“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not about that. You have cancer.” His voice broke, and Daisy hated herself, hated cancer, hated the entire situation.
“I was going to tell you.”
He didn’t respond.
“I’ll figure out a way to get Hazel home. Then I’ll leave.”
“I don’t want you to leave!” Treven yelled. “I want you to be my sister and stay home for once in your life!”
Daisy blinked hard, but couldn’t stop the tears cresting her eyelids then trailing down her cheeks.
Treven blew out a huffy breath. “I’m sorry. I just … I can’t lose you too.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, Daisy. Having cancer is not your fault. Not telling your brother. Yeah, you should be sorry about that.”
Daisy sniffed. Treven’s voice was as tender as it had ever been. She’d never said it, and she had to, right now. “I’m so sorry I left you when Mom was dying.”
Silence on the line. She took that as his permission to say it all. “She told me to go. She wanted me to succeed so badly, and she begged me to go, but I … the timing was all wrong, and I shouldn’t have left you like that.” She glanced up to see Jamison watching her.
Treven pushed out a breath. “Oh, Daisy. You know I’ve been mad at you for leaving, but it wasn’t that I didn’t want you to succeed. It was … it was awful Daisy. You missed the worst. Mom was so sick, and Dad was almost as bad—drunk and out of it all the time.” He paused and sniffed. “But it wasn’t your fault, sis. Of course Mom pushed you to go. You had every right to go for your dreams, and that made Mom so happy. When she had nothing to look forward to and was so sick, we’d listen to your songs or watch interviews of you. I’d read everything I could find online about how amazing you were doing to her. We both were super proud of you, sis.”
Tears crested her eyelids. Daisy could only manage a muttered, “Thank you.”
Treven cleared his throat. “Stay with Jamison. I’ll sneak out somehow and come get Hazel and check on you.”
“Be careful, bro. These people are professionals.”
“Tch.” He made a dismissive sound with his throat. “Bunch of losers don’t know Snow Valley.”
He hung up before she could respond. Daisy sat there clutching the phone, and despite the mess she was in, she felt lighter than she had in years. She and Treven had finally talked. She’d been able to apologize, and he’d been as understanding as Treven could possibly be. Her mom had been her best cheerleader until the end. Oh, how she missed her.
She turned around to look at Jamison and Hazel in the kitchen. Her niece was sitting on the counter next to the mixer, carefully measuring out sugar. Jamison glanced up at Daisy. Their eyes caught and held, and she wanted to run and fling herself into his arms. She loved him. If only the timing wasn’t horrific. She should tell him about the cancer, her fears, how she felt about him, but she wanted to live in the blessed ignorance of the present for as long as possible.
Chapter 11
Jamison had tried not to stare openly at Daisy as they’d made cookies and then lunch together. Hazel was a great distraction. If she weren’t here, Jamison would want to pin Daisy down and kiss her good and long. Then he would demand she explain why she kept trampling on his heart.
They put in the new Beauty and the Beast after lunch, and within minutes, Hazel was asleep in his lap. Jamison smiled down at the adorable little girl. He’d always wished for a sister, but his brothers were great. Brothers! He glanced at the huge clock on the wall. Jordan’s game was in an hour. He’d missed so many with his traveling schedule, and this was a big one for the little man.
He glanced over at Daisy and whispered so he wouldn’t wake up Hazel. “I need to get to Jordan’s game. Will you two be okay here?”
Daisy gave him a tremulous smile. “Of course. Thank you, Jamison, for taking such good care of us.”
Jamison nodded. She’d thanked him and thanked him, and it was sincere, but it was almost like if she told him thank you enough she wouldn’t feel beholden to him and think they had a relationship. He sighed. They didn’t have a relationship.
Jamison shifted and laid Hazel down on the couch. She let out a soft snore, and he chuckled. “She’s a cutie.”
