“You listen to me, Ms. Madsen,” Daisy said. “I already told you that my mother’s home is NOT for sale. She will be coming home very soon and I don’t want her to hear any more of this nonsense from you.”
“But—”
“She will be staying in her home for the foreseeable future. Do you hear me?”
Lillian shut her mouth. She blinked, her expression reminding Jake of someone who had been thoroughly insulted. Daisy’s spunk turned him on, but he would have to keep that to himself for the time being. He swiveled his chin enough for Daisy, alone, to see the spark in his eyes. He saw the same expression pass through hers, though she did an admirable job of keeping it stern for Lillian’s sake.
“Now,” Daisy said, her hand on the door, “it’s time for you to leave. I have a boyfriend to kiss.”
She shut the door but not before Lillian gasped, very real shock crossing her features.
Jake threw back his head, laughing to the rafters. He pulled Daisy into his arms, lifting her off her feet. “That was amazing.” He went in for a kiss, but she turned her head and his mouth landed on her cheek. “Hey!”
She gave him a guilty grin. “Sorry. Morning breath.”
“Come here.” He cinched her closer, kissing her on the mouth despite her squeals of protest.
When he put her down, she sighed. “Oh that woman is going to drive me crazy.”
“Yeah, well, she drove my parents nuts. The only reason she is going after you instead of me is that she knows we’re not able to sell this place. At least not yet.” Almost immediately, Jake regretted his words as they brought uncertainty into the light. He only had another ten days at this house, and then what? And what about Daisy’s job with the relief organization? She had told him early on that, after her mother was settled safely back into her home, she would be leaving again to save the world.
He considered the woman in his arms, her embrace quickly becoming an indelible memory that he wanted to revisit again and again. “You hungry?” he asked.
Daisy sighed. “A little. But I still have some painting to finish up.”
He kissed her head. “I know. But I just filled up my brand-new fridge, so you have to help me eat everything.”
Daisy laughed. “Well, I do like to help out those in need. Let me go wash up and—”
“What’s he doing here?” The crackling of truck tires nearby had caught Jake’s attention. Rafael had driven up to Daisy’s house and parked.
Daisy came up behind him. “No idea.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ll go find out. Make me a sammich to have when I get back?”
Jake hesitated. He’d rather be her bodyguard when she was talking to the shirtless wonder over there, but was it his place? He slid a glance at her as she stepped into the flip-flops she had left by his front door. “You’re sure you don’t want me to …?”
She swung a questioning look over her shoulder. “To what?”
“Never mind. Hurry back. I don’t want you fainting from hunger while you’re there.”
“Be back in a flash.”
A heavy breeze pitted Daisy’s bare legs with sand particles as she walked over to where Rafael stood on her porch. He turned and flashed that bright smile on her as she ascended the steps to the door, but it dissipated when his gaze wandered to Jake’s place, from where she had come.
“Hey, Rafael.”
He nodded. “Daisy.”
“Want to see all the work that I’ve accomplished this past week?” She didn’t care to hold a grudge, to be angry with him for not sticking around to help her with all the projects she had intended for him.
“I just came to pick up some tools that I left behind.”
“Hmm. Okay.” She turned away from the door. “I think they’re mostly in the garage. Can you follow me?”
They took the steps down from the deck and walked around the front of the house to the garage. Daisy bent to lift the door to the garage, but Rafael wordlessly reached for the handle and opened the door himself. They had been friends for as long as she could remember and his silence pained her.
Rafael walked toward the tools he had left piled up on her father’s workbench, but she reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. He twisted, looking first at where her hand gripped him and then at her.
“Hey,” she said, tilting her head to one side.
He shrugged her off and began shoving tools into the belt he’d brought with him. “I’ll just take my tools and get out so you can go back to … whatever you were doing.”
“Rafael, what’s wrong? You and I have been friends for a long time. Why are you mad at me?”
His eyes flashed when he faced her, an exasperated half-smile on his face. “I’m not mad. Never at you, Daisy.”
