by Kate Pearce
“What’s up?”
“Nothing much. You?” Daisy wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened with Jackson until she’d sorted it out in her own head.
“I’m good.” Nancy signed out of the register as one of her cousins came to take over. “Where’s Jackson off to?”
Daisy blinked at her friend. “My Jackson?”
“Yeah. He said he was going on a road trip.”
“He . . . did?” Daisy leaned back against the wall for support.
“You didn’t know?” Nancy came around the counter.
“No.”
“Weird.” Nancy took a closer look at Daisy. “Are you sure everything is okay?”
Daisy shook her head. This was her fault. She’d driven him away from the place he wanted to call home.
“Hey, don’t cry . . .” Nancy hurriedly handed her a wad of tissues. “I’m useless with tears.”
“I’m not crying, I’m just trying to process what . . .” Daisy couldn’t even complete the sentence.
“Look.” Nancy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m supposed to go to work, but if you want to hang out with me, I’ll call Jay and tell him I’m sick.”
“Like he’ll believe you.” Daisy sniffed.
“He won’t, so I’d probably end up telling him the truth, and he’d be okay with that, too.”
“I’ve got to go back to the flower shop anyway,” Daisy said.
“Then how about we meet at Yvonne’s at six so we can talk this through?” Nancy kissed her on the forehead. “Can you hang in there that long?”
“Sure I can.” Daisy nodded. “Although I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to say. I might just cry.”
“It doesn’t matter what you do, Yvonne and I will cope.” Nancy patted her shoulder. “Now, blow your nose before my mom and Rae come back or they’ll never let you out of here before they get an explanation.”
Chapter Eighteen
Daisy took a deep breath and went to find her father, who was out in the barn. He smiled as she approached him, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners; his face was tan from a lifetime of living outdoors. He took in her backpack, case, and all-weather jacket. She hadn’t slept well, her mind busy thinking about Jackson.
Ian’s frantic early morning text had caught her at a good time and she’d made a quick decision.
“You off somewhere, sweetheart?”
“Yes.” She smiled at him. “I have to go to San Francisco. I’ll be back by the weekend.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Have you got someone to mind the shop?”
“Auntie Rae offered. She said she hasn’t got much to do.”
“She sure hates to be idle.” Her father set his broom against the wall. “Have a safe trip, okay? Call me when you get there.”
“Will do.” Daisy braced herself. “Aren’t you going to ask me what I’m up to?”
“Do you want me to?”
“Not really.” Daisy hastened to reassure him. “It’s just that you usually—”
“Rae told me I was being too hard on you—that I was overprotective,” he interrupted her. “And she was right. I never expect the boys to give me a detailed itinerary of all their movements, and you’re just as capable, if not more, than any of your brothers.”
“At least they’ve all stuck around to work with you on the ranch, while I’ve been all over the place,” Daisy reminded him.
“Yeah, and I can still barely break even.” He grimaced. “If I had to hire in more outside help, we wouldn’t survive.”
Daisy suppressed another surge of guilt and held his gaze. “I promise I’ll tell you all about my trip when I get back, okay?”
“Sure, if you want to.” He patted her shoulder. “What do you think your mother will make of this place after twenty-three years away from it?”
Halfway between glad at the change of subject and stymied by the new one, Daisy struggled to find words.
“I expect she’ll find it’s changed quite a bit.”
“Yeah. New barn, new fencing, new breeding program, and a whole lot of work on the house.”
Being a typical rancher, her father’s achievement scale always started with the livestock and ended with the family home. He carried on talking. “I’m looking forward to seeing her.”
Daisy studied her father carefully. Had a pod person replaced him? None of his answers were making sense today.
“Really?” Daisy asked cautiously.
“Yeah. We parted on bad terms.”
Daisy wanted to say “duh” but restrained herself, and settled on something less controversial. “It sure will be interesting.”
“You look just like her.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Daisy hadn’t seen a picture of her mother since she’d left the ranch and could only hope the resemblance had faded. The first year after Leanne had left, Daisy had taped together a photo of her mother her father had ripped up and kept it under her pillow. Eventually, after too many years without a single loving word, she’d given up hope of her returning and had thrown it in the trash.
Her father picked up his broom. “You planning on seeing Jackson while you’re in Frisco? I heard he was heading out that way as well.”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, like she didn’t have a care in the world. “I’m not sure exactly where’s he’s going.”
“Isn’t that what phones are for? You guys are always ragging on me about using mine, so why don’t you just call him up and pin him down?”
“Maybe I will.” Daisy smiled at her dad.
“He’s a keeper, Daisy,” he said gruffly. “I never thought I’d say that after seeing the kind of boyfriend you usually bring home, but Jackson’s a good man.”
“He is that.” Daisy nodded, even as her heart clenched.
“Don’t tell him I said so. We don’t want him thinking I’m getting soft in my old age.”
“I swear he’ll never know,” Daisy said solemnly. She leaned in to kiss his weathered cheek. “I love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too, sweetheart. Safe travels.”
