by Kitty Parker
She expects a crowd when they arrive at the Ames house but instead, there is only one other car in the driveway and that's surprising to her.
"Come in, come in!" Tana greets them from the open door, waving them in once Jack has parked the truck in the driveway next to the other car.
Inside, it is a small party. Hardly a party at all. Just a small gathering. Casey, Tana, Billy and Jessi. Adam. And the three of them.
"I brought cupcakes," Daisy says once she steps into the foyer.
"Thank God," Adam suddenly appears, taking the plate from her and leans in, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, sweet cheeks," he says and even though she's not affected at all by Adam Hersh, Daisy feels herself always blushing by his flirting.
She looks back to Jack to see his reaction to his friend's behavior but he doesn't seem bothered by it at all. Perhaps because there's no reason to have a reaction to it.
The Ames' have a large flat screen on the wall of their living room and Matty immediately goes to it, plopping down on the floor to begin watching the pregame. Jack and Daisy follow Tana and Adam into the kitchen to see Casey coming in from the back patio, snapping together a pair of metal tongs.
"Just about done," he tells them all.
"I saw something like this in a magazine and I knew you would make these," Tana says, looking down at the plate of cupcakes Adam has set down on the table, decorated with colored sprinkles for each team and prints of Broncos on some and Panthers on the others.
Daisy smiles. Tana always makes her feel so proud of her cupcakes; as if she has truly never seen anything more beautiful in this world than her cupcakes.
"What are you cookin'?" Jack asks as he grabs a cheese-puff ball from the bowl on the table, popping it into his mouth and biting it down with a crunch.
"Brisket," Casey answers, pulling beer bottles from the refrigerator, handing them to Adam and Jack and then keeping one for himself.
Daisy's stomach promptly grumbles when she hears that. She'll let everyone else eat the cupcakes. She plans on eating nothing but that brisket.
"I've been wanting to talk with you," Tana says once she and Daisy have their plates and are settling themselves down on the couch in the living room. Daisy has told Matty more than once that the food is ready but he still hasn't moved from his spot in front of the television and Jack tells him that he'll fix his plate for him.
"About?" Daisy asks, setting her plate carefully on her thighs.
"Casey and I was wondering if you and Jack wanted to go out to dinner with us sometime next week," Tana smiles. "Nothing fancy. Maybe just to Trello's," she suggests.
Trello's is the only Italian restaurant in town and one of Daisy's favorites.
"I'll talk with Jack about it but if he doesn't, I'll still want to go," Daisy smiles in return.
"How come you havin' a date night and not invitin' me?" Adam asks, having overheard as he comes into living room with his own plate.
"Are you saying you want to come eat with us?" Tana asks him. "Will you get a date?"
"Look at who you're talking to, Tana," Adam smiles cockily. "'course I'll get a date. Daisy," he then looks at her. "If Jack doesn't wanna go with you, I'll take you out to dinner."
"Think again, Hersh," Jack grumbles as he enters from the kitchen and goes to hand Matty his plate of food. He meets Daisy's eyes as he turns to head back into the kitchen and his lips twitch in a little smile and Daisy feels her stomach flutter and her cheeks catch on fire.
…
Jack carries a sleeping Matty into his bedroom and Daisy is quick to pull down the covers. He sets the boy down gently and Daisy pulls his shoes off and his sweatshirt. He had tried to stay awake for the entire game but it was probably best that he hadn't so he couldn't witness the Panthers lose.
"A'right," Jack says once they leave the bedroom and Daisy turns on the nightlight.
They walk to the front door and she's so tempted to ask him to spend the night but she bites down on her teeth before she can. They're at the front door now and he opens it himself and she knows he's not expecting her to ask. She looks up at him and the words are on the tip of her tongue. She wants to ask him to stay; to sleep with her in her bed again and put his arms around her and wake up beside one another.
But something is holding her back and she's not sure what but whatever it is, it won't let her give voice to the thoughts in her head.
And Jack looks at her and it's almost as if he already knows. He leans in and affectionately presses a kiss to her forehead.
