Fateful by Cheri Schmidt Read Free Book Online Page A

have any
classes, but her relatives could have made plans.
    Brianna snapped her head to her mother, an
inquisitive look on her face. “Mum, date! Tomorrow?” she whispered
eagerly, pointing at Danielle.
    Charlotte chuckled and nodded her okay.
Brianna started bouncing again, catching air this time. She
chanted, “Yes … yes … yes,” in a hushed voice. Danielle pushed her
back a little. She appreciated Brianna’s enthusiasm on her behalf,
but this bouncing in her space was a bit much.
    She uncovered the phone. “Hi, Ethan?”
    “Yes,” he responded sweetly.
    “Sure, tomorrow would be fine. What
time?”
    “Lovely. I’ll be there to pick you up at nine
A.M.”
    “Okay. Thanks, Ethan.”
    “I’m looking forward to it. See you
tomorrow.” And with a click he was gone.
    Danielle gaped for a moment at the now dead
receiver. She sort of wanted to keep talking to him, but supposed
that she could wait until tomorrow. “Bri, where’s Van Kamp … Kemp …
Van…?” Danielle was trying to ask.
    “Van Kampen Gardens,” Brianna corrected.
    “Yeah, that, is it nice?”
    “It’s a four hour drive from here, but
amazing, and super romantic.” Brianna punched her shoulder. “You
lucky little brat! Will doesn’t like taking me to things like
that,” her cousin then complained.
    Before going to bed that night, she asked
Brianna to help her decide what to wear for her date. “Well, this
is a good time for one your girly skirts,” Brianna said, again
choosing the red one Danielle had rejected the other night. “Except
you do need comfortable shoes, it is a big garden,” she revised.
She then selected a pair of comfortable flats that would go nicely
with the skirt.
    As her cousin looked over her creation,
Danielle wondered if Brianna liked the long red skirt more than she
was letting on. She’d said earlier that Will didn’t take her to
such romantic places and now couldn’t help but wonder if she sort
of wished he did. Did her cousin have a secret girly side hiding
under that cool exterior of hers?
    Before she could ask about it, Brianna added,
“And don’t forget to bring your jumper and jacket, just in case it
decides to chuck it down.”
    Forgetting whatever it was she meant to ask,
Danielle gawked at Brianna while her brain tripped over British
slang. “Huh? Come again?”
    “Oh, sorry. ‘Jumper’ is a sweater and ‘chuck
it down’ means to rain heavily.”
    “Right.” Danielle snickered. How could she
have possibly known that?
    It took her forever to fall asleep that
night. She felt like a young child on Christmas Eve: excited, but
also worried she would sleep in too late and miss everything.
However, when unconsciousness finally took her, it was deep and
dreamless.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Danielle took too long getting
beautiful for her date the next morning. She didn’t have time to
eat breakfast when the doorbell rang at nine A.M. sharp.
Butterflies jumped in her stomach at the sound of the bell. Why am I so nervous? she
thought. I’m being so silly. But, wow!
He’s prompt!
    She heard Uncle Nick answer the door. “Hello,
Ethan, please come in.”
    “Thank you, sir.”
    With her foot moving to the next step as she
descended, she didn’t fail to notice that Nick barely let him get
seated before he started in with his lecture. “Now, son, you do
need to know, just so there are no misunderstandings, that I am
responsible for Danielle while she is here in London. With that in
mind, I expect you to take very good care of her. I wouldn’t be
letting you go out with her if I didn’t already know Beon, so
consider yourself lucky.”
    “Yes, sir, of course. She will always be safe
with me.”
    As Danielle moved off the last step and
entered the living room, Ethan quickly stood. Her uncle followed.
Danielle watched as Uncle Nick scrutinized Ethan. It appeared that,
from his observations, he was impressed. She was also flattered
that he stood for her. Apparently modern-day gentlemen did exist.