by K. M. Morgan
A week ago, Kara contacted Daisy out of the blue about doing a decorating job for her. Daisy starting thinking how long it had been since they’d last spoken—too long. She felt bad that they’d been out of contact. At the same time, they both had busy lives.
Doing this decorating job would give them a chance to reconnect. Daisy was really looking forward to it.
At the same time, Daisy didn’t know what to expect. Ever since Kara married Luke, she’d disappeared from social media. Daisy could understand why. Luke was not only a famous Canadian painter, but he was reclusive as well. He probably wished the same for his wife.
On top of that, Kara had mentioned Luke’s two grown children were not thrilled about their father marrying Kara—a woman nearly half his age. On top of that, despite being adults, Luke’s kids apparently still lived at home. For all Daisy knew, she could be walking into a den of drama.
***
Daisy couldn’t believe her eyes when she arrived at the Longwell residence. It was a sprawling estate complete with a main residence and a backhouse that had been converted into a painting studio. So this was how the other half lived.
Daisy was in awe of how beautiful everything was. The grounds were perfectly manicured. Daisy knew Kara had married into money, but this was more ostentatious than she ever imagined.
Daisy parked and spotted a hunky landscaper named Matthew Madsen trimming hedges in the garden. She couldn’t help but let her glance linger as she watched his biceps bulging. Matthew had short brown hair, hazel eyes, and the kind of trim body that came naturally from working in the garden day in and day out.
Apparently rich people really could get anything they wanted. Daisy had seen plenty of gardeners, but none that looked like that. The Cozy Creek gardeners had a distinct schlubbiness to them. Matthew meanwhile looked like an underwear model.
“Morning,” Matthew said.
Wow, did he have a dynamite smile. It would be all too easy to let distraction get the best of her. She’d come out here to do a job and reconnect with a friend, not ogle man candy all day. Although Daisy did have a weakness for candy.
She smiled back at him. “Hi.”
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” he continued.
The day wasn’t the only thing that was beautiful. Daisy could feel her heart beating faster. Maybe reconnecting with an old friend and doing some redecorating wasn’t the only reason she’d been called here. Perhaps some romance was in store for Daisy as well. If that were the case, it would be about time.
Then again, maybe Daisy was just letting her thoughts get ahead of herself. They often did that when she found herself in front of incredibly hunky men.
“It sure is. It doesn’t hurt that you get to work at an estate like this,” Daisy replied.
Matthew looked over at the main house and played it cool. “It’s not half bad, is it?”
“I’ll say. It’s big enough to have its own postal code,” Daisy replied.
“Hey. When you’ve seen one palatial estate, you’ve seen them all,” Matthew joked.
Daisy laughed. “Well, this is my first.”
“If you like this, wait until you see the inside.”
Daisy still shook her head, in awe. “I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be this rich.”
“I can. Unfortunately, reality hasn’t kept up with my imagination.”
“Don’t worry. On a gardener’s salary you should be able to afford a place like this in no time. I’d say it would only take eighty or ninety years—tops,” Daisy joked.
“I’d better start saving now then.”
Daisy gave him a really big smile this time. Was this the beginning of something special? She felt like she was in a romantic comedy all of a sudden. Couples in those movies always met like this. Of course, this wasn’t some movie. It was reality. That didn’t mean life couldn’t imitate art—this one time at least.
Then, just as quickly as her hopes had built up, they came back down to Earth.
“Anyway, I should really get back to work,” Matthew said.
Fooey.
Apparently Matthew was just being nice. No man that had a genuine romantic interest in her would be in that much of a hurry to get back to work. It was a bummer too, because Matthew sure was hunky.
Daisy then moved up to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell as Matthew returned to his work.
The estate’s maid Anna Antonelli opened the door. Anna had girl next door looks with a pretty face and a slender body. She was very unassuming and understated. Not to mention all business.
“Can I help you miss?” Anna asked.
“I’m Daisy McDare here to see Kara Longwell.”
“Yes. She’s expecting you. Please come in,” Anna replied.
Chapter Five
The maid led Daisy to the study, where volumes of works lined the shelves. By the looks of the place, it wasn’t so much a home, but rather a museum. Everything was carefully laid out. Antiques were everywhere Daisy turned.
“Mrs. Longwell will be right with you,” Anna said.
“Thanks,” Daisy replied.
Daisy felt like she’d wandered into a boring British drawing room drama of manners. There was such a seriousness in the air. Not to mention she was afraid of pulling out the chocolate bar from her purse for fear that the wrapping would crinkle too loudly and cause feathers to be rumpled.
There was no homey atmosphere to be found. It seemed like such a stilted way to live. Daisy couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be a young kid in a place like this—seeing all kinds of interesting objects yet not being able to touch any of them.
Daisy wondered how her old friend had adjusted to life in the fast lane. Kara’s family came from very modest means. Now she was living in the lap of luxury. The world of the obscenely rich was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Sometimes making a transition like that wasn’t always smooth.
