“That’s a nice dress,” he said, glancing at the silver floor-length gown Stephanie was wearing.
“It cost me five hundred dollars. Plus another two hundred for my hair and make-up, not to mention t
he gala tickets. So far I figure I’m out almost a thousand thanks to you.”
He noticed her nostrils flaring. That wasn’t good at all.
“I’ll pay you back.”
“That’s not the point.” She shook her head. “The point is you made me a promise and you reneged. You made me look like an idiot in front of all my friends. Do you know how long I was sitting in my apartment waiting for you to pick me up? In the end I had to take a cab.”
“It was an emergency. As you can see, I was ready to come and pick you up.” He glanced down at his evening clothes. “Then I got a phone call.”
“So your phone was working then?” Stephanie said acidly. “I was beginning to wonder.”
A breeze blew in from the lake, ruffling Nate’s hair and making Stephanie shiver. “You want to come inside?” he asked her. “It’s getting cold out here.”
“It depends.”
“On what?” Nate frowned.
“On whether we’re going to have a decent discussion about this or if you’re going to put me off again.”
Nate’s jaw tightened. “Let’s just go inside and get warm.”
Five minutes later he was carrying two mugs of coffee into the living room. So much for that whiskey. Stephanie was sitting on the corner of his pale cream leather sofa, her legs angled to the side. She was staring out of the huge picture windows that looked out onto the lake. The dark water was dappled with the colored lights of Seattle as they reflected on the surface. He could see greens and reds, blues and pinks, all dancing in the water. Above them towered the Seattle skyline, silhouetted against the dark blue sky. For a moment Nate let the sight soothe him, before he brought his attention back to Stephanie.
She was glaring up at him, her eyes narrowed. He offered her the coffee but she shook her head, so he put it on the large square table in front of her.
“I really am sorry about tonight,” he said, sitting down opposite her.
She looked as tightly wound as he felt. “It’s not just tonight though, is it? How many times have you stood me up or changed your plans at the last minute since she came to stay?” Even her voice was stretched thin. “Things were great between us until then.”
“When you’re talking about my daughter I’d prefer you use her name.” Nate’s voice was quiet, but he couldn’t hide the anger in it. “And you know what she’s been through. What do you expect me to do? Ignore her because we had a prior engagement?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I expect.” Stephanie’s eyes flashed. “We’ve been going out for two years, Nate. We were talking about moving in together before…” she trailed off. “Before Riley came to stay. And now you’re treating me like crap.”
“I’m sorry.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. Especially without making things worse.
“That’s not good enough.” Stephanie shook her head. “Do you know how many offers I’ve turned down since I’ve been with you? How many guys have begged me to go out on dates with them? I’m a prize, and you’re losing me. If you want to keep me I need to see change.”
Nate took a sip of his coffee, surveying her over the rim of his cup. “What you see is what you get, Stephanie. You always knew I had a child.”
“So you’re not going to change?”
He gave a humorless laugh. “What exactly do you expect me to change?”
“You could send Riley to live with your sister. You said they always got along well.”
Nate’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? You think I should send my troubled, grieving daughter away because she’s an inconvenience to you?”
“I’m just pointing out that this isn’t working. Not for any of us. And it was working just fine before she came. Logic dictates that the problem lies with her.”
“You are serious. You’re asking me to choose between you and my daughter.”
“I’m asking you to honor your commitments.” She pressed her lips together in a firm line.
“I am honoring my commitments. I became a father long before I met you. That’s the only commitment I’ll never break.”