Free Knight in Blue Jeans by Evelyn Vaughn

bunny?”
    “Yes, Daddy.” She felt as if she were lying. But she wasn’t …except by omission. Just because she’d seen Smith. And lied about it. And kissed him. And dreamed about him….
    But that had been Smith’s fault. And they certainly weren’t dating anymore!
    “Good riddance.” Her father patted her shoulder affectionately. “You can do much better than that one.”
    Arden almost didn’t challenge that. She didn’t care enough about Smith for it to matter, and why disturb their pleasant family morning? But maybe last night’s sparring—or the kissing—had left her more quarrelsome than usual. She paused only long enough to dimple a smile at her father and take a sip of fresh orange juice before she asked, “Why is that, Daddy?”
    Donaldson Leigh blinked. “Pardon?”
    “Why are you so sure Smith was beneath me?”
    His own smile brightened the already sunny breakfast nook in what he clearly thought was understanding. “Because, my darling, all men are beneath you. You outshine every last sorry one of them.”
    Which was characteristically sweet of him, and gratifyingto hear, and yet…“So you didn’t have a problem with Smith himself, then?” At his raised eyebrows, Arden wrinkled her nose to imply she was teasing. “I would hate you to think your only daughter had been slumming.”
    “Not at all!”
    Good, she thought.
    “Will Donnell is a good friend of mine,” her father assured her. “He and his wife were at your soiree just the other night, weren’t they?”
    Arden felt even more reassured, until he added, “Too bad that boy of his didn’t live up to the family name.”
    Did Daddy know more about Smith’s fall from society than she’d thought? Pride had kept her from discussing Smith with him, afterward, and certainly with his parents. But she’d rather disposed of pride last night, in Smith’s arms, hadn’t she?
    Until you kicked him out. She’d had enough pride for that.
    Fully aware of Jeff watching the exchange too closely, Arden said, “You know, I never did understand what happened to Smith after our breakup. One week he was running a security company, the next he not only left me, but vanished out of our circle entirely. His mother didn’t even mention him to me at the Molly for Governor reception.”
    Her father took a long sip of coffee.
    Her suspicions flared. “Daddy—you didn’t do something to Smith, did you? I mean, to protect my honor or something?”
    Her father laughed at the foolishness of her question.
    So why had he seemed so startled a moment beforehand?
    She was drawing breath to ask when Jeff, reaching for the salt, knocked her half-full juice glass over onto the white tablecloth.
    He blinked at the mess. “Oops.”
    Arden leaped to her feet and began attacking the stain with napkins. Their father called for the maid. And in the temporary chaos, the moment passed. Before Arden could decide how to best approach the question, Jeff was asking to come to work with her.
    “I want to see what you’ve done with the place,” he insisted. “Especially since that state comptroller lady got involved. I bet you’ve gotten all kinds of donations.”
    First questions about Smith, and now the rec center—where she would be meeting Smith today? If Jeff hadn’t overheard something, the coincidence amazed her…too much. She stayed suspicious.
    “And I can help protect you,” Jeff insisted. “Dad always worries about you down in Oak Cliff alone.”
    “That’s true,” their father agreed.
    Arden quickly prioritized her concerns. “I wish you two would stop acting as if Oak Cliff were the Gaza Strip. It’s a perfectly nice neighborhood—”
    “Except for when your car radio was stolen,” her father reminded her grimly.
    “Well, yes, but—”
    “Twice.”
    “We have better security on our parking lot now. Do you think the girls who come to us don’t have big brothers and fathers or boyfriends making sure that nobody messes with us?”