“Then why the cold shoulder?”
He licked his bottom lip. “What can I say? I don’t like to be beat.” He spat out a sigh. “Should have known you’d pick the rich guy over a lowly handyman. They all do, you know?”
Daisy pressed a hand into the side of her waist. “First of all, he’s not rich.” She didn’t know this for sure, but didn’t care either. “And second, there’s nothing lowly about you at all. Shoot, Rafael, I remember how all the girls fawned over you in high school. So nauseating!”
His puckered his mouth, nodding, a grimace forming. “So where are they all now?”
“Maybe you’re getting more selective than you were back then.”
“You’re right,” he said, his voice thick. “I am.”
His eyes snagged with hers and Daisy had never felt this awkward with him. Ever. A thought crept into her consciousness. Had she noticed the feelings he had, apparently, been forming for her? Or had he been invisible to her, as she was to Jake way back when?
“Rafael, I’m sorry if I … that I didn’t notice or understand … ”
He draped his full tool belt over one shoulder. “Don’t sweat it, Daisy girl. I know I won’t.”
Before she could add a thing, he stalked out of the garage and out of sight. What in the world? Two men in one month … a record for her, for sure.
Daisy shut the garage door and wandered back into the kitchen at Jake’s place where a tempting sandwich waited for her. She sighed, washed her hands, and took the plate over to the dining room table. Her stomach tumbled just as Jake came around the corner to hand her a can of Perrier. “Want to talk about it?”
“I guess I hurt his feelings.” She swallowed a bite of sandwich, holding back part of what Rafael said—particularly the comment about Jake’s financial status. “I hate that.”
“Something tells me that guy has broken a few hearts in his lifetime.”
“Oh, so you’re into him now?”
He choked. “Are you kidding me?”
Daisy giggled. “Yeah, I am.”
Jake wagged his head, chuckling. “My guess is he hasn’t worried too much about the pixie dust he’s trampled along the way. He’ll survive.”
“Hmm.” She ate her sandwich, considering him. When she finished another bite, she said, “Like you have?”
He lowered his brows. “Believe me, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to date women, let alone feel the full effects of the breakup of a long-term relationship.”
She slid her gaze to her sandwich, reality hitting her. I hope you never will, Jake, I hope you never will.
Jake flashed her a smile and reached over to hold her hand. “You, on the other hand, have turned out to be quite the heartbreaker!”
“What does that mean?”
“Hey, Romeo over there was pulling out all the stops for you, but you pretty much said, ‘Naw, pretty boy. Keep that shirt on because I’m not into you.’”
“Oh my gosh, I did not.” She laughed. “You’re crazy, Jake.”
He stood and reached for her hand. “Let’s play hooky and go to the beach.”
Daisy bit her lip. The downstairs bathroom was covered in plastic and blue tape. She still needed to put switch plate and outlet covers back in place. But
Jake’s puppy dog gaze was too much. She had hoped for a moment like this for years, so why turn it down in favor of her to-do list?
She nodded. “I’d love—”
Jake’s cell phone disrupted the room. “Sorry. Hang on while I get that.” He retrieved it from the kitchen. “This is Jake.”
As he listened to the caller, Jake began to pace, punctuating the silence occasionally with one- or two-word answers or grunts. “Yes.” Groan. “Got it. Absolutely. Let me know.”
Daisy threw out her paper plate and returned to wipe down the dining room table. She kept herself busy, concerned by the seriousness in Jake’s tone, yet not feeling comfortable enough to ask him for details about the fines and possible litigation he faced. She chased away a niggle of a thought, that she might just be a distraction for Jake during a stressful time. Daisy shook her head physically, unwilling to allow herself to go there. Not now. Not after the way he’d kissed her today. And the day before. And the day before that.
Jake signed off on his call and shoved his phone into his pocket. Without missing a beat—and without a word concerning the content of his phone call—he turned to Daisy and said, “Let’s go.”
