cat or a dog, and a lot of them own multiple birds. We could have easily funded that project if not for—”
Her father clucked disparagingly. “Yeah, yeah. You know what your grandfather used to say. If ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we’d all have a very merry Christmas.”
Dee’s lips blanched because she was pressing them together so tightly, probably in an effort to hold back what she really wanted to say.
Austen swung Mila up onto her hip, but instead of carrying her off, she took up position next to Dee in silent support.
Caleb ignored her presence, while Dee shifted her stance so their shoulders brushed.
“Um, speaking of Christmas…” Dee looked her father in the eyes. “That project I was telling you about needs to be launched in time for the holiday shopping season.”
“So?”
“Um, well, as I said, we lost our funding because of a little glitch. I was wondering if you would be willing to lend me the money.”
Wow. Austen couldn’t believe it. Never in a million years would she have thought her proud partner would ask her father for help. Warmth spread through her chest. Dee had been trying to get a little recognition from her family for decades, so Austen knew how hard asking her father for money must have been. It meant the world to her that Dee had put the success of their company over her need to prove herself to her family.
Caleb stared at his daughter as if she had asked him to donate a vital organ. “Lend you money?”
The chatter and clinking of china ceased. Every family member stared at Dee and her father, who faced each other in the middle of the living room in a silent stand-off.
“Why would I do that?” Caleb asked.
Because she’s your daughter, Austen nearly said, but she bit her lip and kept silent, not sure if Dee wanted her to get involved in this discussion.
“Because it’s a good investment. I’d…” Dee glanced at Austen. “We would pay you back, with interest, within a reasonable time frame, of course. I don’t expect any gifts.”
Her father shook his head. “I wouldn’t be doing you a favor in the long run. You kids need to learn to run a successful business without relying on family money, just like I did. I started with one tiny clothing store, and now look at me.” He spread his arms wide as if to indicate an empire. “Sixty-two stores all over the country.”
“I’m thirty-seven, Dad—hardly a kid—and I already know how to run a business. I was the COO of Kudos for fourteen years, and I was a huge part of making it a Fortune 500 company.” Dee looked around for her uncle and former boss. “Wasn’t I, Uncle Wade?”
Her uncle swirled around the ice in his whiskey. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Austen couldn’t stand it any longer. She put her free hand onto her hip and stared at her former employer. “You guess?” she burst out. “Dee kept Kudos running, and everyone knew it. She was the one who got you the Universal deal, and she—”
“We.” Dee reached for her hand and squeezed softly. “We got them the Universal deal. You and I. But that doesn’t matter. My accomplishments never mattered in this family. It was stupid of me to even ask. Come on. Let’s go.”
Austen handed Mila off to Tim, who hurried after them. “Dee, wait. Why didn’t you ask me? I could lend you some money.”
“Nah. You’ve got a family to take care of, and I know Uncle Wade doesn’t pay you as much as he should.” Dee gave her brother a friendly slap to the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get the money somehow.”
At the door, Dee’s mother caught up with them. “Danielle, wait. Take some cake.” Since Dee had already grabbed her jacket and opened the door, Phyllis pressed the box into Austen’s hands.
A piece of paper sat on top of the box. For a second, Austen thought it might be the bakery’s phone number. Then she realized it was a personal check. A check with a lot of zeroes. She swallowed hard. “Um, Dee…”