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Lanie’s eyebrows pulled together. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. And please don’t tell him I was here. I don’t want to take any attention away from the kids.”
She pondered me curiously. “Sure.”
“And thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making my decision easier.”
As confusion clouded Lanie’s face, I raced down the stairs, grabbed my suitcase, and ran outside, searching for a nearby park so I could breathe. The city was stifling, and I needed to clear my head before embarking on my next mission. Ethan needed to know I was serious about moving, or he’d never let me stay.
15
ETHAN
Iloved my job. I really did. But without her, it meant nothing.
Each day, I woke to my inner-city apartment with barely a window to brighten my day. There was no smell of frying bacon, no clattering of cooking utensils, and no one yelling at me for leaving the toilet seat up. Nothing. I missed the beach house. I missed Smudge. And I missed her.
I had promised Flynn three months. From the moment Daisy left the cabin until now, I hadn’t seen or spoken to her, and it was killing me. All I did was eat, sleep, work, and paint. My apartment was full of sketches and canvases of her face, her body, and her essence. I had to take some to the gallery just to make room for more.
It wasn’t until Flynn flew in for a surprise visit that he realized the extent of my misery. Daisy wasn’t just another girl to me, and I’d do anything to prove my worth. To Flynn. To her parents. And to myself.
Taking this job was my attempt to redeem all my years of self-sabotage—dropping out of college, refusing to use the one skill I had to make money, and tormenting Daisy until she hated me. I had made myself unworthy. I had made myself believe I didn’t deserve happiness, that I didn’t deserve her. I placed Daisy on an untouchable pedestal and watched her heart break while she watched mine. It wasn’t fair on either of us, and I knew this now.
“Everything okay?” Lanie asked as I gazed into Daisy’s blue eyes after another full day of classes. “You’ve been staring at that piece for a while now.”
Guilt washed over me as I turned to the woman who’d given me this amazing opportunity. “No, not really.” I ran my hand down my face, dreading the words that followed. “I have to quit.”
She tilted her head, unperturbed. “Homesick?”
“Yeah…something like that.”
“Does that pretty blonde with the bright-blue eyes have something to do with it?”
I let out a dejected chuckle as I peeked up at my painting. “I’m guessing my artwork is a dead giveaway.”
“Nope.” Lanie pressed her lips together in an unsuccessful attempt to smother a smile. “She was here.”
I froze. “What?”
“And she had that same look in her eyes that you’ve had since you started here.”
“Daisy was here?” Hope and fear swirled in my gut. “My Daisy?”
“She told me not to tell you…” She chortled. “But I’ve never really liked being told what to do.”
“Thank fuck for that,” I said, searching the windows for a glimpse of her. “Did she say where she was going?”
“No, but she seemed very determined. Why don’t you give her a call?”
“I don’t have her numbe—wait.” I pulled out the phone Flynn gave me before I left for New York and searched through the apps he installed last weekend. Sure enough, the fucker had added the tracking app, which I swiftly opened. Three dots appeared—one on the west coast and two on the east. The daisy icon hovered nearby, seemingly in the middle of Washington State Park.What is she doing?
“She said she’d come back, but you don’t look like the patient type.”
“My patience has well and truly worn out,” I uttered, already heading for the door. “I have to go.”