They wandered out to the beach, hand-in-hand, their feet bare. In some ways, she felt more like a teenager now than ever. Despite the call Jake had taken a few minutes ago, the wide-open expanse of sand that led to the sea had the ability to throw open the door to infinite possibilities. She had forgotten how life at the beach had made her feel, had taken the quiet, sometimes monotonous days for granted, when she should have been pining for them as much as she had for Jake.
The tide was out, giving them a long, flat beach to walk. Quickly, their strides fell into sync. Jake said, “My call with my sisters will be tonight.”
Daisy nodded. “Okay. I’ll be at Mom’s place touching up a few things. Call me when you’re done?”
He squeezed her hand. “Stay. They’ll want to say hi. And to make sure I haven’t locked you out of the house or something.”
“Like you used to do to them.”
He chuckled. “What can I say? They were brats.”
Daisy laughed and grabbed his arm with her free hand. “Actually, there’s a lot I want to ask them, so yes, I will accept your invitation to stay in the house tonight while you are on the phone with your sisters.”
Jake groaned. “On second thought, maybe you would be more comfortable at your mother’s.”
“You mean since there’s actually no electricity yet? Of course, I could curl up under a few blankets. Sure, that would be no prob—”
He wrapped both arms around her and lifted her into the air, her squeals competing with the roll of the surf. “Put me down, Jake Morelli!”
He laughed. “You like saying my name, don’t you?”
Daisy liked everything about him and it scared her to bits. She wasn’t ready to confess that to him, though. Not yet. “Well, all I can say is that I remember your momma standing out on that back porch, calling you into dinner.”
“Oh, so you’re trying to mother me. I see.”
“I’m just trying to get your attention.”
He stopped and pulled her toward him then, his hot breath inches from her lips. “You already have my attention, woman.” Jake kissed her with the sound of the sea rushing and hurling around them. Sea water pooled at their feet, but she didn’t feel cold. Not one bit.
When they broke, she was breathless, her mind a swirling vortex of emotion that she couldn’t quite catch or tame. She wanted to freeze in this space, to forget about going back to her to-do list and worries over the future.
He kissed her again and stepped back, his eyes amused and full of light. How could she worry while looking into eyes like those?
Jake squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips. “C’mon. Let’s go back to the house so I can call my sisters and let them all yell at me.”
Back at the house, they dropped their sandy flip-flops on the front porch and stumbled inside, laughing as they did. The Morelli house always seemed so lively when she was a kid. She never minded being an only child, not really, but on occasion, when she’d look over and see the glow from the house’s lights and all the people moving around inside, she would wonder what it might have been like to live here.
The kitchen was nearly done, yet not one-hundred-percent usable quite yet. She padded over to the fridge, feeling comfortable enough to poke around inside. “Want a steak salad?”
Jake tossed his keys into a metal dish. “You mean leftover steak and a salad? Hm. Not sure if there’s enough for that—but you can go ahead and eat what’s left.”
She pulled the leftover steak, lettuce, and various vegetables out of the fridge. “Trust me. I can toss this all together into the best salad you’ve ever tasted.” She grabbed olive oil, wine vinegar, salt, and pepper from the small table where Jake had stashed the items during the remodel.
“Hopefully I’ll find some time to put everything away. Or maybe I’ll leave it all for Maggie to do when it’s her turn at the house.”
She waved a hand in the air. “I got it. No problem.” She tried not to think about how soon that transition he mentioned might take place. What would happen when he went back to LA? When he was no longer just across the small, sandy divide between their two houses?
Jake cupped her body from behind, his hands finding her waist. He nuzzled her neck. “I’m enjoying this …”
“Shoo. I’m trying to make your dinner.”
He laughed and let her go. “Don’t bother the woman while she’s cooking. I hear you loud and clear.” Jake’s laughter continued as he walked across the room and switched on his laptop.
