The Art of Discipline: Dani’s Discovery (The Mockingbird Chronicles) Read online

“Find anything interesting?” she whispered, causing Emma to jump and squeal before turning and slapping Dani on the arm.

  “Damn it! You scared me to death, Dani!” Emma accused.

  Dani grinned, rubbing her arm, “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “Packing.” Emma returned the grin. “What do you think of this skirt?” she asked, holding the item up for inspection.

  Dani frown a bit. “It’s a little tight…”

  “Exactly,” Emma grinned, causing Dani to roll her eyes.

  “I don’t need too many fancy things in Fort Strymon. Not like the bookstore has much of a dress code.”

  “That could change,” Emma joked, packing the skirt.

  “Right, I can just see Will coming into the bookstore after class in a three piece suit and tie every day,” Dani giggled.

  Emma put her hands on her hips and feigned strictness. “You never know. It might happen.”

  Dani grinned and pulled the skirt out of the box. “Don’t pack this. I never wear it.”

  Emma pulled the item from Dani’s hands and tried to place it back into the box. “You will,” she grinned.

  “Will not.” Dani grabbed for the item again just as Emma pulled back, and soon both women were playing tug of war for the skirt. Deciding to end it quickly, Dani reached out to tickle Emma.

  Emma dropped the skirt as she laughed. Looking up, their eyes met, and before Dani knew what was happening, she had leaned towards Emma and gently placed a light kiss on her lips. Pulling back, she looked at Emma’s dazed expression. “Okay?” she whispered.

  “More than okay,” Emma replied, pulling Dani’s head towards her lips once more.

  * * *

  Grabbing Emma’s hand, Dani pulled her toward the large Ferris wheel on the pier. “Come on, Emma. You have to go on the Ferris wheel with me.”

  Emma looked up at the ride and shook her head. “I don’t know, Dani, I’m a little afraid of heights.”

  “Please,” Dani begged, her blue eyes opened wide for emphasis. “I’ll be with you the whole time. And,” she leaned down to whisper in Emma’s ear, “I’ve always wanted to kiss someone at the top of the Ferris wheel.”

  “Let’s do it,” Emma decided as she squeezed Dani’s hand just a little tighter.

  Emma followed Dani’s lead, still nervous, but trying to put on a brave face. She was fine until she was actually seated on the bench. When it moved she found herself gripping Dani’s knee, and the higher it got, the closer she melted into her tall protector.

  “Come on, Emma, just look.”

  Emma shook her head vigorously, refusing to lift it from Dani’s shirt.

  Dani hugged Emma closer to her, and when they got back to the bottom, she signaled the operator to let them off. “Hey, you weren’t kidding when you said you were scared of heights, were you?” Dani joked as she helped Emma step off the ride.

  Emma looked up into the woman’s blue gaze. “Not one bit.”

  “I never thought I’d get your face out of my shirt,” Dani smirked. “Not that I minded, but you missed a great view up there.” Bending down, she lightly kissed Emma on the lips. Seeing Emma smirk, she returned the look. “Well, I didn’t get my kiss at the top of the Ferris wheel, did I?” she teased.

  “No, you didn’t.” Emma grinned. “How about the carousel next?”

  “Sure, but I get that golden-colored horse,” Dani agreed.

  “Let’s play some games,” Dani suddenly declared, grabbing Emma’s hand as they stepped off the carousel. “Hey look, I always wanted to try that one.”

  Almost twenty minutes later, Emma giggled as Dani presented her with her prize, a small stuffed cow with a purple t-shirt embossed with ‘Navy Pier’ on it. “I can’t believe you wasted thirty dollars to win me a two dollar stuffed animal.” Holding her hand out to Dani, she continued. “It’s getting late; I think we should be heading back to your condo.”

  “Well, you said he was cute, and I wanted you to have him,” Dani grinned.

  “And you know, it does match that other little souvenir I picked up,” Emma teased, lightly tapping Dani’s bottom.

  “Yeah, well we could leave both of them here in Chicago.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t want this little guy to get lonely,” Emma teased again, wagging the stuffed cow at Dani.