"G'night, Daisy," he says quietly.
Before he can step away, Daisy's hand flies up to his shoulder and she pushes herself up on her toes, pressing her lips to his.
"Good night," she says softly. "See you tomorrow."
He smiles a little at that. "See you tomorrow," he echoes.
Daisy watches as he walks across the hall and goes into his apartment and Daisy steps back into hers, closing and locking the door.
A few minutes later, when she's in her bedroom, slipping into her tee-shirt and then crawling between the sheets, she lays down and exhales a soft sigh.
She should have asked Jack to spend the night.
…
Trello's is casual and while Daisy wears a dress, Jack wears his usual flannel shirt and jeans. Casey and Tana are there already as they enter the restaurant and are shown to their table and they all smile and Casey and Jack shake hands and Daisy and Tana hug one another before they all sit down.
"I'm so glad we could do this," Tana smiles, opening her menu.
Daisy notices Casey giving Jack a look from across the table but Jack pretends not to notice as he studies his own menu.
Daisy smiles across at Tana.
"Me, too. I've never been on a double-date," Daisy says. "I feel like such a grown-up," she then laughs a little, aware of how stupid she sounds but Casey and Tana smile and from the corner of her eye, she sees Jack smirking. She bumps her shoulder playfully into his arm and he turns his head to give her a smile.
Both immediately tense however when they hear a woman's laughter behind them. They both recognize that laughter instantly. Daisy has heard it in the hallway outside of her apartment on more than one occasion. And it's not as if she never wants to hear it again. Daisy has no problem with her. She really has no reason to. They are all adults and for a long time, Jack had no commitment to her whatsoever. He was able to do anything with anyone.
Daisy's just completely unprepared to see her tonight. And sensing the way Jack is so tense beside her, it's obvious that he isn't prepared to see her tonight either. Why would they? It's a small town but for some reason, they just hadn't expected to see her at the restaurant tonight of all nights.
"Hey. We aren't too late, are we?" Adam asks, coming around the table to smile at them all, pulling the girl with him. "We order drinks yet? This is my date. Y'all know Carolina, right?"
And Carolina is standing next to Adam, smiling a little and giving an awkward wave but looking a little uncomfortable, too, but Adam just keeps grinning, looking right at Jack. And looking at Jack, Daisy sees the clenching of his jaw as he looks back to Adam.
…
"You're a dick," Jack informs him as he lights a cigarette before handing the lighter to Adam, who's just grinning at him.
"Am I?" The man asks innocently before lighting his own cigarette.
Adam doesn't smoke often – seems to only really do it when he's around Jack – but Jack had stood up from the table instead, saying he needed a cigarette real quick and he gave Adam a look to get his ass outside with him.
"What'd I do?" He then asks Jack, acting as if he still hasn't done anything wrong.
Jack just looks at him and exhales smoke through slightly parted lips. "Is there a reason you came and brought Carolina with you?" He gets the question out, his eyes never leaving Adam, even as he looks relaxed, leaning back against the brick wall behind them.
"Should I not have done that?" Adam asks with a slight snick
er before taking a long drag from his cigarette and exhaling the smoke into the night.
Jack can't help but snicker, too, and shake his head. But then he's quiet for a moment and takes another inhale of his cigarette. "I don't like her bein' around Daisy," he then says in a quiet voice, his eyes lowering to the ground. "I really hurt Daisy when I was with Carolina and I jus' don't wanna bring it all up again."
"I get that, man," Adam says and Jack can hear that he actually does.
He knows some think Adam's an asshole. When he's wearing his uniform, he's all business and he takes his job seriously – and he's damn good at his job. Protecting people and upholding the laws. But outside of his uniform, Adam is cocky and can be a bit in your face. Jack normally wouldn't imagine having someone like him as a friend but meeting Casey and getting to know him, that meant getting to know Adam, too, and Jack was surprised that once he did, Jack didn't completely hate the guy.
Jack's always gotten the feeling that if just a few little things in both of their lives had been different, he and Adam could have been brothers.
