It was barely a glance, but in that short instant, he conveyed the depth of his disapproval. These past months, I’d ignored the feeling that Daniel’s family, and social circle, didn’t accept me, because he was there to reassure me of his love and acceptance. But tonight, I was a ship without a rudder, adrift on a stormy sea. And so, my heart wracked with disenchantment, I drove partygoers home when they couldn’t reach their parents to come and get them. If I hadn’t been wholly preoccupied with my thoughts, the uncomfortable silence in the car might have bothered me. I might have even cared. And it wasn’t just that the ballpark deal had been leaked—an idea I’d been wholly responsible for—but if it got out that there was alcohol and drugs at the boys’ party, Daniel would have two scandals to deal with. A record, I was sure, not just in politics, but for the esteemed Cannon family. Both arguably my fault. Alternating between chewing my lip and my thumbnail, I stepped lightly through the butler’s pantry and peeked around the corner into the dining room.
