All of You by Gina Sorelle Read Free Book Online Page B

Danny scarfed down plenty of Stella’s cooking out of Tupperware containers during shifts, sitting on the couch, and standing in front of the fridge. Might be nice to eat some off a plate, for a change.
    Or it might just be stifling, uncomfortable, and weird.
    Danny seriously considered Stella’s threat.
    With his luck, she’d bust down his door during one of Danny’s “dates.”
    He shuddered, imagining the Stella psych eval he’d be subjected to after that little confrontation.
    Danny nodded. “Yeah, okay. Tell Stella I’ll be there. Can I follow you guys, though? I’d feel stupid as shit showing up by myself.”

Chapter Five
    ‡
    “B e nice to Danny today, okay?” Stella paused mid-cheese grating to shoot Kat a sideways glance. “Nathan finally got him to come and I don’t want you chasing him off with your…” Stella gesticulated around Kat as a whole. “ You know . I know he’s not your favorite person, but just ignore him like you do every other person you don’t like.”
    They were standing side-by-side at Pops’ kitchen counter, Stella grating and Kat chopping cucumbers for the salad.
    Or she had been chopping before the topic change.
    Knife-wielding hand suspended in midair, Kat turned to face Stella. “Danny is coming to dinner today?”
    It didn’t take Stella’s nod to activate Kat’s adrenal glands. Her heartbeats were already faster and harder, her breathing had increased, and she could feel the blood rushing into her face and neck.
    Thank God for olive skin tones or Kat knew she’d be as bright-red as the tomatoes she’d sliced.
    Stella looked around (apparently worried Danny had snuck into the house and was spying on them) before whispering, “He doesn’t have anyone, Kat. And he’s Nathan’s best friend. And my friend. And Gia’s godfather.” Stella shrugged before returning to her grating. “Anyway, he’s family now and that means he needs to be at Sunday dinner.”
    Kat scoffed. “First of all, from what I’ve seen and heard, he has plenty of other people to spend time with. Second of all, I highly doubt he has any interest in our boring Sunday dinners.” She scoffed again. “He does know there won’t be pole dancing and drinking games, right? That the women present will be keeping all their clothing on?”
    Stella abandoned the grating completely to turn and face Kat. She gestured for Kat to bring it on . “Okay. Let’s go. Tell me what’s going on. Because this is not like you, Kat. You’ve found a lot of people insufferable over the years, but I have never, ever heard you fixate on someone’s supposed flaws like you do over Danny’s.” Stella eyed her as Kat, calmly and carefully, continued chopping. When Kat didn’t answer, Stella crossed her arms over her chest and said, “ Well? ”
    Kat slammed the knife down on the cutting board and turned to face Stella. “He’s arrogant. And obnoxious. And materialistic.” Kat huffed. “I mean, you’ve seen that car he drives! What police officer can afford a car like that? And the way he waltzes into a room, cracks and joke, and thinks everyone is going to bow down makes me sick.” Kat turned back to her cucumbers and began chopping vigorously. “Every single time you or Nathan bring him up, he’s going to some wild party. Or throwing some wild party. Or dating yet another woman – or women . The man is thirty-three years old. It’s pathetic.”
    Kat shook her head. “I cannot stand people like that – so vapid and shallow and self-obsessed. He is exactly like every other guy who thinks their good looks make up for a total lack of personality and any sort of moral code. He is exactly like every popular guy in high school, Big Man on Campus, and egotistical jerk I’ve had to stomach my entire life. And, truthfully, I don’t know how you stand him, either, Stella. The way he treats women and all of that out-of-control behavior? That doesn’t seem like stuff you’d condone. I know Nathan puts up with