by Brenda Drake
Across the table from her was the man she’d notice earlier with his wife and son. Reese sat beside the man.
“You look quite lovely today,” Reese said, smiling. When Daisy was younger, she’d had a crush on him. He was gorgeous. But she had gotten over her crush on him ages ago.
Lovely?
Her cheeks heated. “Thanks,” she said, lowering her head.
Reese removed his napkin from the plate in front of him. “This is my uncle Daan.” He glanced at the man. “And this is my fiancée’s sister Daisy.”
“Oh, you’re Jan’s father,” she said.
“No,” Reese corrected. “Gerrit is Jan’s father. This is my father’s youngest brother.”
The servers passed around herrings on silver platters. Reese picked one up, tilted his head back with the herring dangling over his mouth, and dropped it in. Daisy wrinkled her nose watching him swallow. When the platter came her way, she waved the server away. The next item served was miniature pancakes called poffertjes. She piled many of them on her plate.
“You like the sweets,” Daan said more like a comment than a question.
But she answered it anyway. “Yes. I’m a sugar addict.”
The man was so familiar. It bugged her that she couldn’t figure out where she knew him. It was silly for her to think she’d ever met him. Before this trip, she’d never been to Europe. She could’ve seen him in one of Reese’s photographs.
Photographs?
No, it can’t be.
She took her phone out of her purse and scrolled through her pictures. She stopped on the one she snapped of the framed photograph of Andrei’s parents.
Holy shit.
Daan was the man in the photograph with Andrei’s mother. He was Andrei’s father.
Oh my gosh! She scooted her chair back with so much force it tipped over and clattered to the floor.
Reese rushed around the table and picked up her chair. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I…um. That fish smell is making me sick.”
As if she didn’t already look ridiculous, she asked Daan, “Is he your only son?”
“Yes,” Daan said, looking at Daisy with the same strikingly blue eyes as Andrei.
“And you have no other sons. None that died, or you gave away.”
“Daisy.” Reese gave her a why-are-you-saying-that glare.
Daan’s why-are-you-saying-that look was more of a confused one. “I only have the one.”
“Are you okay?” Iris asked from behind Daisy. She must’ve noticed Daisy’s chair incident from wherever she was sitting.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Daisy said. “I just need the restroom.”
She was so not okay. Actually, she was freaking out. Where was Miri? Her gaze bounced around the tables until she found her. Their eyes met, and Daisy directed hers to the door leading into the castle. Miri nodded and stood, excusing herself.
When they were in the safety of the bathroom, Daisy turned to face Miri.
“You’re shaking,” Miri said. “Take a few breaths. Try to calm down.”
Daisy inhaled deeply, then released it. She did that several times before she felt she could continue. Her knuckles turned white from gripping her phone so tight.
Miri grasped her face. “Now, what’s wrong?”
“That man in there. Reese’s uncle. He’s Andrei’s father.”
“How do you know that?” Miri dropped her hands, a doubtful look on her face.
She didn’t want to play a game of proving her theory with Miri. The realization of what it meant if Daan was Andrei’s father just hit her. And it hit her hard.
Andrei is the cursed heir. Her heart thudded to the ground, everything around her faded to a mono filter—black, gray, and bleak.
Somewhere at the corners of her reality, Aster stormed into the restroom. “Daisy, what happened? Are you sick?”
Reese came in a few seconds after her.
Aster turned to him, placing her hands on his chest, and backing him up toward the door. “What are you doing? You can’t come in here. It’s the women’s room.”
“Mother wanted to know if Daisy needed anything,” he said. “Is she ill?”
“She’s fine. Just a little spooked.” Miri’s hands landed on Daisy’s shoulders. “Look at me.”
Daisy tried to focus on Miri’s face.
“How do you know he’s Andrei’s father?”
“Who’s his father?” Reese maneuvered around Aster. “What’s going on here?”
