Pushing Up Daisies

by Jamise L. Dames

  “Well, here we are,” Camille said, sitting down at a table.

  “Yes, I guess so,” Daisy said, taking the chair across from her.

  The minutes ticked by slowly. Daisy sipped her hot chocolate and waited. Why the hell did she say she wants to talk to me if she’s not talking?

  “I’m sorry, my mind’s been somewhere else,” Camille said as if reading Daisy’s thoughts.

  Obviously. “I see. Well, what is it you wanted to discuss?”

  “You have to get him away from those people. They’re horrible.”

  “What are you talking about, Camille? Jay’s in foster care.”

  “No, he’s not. He’s with my mother-in-law.”

  “Can’t be. I spoke to him, and he told me that he was in foster care.”

  Camille sighed heavily, seemingly as exasperated as Daisy. “I tell you he’s not. I saw him over there just last week, when I went to drop off Christmas gifts.”

  Daisy hoped that Camille was mistaken. If Jay was in the custody of Jasper’s parents, her fight would be even harder. They were biologically related and had more money for lawyers. “How did they get him?”

  “They’re loaded. You’d be surprised how money can fool people. They must’ve convinced someone that they were good for Jay. But they’re not, I’m telling you.”

  “How come you’re so opposed to them having Jay? I know I have my reasons; I’m just wondering about yours.”

  “They’re terrible grandparents—terrible people. Period. You should’ve seen how they treated me after Jasper died. You would’ve thought that I’d turned into the Antichrist or something. They treat Camilla and me as if we have something contagious. When she gets older, I’ll be ashamed to tell her that they’re her relatives. Lord knows they don’t treat her like one.”

  “Camilla, too?”

  Camille nodded. “Yes. When Jasper was alive, and we told them that I was pregnant, you can’t imagine how much they loved me—or pretended to. But after he died and the will had been executed, that was it. They shunned me, and my child. Every now and then they call and act nice, as if they care. But it’s a facade. Nothing with them is as it seems.”

  Daisy couldn’t understand why Camille would bring them gifts if they were truly as horrible as she painted them to be. “Is it because they don’t think you should’ve gotten all of his money and assets?”

  “Are you serious?” Camille laughed. When Daisy didn’t join in, Camille stared at her. “You are, aren’t you? I didn’t get all of anything. I got the house and his car, but that’s it.”

  Unwilling to let Camille see the hurt that was about to surface, Daisy did her best to put on a poker face. “Jay and I didn’t get a dime.”

  Camille’s jaw dropped. “Nothing?”

  “Nada.”

  “I’m so sorry. All this time I thought that you’d gotten just about everything. I never would’ve taken the house had I known. There’s no way I would’ve put your son out in the cold! I was jealous. I thought that he loved you more.”

  Daisy laughed nervously. “No, he didn’t love me at all. It’s taken a while, but I’ve figured that out. And I’m pretty sure he didn’t love Jay all that much, either. If he had, he wouldn’t have left him out in the cold. It’s not your fault. Any other wife would’ve done the same.”

  “Well, I wonder where all his money went.”

  “If it didn’t go to his parents, maybe he had another woman. I know for certain that he was sleeping with someone else. A woman I know.”

  Camille covered Daisy’s hand with hers. “You poor thing. Was it one of the women I met?”

  “No, of course not. My friends wouldn’t do that to me,” Daisy lied. Camille was being nice, but Daisy would never give her the satisfaction of knowing that Jasper had tipped out with someone that close to Daisy. She’d already looked stupid once, when she’d found out that he’d married Camille after being with Daisy for years. I won’t allow myself to look like the same fool twice—even though I was.

  “Back to Jay…,” Daisy began.

  “Yes, back to Jay. Daisy, please get him out of there. I don’t know what it is, but something isn’t right. The mother’s okay sometimes, although her idea of raising a child is to hire a nanny. But the stepfather was ice-cold toward him. One minute he was smiling, and then, when Jay walked into the room, he frowned like he had a bad taste in his mouth.”