She glanced at the clock, hoping there’d be enough time to feed them both before the weekly call started. From what she’d heard, things could get rather rowdy when the five siblings were all together, talking at once.
Again, something she, as an only child, personally knew nothing about.
Minutes later, Daisy curled her legs beneath herself on the couch while Jake propped his feet on the coffee table. Both held bowls of steak salad marinated with oil, vinegar, and seasonings.
“This is excellent,” he said, digging into his salad. “You weren’t kidding about this being the best salad ever. I’m impressed.”
“My mom was a whiz, well, she is a whiz at throwing leftovers together in creative ways. This is one of my favorites.”
He nodded, but didn’t say anything more. She noticed again that subtle change in him whenever she mentioned her mother. She was beginning to wonder if he was as worried over their future as she was.
Jake wolfed down the rest of his salad and darted for the computer, the familiar ring of his phone alerting him that it was time. “Just stay where you are,” he said when she began to get up. “You’re fine. Mangia!”
She laughed when he used the Italian term for eat! that his parents did whenever she was invited to come over for pizza or spaghetti or whatever they were having on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Maggie was the first to show up on the call, which from what she remembered about the oldest sister, was not surprising. “Hi, Jake.”
“Mags.”
“Is that Daisy over there on the couch? Hey, Daisy!”
“Hi! Hope you don’t mind me. Just finishing up dinner.”
“Which she made,” Jake cut in. “And it was excellent, by the way.”
Maggie laughed. “Glad you two are getting along okay out there.”
Jake sent Daisy a wink that sent a sexy chill right through her.
“Hello, children.” Lacy appeared, wine goblet in hand, smirk on her face.
Grace was up next, looking harried. “Sorry I’m late. Brutal day. Big case in the office that I’m helping Chase on.”
Maggie frowned. “Even on a Sunday?”
“Have to be in court very early tomorrow, so yes, even on Sunday.”
“That stinks,” Lacy said.
Bella’s angelic face appeared in the
fourth box. The entire production played out like the opening of The Brady Bunch. “What stinks?” Bella asked.
“Grace-y poo and her man had to work all day today,” Lacy drawled.
Jake clapped his hands together. “Okay, how about we get on with this.”
Even from across the room Daisy noticed how Maggie peered into the screen, her ample bosom filling it up. “How’s the kitchen coming along, Jake?” Maggie asked. “Have you made any progress?”
“Funny you should ask.” He picked up his laptop, walked over to the kitchen, and turned it around for all to see. From her perch on the couch, Daisy could hear the gasps.
“It’s so beautiful,” Bella said. “I wish our momma could have seen that.”
Lacy answered. “She would have thought it too pretty to cook in.”
“Good job,” Grace said, glasses on her nose, her attention elsewhere. Her shoulders bounced, as if she were typing.
“Wait a second. Hold on.” Maggie’s voice cut through the chatter. “Tell me you didn’t put a Viking stove in there. And I will literally kill you if that refrigerator has Dutch doors—those are the most expensive on the market.” She fanned herself, her face turning red. “Please tell me it’s not a Bosch.”
“It’s not a Bosch,” Jake said.
She leaned into the screen again. “Liar! Oh Jake, what were you thinking spending money like that?”
Jake slid a glance at Daisy. She met his gaze, shrugged, and re-focused her attention on what was left of her dinner.
“Don’t worry about it, Maggie. I’ve got it covered.”
“How?”
“One of my connections gave me a sweet deal. Put it out of your mind, all right?”
Grace stopped typing and suddenly looked up. “Speaking of things on my mind, Chase and I are concerned about you, Jake.” She glanced at her sisters. “I figured now was as good a time as any to bring this up.”
The proverbial pin was dropping. Daisy could feel it. She glanced at Jake, who seemed agitated, his gaze darting toward the door. Was he looking for a way to escape?
Lacy swirled her wine in her glass. “What’s got you in such a snit, Grace? You’re usually one of the calmer ones.” She gulped her wine and threw a pointed look toward Maggie.
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