Daisy shook her head hoping it would clear her thoughts. “He has a photograph. One with his mom. She’s sitting with a college guy at a restaurant. The guy’s his father. It’s Daan in that picture.”
The viselike grip on her phone was making her hand numb.
“Daan?” A look passed between Reese and Aster.
My Phone. The photograph.
Daisy tapped on the screen and scrolled to the image she’d snapped of the framed photograph. “See, that’s Daan.” She stabbed his face on the screen.
Reese inspected the pic. “It is him. That woman is Andrei’s mother?”
“Yes,” Daisy said. “And she told Andrei that man’s his father. And if it’s true, then Andrei is the cursed heir.”
“Hold on. I’ll be right back,” he said, handing Daisy her phone and storming out of the bathroom.
Daisy paced. “What are we going to do?”
Miri’s eyes followed Daisy. “We’ll figure it out. It’ll be okay.”
Reese came back into the bathroom with a confused looking Daan. “Can we see the photograph?” he asked. Daisy pressed her thumb to her phone to unlock it and handed it to him. He held it up, so the other man could view it. “Do you know this woman?”
“Ioana,” he said so quietly and with so much emotion, it made Daisy believe he must’ve cared for Andrei’s mother. “You know her?”
“I’m Ioana’s aunt,” Miri said.
He glanced up from the screen. “Where is she?”
Miri’s stare on the man could freeze the sun. “She passed away several years ago.”
Daan stumbled back, looking like he’d just got stabbed in the gut. “How?”
Miri’s attitude warmed a little at his reaction. “Ovarian cancer. Did you know you fathered her son?”
It was as if he’d just gotten another blow. “I didn’t know. She never told me. I have a son? Where is he?”
“Why did you leave her?” Daisy wasn’t warming to the man like Miri. He broke Ioana’s heart.
“It was complicated,” Daan said.
“Too complicated to check in on her?”
“Daisy, leave it alone,” Aster said.
“It was a fling. That’s what she wanted.” He pulled his fingers through his hair. “I asked her to come with me. We could’ve gone to university together. But she wouldn’t leave. Her mother had just lost Ioana’s father. I rang her many times. She wouldn’t talk to me. So, I gave up. I married a few years later. I should have—” His voice cracked, and he turned from them.
“You didn’t know about Andrei,” Daisy said to herself more than to him.
“I assure you. She never told me.” There was a little bite in Daan’s tone. “There have only been two women in my life. I was young with Ioana. Nineteen. Our breakup devastated me. I threw myself into my studies. I wasn’t with someone again until I met my wife.”
Reese patted Daan’s back. “You should gather yourself before returning to the table.”
Daan spun around, and his sad eyes went to Miri. “My son… Where is he?”
“He’s going to university in New York City,” Miri said. “I’ll give him your information and let him decide if he wants to contact you.”
“Thank you,” he said before going out the door.
Daisy wanted to leave, wanted to find Andrei, wanted to get on the first plane she could book to New York City.
His birthday was tomorrow. Her thoughts were running into one another. What if she didn’t make it ti
me? He might die before she could get to him. She could die with him. They may never see each other again.
Focus, Daisy.
“I have to get to the airport.” Her eyes were swimming in tears.
“I’ll take you,” Reese said.
Aster wrapped her arm around Daisy. “I’ll go, too. I can help with the change.”
“This is your party,” Daisy said. “You’ll be missed.”
“This is more important,” Aster said.
Miri opened the door. “I’m going as well.”
Her stomach soured, and her shaky legs could barely hold her up. “I have to get my backpack first. It has the list …with everything I need to break the curse.”
What if I can’t save him?
And she couldn’t lose him.
Not now.
She darted up the stairs to the room she shared with Gram and snatched her backpack off the floor. Images of Andrei flipped through her mind. His tall, muscular frame and eyes the deepest blue of the ocean. The way his hair wouldn’t be tamed. And that annoyingly attractive lazy smile of his.