  Daisy decided to choose her words carefully. What if Camille was setting her up? She said the safest thing she could. “I’m trying to get him back now.”

  “Please do. And if there’s anything I can do, let me know. I’ll even go to court, if necessary. Twenty years from now, I don’t want to walk into my office and see Jay sitting on the other side of my desk, still trying to overcome the trauma he suffered during childhood. I see cases like that every day, and I don’t want him to become one of them.” Camille handed Daisy a business card. “Those are the numbers to my office and answering service. If it’s after hours, the service will reach me at any time. Feel free.”

  After Daisy left Camille, she walked toward the ice rink at Rockefeller Center. She blended in with the mass of people on the New York City sidewalks. They were all a blur. Everything was moving too fast. Deep in thought, she didn’t feel them bump into her. Didn’t hear their muttered curses. Didn’t see the Do Not Walk sign at the corner before she blindly stepped off the curb and headed into traffic. Too embarrassed to look up at her rescuer, she thanked whoever had pulled her back onto the curb by her coat collar to keep her from getting hit by a delivery truck.

  She leaned against the rail at the ice rink and watched the skaters below, the conversation with Camille haunting her. Jasper’s stepfather had to know that Jay was Jonathan’s son. From the way Camille described his behavior toward Jay, it seemed obvious. Why else would he treat him so horribly? She had to get Jay out of there. She’d need Ming Li to tell Jonathan’s story to the attorney. She wasn’t sure if it would work, or if it would be considered hearsay, but it was worth a shot.

  “Yuck,” she said out loud. Just the thought of having to see Ming Li, let alone ask her a favor, sickened her. She didn’t know how she’d be able to face her without strangling her.

  The whipping wind stung her eyes. They began to tear, but Daisy didn’t wipe them. She needed to cry, and the freezing gust of air was the perfect excuse. But then she remembered Adonis’s woe-is-me speech, she held up her head and straightened her shoulders. Checking her watch, Daisy hurried to hail a cab to take her to Jacob’s.

  Daisy sat on one of the only two seats in the living room. She looked around and smiled at all the boxes. Once, packed boxes had saddened her, but seeing Jacob’s made her happy. The sooner he moved out, the sooner she’d be able to move in.

  She noticed him in the doorway and realized how much she’d miss seeing him. She didn’t even know him, but she loved looking at him. He and Adonis had to be in the top five of the world’s most beautiful men.

  Jacob smiled as though he was waiting for her to invite him to sit down and join her. Unconsciously she licked her lips seductively and played with her hair. As he watched, the air between them filled with sexual energy. Daisy wondered if Jacob could feel it too. She looked into his warm eyes and was certain that he did.

  “Well, aren’t you going to sit down?”

  He crossed his arms. “No, I like watching you from here. Sometimes, when you’re too close, you miss the little things.”

  Daisy laughed. He was right. “What exactly are you afraid to miss?”

  “Nothing in particular. Everything in particular. I like watching you.”

  Hell, I love watching you with your sexy self.

  Daisy stared into Jacob’s eyes and suddenly felt the need to look away. He was reeling her in too much. She found herself ready to say yes to questions he hadn’t even asked. The game that they were playing was too dangerous, and someone would lose. That someone would be Adonis, and eventually her, if she gave in to Jacob.


  “So, do you still want it?” he asked, sitting down across from her.

  “The apartment?”

  “Of course, the apartment. Was there something else you had in mind?”

  Daisy paused a moment too long. “Well, no…”

  “You mean yes, don’t you?”

  “No means no.”

  Jacob went to Daisy and took her hand. “Listen, Daisy. I don’t know what it is about you…about us—”

  Daisy held up her free hand. “Don’t. I’m way too complicated for you. I’ve got too much baggage. Too many problems. I’ll run you off without even trying.”

  Jacob laughed. “I can’t be scared off. I run to what I’m drawn to, not away. That’s always been my problem…going after what I want. Sometimes it can be a curse.”

