“You do know what time it is?” he gruffed.
“Yes,” she said, breathless. “But Kevin fell. I couldn’t just leave him. Please, Ron?” She widened her eyes shamelessly.
“Kevin?” he asked, confused.
She uncovered the bird cradled in her shirt.
Ronald held her stare for a long beat, let out an annoyed sigh, then stepped aside.
Kevin would be okay. Ronald splinted the small fractured wing and promised a full recovery with a couple weeks of rest. Kevin stayed with him as Daisy had no business caring for an injured wild bird. It was just too bad she couldn’t communicate that to Kevin’s family. Their nest erupted into earlier, louder, more accusatory shrieks by the day. Daisy assumed they were cursing her name for kidnapping their brother.
If they only knew.
Today, finally, Ronald would return Kevin to his ever-irritated family. Daisy was more than ready for decent sleep again and for her morning routine to reset. For her boyfriend’ssweet whispers to be the first thing she heard instead of a piercing chorus.
Speaking of…
Trying to tune out the racket, she rolled toward the empty side of the bed. The shower was running in the en-suite; steam curled through the open door. A low hum echoed off the tile. When the water cut off, she propped herself on an elbow and watched a glistening man emerge.
Her boyfriend, Matthew, padded into the bedroom with a towel slung low around his waist. Broad shoulders, cut lines, water tracking from dark hair to collarbone.
“Good morning,” Daisy said, smiling.
He kissed her cheek. “Morning. Up with those birds again?”
She groaned, flopping back. “Yes, but Kevin comes home today. Maybe they’ll stop yelling at me once they realize I saved their brother’s life.”
Matt sat on the mattress, palm warm on her hip. “You know you’re a little crazy, right?”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“You barely tolerate dogs, but you’re out here running avian urgent care.”
“My mistake,” she said lightly. “I didn’t realize empathy equals insanity. You should really look into having me committed.”
He laughed.
She hugged a pillow closer, sitting up. “When’s your flight?”
“At ten.”
She glanced at the clock. “You need to leave in under an hour. I’ll make breakfast.”
He nodded, kissed the top of her head, and disappeared to finish getting ready.
They ate in a comfortable quiet, Matt thumbing through work emails and Daisy skimming the latest issue ofArchitectural Digest.
“Did you call Amelia?” she asked.
“Not yet. I’ll call on the way to the airport.”
“Okay. Make sure you do. You know how sensitive—”
“Daisy,” he cut in gently, “I will. Promise.”
She nodded and bit her toast.
“What’s on your agenda for today?” he asked.
