Chapter 6

Dani woke the next morning confused. She was in her father's room. No, it was her room now she told herself. As she started to get up, Mrs. Lynnette walked in.

"Rise and shine sleepy head," Margaret said then looked to the bed, and continued, "Ahhh, good you're awake. You had me a bit worried."

"Mrs. Lynnette how'd I get here? Last, I remember, I was going to check some rooms but after that it is all fuzzy. Oh goodness, what time is it? I have to get working on those rooms for the Thortons." Dani said and started to push the covers off.

"You, my dear, are staying right there for the rest of the morning until I know you're alright. Don't make me tie you down. You can believe me when I say I will."

"What happened... " Dani looked fearful and couldn't finish asking the question.

"Now it's all right." Margaret put the tray down on the small table. Went to sit on the bed with Dani and took the hand of the young woman that she had watched grow up for years.

"Dani, everything's going to be fine. And nothing is wrong, other than you had a bit of a shock."

That was when Dani's brain remembered and Dani started crying. Margaret took Dani into her arms and just rocked her, as she whispered, "I know child, just let it out. I told you there where things in the house that you didn't know about."

Dani looked up at the woman, and asked, "You ... you knew those rooms were full of their lives, didn't you? You knew! Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't he tell me? Did he really hate me that much? If he hated me why did he keep all that? Please I need to know, to understand why?" Dani begged.

"Yes Dani, I knew," Margaret said with a sad sigh. Giving her a gentle hug, she continued, "I knew your father from before you were born. He had big plans for his life. Your grandparents had a party one night. They used to live here too," Stopping as she saw the look on Dani's face she continued once more, "and yes the other rooms are full of their stuff too. It was your father's way of honoring or loving them.

Anyway your father wasn't much of a drinker. I don't believe you are either after the reaction to a weak brandy last night, by the way. Well your father got drunk. There were a lot of people getting drunk at that party. Including your mother. Her family had been invited to the party in the hopes that your father would maybe like to date or even marry at some time. Well the girl wasn't being watched too closely and even though she could hold her liquor better, she was so small it just didn't take long for her to be a few sheets to the wind. Somehow the two ended up in the parlor together and they started talking. How they got to your father's room, I'll never know but then, well, nature has a way of taking over when two people are drunk off their asses.

There was a big stink the next morning, I can tell you. In the end your father stood up to all the parents and in a very loud voice said, ' If there is a child then I will do what is right.' and that was the end of that. A month later, your mother took the tests and sure enough, they were positive. There was no fancy wedding and within seven days of the disclosure, your parents were married and she was living here.

I will say that it was a strange marriage. After that one time, your father and mother never slept together again. They did have dates, and they would kiss and act like a married couple when in public but here it was different.

When you came along, your father glowed like a million watt light bulb. He was a good father and did everything he could for you. He even took you to work with him a lot during your first year.

Your mother was so pleased that your father did love you and wanted you that everything else didn't matter. She did like your father but she wasn't in love with him. She was happy though and was able to do some of the things she wanted. She was studying to be a scientist of some kind.

Well your second year was harder. Your father couldn't take you to work as often and wasn't able to even spend as much time with you, and he hated that. There were some other things going on too, with his company I think, that was making life for him difficult. Then his parents took sick. Well I should say your grandfather did and when he died your grandmother died about six month later of a broken heart. It broke your father's heart as well but he had you and that was all there was. Then your mother took sick just after your fourth birthday. The poor dear was gone before your fifth. No one had ever seen a cancer spread so fast before.

Well your father ... He just didn't know how to deal with it. He did love her. Even if he wasn't in love with her. However, when she died, it did something to him. He was never the same. That's why he got the nanny for you and then when you turned eight he sent you to a boarding school. I tried to talk him out of it but I just couldn't get through to him. It was as if he didn't want to feel any more loss and he was terrified that he would lose you. I think that he pushed you away so he couldn't be hurt. You were also a reminder of what he had lost. I don't know if anyone ever told you but you look just like your mother. The two of you could have been twins if you didn't look for a few gray hairs and some wrinkles." Margaret smiled as she finished.

"Mrs. Lynnette..."

"Dani I think it time you started calling me by my first name. Don't you think?"

"Umm ... Ok but this is going to sound funny," Dani said, looking shyly up at the woman, and continued, "I don't know what your first name is."

This struck Margaret as completely comical and she burst out laughing. Dani had only seen Mrs. Lynnette do that a few times and it always made her smile.

"Dani ... Dani you... " Margaret tried to talk but needed another moment or two to get herself under control. "Dani you never ... cease to amaze me. And all this time I thought you were just being polite."

"I was." Dani said with a big smile.