"Things are goin' good with you right now?" Adam asks and leans beside him.
"Yeah," Jack gives a nod. "Things are goin' great." He then gives Adam a point look. "And I wanna keep them goin' great and paradin' Carolina 'round-"
"Whoa, whoa," Adam laughs a little. "Did you ever stop and think that I might like Carolina?"
Jack looks at him and he's not too sure what to say to that. It actually hasn't occurred to him that Adam may just plain like Carolina – and he feels like a dick for that because Carolina's nice. Perfectly nice. She just wasn't nice for him. But he knows that plenty of other guys would have had no problem being with her. He just guesses he hadn't considered one of those guys to be Adam.
"Fine, man, but you had to bring her here, tonight?" Jack asks.
Adam shrugs. "Figurin' I'm seein' myself with her for a while. And if that's gonna be true, figured we all need to get used to spendin' time together." Adam drops his cigarette to the ground even though it's no where finished and he stubs it out with his boot. "If it makes you feel any better, she was unsure 'bout comin' here tonight when I talked to her about it."
Jack's not really surprised at that. Carolina is pissed at him – and she has every right to be – but he never got the feeling Carolina is pissed at Daisy, too. Actually, the last time he saw Carolina in Joe's bar that night, she had actually said that she had always liked Daisy. He had been the one she had been trying to mess with and he doesn't expect either of them to exchange words with one another tonight during this dinner. Maybe some other time - a long time down the road - but not tonight and he hopes for that because he's not ready for that.
He lets out a sigh and with a few more puffs, he finishes his own cigarette. "You're right."
Adam gives him a cocky grin as he pushes himself off the wall. "Yeah, I know."
Inside the restaurant, Daisy and Carolina are sitting next to one another and Carolina is holding up her arm, Daisy holding it with gentle hands, looking at whatever tattoo she's got there.
"I love it," Daisy is commenting.
"Thanks," Carolina beams. "It's David Bowie. And I have always loved him and when he passed away, I just had to get something of his."
Jack sits down in his seat next to Daisy and Adam sits down in the seat across the table from Carolina, beside Tana. Jack glances over and sees the tattoo on the inside of Carolina's arm, words written in black script.
For years and years I roamed; I gazed a gazeless stare.
"How many tattoos do you have?" Tana asks.
"A lot," Carolina then laughs a little as if she's embarrassed. "And I have more than one that were gotten as drunken mistakes."
Casey smiles at that. "Like what?" He asks and Tana looks at him with a raised eyebrow. He just shrugs, looking a little bashful.
"Well, one night after way too much peach schnapps, I decided that my body was missing a turtle with wings flying over a rainbow," Carolina laughs again. "I have it on my lower back."
"That's my favorite," Adam gives her a quick wink and Carolina giggles.
Daisy looks to Jack and leans into him, putting her lips close to his ear. "Everything alright?" She asks in a whisper.
Jack turns his head to look at her and their faces are so close together, their noses nearly bump. "Yeah. Why wouldn' it be?" He asks.
She looks at him for a moment and he smirks a little because of course, they both know why it wouldn't be but it really is alright. Carolina's there for Adam and she hasn't even looked at Jack and despite everything, Daisy and Carolina seem to like one another and get along for some reason – some reason that Jack knows he'll never understand even if he does ask. And he really doesn't feel like asking. He figures it's just one of those girl things.
Their waitress comes and everyone places their orders and conversation flows easily between everyone – talks of work – Martinez hired a new mechanic, Zach, and the kid's an idiot – and home life – Billy is failing algebra and there's a new dinosaur exhibit at the museum that Matty just has to go to – and then Tana asks Daisy what she's doing for her birthday this year.
"My family has a dinner every year and I just go there for dinner and presents," Daisy answers. "Ever since having Matty, I've always chosen to be a bit more low-key with it."
By then, their entrees have arrived and everyone begins eating and Carolina starts telling them about a bar in downtown Atlanta that has a mechanical bull and when she rode it, she was wearing a tube top. Adam grins and says that he loves that story.