Just as Daisy’s mind was wandering into the ozone, Kara Longwell greeted her.
“Daisy,” she said.
“Kara. It’s so good to see you again,” Daisy replied.
Daisy gave her old friend a hug. My how things had changed, and not just because they weren’t little kids anymore.
Kara was in great shape with an athletic build and long blonde hair. That hadn’t changed. Her wardrobe sure had. Kara wore head to toe designer labels and had plenty of high-priced jewelry to match. The outfit and accessories she was wearing probably cost more than most of Daisy’s entire wardrobe combined.
“So, how have you been?” Kara asked.
“Apparently not as good as you. This is quite a place you’ve got here,” Daisy said.
“It’s a little different than my parent’s old house on Vine Street,” Kara joked.
“That might be the understatement of the century,” Daisy remarked.
Kara laughed. “It’s just that sometimes I can hardly believe I actually live in a place with seven bathrooms. Do you realize I have a walk-in closet here that’s bigger than the last apartment I lived in?”
“As a person who still lives in an apartment, I’d like to see a closet that big,” Daisy joked.
“Alright, but I’ll warn you in advance. Prepare to get lost.”
“Has that happened to you?”
Kara bit the corner of her lip. “I can’t confirm nor deny that.”
“In that case, do you have a map for this walk-in closet of yours?” Daisy joked.
“I’ll have the maid draw one up for you.”
“Please do.”
Daisy and Kara then shared another laugh.
“Seriously though, what’s it like living in a mansion and being married to Luke Longwell?” Daisy asked.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” Kara replied.
Hmm, what a peculiar answer. Daisy expected to hear an enthusiastic reply filled with verve and excitement. Instead there was a sense of sorrow in her voice.
Some people may not have c
aught it, but Daisy was good at reading people. It just came naturally to her. She had the ability to look into most anyone’s eyes and tell if they were lying. Sometimes she’d have a gut instinct about someone. When she did, Daisy was sure to listen to it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t anything she had control over.
Daisy’s gut was telling her something was amiss with her old friend. Another clue was the fact that Kara was carrying around a half-full martini glass—at ten-thirty in the morning.
Daisy couldn’t help but wonder what was going in her life that drove her to drink before noon. “Is everything alright with you?”
“Yeah. Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how awesome it is not to have to work for a living?” Kara boasted.
“Actually, no,” Daisy answered.
“Well let me tell you, being loaded is awesome. I highly recommend it,” Kara said. Her martini was clearly doing some of the talking for her.
Daisy tried to keep that in mind as she answered. “That isn’t an option for all of us.”
“That’s what I used to think when I was living paycheck to paycheck too. Then a super wise woman at the nail salon gave me the best advice in the universe one day--marry a rich man. I haven’t looked back since.”
Daisy started to wonder if maybe this was Kara’s second martini of the day. The Kara she knew and loved was sweet and shy. This Kara in front of her was bombastic and booze-fueled.
Daisy forced a smile. “Well, I’m happy for you.”
Kara took a big sip of her drink. “It turns out a diamond isn’t a woman’s best friend. Having enough money to buy an entire jewelry store is way better.”
Despite Kara’s bluster, all Daisy had to do was look into her eyes to see some pain hiding just below the surface. If Kara didn’t want to talk about it, that was her prerogative—but Daisy wanted to at least lend a sympathetic ear.
“I just want you to know, if there is something going on, you can talk to me about it,” Daisy continued.
Kara was quick to change the subject. “Why don’t we get down to business?”
Daisy wasn’t going to force the issue, although it did bother her to see her old friend hiding some kind of distress. What a difference to when they were little girls together.
“Ok. Well, first I want to say thanks for picking me to redecorate the place,” Daisy said.
“Of course. Who better to hire than an old friend?” Kara asked.
“I will say though, you already seem to have a classical old world motif going on with your décor. What kind of redecorating are you looking for?” Daisy asked.
Kara didn’t hold back with her answer. “The exact opposite of the stuffy vibe we’ve got going on here. This house feels like it’s trapped in 1892.”
That was the last thing Daisy expected to hear. “Really?”
“Oh yeah? I want this place to be lively, modern, and fresh. Dare I say even hip,” Kara continued.
“Ok. I can do that. This place is huge though. Do you want the whole house done?” Daisy asked.
“Are you kidding? I’d love to have all twenty-seven rooms redecorated,” Kara replied.
Daisy’s eyes lit up with visions of dollar bills. “Great.”
That thought became fleeting as Kara continued. “Unfortunately, Luke is only letting me redecorate one room—the party room.”
Daisy was deflated and confused at the same time. “Party room?”
“Most people call it the parlor, but since it’s the only thing I have any control over in this house, I renamed it the party room. After all, I am a one woman party,” Kara explained.
“You sure are.”
“Here, why don’t I show you what I’m talking about?” Kara suggested.
Daisy had seen a number of parlors in her life, but none that big. Grandiose seemed more the proper word. Suddenly the idea of only redecorating one room didn’t seem like a waste. After all, a room this large was the equivalent of practically redecorating Daisy’s entire apartment. As for décor, it had much of the same antique-lined museum motif to it.