She raced downstairs to the waiting black Mercedes and slid into the back seat next to Miri. “Did you send him a text?”
“Yes,” Miri said. “He won’t reply until his plane lands.”
Daisy’s nods were slow and distracted, her stare on her phone’s screen and mind on Andrei. Her stomach was as twisted as the intricate bun in Aster’s hair. Andrei was the cursed heir. Under her nose the entire time. She could’ve fixed things earlier. Ended the curse. And most importantly, saved him.
Aster glanced over the front passenger seat. “You good?”
“Yep, let’s do this,” Daisy said. “By the way, Miri, what time was Andrei born?”
A worry line creased Aster’s forehead and she quickly faced forward. She knew all too well the reason Daisy had asked that question. The firstborn Van Buren sons were cursed to die at the exact second they were born on their eighteenth birthdays. In the time zone of their birth cities. And once he landed in the US, it would be about nine hours before it hit midnight on his special day. Depending on the time he entered the world, there could be more time.
“It feels like it was just yesterday when he was born,” Miri said. “His mother went into labor early. My flight landed in New York City an hour after his birth. I checked the time so frequently it’s burned in my memory. It was just after seven in the evening.”
Daisy let out a long sigh and stared out the window. She was relieved he wasn’t a morning baby. With the time difference, their plane would depart at two in the afternoon there and arrive in New York at four. That would leave three hours if there weren’t any delays. It wasn’t much time. Her heart sped up faster than the Mercedes at that thought.
Miri squeezed Daisy’s hand.
Daisy smiled at her and returned to staring out the window.
I’m coming, Andrei.
Chapter Eighteen
Andrei
New York City pulsed with so much energy. The tall buildings and the fast traffic brought back memories of his mother and him exploring Central Park, Time Square, The Met, and the Empire State Building. All touristy things, but his mom liked that kind of stuff. She had said it was where people around the world came together, and you never knew who you’d meet.
Andrei smiled at the memory, and with it came the clogging in his throat. The result of shoving back his emotions. He didn’t want to show anyone his weak side. Sometimes the memories of losing his mother brought him to his knees. No one wanted to see that.
His mother had been a nurse. Her life insurance and the money his grandfather left him would be enough to put Andrei through university and pay for his living expenses. She taught him not to rely on those things, but to work and put some money aside for hard times. That was his whole point for coming to New York early. He wanted to find a job before classes started. The bonus was getting to attend a summer orchestra program.
He got off the subway at the Union Square station. He adjusted his viola case on his back to get directions on his phone. A notification flashed on his screen telling him to turn off the Airplane Mode. He pushed settings, hit the button, and checked the map. A smile turned up the corners of his mouth. If Daisy were there, she’d tease him for giving in and using the app on his phone to get directions.
A few missed calls and messages had come in while he was inflight. Before he could go into them, his phone died.
I need to get better at charging my shit. He slipped his phone into his pocket.
His two suitcases made a rolling tower that he pushed along with him, the wheels of the bottom one catching on cracks in the sidewalks every so often. The farmers market was going on, so Andrei strolled the vendors and bought a handmade pretzel. Daisy would love the fair. He couldn’t wait until she was in New York. It was pretty much going to drive him over the edge thinking about her.
What he needed was to charge his phone. He had promised to text Daisy before he got on his flight and when he got to New York. Her voice is all he wanted to hear. A couple of months. It wasn’t too long for him to wait to see her.
Yet, it felt like an eternity.
After he finished eating, he walked the several blocks to the apartment building that would be his home for the next four years. A moving truck was at the entrance of the red brick building. A thin woman with slim pants and heavy jewelry barked orders with an accent he assumed was Texan.
A tall, slender guy with a buzz cut came around the corner of the truck. He spotted Andrei and made a beeline for him, ignoring the woman’s protest.
“Suitcases,” the guy said, inspecting Andrei’s stacked bags. “Lost look. You must be either Andrei or Chad.” His clothes were crisp and expensive. Andrei hoped the guy wasn’t difficult to get along with or a spoiled brat.
