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My eyes met Hunter’s as he studied me closely, giving me my space. “We were decorating the tree, and we ran out of candy canes. They went to buy some more and never came home.”
I toyed with the napkin on the counter and let the words rattle around.
“I had absolutely no idea, Daisy. None whatsoever. I’m stunned.”
I drew a deep breath and let it out. “I haven’t told a soul that in years. I just… It doesn’t fit who I want to be.”
Hunter frowned, cocking his head slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to be the person swallowed up by grief. I want to be the exact opposite.” I smiled at Hunter. “And for the most part, I am.”
“Unless you’re by yourself,” he said softly.
“Exactly.” I looked around the bar. “So, these two weeks are a gift because sitting home without a job would have been torture.”
“Daisy, you’re extraordinary. I’ve always sensed it, but I didn’t know why.”
“I don’t feel very less than ordinary most days,” I whispered. “But I’m working on it.”
“You have every right to feel how you want to feel,” Hunter said, keeping his eyes steady on mine. “But I hope I can show you that your loss didn’t define you.”
A ripple of sadness swept over me as I thought about my brother and mom. “We’d always been the three musketeers. My dad took off when we were young, and my mom did everything in her power to make our lives amazing. And they were.” I smiled at Hunter. “We didn’t have a lot of money, but we didn’t need it. Not with a mom like ours.”
Hunter reached over and wiped away the tears that I didn’t even realize had spilled down my cheeks.
Chapter Ten
Hunter
I wanted to take away all the pain and hurt that threatened to swallow Daisy up, but I knew I couldn’t.
I could only provide hope that things would get better.
One day.
Things would be a new normal.
We’d gone back to my place last night, and I woke up to the smell of bacon permeating the apartment. Purrlock was nowhere to be seen, and I had a hunch she was Daisy’s new sidekick.
After I brushed my teeth and showered, I made my way down the stairs to see Daisy in the kitchen, holding a red bowl in one hand and mixing with the other.
“Hello, handsome… in a completely platonic way,” she teased, setting the bowl down. “Hope you like pancakes.”
“Who wouldn’t love them?” I came up behind her just as she stepped back. Daisy’s body pressed against mine, and I smelled the sweet scent all her own. Somedays, there was a hint of rose, and other days, like today, vanilla. “You smell good.”
She laughed, but I noticed she didn’t inch away. “I spilled vanilla on my jammies, so…”
“And here I thought you just smelled good.”
Daisy spun around, her gaze catching mine as she bit her bottom lip briefly. “I wanted to say thank you for last night.”
I jolted in surprise. “You don’t have to thank me for being a friend, Daisy. It meant a lot to me that you opened up.”
She set the bowl down and smiled. “Really?”
“Of course.”
She turned on the stove and put a skillet on the burner. “Well, I’m not used to it, so… sorry if it turned things weird.”
