Chapter 149

Victor took me home, and I told Benson I was expecting company. Before I could ask, he told me that Alex was in the living room watching a news broadcast.

I hurried to tell him I was home.

“Ah, there you are, Daisy,” he said. “How was your day?”

“Okay,” I replied. “But I think my evening is about to get more interesting.”

I told him about the girls coming to visit.

“You should ask them to stay for dinner,” Alex advised. “I like their parents very much.”

“I hope I like their daughters,” I said. “But I don’t think we have much in common.”

“If you give people a chance, you may find you have more in common with them than you think,” Alex said.

“You are right,” I agreed. “It would be a good thing for me to get to know them.”

“It never hurts to have a few more friends, honey,” Alex said a moment before Benson announced my guests.

“Hi.” I waved the girls into the room. “This is my father, Alex Wilson. Dad, this is Megan Thomas, Becky Foster, and Hallie Edwards.”

“Delighted to meet you girls,” Alex said. “Please make yourselves at home.”

“Your home is fantastic,” Becky gushed. It’s three times as big as my family’s house.”

“And it’s decorated so beautifully,” Hallie added.

“How about it,” Megan agreed.

“Daisy, why don’t you give them a tour,” Alex suggested.

All three girls happily clapped their hands.

“Sure,” I said. “Come on.”

I took them room by room through the first floor, except for the altar room. That room was private.

They asked for another peek at the ballroom, and I was happy to comply. After they admired every inch of the room, I led them outside to the patio.

They looked out over the rose garden toward the pagoda pond, but they didn’t want to go outside and get their expensive high heels dirty.

I would’ve kicked my shoes off and gladly gone for a walk, but they were the guests. And I wanted them to say good things about me to their fathers.

“Can we see your room?” Becky asked. “We’ve heard fantastic things about your wardrobe.”

“Sure,” I agreed and took them upstairs.

After a quick peek in the library, which they weren’t impressed by, I took them into my bedroom.

“Oh, my Goddess!” Megan exclaimed. “It’s enormous and double-cute.”

“It’s huge, and your decorator was the best,” Becky said.

“And I love the balcony!” Hallie gushed. “Look at the view.”

Next, we went through my closet, and they commented about every item of clothing and pair of shoes I owned.

“I wish we were the same size,” Megan said. “I would just love to borrow your cinnamon ball gown.”

“With your blonde hair, it wouldn’t look that good,” Becky advised. “You should stick with shades of blue.”

“Green isn’t your color either,” Hallie added when Megan pulled my mother’s gown from the closet and held it in front of herself.

“All your clothes are just gorgeous,” Megan said. “But as much as I love expensive clothes, I love my jeans.”

I gave her a genuine smile. “So do I. I wear my old worn jeans all the time.”

“It is a pain in the B to be expected to be dressed up all the time,” Becky agreed.

“I hate it when my mother makes me dress for dinner every night, even when we don’t have company,” Hallie complained.

Maybe I did have more in common with these girls than I thought.

“I miss having days when I can do whatever I want,” I revealed. “I’m lucky if I can steal a few hours a week for me anymore.”

“But we admire you so much,” Megan said. “You’re finishing high school, and you run a company.”

“And you have the two hottest guys with you all the time,” Hallie said. “What I wouldn’t give it to ride in that Lamborghini just once.”

I laughed along with the other girls.

“I never considered how good my life looked to others,” I said. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Your life looks pretty good to us,” Becky said. “And it’s great how you want to help the Betas and Omegas.”

“I wish my father talked about me like he does you,” Megan admitted. “He said you are intelligent and kind. I’d love to help you raise money for your foundation, Daisy.”

“Yeah, tell us what we can do. My dad said he wishes I was like Daisy,” Hallie said. “But I don’t know where to start.”

“It helps when you have somebody who believes in you,” I said.

It felt weird to be admired. But I couldn’t believe how easily I could talk to these girls. They felt the same way about many things as me.

Jennifer knocked on my door to let us know dinner was ready.

We went downstairs to the family dining room and joined Alex.

At first, the girl’s chatter was amusing and flattering. But as the meal continued, all their questions about personal details of my life made me begin to feel what I call introvert overload.

It was a relief when Benson asked me to accompany him out of the room

“You have another guest in the foyer. Mr. James declined to have dessert, and he wishes to speak to you.”

“Thank you, Benson,” I said before hurrying to the foyer.

William was standing in front of the fireplace.

“Hi, William. You are welcome to have dessert with us.”

“I’m not hungry,” he replied. “I just wanted to talk to you for a while.”

“I have other guests, so I can’t be away from the table for long,” I said.

“I’ll be quick.” He sat on a couch and patted the seat next to him.

I reluctantly sat down, but it must be important. William knew I had other guests.

“First. I want to invite you along on a day trip to the lake next Sunday,” he said. “My parents want to have a picnic, but they don’t want to stay the night.”

“I’ll have to let you know,” I said. As much as I wanted to return to the lake, I needed to make sure I wasn’t required at the company.

But William seemed hurt that I had not accepted his invitation right away.

He narrowed his blue eyes, but his voice was tense. “Are you planning on coming to the playoff games? It would be nice to have you there to bring me luck.”

“I’ll try, William, but I can’t promise anything,” I replied. “I enjoy watching you play.”

He gave me a half smile. That’s great. Maybe we could do something after the game. I could eat another burger from the diner.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said. “I’m not sure about my schedule right now.”

I could hear my father trying to entertain the girls in the dining room. It wasn’t fair for me to leave him alone with them for very long.

“You don’t seem like you want to talk to me,” William said. “Are you mad or something?”

“Not at all,” I tried to assure him. “But I have other guests in the dining room. We could talk more if you’d like to come in and join us.”

“What is special about these guests?” he asked.

“They are the daughters of business associates,” I explained. “I can’t insult them or their families by being rude. Please try to understand.”

“Sure,” William said and stood to leave. “We can talk later.”

He wasn’t being a jerk, but I didn’t like the hurt look in his eyes. I took his hand and squeezed it. “I’ll see you in school tomorrow. Werewolf history class, remember?” I teased.

He squeezed my hand and let go. “Sure. Think about the picnic at the lake and the football games. Okay?”

“I will,” I promised.

I’ll make it up to him, I told myself as I watched him go out the front door.

A picnic at the lake sounded terrific if I had the time. And I had to ask Victor what he thought about my going to the lake with William and his parents for an afternoon.

I’d ask him tomorrow. We had a big party to attend with lots of influential Alphas.

I needed to make more contacts, and my evening tonight with the Alpha girls was giving me the courage to do it.