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“Honestly, I think we should drive.”
“Fine. If you want Cruella’s hot seats, we’ll drive.”
Hunter frowned, unlocking the car. “Cruella?”
“Yeah. That’s what I named her.”
“You named my car?”
I nodded. “It seemed fitting.”
Chapter Four
Hunter
I followed Daisy into her home, and the sweet smells of chocolate and vanilla filled the air. Her tidy kitchen was decorated with Santa towels hanging on the fridge, candy cane potholders dangling from the cabinets, and a ceramic Christmas tree on the tiny island.
Her tree stood bare in the corner of her living room, which was perfectly Daisy. A red throw had been tossed over her white couch. A series of black and white photos of puppies hung over the brick fireplace. A rattan lamp lit up the opposite corner from the tree where a rocking chair had been tucked. The coffee table had a spread of catalogs displayed, the top one being a local cheese catalog.
She turned to face me, tugging her jacket off. “What?”
“It’s just fun to see where you live.”
Daisy grunted and held out her hand to take my coat. She made her way to a tiny closet and hung our jackets.
“I don’t know why that would be.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I have two heads. I’m just a normal woman, trying to keep things together.”
I shook my head, laughing. “There’s nothing normal about you, Daisy.”
I wanted to add that she was extraordinary.
If someone could hold magic at their fingertips, Daisy’s magic would be her ability to turn anyone’s bad day into a good day. I saw it time and again in my bar.
And anyone who had a series of puppy photos obviously didn’t hold much bitterness inside.
She cast me a funny look as a piece of hair fell from her loose braid. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Every night at the bar, I thought that, and here it happened again.
But ever since Millie stopped by this morning telling me to be funnier and more laid back around Daisy, I couldn’t stop myself from treating her like one of my brothers. The only difference at this point was that she didn’t have a beard.
And I honestly couldn’t figure out why I was listening to Millie at all. There wasn’t a reason in the world Daisy would be interested in me. And I still didn’t understand why Millie appeared on my doorstep other than to give me a peppermint mocha that had the nameJacksonscrawled on it.
I walked over to the tree and traced one of the limbs. The fresh smell of fir escaped into the air, and I spun around to look at Daisy. She was just so natural. There was nothing over the top about her.
Even today, she was in a sexy pair of slouchy jeans and a cropped sweater. It was perfectly Daisy.
“This tree smells so good.” I sniffed. “Incredible.”
“What has gotten into you?” Her eyes narrowed on me. “You’re all chipper and stuff. It’s like I’m watching a chipmunk on speed. You’re caressing my tree, falling in love with my Subaru… I’m used to you sulking in a corner of your bar. Not this.”
“I wasn’t sulking.” I walked closer to Daisy. “I just had a lot on my mind.”
“And now?” She chuckled. “Did everything just gopoofin there?”
“Hardly. It’s just good to be back in Buttercup Lake.” I rubbed my hands together. “So, what can I do to help?”
She reached for a remote and turned on her stereo, piping Christmas carols through the air.
“I’ll be right back.” She gave me another funny look before walking out of the room, and I realized I'd better cool it.