She picked up her bag and went around the barn to where her truck was parked. She’d decided to fly out and would leave her truck in the long-term parking lot at the airport.
Ian had asked her to come back to Silicon Valley to meet the final group of VCs, and to have second meetings with the first batch. From what he’d said, there was a great deal of buzz about their new product, with several big companies eyeing it as a potential acquisition.
She’d meant what she’d said to her dad. When she got back, she was going to come clean with her family and hope they understood. They did love her, and she could only hope they’d forgive her for not using her money to help them but to finance yet another start-up. Perhaps when she’d got that out in the open, she could tell Jackson he’d been right all along . . .
Daisy sighed and turned on her headlights and windscreen wipers as wisps of fog and swathes of rain drifted across the county road. Like Jackson would even care that she’d finally owned up. He’d left without telling her where he was going, leaving her having to work it out from town gossip. Was he looking for somewhere to set down roots away from Morgan Valley? She couldn’t picture him thriving in the Bay Area.
When she reached the small airport, she checked her bag and went through security to find the flight delayed for an hour. She sent Ian a text to let him know she would be late and then sat and stared at the blank screen of her phone.
Should she text Jackson just to make sure he was okay? Despite everything, she still wanted to be his friend.
Wincing at her desperate attempt to delude herself when she wanted so much more, she found his number and sent him a quick text.
Are you okay? Nancy said you’d left town.
I’ll be in Palo Alto for the rest of the week if you need anything.
She pressed Send and immediately regretted it. He was going to think she was stalking him.
Sh
e didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath, waiting for his reply, until she felt slightly dizzy. But the screen remained blank, the cursor blinking, which wasn’t really surprising. Her flight was called. She set her phone to airplane mode and boarded with the rest of the passengers.
* * *
Jackson glanced over at his phone and read the text from Daisy. He’d stopped to get gas and was contemplating where to stay for the night. He was close to his destination, but he desperately needed to sleep and shave before he presented himself at Mr. Perkins’s door the next day.
There was a hotel close to the gas station, and he figured he’d crash there. It gave him way too much time to ponder the meaning of Daisy’s unexpected text as he followed the directions on his phone. He wished he’d manned up and told her he was leaving town rather than letting her hear about it from Nancy. Driving over the majestic Sierras had given him plenty of time to calm down and remember what a small speck he was in the big scheme of things.
He hadn’t expected to hear from her. The fact that she was going to be in the same part of the world he was currently inhabiting felt like the gods were trying to throw them together—or were having a huge laugh at his expense. He was too tired to work out which one it was and hoped a night’s sleep would remedy that.
It didn’t take long for him to get a room, park his truck in front of the relevant door, and collapse onto the bed. He wouldn’t text her back. He’d say something stupid or reveal something she didn’t want to hear. For once in his life, he was determined to keep his mouth shut, focus on the current mission in front of him, and worry about the gorgeous and desirable Daisy Miller after that.
He woke up when his alarm went off at six the next morning, still in his clothes, facedown on the bed, and dragged himself into the shower. Half an hour later, after stuffing his face with the free doughnuts the hotel called breakfast and snagging a gallon of coffee, he was on the road again, heading to a city in the East Bay called Walnut Creek, where Mr. Perkins lived.
He’d stop and get an early lunch, call Mr. Perkins’s number, announce his imminent arrival, and hope the old man would see him. He’d had a text from January the night before confirming she’d managed to speak briefly to Mr. Perkins, so he was technically expected. All he had to do now was navigate his way off I580 onto I680 and he’d be almost there.
He checked the coins were still in their locked box and concentrated on his driving. He wasn’t used to so much traffic and couldn’t imagine living so close to San Francisco. Sure, it had culture and things to do, but he was currently done with too much excitement, and would much prefer having space around him and clear air to breathe.
Would Daisy ever move back to Silicon Valley? If her company became megasuccessful, perhaps she’d have no choice. He tried to imagine Morgantown without her and couldn’t even deal with it. It was slowly becoming obvious to him that he couldn’t walk away from her. He just wasn’t sure how he was going to survive if she really didn’t want him.
He wanted to text her to arrange a meeting in the city. He mentally slapped his hand away from his phone. “Focus, Jackson. One step at a time.” Okay, he was talking to himself now, which was never good, but he had to try something. Get the coins valued, find someplace to stay for the night, and then maybe, if he was still willing to open himself up to more hurt, he’d text her back.
But first, he had to deal with Mr. Perkins. It was a long way to come just to fail, but he’d like to think he had enough charm to get inside the house and finally find out whether his father’s hoarded coins had sent him on a fool’s errand.
* * *
“Daisy? Are you coming?”
She looked up from her one-hundredth surreptitious look at her text messages to find Ian waiting patiently for her by the exit.
“Sorry.” She hurried along the corridor. “It’s going well, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” He grimaced. “It’s a little hard to take all the attention after being in stealth mode for all these years.”