  “He can keep Morgan company,” Dani retorted, making a face. “After all, I’m letting her rent the place from me while I’m in Indiana.”

  “So the two of you made up?”

  “Yeah, I apologized for being such an ass, and she told me she’d kick my ass if I ever did it again. All in all, big win for her.”

  Chuckling, Emma squeezed Dani’s hand. “Well, she did walk in at a very inconvenient time.”

  “Yes, she did. She’s lucky I didn’t throw my shoe at her.”

  “Oh, you have experience throwing your shoes at people who enter your bedroom unannounced?”

  “Only Uncle Sean,” Dani grimaced as she remembered his reaction and unconsciously rubbed her backside.

  Laughing heartily, Emma rose up on her tiptoes and kissed Dani’s cheek. “Come on, honey. Let’s get back to the apartment. I was thinking you could help me make dinner tonight.”

  Dani raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re up to that after what you witnessed in Fort Strymon?”

  Emma laughed. “Yep, you’re only going to be cutting up the potatoes. I think you can handle that.”

  Dani wrinkled her nose. “Potatoes… are we having French fries?”

  Emma shook her head, pulling Dani toward the door. “No, Danielle, we are not having French fries, but they will have cheese on them.”

  * * *

  A short time later, Dani found herself frowning at her plate. The baked chicken, parmesan potatoes, and fresh green beans looked pretty but were uncharted territory for someone more used to chicken strips, French fries, and untouched parsley garnish. Eyeing the glass of water in front of her, her frown became a scowl. This was totally unfair.

  Looking up, she noticed Emma watching her, so after swallowing hard, she managed another baby carrot with ranch dip. At least those were good, but she was hungry and knew she had to at least try what was on her plate. Feeling all of four years old, Dani picked up her fork and slowly stabbed a green bean.

  “Dani, the beans aren’t going to bite back. You can eat more than one at a time,” Emma teased.

  “I have to see if I like it first,” Dani muttered, tasting the item. Looking at Emma in surprise, she shrugged. “I guess it won’t kill me.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Emma replied digging into her own plate. “So, when did you start spending summers with Uncle Sean?” Emma asked as she watched Dani eat another green bean.

  “The summer I turned six.” Dani took a small bite of chicken before continuing, “My parents were killed in a small plane crash earlier that year. Uncle Sean wanted me to live with him, but my grandparents—my mother’s parents—refused. They compromised, I guess. I spent summers and holidays with Uncle Sean and lived with them during the school year.”

  Emma waited a moment before saying, “What was living with your grandparents like?”

  Dani shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I mean I had everything I ever asked for or wanted, but they didn’t really spend a lot of time with me. I guess they loved me, in their own way, but they were too busy with their parties and fundraisers,” Dani explained quietly. “I’m not even sure why they wanted me. I think it was just because they’d never liked my father, and Uncle Sean reminded them of him.”

  “Oh, Dani,” Emma started.

  Dani sat up and looked at Emma. “It’s okay. I had Uncle Sean in the summer and on holidays, and I think for the most part I turned out okay.”

  Emma reached out across the table and squeezed one of Dani’s hands. “I think so too,” she commented before leaning across the table to give Dani a gentle kiss.

  * * *

  Groaning, Dani reached over Emma’s sleeping body to ans
wer Emma’s cell. “Hello,” she mumbled sleepily.

  “Emma Gray?” a male voice at the other end of the line asked.

  “No, who is this?” Looking at the clock and the glowing red 4:13 a.m., Dani realized just how early it was.

  “This is Fire Marshal Drew Chambers. I really need to speak with Emma Gray.”

  Immediately awake, Dani began to shake Emma. “Just a moment, I’ll wake her for you. This is her business partner, Danielle Ryan. What happened?”

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Ryan, but you aren’t on our documents. I need to speak to Ms. Gray.”

  “Fine,” Danielle huffed. “Just a moment.” Shaking Emma’s shoulder harder, she managed to rouse the redhead. “Emma, wake up, the fire marshal is on the phone for you.”

  Taking the phone, Emma sat up groggily, replying, “This is Emma Gray.”

