Page 170 of Fake it ’Til Fall

I take it. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She hesitates. “For the coffee. Not for the emotional under-seasoning. That’s your journey.”

Puck puts his head on her boot and sighs like the whole scene has exhausted him.

Daisy looks down. “Honestly, same.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Forrest

A while later, Daisy escapes toward the back room carrying empty syrup bottles and a stack of napkins like she can outrun herself if her hands are full enough.

Bea follows her.

I should not.

I know that.

I sit for a full minute, coffee cooling in my hand, trying very hard to respect her privacy, boundaries, and the fact that I have already broken enough rules with Daisy Thorn to qualify as a cautionary tale.

Puck looks at me from under the table.

“No,” I tell him.

He rises.

“Sit.”

He walks toward the back.

My dog is an asshole with instincts.

I stand, coffee in hand, and follow far enough to grab him before he becomes another accusation in Daisy’s day.

I stop in the doorway.

Daisy is facing Bea, notebook clutched in one hand. Her cheeks are flushed again, but not from me this time.

From the thing she’s saying.

From caring too much and being mad that no one else has cared with enough structure.

“They’re missing the point,” Daisy says. “And the opportunities. It’s about Evan. And the other kids who can’t afford equipment. And the fact that everyone keeps acting like access is a seasonal fundraiser instead of a program design failure.”

Bea’s arms fold.

Daisy keeps going, faster now, like if she stops, she’ll have to feel instead of solve.

“It’s about the school wanting to put a coach with a name in front of donors as proof that hockey can be inspirational, when what they actually need is transportation, snacks, tutoring, gear, mentors, and someone who knows how to make rich people write checks without making poor kids perform gratitude.”

Bea’s face softens in a way she probably hates. “So now you’re planning what? Fundraising all year?”

Daisy looks down at the notebook. “Maybe not all year.”

“Daisy.”

“I said maybe.”