“For as long as I’ve known him.” Simon had once told me he believed he’d started dissociating when he was around four or five, but I didn’t say that. Dane would only ask why he began to dissociate like that, and it didn’t seem right to relay the story without Simon’s permission.
“Who is Corrine?” asked Dane.
It took effort not to tense. “One of his triggers.” That was as much as I was willing to say on that subject for now. “I know you wanted us to talk, but it can wait, right?”
Dane stared hard at me for a long moment, almost as if he was really seeing me for the first time or something—it was hard to explain. “It can wait.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I kept my eyes mostly on my tablet as I made notes while conversation flowed around me in the conference room. Dane had back-to-back meetings all day, and he’d wanted me to be present for most of them. It could be exhausting, but I was used to it.
I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look his way. He’d been watching me all day. Watching me like … It was hard to describe. But it was like I’d become some sort of puzzle he wanted to piece together. Or something. I really didn’t know. I just knew the whole staring thing was bugging me.
Well, at least it had stopped me from spacing out a few times with worry for my father. Simon had been fine when I finally left him last night, but the nightmares would continue to come while his brain worked through everything he pulled out of his mental vault.
Once the meeting was finally over, Dane quietly informed me that he wanted to speak to me in his office. Oh, grand. Holding back a sigh, I followed him into the spacious room and closed the door. I held my tablet against my chest and crossed my arms.
Dane leaned back against his desk. “I confronted Travis yesterday about the little tale he told you. As I’d expected, he claimed you lied. He tried twisting the situation to make it sound like you were attempting to cause a divide between me and him.”
Like there wasn’t already a huge divide between them. “How very predictable.”
“Indeed. He talked of confronting you. I made it clear that the consequences he’d face would be … dire if he dared to do so. But he may ignore that warning, which is why I went to see you last night; I want you to be prepared in case he does something stupid.”
I thought about pointing out that he could have simply relayed the information via phone, but he continued speaking.
“If Travis does confront you, call me immediately.”
I nodded. “Okay.” It wasn’t like I wanted to talk to the little prick.
Dane tipped his head to the side. “Had you ever intended to tell me about your father’s condition?”
I felt my mouth tighten. He hadn’t spoken a word about Simon or what happened last night until now. He hadn’t spoken of anything that wasn’t work-related, actually. I was glad. It helped me maintain the distance I needed. But I’d known he’d bring it up sooner or later.
“I was going to tell you before the barbecue so that you wouldn’t have been confused if one of his alters surfaced,” I said.
“Can you tell me about his other alters just in case they decide to say hello?”
It was a reasonable request. “Um, okay. Freddie is eight. It’s unlikely that he’ll talk to you. He’s shy, and he doesn’t trust easily.” He’d had it the hardest of all the alters, because he’d been the one to suffer the abuse. “Maggie is forty. She’s strong and caring and maternal, so she mothers and spoils me. She’ll probably say hi to you, and she’ll be nice unless you swear. She doesn’t like anyone cursing around her.”
“Noted. Are there any subjects I should avoid when speaking to them? I don’t want to push any buttons for them.”
Surprised and grateful that he’d be considerate enough to enquire—which seemed completely out of character for him, really—I replied, “Don’t ask about Simon’s family or past, and don’t mention Corrine.”
“All right.” Dane pursed his lips. “Who is Corrine?”
I flexed my fingers. The guy was unbelievably tenacious. “My mother.”
“Why is she such a trigger for him?”
“They didn’t have a good relationship, and it didn’t end well,” I replied vaguely.
“Deacon said she’d learned her lesson. What did he mean by that?”
And I was done. “That’s not important.”
“I think it is. What did he mean?”
“You don’t need to know,” I said, throwing his own words back at him. I didn’t say it to be a bitch. I said it because it was true, and I was subtly reminding him that he was just as tight-lipped about his personal life.
Dane’s eyes narrowed. “You’re upset that I didn’t elaborate on the things that Travis told you.”
“No, I’m not.”
He pushed away from the desk and slowly stalked toward me. My pulse quickened, but I didn’t let my nerves show. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
He stopped mere inches away from me. Those dark, all-knowing eyes flitted over my face. “You’ve been different. Reserved. You’re always the consummate professional at work, but you’ve been distantly professional since I refused to answer your question yesterday.”
Okay, it would be fair to say I’d been using my position as a sort of emotional shield to remind myself that our relationship was purely professional. I hadn’t really expected Dane to care, let alone mention it.
“I’m not upset,” I repeated. “I was annoyed with myself, not you. I should never have asked you to elaborate on what he said. It wasn’t my place to ask. I just … forgot that for a second. It won’t happen again.”
“Hmm.” Moments of silence ticked by. “I didn’t realize until last night just how much I don’t know about you, Vienna. You give people just enough information for them to assume they get the general picture.” He tilted his head. “You hold a lot inside, don’t you?”
“So do you.”
“Yes, we’re more similar than I ever would have thought.”
Um, I wouldn’t have described us as “similar,” given that—
Knuckles rapped on the door as someone sang, “Knock, knock.” It instantly swung open and Jen swanned inside, wearing a beaming smile that faltered when she caught sight of me. “Oh. I’m sorry. When I saw you weren’t at your desk, I thought you might be on your break or something,” she said to me. “I should have guessed you’d be in here.”
I didn’t realize I’d tensed until I felt the warm weight of Dane’s hand settle on my hip. That warmth seemed to seep into me and melt a little of my unease. She hadn’t come to o-Verve in the entire time that I’d worked there, so it was a surprise to see her.
She had his cell number, so what reason did she have to traipse all the way up here? It had to be important.
“I didn’t realize you were coming,” he said.
Jen looked at him. “I would have called you, but I figured that if I came here, I could kill two birds with one stone.” Her eyes slid back to me. “I want to apologize for my rudeness at the gala. It wasn’t me. I’m not that bitchy person. I just had an off-night.”