And that begins a conversation about the wildest birthdays they've ever had. Adam, Carolina, Tana and Casey all talk about it but Jack and Daisy are quiet as they eat their dinners.
"What do you wanna do for your birthday?" Jack asks her in a low voice.
Daisy smiles and shrugs. "I don't know. I don't really think about it because I'm so used to it being dinner and cake and presents."
He nods, taking a moment to chew his chicken Parmigianino. He had almost got the restaurant's lasagna but he knew it wouldn't be as good as Daisy's so he hadn't bothered.
"Am I invited?" He then asks and she smiles at him, bumping her arm playfully into his, and he smirks a little.
"I think there might be a seat for you," she says. "What do you want to do for my birthday?" She then asks and he looks at her, seeing the laughter in her eyes and her teasing lighting up her face. She looks so happy that night and he wonders if she's really that happy that to be out on a triple date at a restaurant he doesn't think is that good anyway.
He thinks that he has to take her out on a date. Just the two of them. He can't believe that he's just thought of this now. He's so involved with hers and Matty's life and they are so intertwined with his and he already knows that this time around, they're not going anywhere and he sure as shit isn't going anywhere – not this time – and he needs to take this girl out on a date because he can't imagine his life without her in it anymore.
Maybe he'll drive them to Atlanta – or maybe even somewhere just out of town. He'll take her to an actual good Italian restaurant but he still won't order the lasagna. They could go to actual Italy and he wouldn't try the lasagna there either.
He knows it won't be as good as hers.
"Maybe I'll get a tattoo for my birthday," Daisy dives back into the conversation.
"Oh, you should!" Carolina is excited at just the mere idea. "A little cupcake. Maybe right here." She pats Daisy on her back, over her shoulder blade. "If you want, I'll take you to see my usual guy. Rusty is an absolute genius."
"His name is Rusty and he works with needles?" Tana can't help but frown at that.
Daisy looks at Jack. "Who did your tattoos?" She asks him and he looks at her, chewing silently. He can tell she's serious about this and it's completely her decision – obviously – but there's something about Daisy getting a tattoo that he just doesn't like.
"If you wanna get one and you're serious, I'll take you s
omewhere," Jack says in a low voice. "Don't know if I wan' anythin' on your skin 'cept me though."
He immediately feels his ears burst into red. He has no idea where he's gotten so brave to say such a thing. He's even surprised that he was about to even think it. He's thought of having sex with Daisy. Of course he has. Why wouldn't he? He's been thinking of having sex with this girl since one of the first times he saw her in the hallway with Matty running ahead of her. She's the prettiest thing he's ever seen and for some reason, she's wanting him in her life. He doesn't want to mess this up. Not again. And they are taking this slow and he doesn't want to ruin it all over again with stupid ass perverted comments like that.
But Daisy is looking at him and she doesn't look as if she wants to smack his face.
Instead, she gives a little nod and her eyes are still twinkling. "I think you're right."
Jack wonders what the others would think if he was just to grab Daisy's hand right now and tug her out of the restaurant without another word to any of them.
…
"Was he good?" Daisy asks her sister once they arrive back to her apartment.
Maybelle smiles as she pulls on her coat. "Good as gold as always. He's been in bed for about an hour now. Did you have fun?"
"So much fun. The food could have been better but that doesn't matter," Daisy smiles.
Jack is clipping the leash onto Otter's collar. "'m gonna take him out real quick."
"Thank you," Daisy smiles at him and he gives her a little smile, too, before heading out of the apartment, Otter leading him down the stairs and outside.
He usually just leads the dog into the park next to the building and then the perimeter of the building and as he is heading for the entrance again, he sees Maybelle's car pull out of the lot and she sees him, giving him a friendly honk as she passes on the street. Otter is going up the steps but he hears something further down the street and he freezes, his ears pricking up. And Jack stops and listens, too. His hearing isn't as good as a dog's but he's spent years, hunting and tracking, and his hearing is better than most people's. And after a moment, he gives a gentle tug on Otter's leash.