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“Just started last night,” Daisy replied, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.
Sarah’s face turned nearly purple. “So, you don’t know him.”
“Nope,” Daisy said casually. “Don’t care to. He cheated on his girlfriend, right in front of her and didn’t give a shit.”
“She wasn’t his girlfriend!” Sarah insisted.
Daisy frowned at her. “She tried to take a swing at me.”
“Well,” Sarah said, floundering. “We don’t know her either. But she wasn’t his girlfriend. We wanted her to be though.” She looked back at her friends then at Daisy. “We were hoping she’d be.”
Daisy crossed her arms in front of her. “Well, I didn’t mess that up,” she insisted. “I didn’t even know about her. I was just minding my own business,” she said, glossing over the flirting she’d done earlier that night. “He came up to me,” Daisy told them. “And I just… went with it,” she finished, for lack of any better explanation.
“She had a dry spell!” Milo chimed in from his stool a few feet away.
Daisy felt her own cheeks pinken. “Shut up, old man,” she snapped.
“Just sayin’.”
Daisy glared at him. “Say anything else, and I’ll put you on the No Fly Cheese Fry list.”
Milo shrank into his stool.
“I don’t know him,” Daisy repeated to the woman. “If you’ve got a problem-”
“He’s got a problem,” Sarah told her.
“Yeah, I heard. Missing a leg. And that sucks, truly, but it’s not a free pass to treat people like shit.”
“He doesn’t do that!” Sarah argued.
“Yeah, he does,” the redhead replied.
Both Daisy and Sarah looked at her.
Red shrugged. “He does.”
Sarah sighed. “Not all the time. And he was getting better! You didn’t know him when they released him from the VA. He was a lot worse,” she said as much to her friends as to Daisy. “He was getting better. But yesterday and today, he’s been… moody.”
The redhead clamped her lips shut as though ‘moody’ didn’t quite cover it.
“I just thought you might know something,” Sarah told Daisy. She looked genuinely concerned.
Daisy couldn’t help but feel for her. “I don’t,” she said quietly.
“So, he didn’t say anything to you at all?”
Daisy grimaced and shook her head. “No.” She lowered her voice. “To be honest, he didn’t say anything at all.” She sighed. “I don’t know why I did what I did,” she admitted.
Milo grunted behind her. Daisy clenched her fists but didn’t turn around.
“I’m not after Jimmy,” she told them. “It was just a crazy thing that happened. I don’t know anything about him. Sorry.”
Sarah sighed. “It’s okay.”
“Are you going to eat?” Daisy asked. “Or did you just come here for that?”
“We’ll eat,” Sarah said more brightly. “I’m starving.”
Daisy nodded and took out her pad. “Let’s start with drinks.”
“Just water for me,” Sarah replied. “Breastfeeding.”
“Is the baby hungry? Milo asked. “You should feed her.”
“Jesus Christ, Milo,” Daisy snapped. “Mind your own business. And stop bein’ a perv!”
Milo muttered something about MILF’s and Daisy pinched the bridge of her nose. “You don’t even know what that means, old man,” she guessed. “And this is your last warning.”
“I’m used to him,” Sarah declared.
“How long did that take?” Daisy asked.
“About two weeks after I quit.”
“Fabulous,” Daisy replied dryly.
“I’ll have a martini,” the redhead told her. “I’m Abby, by the way.”
Daisy nodded and jotted it down. “I’m Tildy,” said the youngest one. “I’ll have a club soda.”
Daisy eyed her. “Are you old enough to be in here?”
Tildy giggled. “Just barely. I don’t drink much.” She hesitated. “I like your tattoos, though.”
Daisy looked down at her arms then at the brunette, skeptically. Tildy blushed. “No, really. I want one,” she said quietly.
Abby and Sarah laughed, but good-naturedly.
“I do!” Tildy insisted. “I want a hawk,” she declared.
“A hawk?” Daisy asked.
“That’s her fiancée’s name,” Abby told her.
Daisy glanced at the ring and nodded.
“You have one,” Tildy shot back.
“That I do, the redhead confirmed and sipped her water.
Daisy wasn’t too surprised. A lot of people had tattoos where no one could see them.
It’s on her ass!” Milo said loudly.
That was surprising, and Daisy looked at Abby, both eyebrows raised.
Abby glowered. “I was playing pool with my boyfriend. There was a bet. I really wanted to win. That’s how he knows.” Her chin jutted out. “I’m not above cheating to win.”
Daisy grinned. “I have a lot of tattoos,” she replied, “but none on my ass. You’re a braver woman than I am.”
She headed to the bar to turn in the drink order while the women perused the menus on the table. Maria didn’t need the order, however, and already had the drinks ready to go. Daisy reached out and snatched Milo’s half-eaten sandwich off the bar and tilted the plate into the trash can.
“Hey!” he protested.
Daisy pinned him with a harsh look. “I warned you, old man.”
Chapter 8
Daisy stepped into a pair of jean shorts as she got ready for work. The week had been slow but steady and the money was great. She’d have to dip into her savings though, at some point, to buy some more clothes. When she’d first come to South Dakota eight months ago, she’d only planned to stay the weekend, not settle here permanently.