“Yeah, she is.” Daisy looked at her niece so longingly, like she wouldn’t get to see her again or something, which was crazy. Then again, maybe it wasn’t. She’d only come to Snow Valley to help Treven and Maddie. She was probably planning to get back to her real life with celebrities and fans and her singing. Maybe that was the trouble with her and Jamison too. Maybe she cared for him, but how could she fit him into her super star life?
Jamison stood and stretched. His phone rang, and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket and swiped it on so he wouldn’t wake up Hazel.
“Hello,” he said quietly, walking away from the couch.
“Jamison,” said Treven. “I want to get Hazel home, but I don’t think Daisy should come here and have these reporters lay into her. Maddie was thinking Jordan might have a game today?”
“Yeah, he does.”
“If I meet you at the high school, back behind the grandstands, you can hand Hazel off to me. Hopefully no one will see where I got her and follow you back to Daisy.”
Jamison met Daisy’s gaze. She was going to stay here with him for a while. The thought shouldn’t make his heart leap so stinking high. “That should work. The game starts at three. I’ll meet you about ten minutes before with Hazel.”
“Thanks, man. You’re sure you’re okay with Daisy?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks again.”
Jamison rolled his eyes. Gratitude was nice, but Daisy and Treven acted like no one had ever helped them out in their life.
“Tell Daisy Maddie packed a bag of her stuff. Hopefully, all this drama will die down and the reporters will leave when they can’t find her.”
“That would be good.” But Jamison would keep her as long as he could. With enough time alone, would she share her secrets with him? Would she ever fall in love with him like he was with her?
“Be careful with her,” Treven said. “This is tough, and I’m not the most sensitive.”
Jamison had to laugh at the understatement about Treven’s lack of sensitivity, but why would reporters coming around be so hard on Daisy? Obviously she didn’t want the attention as she’d been running from the reporters when he rescued her this morning, but it had to be a huge part of her life, right?
“Will do. See you soon.” He pocketed the phone.
Daisy stood and walked closer to him, but not too close he noted.
“Treven wants me to bring Hazel to the game, and he’ll pick her up there.”
“He doesn’t want me?”
She looked like a little girl who had been left home alone as punishment while the entire family went for ice cream. Was it that horrid to stay here with him or was there something he didn’t understand?
“He thinks you’ll be safer here. The reporters are skulking around his house.”
Daisy gave him a tight nod of understanding.
“Are you okay crashing here with me?” he asked. Now, he probably looked like the little child begging for approval.
She folded her arms across her chest and forced a smile. “I hate to be a burden on you.”
“It’s my pleasure to serve you, Daisy Pipsqueak.” Jamison backed away before he offered his ripped-out heart on a platter again. She hadn’t wanted it after he saved her from the storm. Him rescuing her from reporters wasn’t going to make her want it now.
Daisy was glad for the distraction of Beauty and the Beast while Jamison took Hazel and went to the game. She ran up and down the stairs thirty times and did a hundred calf raises to burn off some energy. Washing her face and hands to cool off, she restarted the movie and settled in, trying to not think about cancer, reporters trying to find her, or the crater between her and Jamison. But the Beast being so b
ig and having reddish hair reminded her even more of Jamison. Though Jamison was much more good-looking, tender, and funny than the Beast.
When the movie was over, it was after five, and he still wasn’t home. Didn’t junior football games only go an hour? She wondered if he didn’t want to come home. Things were so awkward between them, and now, he was stuck with a houseguest he’d never wanted.
She tried to freshen herself up with what she had in her purse, wanting to at least look halfway decent when Jamison came back. Sometimes it still stung when she heard that she wasn’t a natural beauty and the makeup artists had to work so hard to make her perfect, but Jamison told her she was beautiful when she’d been running on a trail. He was the one who was perfect.
She went to the kitchen, determined to make herself useful. She loved that Jamison could cook, and she snatched another cookie off the counter. The brown sugar, butter, and semi-sweet chocolate were all blended perfectly.
There were a few dishes in the sink from lunch, so she loaded them into the dishwasher then washed the mixer and cookie sheets by hand and wiped down all the countertops.