“Is this room ready to party or what?” Kara said.
“At least it will be when I’m done redecorating it,” Daisy answered.
“That’s the spirit.”
“Now, it might get a little awkward talking about price with an old friend, but my going rate is--”
Kara interrupted her. “There’s the rub. Now I told Luke we’re old friends and that he needs to be generous with this job. I tried my hardest to get more, but this is all the money I could get out of his tight wallet.”
Uh oh. Was a cheapo offer coming Daisy’s way?
Kara pulled a check out of her purse. “I’m afraid you’re either going to have to take it or leave it.”
Daisy was nervous to look at the check. She’d driven a long way. The last thing she wanted was to take a pay cut from her usual rate.
Of course there was also the possibility that the figure on the check would be bigger than she expected. That rarely happened though.
There was only so much stalling she could do. It was time to see if Daisy had driven this way for nothing. She was pleasantly surprised by the amount on the check. It was a little bit over her going rate. What a relief.
“So, what do you say—are you ready to get this room in party shape?” Kara asked.
Chapter Six
After hearing Daisy agree to the job, Kara led her out into the backyard to meet her husband. After all, Luke was the one financing this whole project.
Besides, amazingly enough, Daisy had never met him before. The couple did not do a lot of socializing. At the same time, Daisy hadn’t made frequent trips to Whistling Wind.
Luke’s legendary reclusive personality was mostly the culprit however. He preferred just to stay on his estate. The only exception was when the couple had a destination wedding in Versailles and some of the vacations they took solo to far off exotic locations.
Even though Daisy had gotten an invitation to attend the wedding, she was hardly in the financial position to take seven days off work and fly to France for a wedding.
Kara walked past the lavish swimming pool and over to a pool house that had been converted into an art studio.
Before opening the door to the studio, Kara turned to Daisy and addressed her in hushed tones.
“I just want you to know, there’s no telling what kind of a mood he’s going to be in. Sometimes things can get a little…interesting,” Kara said.
What an odd and ominous warning.
Still, Daisy was curious to see what Luke was like. He was wildly hailed as an artistic genius, but savants often had eccentric personalities. It wouldn’t surprise Daisy if Luke fit that bill. He did happen to live tucked against a mountain hours away from any major city after all.
Despite being a famous painter in Canada, there had always been an air of mystery about Luke. He preferred to let his art do the talking for him. Throughout his thirty year career, he’d only given a few scant interviews.
If that wasn’t elusive enough, five years ago he completely disappeared from the art world. No new paintings had seen the light of day since then. There were rumors that he’d retired or gone crazy. Was he still painting in secret? There were so many questions, yet no answers.
Daisy was more curious about the man himself rather than his career. What kind of person had her old friend married?
Daisy had no idea what to expect. He could be nice or temperamental--shy or bombastic. Or maybe somewhere in between. Would Luke be down to Earth, or driven by ego?
As Kara opened the door to the studio, Daisy got her first glimpse of the artist. Luke was nothing like she expected. He sat on a stool in front of a blank canvas.
Luke was an attractive, late middle-aged man with short graying black hair and a lumberjack beard. While his face was pleasant, his temperament was not.
As for the studio itself, it was cluttered mess of canvasses. Surprisingly, each of them featured a landscape painting. How odd. Luke w
as known for painting women, not nature. Clearly Luke hadn’t retired. But why had he not released any of this work? Why did he just seem to be squirreling it?
There was one window of the studio that looked out onto a breathtaking view of the mountain outside. What an inspirational set up. Suddenly the multitude of landscape paintings made sense.
“Dear--” Kara said.
Luke didn’t even turn around. He just replied curtly. “I’m working.”
“Take a break. I want you to meet my old friend--”
“There’s a genius at work here. How many times have I told you not to interrupt me when I’m trying to get the creative juices flowing?” he snapped.
Daisy felt really uncomfortable. She whispered to Kara. “If this is a bad time, I can just meet him later.”
Kara wasn’t the type of woman to keep her mouth shut when things bothered her.
“No. It’s bad enough when you’re short with the staff, but I’m your wife. Show me a little respect.”
“Then show respect for the artistic process. All you have to do all day is drink martinis. You don’t know what it’s like trying to create a masterpiece,” Luke said.
Kara was defiant. “I only drink so many to put up with your moods. If you remember, I used to be your masterpiece.”
Daisy felt like she was invisible. Didn’t they realize she could hear everything they said? Maybe it was a sign that their marriage was so strained that they didn’t care who heard them bickering. Either way, Daisy hated to be in the middle of it. Even more, it pained Daisy to see that her old friend was clearly not appreciated by her husband.
Luke groaned. “Just let me work.”
“Fine. Have fun being a ‘genius,’” Kara mocked.
Kara then stormed out of the studio, bringing Daisy with her. Suddenly it made complete sense why Kara tried to get three sheets to the wind before lunch.