They drove in silence for a while. Dan started to speak, quietly, haltingly. "This may be a bad time, uh, and I've honestly not thought it through all the way . . ." He paused and pursed his lips, looking at her briefly. Dan obviously had something serious to tell her, so she turned to look at him. He waited a few seconds, then continued. "Oh hell, I'm going to tell you about it and you can do what you want."
What was this about? A dark family secret? A horrifying disease? Something epic that would change everything she thought she knew about Dan Avery? "I can take it, Dan, no matter how terrible."
Dan exploded in laughter. "Terrible? I certainly hope not. I was going to invite you to a party! We call them 'Westerleys,' and they happen every few months. My family throws them at a church downtown. There's a Westerley tonight, and I'm going. I was just unsure about inviting you, coming on the heels of this Rosseau craziness. Anyway, now that I've told you, you're invited."
"A party! Why did you make it sound so awful, then?"
"I'm a little worried that inviting you to a party is a bit too forward, especially since my family and friends will be there. I'm serious about not ruining our good thing with a bad romance. We are not going to be lovers."
I'm sorry to hear that. But Dan was right: this game was incredible, and Kay didn't want to mess it up. What other job let you dethrone the head of an insufferably sexist corporation?
Kay thought about the party and something about it sounded familiar. "'Westerley'-isn't that the big construction firm? I've heard about them building some major oil pipeline." She vaguely remembered reading about Dan's Westerley lineage.
"That's them. My mom's a Westerley. The parties are at St. Joseph's Church, downtown. Our family tithes so much money that the priest lets them party there. It's a gathering of all the rich and famous people we know, quite the bash."
"I hate to say this, but it sounds totally stuffy and boring."
"Well, yes, but you see it's actually two parties. The stuffy part happens in the main part of the church where the old folks hang out. But the real party is in the recreation hall where the younger generation gets crazy. That's a party. They get a live band and let the music and liquor flow. I go just to catch up with my friends. They're all . . ." He wiggled his fingers in the air. "They're all very different from you."