“Agreed.” Daisy put her sunglasses on as the midday sun glared down at them from a cloudless blue sky. “Are we doing lunch?”
“Sure! There’s a great place around the corner that does some nice vegetarian options.”
“Then let’s go there. We can FaceTime with the gang about how the meetings are going.”
Ian held the door open over her head and she went into the bustling café, which reminded her a lot of Yvonne’s. Cold air blew over her, and she enjoyed the sensation.
The food was organic, healthy, and plentiful, which suited Daisy just fine as long as they also had coffee. She sat on the same side of the table as Ian and they spoke to the other team members about how things were going.
“I heard back from Jake Magnusson,” Ian said as he unwrapped his veggie wrap. “He wants to talk to us. I said we were pretty booked up, but he’s superkeen.”
“Jake is a very focused guy,” Daisy said.
“So I gathered.” Ian grinned. “Did you know the three of them made their first millions when they were still undergraduates at Stanford?”
“Yes, and more importantly, they managed to hang on to them,” Daisy joked.
She ate her salad, her thoughts far away from Silicon Valley as she considered what on earth was going on with Jackson. She’d have to talk to him soon. She couldn’t leave things as they were . . .
“Damn.”
She looked up to see Ian staring at his phone. “What’s up?”
“Seth said the washing machine repair guy is five minutes away from our apartment and he’s not there to let him in.”
“Then why don’t you go? You can walk from here,” Daisy suggested. “I’ll finish my lunch and meet you back at Sand Hill Road. What time does our next meeting start?”
“Not for an hour.” Ian looked conflicted. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” She waved a hand at him. “Hustle.”
She drank her second cup of coffee and went over her notes for the next set of meetings, checking her messages as she read. Someone slipped into the seat opposite and she raised her head.
“That was quick—” Her smile died. “What the hell do you want?”
“Someone could work on their manners.” Clive Cassler smirked at her.
“Someone could go away,” she countered, putting her cell away in her backpack and stacking her dishes on the tray.
“I just wanted to run something by you.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Whatever it is, I’ll save you some breath and just say no.”
“You really should hear me out. If you don’t, I’ll just ask the others in your team to see if they’ll go for it instead.”
“Go for what?” She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest.
“My offer. And this is a personal offer rather than from my VC company because I like you guys so much.”
Daisy tried not to let her disgust show and said nothing.
“I want to buy you out.”
“Surprise, surprise,” Daisy said. “What’s the catch?”
“There is no catch. I’ll offer you forty-five million dollars cash for your shares in the company.”
“That’s way over the current valuation,” Daisy objected. “Why would you waste your money?”
Clive sighed. “And this is why you get taken advantage of, Daisy. You’re far too honest.”
“You’re offering us a one-time payment just so you can own the intellectual property?”
“Not quite. It would be a fifteen million down payment between the five of you as an incentive, and then a commitment to work on the product for the next two years. The remainder of the money would be distributed to you at the end of year one and at the end of year two.”
If she agreed, Daisy could buy the Cortez Ranch for Adam and help out her dad right now, but she’d no longer have any say in how the company was run.
Clive must have seen her hesitation because he reached over and grabbed he
r hand.
“Think about it. You’d be shot of me in two years, you’d have nine million dollars in your pocket, and you’d be set for life.”
She eased her hand free, and he sat back, his expression gloating.
“I’m going to make the same offer to the rest of your team, so don’t think you can keep this to yourself. They deserve to have options as well, don’t they?”
Daisy shrugged. “I can’t stop you from approaching them.”
She had no intention of telling him they’d all agreed everyone had to go for a deal or it wouldn’t happen. The lure of all that money after the lean years of developing the project and company might sway some of her team. But would they be prepared to relinquish control of a project they all believed in so strongly?
Daisy stood and put on her backpack. “Goodbye, Clive.”
“No answer for me, sweet cheeks?” He leaned back in his seat and regarded her, his gaze lingering on her breasts. “I’d love to have you under me again. Let me know when you’re ready to capitulate, and make it soon because this offer won’t last.”
Daisy left the café congratulating herself on not dousing Clive in coffee. She made her way back to the offices on Sand Hill Road, her mind struggling with the allure of all that money against the awfulness of having to work with Clive again. She’d be free in two years, which was less than she’d probably have to commit to Ian. She’d be wealthy enough to help her whole family and could probably buy both the ranches that were up for sale in Morgan Valley.
But she’d have to work with Clive . . .
As she pushed open the doors and went into the lobby of the next VC’s offices, she hoped someone would come up with a better way for her to avoid Clive Cassler for the rest of her life before she gave in and took his money.
* * *
“Mr. Perkins?” Jackson offered his best smile to the elderly man who was regarding him suspiciously through the narrow gap of his front door. “January Morgan told me it would be okay to call on you. I’m Jackson Lymond.”
“January did?” Mr. Perkins opened the door a tad wider and looked Jackson up and down. “You have a look of your father. I suppose you’d better come in.”