AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In a surprise turn of events, instead of the petulant look she’d been giving all day, his daughter’s face lit up. Made brighter when Natalie and Paul started begging, each pulling on an arm as they stared earnestly up at her. “I guess it’s okay with me.”
Which earned immediate whoops and hollers from the two. Jenna, however, appeared close to tears.
“Jenna, honey. Why don’t you join them?” Daisy asked. “You might have fun.”
“No thanks. I’ll be fine,” she said in a stubborn voice, her chin tilted in a way that reminded him of the girl’s mother.
Daisy shared a look with him. He was about to say something more to try and cajole Jenna, but Daisy shook her head slightly and mouthed, “She’ll be fine.”
“Let’s go choose our beds,” Paul called to his sister, no longer interested in marshmallows and the fire.
Natalie held her hand out to Lily. “Can I sleep next to you?”
Lily looked at the hand, and Jack held his breath for a minute, hoping she didn’t do anything to hurt the girl’s feelings. But under the undying adoration of her new fan club, she actually looked pleased at the prospect. “I guess.”
“Come on, Ollie,” Paul cried, and the dog swiftly bolted after the girls.
“Why don’t you take a moment and relax,” Glenda said to Daisy as she started to come to her feet. “I’ll see that the kids don’t get into trouble.”
“You don’t have to do that. I want this to be a vacation for you, too,” Daisy said.
“Nonsense,” Glenda said, not brooking any argument as she turned her light blue eyes on her niece. “I was ready to go inside to get warm anyhow—not to mention getting away from these blood-sucking mosquitos—for the past twenty minutes. Jenna, why don’t you come along? I can help you get settled in the blue room—if that’s still what you want.”
Looking like her best friend had died, Jenna nodded and stood.
“I’ll be in in a few minutes, hon,” Daisy said to her daughter, who moped all the way back to the house. With a grateful smile to her aunt, she sank carefully back down in her chair, no doubt already feeling the effects of today’s hike.
Glenda patted her niece’s shoulders, and as she passed, she smiled at him in a way that gave him the impression her leaving them alone wasn’t entirely unorchestrated.
Well, alone save for the officer dressed inconspicuously in jeans and a black jacket, walking the outer perimeter of the property. Officer Kenney was watching the family the rest of the night, with another officer who Jack had met briefly earlier, arriving in the morning to relieve him.
Daisy sighed. “I feel like I should go up and help them, but I don’t seem to have the energy to even move.”
“Your aunt’s right. You should take a minute to yourself.” He was certain she didn’t do it very often. “Glenda seems more than capable of keeping an eye on them.” He stuck another marshmallow on the stick, then held it out over the flames. “They’re great kids. You should be proud.”
“Thank you. And I am. Lily’s a great kid, too. She’s been wonderful with them. I know it can’t be easy having her vacation plans interrupted by us.”
“She’s full of surprises, I’ll tell you that. Every day I don’t quite know which Lily I’ll see. The sweet daddy’s girl I’ve known most of her life, or this moody teenager who thinks I’m the dark lord.”
She laughed and shook her head, sending her thick dark hair like a curtain across her shoulders. It was the first time he’d seen it worn down, and it was nearly impossible to not reach out and feel the weight under his fingertips.
Unaware of his thoughts, Daisy continued. “Can’t say I look forward to that part, necessarily. Not with two girls. I don’t even want to think about what it’s going to be like when Paul reaches puberty. Having two brothers myself, I remember my parents’ challenges.”
His marshmallow turning a nice golden brown, he turned it around as he considered broaching the topic. But if they were supposed to be pretending to be engaged, he probably should know everything. “If you don’t mind my asking, what about their dad? Is he around much to help out?”
“Leo? Let’s just say he’s around when it’s convenient to him. Like this week? He’d promised them at Easter he’d take them to Disneyland, and the kids have spent the past few months doing nothing but talk about the trip only to have him decide last week he and his latest girlfriend needed some”—she placed her fingers in air quotes—“alone time. In London. As if having them every other weekend and the occasional weeknight was already too time consuming.” She sighed and glanced over at him. “I’m sorry. I sound like one of those angry, bitter ex-wives. I just get tired of him always disappointing them.”
“You’re completely entitled to your frustration.” He pulled his marshmallow from the flame, giving it a moment to cool down. “A dad should be there when he says he will. His kids should be able to depend on him—and you should be able to depend on him, divorced or not.” Jack had always known that his own dad would be there for h
im. Even as, with maturity, he’d taken countering viewpoints to his dad’s and they argued more than they agreed, he’d always known that in a pinch he could call him and he’d be there.
“I agree. But I’m fortunate enough to have a really great family who can give them the support and attention they need.” Her eyes were soft and warm as she mentioned her family, her demeanor instantly relaxing as she sank farther under the blanket.
“You know, other than the fact that you have a brother who recently married Payton Vaughn, I don’t know much about your family. Tell me about them.” The marshmallow was near perfect and he held it out to Daisy, who shook her head, before pulling it from the stick and into his mouth, enjoying it’s warm, sweet ooziness.
“Do you have all night?” she joked. “My family is my rock. My parents have been happily married for almost forty years. My dad had been passing through Morelia, Mexico, a small town not far from Guadalajara, when he saw my mom. She’d only been eighteen at the time, but they both knew straightaway that they were the only person for them. A few weeks later, they were married and she moved to the States with him. And nearly forty years and four kids later, they’re still very much in love with each other.”
“I admit, I’m a little jealous. As an only child, I always wanted to be part of a big family.” It was a sentiment he’d shared with his late wife, Lara, since they both came from a single-child household and they used to talk about the giant brood of kids they were going to have. Unfortunately, fate had other plans in store and they’d only been blessed with Lily at the time of her death. “What are your siblings like?”
