Danielle "Dani" Joyce has been working long hours and living paycheck to paycheck to keep her bakery, The Dough Divas, open. Spending all her time at the store, her only romantic outlet is to crush on regulars like Justin Waverly. She keeps her flir...
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"Okay, we're all one big happy family now, so maybe I could get some sort of explanation as to how I fit into this?"
With Franziska appeased and Justin in the room, I swiveled my chair around and fell into it with an exhausted sigh. With my weight off my ankle, I realized just how much of a strain I'd placed on it during that rather strenuous morning. I groaned with the ache and massaged the throbbing joint, but neither of the love birds took notice. They were too lost in each other's eyes.
I let them have their moment, though. With them distracted, it felt like I was alone in the room, which allowed me to breathe easier. My muscles eased, releasing the tension that had kept them taut and ready to spring. Eventually, though, Franziska sighed and pulled away from her amorous companion.
"I'd like a proper explanation too," she said, rising back on her feet and grabbing one of the other conference chairs. "I'm getting the sense that... what's your name again?"
"Danielle, but people call me Dani."
"That Danielle here isn't a threat," she continued. "However, that doesn't change the fact that you called her your fiancee in front of your family and that I'm just a coworker."
"Yes," said Justin with a shaky smile and a wring of his hands. "I... I can explain." Instead of joining us around the table, he took to pacing the rather cramped room, his eyes studying the laminate flooring. "Okay, so to start, Dani, you should know that Fran and I have been together for three years."
"Wow," I muttered with the painful realization that I'd spent the last six months crushing on a guy that was well beyond my reach. "Congratulations..."
"Wait," he said, holding up a finger, though he didn't stop staring at the floor, "don't interrupt, I need to get momentum to do this and pausing will only make things more confusing."
"Okay."
I glanced over at Franziska, who didn't return my gaze, but watched Justin intently as he took a deep breath and paused his frantic march to look us in the eye.
"So I met her while working in Germany. However, despite us getting serious, I never told my parents or my family about us. Instead, I lied to them and made up these imaginary girlfriends."
I had to bite back my initial reaction to demand why, but a single glance of his eyes stilled my tongue and with another breath, he continued to explain.
"You see, shortly before I met Fran, Wes was left at the altar." My heart dropped as Justin confirmed my fears. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from showing it while Justin continued, unaware of my struggle. "His fiancee... well, she didn't mesh with the family, I guess." He ran a hand through his hair and frowned at the memory. "Really, my family is just prone to sticking their noses where they don't belong. We're a proud bunch and the family business's success has led to a sense of entitlement among certain members of our extended family."