  “Ms. Gray, I’m sorry to tell you this, but there’s been a fire above Ryan’s Books.”

  “What?” Emma was immediately awake. “What happened?”

  “It seems the fire originated in one of the apartments upstairs.”

  “Which apartment?”

  “I’m afraid it was yours, Ms. Gray,” the fire chief paused for a moment. “There is a lot of smoke and water damage to the apartment, but luckily we were able to get it out before it spread.”

  “Do you know what caused it?” Emma demanded.

  “That’s being investigated, Ms. Gray.”

  “What about the bookstore?”

  “There doesn’t seem to be any water or smoke damage to the bookstore that we can see right now.”

  “Okay, that’s good. We’re out of town in Chicago right now, but we’ll be leaving as soon as we can. When can we meet with you?”

  “Give me a call when you get back into town, and we can set that up then.”

  “Fine, until we get there you have my authorization to speak to our employees about the fire. Their names are Stevie Taylor, Anna Benson, and Will Green. I also give you permission to talk to my business partner, Danielle Ryan.” Pausing for a moment, Emma nodded before saying, “Thank you,” and hanging up the phone. A moment later, she found herself falling into Dani’s open arms.

  Chapter Nine

  Dani and Emma were on the road by 5:15 a.m. They had called Stevie and Anna and filed them in, and the women had promised to go over and see what the damage was and keep an eye on things after the fire department left.

  Hanging up her cell, Emma threw it down on her lap. “Stevie says it looks like a lot of water and smoke damage, just like the fire marshal said. The bookstore and your place appear untouched.”

  “Any news on the cause of it yet?” Dani asked, reaching over to grab Emma’s hand.

  “No, just that the fire originated in my apartment.” Emma placed her head back on the head rest. “I’ll just be happier when I can see things for myself. Thank goodness Atticus was staying with Will.”

  “We’ll figure it all out, Emma, I promise.”

  Emma gave Dani a soft smile, before bringing Dani’s hand to her lips and giving it a gentle kiss. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Just being here.”

  * * *

  Emma and Dani made good time from Chicago. Even with the hour time difference, Dani’s dashboard clock read 9:45 a.m. when she pulled into her parking spot in the alley behind the bookstore. Giving Emma’s hand a kiss, they slowly exited the car. Entering the building, Dani led Emma up the stairs to the soaked landing. The only evidence of the fire, besides the wet floor, was yellow tape across Emma’s door and a dark black soot mark on the ceiling in the hallway.

  Taking a deep breath, Emma broke the tape and opened her door. Entering, she reached back and grasped Dani’s hand. Dani followed, pausing to pull Emma into her arms before they separated to survey the damage.

  Going to her bookshelf, Emma pulled a favorite book from it and checked for Uncle Sean’s letter. Sighing in relief she handed it to Dani. “Just a little water damage, but I think it’ll be fine.” She smiled at Dani through her tears. “They’re just things, right?”

  “Right,” Dani confirmed, leaning in for a hug. Pulling out of the hug, Dani used her thumb to wipe the tears from Emma’s cheek before kissing her tenderly on the forehead. “Okay, sweetie, let’s see what we can salvage and get you moved into my place.”

  Nodding, Emma moved first to her bookshelf. “You think the books will be okay if I leave them until we can pack them up?”

  “Yeah, and I’ll see what we can do about getting them packed up as soon as possible,” Dani reasoned.

  Turning, Emma headed back to her bedroom, followed closely by Dani. The next two hours were spent sorting and shuffling through Emma’s things, transferring the salvageable items to Dani’s apartment, and accepting the assistance Will, Anna, and Stevie offered. The three employees-turned-friends were a great help, especially with the numerous books that needed to be laid flat to dry.

  Looking at the tables covered with her books, Emma smiled ruefully. She never thought Ryan’s Books would be doubling as a sanctuary for fire victims.

  Hearing the familiar tinkle of the bell, Emma was about to tell the people they were closed when Dani stepped forward. “I have this, Emma,” she explained, approaching the man who entered. Dani greeted him, shaking his hand before turning to Emma and making the introduction. “This is Ben Hall. He and his company specialize in clean up after a fire, and Ben, this is Emma Gray, the apartment’s owner.”