"Oh you," and Margaret smiled back. "Well if you must know its Margaret, and the old man is Robert. However, you'll have to get his permission to call him that. It's just the way he is."

"Mrs ... Margaret, What happened last night?"

"Well, I assume the shock of seeing all that stuff was a bit much for you. That agent man took you to the den and it looks like he gave you a bit of brandy. Your system just couldn't take it and you were sick all over him. Josh came in, took one look and ran to get me. I came over ready to kill him for some reason until I took one look at him. That man was so green I almost laughed. Then the fear and concern that was on his face for you touched me some how. After that I had him bring you up here. I ordered him to go clean up as I helped you do the same.

If Robert and Josh hadn't kept him so busy he would have been sitting next to your bed if I had let him."

"Margaret, why don't you like him? He's a wonderful man and he's done nothing but help me," Dani asked.

"You're sixteen years old. He's what twenty-five or so. He should know better than to chase after you. And don't think I haven't noticed the calf's eyes you've been looking at him with. I'm still miffed that you're letting him stay here. It's a good thing he needs to go back to work and back to his own place soon."

"Margaret, I ... I ... I think I'm falling in love with that man. I really don't want him to go."

"Well its obvious you do have a bit of a crush on him," She said as she continued.

"It's not a crush. I know how that feels as I had one for Josh years ago. And don't pretend you didn't know." Dani said then moved to the side of the bed. "Mike is ... I don't know. There's just something about him. In my dreams, I see us sitting around with children and grandchildren running around the place. I want to ask him to stay. But I don't know how he will take it."

Margaret just looked at Dani. As she did, she was surprised at how much the child she knew had grown up. Dani wasn't a kid any more. She was a woman coming into her own. She was taking charge and wanting a mate that could handle her and all her needs. Margaret knew that feeling but had only part of her desires fulfilled even though she was happy. As she looked at the woman before her, she could see that Dani might have found what she was after.

"Dani, I can't tell you what to do as I'm not your mother. If you were my daughter I ... I don't have a clue as to what I would do. I did want a daughter but I had a son. I know you tried to get close to me as you grew up but I just didn't know how to handle it. I think part of my issue is that I can see that you have found something very special. The best I can tell you is to go slow. Don't rush into anything. You have your whole life ahead of you. I do know this, if this Mike is in a rush to get into your pants than he's not the right man for you."

"That was the long version of what Dr. Farrel said. I know I need to wait. Mike is very shy and I like the little looks that we give each other and the date we went on was great."

"What about him wanting to talk to you?"

"I think it's to see if he could stay. I was thinking it would be good for him too. Even with Josh here and soon Carol I still think someone with a bit more strength would be good. It would be good for him too. I could cut his rent down to half and include utilities in exchange for him taking care of the security here."

Margaret had to think. However, when she was ready to give a response there was a knock on the door. It was Josh.

"Who is it?" Margaret asked.

"It's me Josh. Mike wanted to know if Dani was up and if she was doing OK. The McDoogles got here early this morning and are all but done. We need Dani to tell us what needs to go where." He said though the door.

Dani took up her robe, "Come in Josh."

Josh walked in and looked at Dani. "You looked much better than you did last night, other than your hair Miss Medusa." Josh said as he chuckled at the old jab.

"Humpf. I just got up and at least mine can be tamed; what's your excuse?" Dani said as she shot back at him, but smiling the whole time.

Margaret chuckled too as she listened to the banter between the two. Time had gone back to when they were small. Josh and Dani had always acted like brother and sister. It was really just too bad that they weren't.

"Now you two that's enough of that. Josh you just go tell Mike that Dani's fine and will be presentable soon. I'll be along to tell him where to move the boxes from the room in question. Now get along with you before I take after you with my shoe."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Josh replied but as he turned to leave, he jumped over to Margaret's side, gave her a quick kiss on the check, and ran from the room. Dani started laughing as she watched Margaret almost fall of the bed when she tried to swat him. Then she picked herself up and with a regal air about her walked out of the room, leaving Dani to take care of her morning needs.

By the time Dani was presentable, and up to helping the others she found that Margaret already had Josh and Mike working on emptying the out the room of Carol's suite. Dani knew everything but a bookcase would be out of the room in no time so she turned to her old room. She like the new door and walked through it to see that the now, fake door, was almost complete. Mr. McDoogle, Dave he reminded her, and Pat were just putting on some of the finishing touches. It appeared that they had come early and had been told of the troubles of the night before so didn't make a fuss about it.

So with Dani's attention on the room, she started with her closet. Clothing on hangers was taken straight to her new room and hung up. Boxes and other things were moved as well. Some things she no longer needed were left to be taken to the garage for sorting into various charity boxes.