  Lord, don’t I know it. “Well, trust what you know. Consider me a curse. I’m sort of involved with someone.”

  “Sort of, as in just beginning a relationship, or just ending one?”

  “Beginning.”

  “What if he runs off?”

  “I don’t think he will. He hasn’t yet.”

  “So, is he the reason you canceled our dinner?”

  Daisy looked away. She had known that he’d ask eventually. “Yes, but not intentionally. We’d cut our ties a while back, and then I ran into him at the restaurant. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with both of you in the same place.”

  Jacob rubbed her hand and studied her intently. For a moment, she wished that she wasn’t involved with Adonis. She desperately wanted to kiss Jacob, wondered if his lips were as soft as they appeared. Blinking slowly, she inhaled his breath as he exhaled. It was sweet and inviting. Her mouth watered. Damn, what have I got myself into?

  Jacob stood and pulled her up by the arm. He was just inches in front of her. She closed her eyes and felt his face in the crevice between her shoulder and head. He buried his nose in her neck.

  “You smell delicious.”

  I bet you are delicious.

  She opened her eyes and stared directly into his. He was tempting. Too tempting. Before she knew it, she’d reached out and touched his hair. His soft curls spiraled around her finger and seemed to beckon her. Carefully, she pulled away, Ms. Christine’s warning playing in the back of her mind: What looks good to you may not be good for you.

  Jacob pulled her close again, cradling her face in his hands. He kissed her forehead, her nose, then brushed her lips.

  Daisy reared back. “I can’t do this. I don’t even know you. I don’t know anything about you. And you don’t know me. I can’t throw everything away for lust. It seems huge right now, but it’s so small compared to life and love. Besides, you’re going to be my landlord. And your father’s my boss.”

  Jacob laughed. “But I do know you. You just don’t remember me.”

  Daisy looked at him as if he were crazy.

  “I first saw you when you started working for my dad. I’d come and go, hoping to get your attention. We locked eyes one day.”

  “Are you sure about that? Because I still don’t remember you. No offense.”

  “You may not remember because it was some time ago, but I’ll never forget. You looked so beautiful sitting in the front of the flowers. I watched you faithfully. I knew then what I know now.”

  “What’s that?”

  “That you’re special, delicate. Just like your name. You deserve someone who’ll treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You shouldn’t be working. You need someone like me to take care of you.”

  Daisy pulled herself out of his arms again and smiled. She had no idea what kind of energy she exuded that made men think she was helpless. Jacob was as much of a joke as Jasper and Calvin had been. At one point in her life, she’d have believed him. She would have given in and let him manipulate her because she was attracted to power. But Adonis had shown her what real power was. He had loved her without needing to control her.

  “I believe that you would take care of me. But I’ll have to decline. He’s—Adonis is too important to me.”

  Jacob looked surprised. “Adonis, hunh? Well, if his name truly holds meaning, I’d better be careful. I studied Adonis in college. The myth, not the man.” Jacob laughed and reached into his pocket. “Here.” He handed her a set of keys. “I’ll be completely moved out the day after tomorrow. You can move in then, if you’d like.”

  Daisy kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Jacob. Thanks for the apartment, and the very enlightening conversation.”

  Daisy left Jacob’s apartment feeling both happy and ashamed. Up to the moment she’d realized he was no good for her, she’d come dangerously close to giving in to him. She’d never been tempted by two men before; she’d never wanted more than one. Although Jacob was breathtaking on the surface, he wasn’t Adonis. Jacob would have drained her; Adonis filled her. While she guessed that Jacob could rock her world sexually, Adonis had rocked more than her body. The man had gotten under her skin, and into her mind. He had made her want to utter the three words she’d sworn she would never say again. “I’ll tell him tonight,” she promised herself as she stepped onto the porch.

  Daisy hurried into the house. She couldn’t wait to share her news with Gigi and Ms. Christine. She knew they’d both be happy for her. Her stay with Gigi had been good for both of them. They had been there for each other during their time of need; Daisy had needed a place to rest her head, and Gigi had needed support after her breakup with Marcus. But as close as they were, she realized that they both needed their own space. Too many women in a kitchen would eventually lead to trouble.