  Emma shook the man’s hand and looked at Dani puzzled, “I don’t understand…”

  Dani smiled. “Ben’s the best in the business; I used him two years ago when a venue caught fire. He and his crew had us up and running in no time. You just take it easy and let me do this, okay?”

  Emma, too tired to argue and thankful that she didn’t have to make any more decisions at the moment, found herself flopping down in one of the plush chairs as Dani and Ben made their way up to her apartment. Smiling at Anna who plopped down in the chair next to her, she shook her head. “Some day, huh?”

  “Oh yeah,” Anna returned.

  Emma realized she must have dosed off, for it seemed only a moment ago she was sitting across from Anna, when suddenly Dani was back. Hearing the voices, her eyes fluttered open. She glanced at her watch, stunned to see that 45 minutes had passed. Standing, she greeted Ben and Dani as they approached.

  Ben smiled. “My crew and I will be down here on Wednesday. Don’t worry, Ms. Gray, we’ll have you ship-shape in no time. I’ll call you Tuesday, Danielle, to let you know what time we’ll be here.”

  Watching as Dani walked him to the door, Emma waited for her to return. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “It needs to be done, and the fire investigation should be finished by then, don’t worry about anything, Emma. Like I said, we’ll get through this.” Bending down, she gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a break. What say we go out for lunch and do a bit of shopping?”

  “Shopping?” Emma raised an eyebrow.

  “Uh-huh, you need some new things, and I’m treating.”

  “Well,” Emma looked up, as Stevie approached and winked. “I guess I could be persuaded.”

  Stevie laughed, “That was hard.” Turning to Dani, she gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Good luck, my friend. This one loves to shop.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” Dani joked.

  Stevie grinned. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Emma pushed Stevie. “Hey now, you’re going to scare her.”

  Dani smiled and put her arm around Emma’s shoulders. “Nothing could scare me when it comes to you.”

  “And on that note, we’re going to head home. You two have fun.” Stevie winked at Dani again. “And don’t forget, you were warned.”

  * * *

  “Please, Emma,” Dani begged as they sat at an empty table in the mall’s food court. “Please, my head hurts, I’ve been up since 4:13 a.m.,
and I just had that one driving here,” she whined.

  Emma rolled her eyes at the pitiful expression. “Alright,” she relented, “just this once.”

  “Yes!” Dani jumped up and gave Emma a quick kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

  Dani returned shortly carrying a tray containing their lunch, complete with bottled water for Emma and a medium-sized diet soda for herself. Placing the food on the table, she sat down and stared at her plate. “I love sesame chicken,” she commented, stabbing a piece of meat.

  Emma grinned. “Good to know, because you’ll be eating at least one of the pieces of broccoli that come with it.”

  Dani put her fork down slowly and stared at Emma. “Oh come on, Emma, that’s just mean.”

  Emma chuckled, taking a bite of her garlic shrimp. “Nope, it’s more than fair. Go on, try one.”

  “What if I gag or something?”

  “You won’t,” Emma put her own fork down. “Go on,” she encouraged. “Just try it.”

  Sighing, Dani put a piece of the green vegetable on her fork before slowly bringing it to her mouth. Sniffing it, she wrinkled her nose before giving it a small lick.

  Putting it down, Dani shook her head, “I can’t.”

  “You can, Danielle,” Emma encouraged.

  Dani muttered, once more staring at the broccoli. “Do I have to, Emma?”

  “Yes, Danielle. One piece.”

  “But it smells awful,” she protested.

  “I didn’t ask you to smell it. I asked you to eat it.”

  “No, you didn’t, you told me to eat it. There’s a big difference between asking and telling.”

  Emma calmly looked at Dani. “Danielle, please, just try it. If you hate it, you don’t have to try it again.”

  “Just one piece?”

  “Just one piece,” Emma confirmed.

  Taking a big breath, Dani stabbed the smallest piece of the vile vegetable she could find. Quickly chewing and swallowing it, she took a large sip of her diet soda. “Ick,” she wrinkled up her nose. “That was gross.”