“I lost him to the clap.”
Daisy narrowed her eyes. She must have heard the old woman wrong. “I’m sorry—the clap?”
“Yep, good ole gonorrhea.”
Daisy’s mouth fell open; she shut it just as quickly as the woman continued.
“I knew he was fooling around with Mary McBride the whole time, but I didn’t say a damn thing! I waited and waited and when he finally came clean, I simply packed his bags and left all his belongings across Mary’s front yard.
“You see, her husband was known for frequenting the local whorehouse. I knew his revenge would not be done by my hand but by the hand of God Himself. And I must admit the big guy upstairs truly came through. Her husband gave it to her and she passed it along to mine. And you know what, good riddance. That man was a piece of work!”
“So he’s not…”
“Dead?” the woman finished her sentence. “Oh heavens no, but he is soon on his way to the grave. While he may have been one awful son of a bitch, he did give me the best gift in the world, my daughter, Jenny.”
“Is that who you’re visiting?” Daisy asked.
The woman smiled. “She moved out east with her husband and my grandbabies. I come when my health allows. They’re my whole world.”
Daisy smiled softly. She understood how it felt to place your whole world in another’s hands. She just prayed Jameson’s hands never got slippery.
They deplaned together. At the terminal exit, the woman touched Daisy’s shoulder. “I hope my story didn’t scare you, dear. Some love works, some doesn’t. Just always make sure to protect what’s in here.” She pressed a hand to Daisy’s heart, then disappeared into the crowd.
Daisy rushed to passenger pickup, eager to thank Devya in person. She scanned the frigid outside area carefully. No Devya. She turned to head back inside, took one more look—and stilled.
Not her aunt.
Jameson.
Piercing blue eyes she’d missed so fiercely. Leaning against a black SUV like something out of the songs he wrote. Daisy blinked twice, making sure he wasn’t a figment of her imagination. When he didn’t fade, she dropped her bags and sprinted into his arms.
“What are you doing here?” She laughed into his shirt.
“Seeing my girl.”
She didn’t care how; she only cared that he was real and warm and hers. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,darlin’. So much. Let’s never go this long again, okay?”
Daisy nodded in agreement.
He ran a thumb over her lower lip and kissed her. The rest of the world vanished. It was just them, stitching months apart back together.
A whistle from somewhere broke the spell. They grinned. “Come on,” he murmured. “We can continue this in the car.”
As they slid into the back seat, Daisy asked, “What about Aunt Devya?”
“We talked,” he said, arm around her. “And came to an arrangement of sorts.”
“An arrangement?”
“I haven’t seen you in five months. There was no way I was letting you stay across town. Devya okayed you staying with me, as long as you spend tomorrow with her. Which works; I’m stacked before the show anyway. And she promised to keep it between you two.”
Daisy smiled up at Jameson and whispered, “Thank you.”
Placing a kiss on her nose, he replied, “Anything for you.”
Before heading back to the hotel, they stopped to get lunch. After grabbing two slices of pizza and stuffing their faces with the greasy goodness, they arrived at the hotel just before his five o’clock band meeting.