“Andrei.”
The guy offered his hand. “I’m Benton.”
Andrei shook it. “Good to meet you, man.”
“Come on,” Benton said. “I’ll show you around. Ignore my mother. She’s determined to furnish our apartment.”
The city noises coming through Andrei’s bedroom window assaulted his ears. The apartment’s air conditioner wasn’t working, and the muggy heat was suffocating. Rivulets of sweat drenched his hairline and his damp T-shirt clung to his skin.
There was a pressure in his chest and his throat was scratchy.
Damn. I caught something on the plane.
He flipped onto to his back. It was his birthday. Eighteen. And alone in a big city.
After he’d charged his phone, there were several missed calls and a couple messages from Daisy and Miri. They’d asked him to call when he landed, and Daisy’s message asked him not to leave the apartment. The responses he sent went unanswered. It nagged at him not knowing what they wanted.
He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His pajama bottoms had slipped during the night with all his tossing and turning. He yanked them up, adjusted his balls, and padded out to grab a shower. The bathroom looked like it just come off a showroom floor. Didn’t look anything like a dude’s space.
After he was dressed, he shuffled to the kitchen.
Benton looked up from his seat at the table. “Hey, how was your bed?”
“It’s great.” Andrei retrieved the jug of orange juice he’d bought on their grocery trip last night from the refrigerator. “Your mom didn’t have to furnish my room.”
“Yeah, she did,” Benton said, scrolling through his phone. “She gets off on it. Plus, she figured it would be hard for you coming from Europe. Chad’s bringing his own stuff.”
“Cool.” Andrei unscrewed the bottle and took a swig from it.
“So, what are you up to today?”
“I have someone to see.” He took another swig of juice. “Hey, I think my girlfriend is having a surprise delivered here. Wanted me to stay in the apartment. Will you be around to accept whatever it is?”
“Yeah sure, man,” Benton said. �
�There’s a movie night in Union Square later if you want to go. Not sure what’s showing but might be fun.”
“Sure.” Andrei lifted his backpack. “Catch you later.”
Andrei sat on the grass, eating his packed lunch and staring at the marble tombstone Miri and he had picked out for his mother. “Got this ham at the farmers market. The one in Union Square. You’d like it. Has a maple taste to it.” He spotted a weed, leaned over, and yanked it out, root and all. “I miss you, Mom. But I’ll be visiting you more often now that I’m going to NYU. Yeah, I’m going. Promised I would.”
He crossed his arms and rested them on his knees. The sun heated the back of his neck. The smell of earth and flowers filled his nose. The pond nearby was alive with activity. Ducks called out, birds darted from tree to tree whistling to one another, and the wind whispered over the grass and rustled the leaves on the trees.
“I’ve kept up viola, too. Gotten pretty good at it.”
It was a beautiful place. He and his mother picked it out before she died. Rolling hills, towering trees, and blooming shrubs. It was more like a park than a cemetery, except for the grave markers spread across the grounds.
“Man, I miss you. I miss your lopsided cakes and you singing the birthday song out of tune. Miss being able to talk to you. And I miss your questionable fixes for everything. Like that time no one would be my friend in fourth grade, and you sent me to school with fat pickles. Those baggies were snapped up so fast.” He chuckled. “I couldn’t believe it worked—”
Somewhere on the grounds, a lawnmower roared to life.
A series of hacking coughs tore from his throat, the force causing his sides to ache. He took a long swig from his bottled water.
“Anyway, remember what you said. About how one day I’d meet someone who would make me not want other girls. Someone who’d hold onto my heart and not let go.” He tossed the crust from his sandwich under the tree. “Well, I met her. You’d like her. She’s really special.
“Actually, she’s sort of amazing. Her name is Daisy. I’ve never known anyone like her. Sacrifices pieces of herself for others. Forgives even when the person isn’t worthy of it.”