Not A Small-Town Girl

romantic evening had turned into an intervention.

"I don’t care..." Danielle began to act all coy just to get another sip, as though the wine were something magical she couldn’t resist.

David relented again. "Fine. But just a little bit more."

Danielle giggled as she eagerly nodded. She stared at the bottle, saying, "Okay."

She was so endearing in her tipsy state that David couldn’t help but melt.

By the end of the dinner, Danielle was thoroughly drunk. Clearly, she couldn’t return home in such a condition, so David pulled out his phone to call Howard. "Mr. Darling, it’s David. Danielle had a bit too much to drink. It’s late, so-"

"A little bumblebee flies into the flower field. Buzz, buzz." Danielle’s voice rang out, cutting him off. "David, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to listen to me sing?" "What’s going on, David? Is everything alright?"

Howard asked with concern.

David sighed. "Don’t worry, Mr. Darling. I’ll take good care of her-"

"Come sing with me," Danielle interrupted again, clutching a makeshift microphone-a water bottle- as she jumped on the sofa. "Let’s see who’s the better singer."

David felt his heart jolt, worried she might lose her balance. "Mr. Darling, I’m afraid I need to hang up now," he said hastily before hanging up.

David could only watch helplessly as Danielle sang her way through an entire repertoire of nursery rhymes, jumping and twirling without a care. She even posed for him when he mischievously started recording her performance on his phone, blissfully unaware of the embarrassment she would face the next day.

Meanwhile, at the Darling residence, Howard and Vivian exchanged uneasy glances over the unexpected call.

"Who was that on the phone? What happened to Danielle?" Vivian asked worriedly.

"It was David. Danielle’s staying with him tonight. She had too much to drink," Howard replied. Even though he was fond of David, the thought of his daughter spending the night with him was still unsettling.

"She’s with David? Then there’s nothing to worry about," Vivian said, waving a hand at Howard.

Howard was speechless. ’What makes her trust David so completely?’ he wondered.

Overhearing her parent’s conversation, Audrey was livid. "Mom, Dad, Danielle isn’t even married to David yet. Isn’t it inappropriate for her to stay over?" she said, feigning concern.

"David is a decent guy; he’ll take care of Danielle," Vivian replied gently. "Besides, they’re engaged. It’s perfectly fine."