Opening the fridge and the freezer at the same time, she simply stared, hoping for some inspiration. Nothing came. She closed them and pulled out her phone. She’d turned the ringer off earlier. There were a lot of text messages and phone calls from friends, acquaintances, and people she’d worked with. She should respond, but she couldn’t handle the placating thoughts and expressions right now. Why didn’t Jamison look at her with compassion in his eyes? He hadn’t said a thing about her cancer yet, so he must not know. He would’ve said something. How was she going to break it to him? Assuming nobody said something to him at the game.
She googled easy dinner recipes. Scrolling through, she wasn’t sure how some of these classified as “easy.” Finally, she settled on a chicken casserole with broccoli and rice that sounded pretty good. She’d seen broccoli in the fridge and chicken in the freezer. Surely she could find rice and the other stuff needed for the recipe in his cupboards somewhere.
Daisy pulled the chicken out of the freezer and immediately started second-guessing herself. It would take a while to defrost and cook the chicken, assemble the casserole, and then wait for it to bake. What if Jamison didn’t want her in his kitchen making a mess? She was trying to do something nice since he’d been so gracious about her staying here, but what if he looked at it as more of a pain than nice?
She started opening cupboards and looking for rice. She might as well try. Jamison was too kind to get upset with her. She remembered a time when she was a young teen and Jamison and Treven had been working for hours on a poster for some class. She’d been dancing around singing in the kitchen and had flung out her arms at the end of a song. She had knocked a cup of water all over the poster. Treven had yelled at her, but not Jamison. He’d grabbed a rag and cleaned up the mess while joking to calm Treven down and make her feel better.
Instead of comforting her, the memory made her sad. He was the best man she’d ever known. He’d told her he loved her, and she didn’t know how to navigate through the mess she was in and love him back. She sighed. Well, he’d get over her quickly when she disappeared from Snow Valley and the media moved onto the next big thing. He would soon realize she wasn’t anything special without all the glitz and fame.
She found cream of chicken soup and the spices she needed but no rice. Opening more cupboards, she finally saw a bag of rice way up high. Climbing onto the counter, she stood and reached for it. The door from the garage opened, and Daisy whirled. She slipped in her stockinged feet and screamed. Grabbing for something to steady herself, she clutched onto the open cabinet door, but her legs were still going out from under her.
“Daisy!” She heard Jamison call through the haze.
Her hand ripped from the cabinet, and she was falling. Crying out, she hoped the tile floor wasn’t as hard as it looked. Jamison lunged for her, catching her before she smacked her backside on the floor. She glanced up into his blue eyes and let out a strangled breath. “You just keep having to rescue me.”
His smile was strained. He straightened easily with her in his arms, set her down, and released her. “What are you doing?”
Daisy smoothed down her hair and then her sweater. “Um, well, I was trying to make you some dinner.” Her voice squeaked on dinner. Something was very wrong. Jamison could hardly meet her gaze.
He gestured to a pile that he must’ve dropped by the doorway to the mudroom. A takeout container had burst open and some fries were scattered about. The chocolate shake was oozing all over the floor. Her smaller suitcase was behind it.
“Losing the shake is a tragedy,” she said.
Jamison nodded shortly. He hurried and picked up the takeout container and set it on the counter. “You eat. I’ll clean up.”
“No, I can clean up.”
“I got it.” His voice was sharp, and there was none of his usual humor. He brushed a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Daisy. You eat, please. I already ate with my family. I tried to text you to see what you wanted, but—”
“I turned my phone off.” Her voice was so small. He knew. He was obviously upset and didn’t want to talk about it. Join the club. She didn’t want to talk about it either.
She sat at the bar and tried to focus on the turkey-bacon sandwich and fries from Big C’s, but it was harder than ever to swallow with tears thickening her throat. Every bite hurt, but her heart hurt worse. Jamison knew. She hated cancer so much. It’d taken her mom and tore her family to pieces. Now, it was ruining her life, and Jamison was going to hate her for not trusting him or maybe he just wanted to stay far away from her and not watch her waste away. She wanted to scream, “I was trying to protect you from this!”