  As Daisy hung up her coat, she saw Gigi sitting at the dining room table, holding her face in her hands. She was crying.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Gigi shook her head.

  “It’s something,” Daisy persisted.

  “Yes, but no one that you’re concerned about.”

  “Why not? Who is it?”

  “Ming Li. She’s in the hospital. She overdosed.”

  16

  Daisy carried the last box into Jay’s room and set it on top of the others. She wiped her dusty hands on her jeans and glanced over her shoulder. Adonis’s and Ms. Christine’s loud laughter floated through the apartment. She hoped the walls were thick. The last thing she wanted was to give her neighbors a reason to complain about her.

  She shushed them loudly and sat down on top of Jay’s bed. Relishing the sudden silence, she closed her eyes and said a special prayer of thanks. It had been a long time since she and Jay had had a nice place of their own. The room was too small to accommodate all of his belongings, but it would do. She didn’t care if his toys were scattered throughout the apartment, as long as they were together. Getting him back was all that mattered.

  “You need any help?” Adonis offered from the doorway.

  “No, I’m finished for now. I need to paint and buy him some new linens and curtains, the things he needs to make this room feel like his. But I guess you’ll help me with that, right?” She caressed his face softly.

  Adonis rolled his eyes in mock disgust. “You sure know how to get what you want. You know I’ll help in any way I can, with a little persuasion. Speaking of persuasion, who did you work your magic on to get a place like this?”

  Daisy froze. She hadn’t yet told Adonis about Jacob, or about renting from him. He’d be upset if she told him the entire truth. She’d tell him only what he needed to know. “My boss’s son rented me the apartment. He’s a professor, and he’s gone on sabbatical for a year. He needed a tenant, and I needed a place. I didn’t have to work my magic. You’re the only one that I work.” She kissed him on the cheek and hurried out of the room before he could ask more questions.

  Ms. Christine slid a sofa against the wall. “There,” she said with one final shove. “Now, doesn’t that look better on this side of the room? It better, ’cause I’m not moving it again. I’m tired, and I have a plane to catch.”

  Daisy hugged her mother. “Than
ks, Ma. For everything. It looks fine right where you put it. I’m going to miss you.”

  “Sweetie, you don’t have to thank me. But on second thought, if you really want to thank me, you can cook me dinner when you come home. I’ve been cooking ever since I got out here.”

  “Sure, Ma. Whatever you want, you got it.”

  “Good. I’ll have a list ready for you when you come home to visit. “Come on, Adonis!” Ms. Christine yelled. “It’s time to go.” She turned to Daisy. “I bet he’s lying down. Two days of moving tires anyone out.”

  “I’ll get him, Ma.” Daisy headed for Jay’s bedroom.

  She found him curled up on Jay’s bed. She smiled. He looked so peaceful, so tired. She hated to wake him. “Adonis, are you sleeping?” she asked, nudging him gently.

  He stretched, looked up at her with sleepy eyes. “Yes. No. I’m up now.”

  Daisy sat on the bed and rubbed his back. “Ma’s waiting for you. You should never have told her you’d take her to the airport.”

  “I know. You should be taking her.”

  Daisy knew what he was going to say next, and she didn’t want to hear it. She’d been able to avoid that conversation for the last few days. Moving had saved her. “I have a valid reason for not wanting to go. You guys are stopping by the hospital first. Why should I visit Ming Li, after what she did?”

  “Women. I love y’all, but I can’t take y’all. If it were two men, we’d just talk about it—maybe even fight. But we’d get over it. Besides, you don’t know the whole story.”

  “And neither do you,” Daisy said defensively.

  Adonis kissed her on the forehead. “Don’t put me in this. You know where my loyalty is. I’m just telling you what Gigi tried to tell you…what your own mother tried to tell you. There’s more to the story.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Daisy said drily, and returned to the living room to bid Ms. Christine good-bye.