It took Ali a few moments to realize why. When it hit her, she shook her head. “No. I can’t.”
“Why not?” Kim was no longer hiding her amusement. “You said the man has money, so he most likely owns a tux or can get his hands on one quickly.”
“Yes, but—”
“But what?” Kim paused long enough for their server to bring their food and leave them alone again. “Look, you don’t have many options here. This fundraiser’s in two days, right?”
Ali’s shoulders slumped. “What if he says no?”
Kim snorted. “You need him. He’s not going to say no.”
Her friend was right. Daniel would probably say yes if she asked him to go with her. The thought of asking him had her stomach doing summersaults, but it wasn’t as if she had a lot of options. “Okay, I’ll ask him.”
“Great!” Kim twirled her pasta around her fork. “Now tell me how you got roped into this in the first place.”
* * *
It was after seven by the time Daniel drove his SUV into his garage. Mr. Birch had countered his offer and Daniel had spent a large portion of the day going over figures and deciding how to proceed. He opened the door to his home and was immediately hit by the smell of food.
He took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of roasted chicken and something sugary. But it wasn’t the promise of good food that had his heart rate accelerating.
Tossing his keys onto the side table, he removed his jacket and headed toward the kitchen. As he emerged from the hall, he heard a noise, then a mumbled curse. Ali came into view, her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, exposing the curve of her neck.
She reached for a paper towel to clean up whatever she’d spilled on the counter. A smile spread across his face as he watched her move. She was wearing the apron his daughter had given him for Christmas several years ago. It was too big for her, the fabric wrapping all the way around her and hanging past her knees.
He must have moved or something because her gaze drifted in his direction a moment before she jumped, letting out a little gasp. Then she composed herself.
“I didn’t hear you come home.”
Her cheeks were flushed, but he wasn’t sure if that was from the shock of seeing him or the heat of the stove. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s all right. I guess I was too focused on what I was doing.”
Daniel walked toward her, taking in the mess on the counter. It was littered with flour, both white and brown sugar, and chocolate chips. “Are you making cookies?”
“Chocolate chip.” She wiped her hands on the apron, then crossed to his pantry cabinet. “You like cookies, right?”
“Of course. Doesn’t everyone?” When his kids were younger, they’d made cookies every weekend. It was part of their special time together. One of the rare bonding moments he’d had with them once they’d become teenagers and it wasn’t cool to hang out with their dad.
Ali took a deep breath and released it before removing a bag of pecans. “Nuts or no nuts?”
He was beginning to feel as if he were missing something. She was smiling, but it wasn’t reaching her eyes.
Daniel removed the bag from her hand and placed it on the counter. “Tell me what’s wrong?”
She averted her eyes. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Ali, look at me.”
Obediently, she met his gaze. There were worried lines around her eyes.
He stood and waited.
She shifted her weight and started to look away, then caught herself.
Daniel waited.
“I need to ask you a favor.” Ali closed her eyes. “I have to attend a fundraiser on Thursday night and...” She paused. “I have to take a date.”