If only screaming was still in her repertoire.
Jamison cleaned up the spilled shake and fries, cleaned up the food she’d gotten out, and put away the cookie sheets and mixer. Daisy watched him, but he didn’t glance her way. Not once. When he finished, his eyes darted around until they landed on her suitcase. “I’ll just put this in the bedroom that’s over the garage upstairs. It’s got a private bath.” He still wouldn’t look at her. “I, um, have some work to get done outside and then in my office, so I’ll see you in the morning.”
He grabbed the suitcase, hurried past her, and was gone.
Daisy sat there. She attempted another bite of the sandwich, but she couldn’t do it. Eating hadn’t been as fun the past few weeks, swallowing past a lump, but now, the tension between her and Jamison had completely taken her appetite.
She glanced at the clock. It was barely past six, and he’d see her in the morning? She sighed, closed the take-out container, and put it in the fridge. It was her own fault. She could’ve explained about the cancer and how it was the reason she couldn’t be with him, but no, she’d gone and made this a bigger mess.
She slowly walked up the stairs. Jamison was in the hallway and startled when he saw her. “Oh, um, I think Maddie packed everything you need. There are clean sheets and towels in the bathroom closet if you want to swap them out.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded and hurried past her like she was going to infect him with her cancer. Daisy walked down the hall and lay on the bed, glaring up at the ceiling. It was so unlike Jamison to make her feel unattractive and unwanted. He’d always treated her amazing. She was the one who had messed this all up, and she had no clue how to make it right.
Chapter 12
Jamison shoved hay at horses without seeing or hearing the animals he usually loved being around. He checked to make sure the water trough’s heater was on so it wouldn’t freeze over tonight. He supposed it was cold in the barn, but he couldn’t feel it. Jamison glanced around for something else to do, some excuse to stay out here and work. He made the mistake of glancing out the south barn window and saw his house. The light in the room above the garage was on. Daisy. He wanted to go in there and hold her and comfort her. Cancer. How could
his beautiful, talented, sweetheart Daisy Pipsqueak have cancer?
“Hey … Hey!” A man’s voice brought his head up.
Porter Wilson was at the barn entrance, holding a paper plate.
“Oh, hey.”
“Missy talked to Maddie and thought maybe you could use a treat.” He held aloft the plate.
Jamison didn’t have the heart to tell him he’d made his own cookies earlier today. Things had been off with Daisy then, but compared to now, they had been light and wonderful.
“You okay?” Porter asked.
Jamison shook his head. The entire town had somehow known about Daisy’s cancer and probably about him hiding her away in his house. Luckily, they were still heeding Pastor John’s warning and weren’t going to sell her out to the reporters.
Jamison had gone to dinner with his family after Jordan’s game to celebrate but had hardly been able to get a bite in. Several people had stopped by to ask after Daisy. Jamison hadn’t realized it was out that they were dating or whatever they were.
When Treven told him the truth behind the grandstands, he’d almost broken down and bawled like a baby. Then he’d gotten mad—at Daisy for not trusting him enough to tell him, at cancer for invading that beautiful woman, at himself for being a selfish jacktard instead of figuring out what he could do to help her. Now, he was just numb and didn’t know what to think, say, or do.
“Sorry, stupid question,” Porter said.
“Yeah.” Jamison shoved a hand through his hair. “Look. I don’t want to talk—”
“I know.” Porter held up a hand. “Believe me, I’ve been there.” He gestured with his chin toward Jamison’s house. “You love her?”
Jamison’s eyes followed Porter’s gaze. He couldn’t swallow past the lump in his throat. Lump in his throat. Ah, Daisy. Did it hurt every time she swallowed? He thought about the times she’d spoken more softly than she used to. When she’d put a hand to her throat. When she’d reached for the hymnal then stopped and hadn’t sung in church. Oh, man.
Romancing the Singer (Cami's Snow Valley Romance Book 5) Page 9