Daisy considered him for a moment. “What if I make it worth your while?”
All sorts of ideas came to mind—none of which he cared to share in front of his boss. Daisy probably wasn’t thinking the same things. She was so innocent it almost scared him. Still, a nice makeout session—where he could finally get a taste of her and then get her out of his head—was top on his list. “How?”
“We’ll set up a fundraiser for FreeWater. If my subscribers donate, say, five thousand dollars, we do the makeover.”
“How many subscribers do you have?” asked Kelly.
Beckett’s neck kinked because he turned back to the phone so fast. He’d been all wrapped up in Daisy and almost forgotten Kelly was there.
“Just over eleven million,” replied Daisy.
Kelly choked. “Eleven million?”
Daisy nodded. Beckett stared at her as if she’d grown a third head. Eleven million subscribers?! “Are you kidding?”
Daisy giggled. “You can check. It’s right there on MyHeartChannel.”
Kelly’s hands flew across her keyboard. “What’s it called?”
“EveryDayGlam! One word.”
Kelly swore. “This is you?” She squinted at her computer and then at her phone. “Oh my gosh—this is you. And you’d be willing to put up a fundraiser for FreeWater?”
“Sure. It’s a worthy cause, and it goes right along with my platform of organic materials and bringing out your natural beauty. Kindness is one of my favorite anti-aging principles.”
Kelly was a blur of movement. “I need to run this by a couple people, but let’s go ahead and move forward as if we have the green light.” She was practically giddy.
Beckett wasn’t. “Wait. Just wait.” If Daisy had eleven million subscribers, then she … she was seriously famous. He scrubbed his forehead. The literal girl next door was a familiar face to eleven million people. Eleven million. The number was too large to comprehend.
Daisy’s delicate hand landed on his arm. “What?”
He pulled his hands away from his face and stared at her. “I can’t do this.”
“Sure you can. I’ll be there to walk you through the whole thing.”
He stared into her deep brown eyes, feeling a warm blanket wrap around his fears and soothe them all.
“Beckett—this would be really good for us. The exposure for the cause would be amazing and an extra five grand would go a long way,” Kelly urged.
He glared at his boss.
“It’s faster than writing a grant proposal and waiting for red tape to clear.” Kelly was all over this. Her eyes danced like a chorus line.
He rubbed his eyes. He should never have binge-watched musicals. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
Daisy jumped up and down. “Yes!” She froze. “I have to call Vivian! There’s so many details to work out.” She practically climbed over the back of the couch and over Beckett to get closer to the phone. Her hip rested on his shoulder—her slight frame so tempting to grab on to and pull all the way into his lap. He shook his head. These types of thoughts really needed to stop.
“Thanks, Kelly.” Daisy blew her a kiss. “You’re the best.”
Kelly blew a kiss back—a fact that blew Beckett’s mind. “Thank you!”
“I’ll expect an email from your legal department and I’ll need graphics.”
Kelly scribbled notes while Daisy flung herself back up to standing. “Woot!” She scrubbed her fingers on the top of Beckett’s scalp and giggled. “Thank you too, Beck. I’m so excited.” She took off. “I’ll be in my room if Quinton needs me.”
Beckett stared after her. No one called him Beck anymore. He liked the way she pressed her lips together to make the “B” sound. He liked her lips in general and specifically.
A few moments passed in silence. “You have the most amazing luck.” Kelly brought him out of his meditation on Daisy’s lips. “The more I watch her, the more I want to be her best friend. She’s perfect for FreeWater. If she wasn’t already a mega star, I’d ask her to be our spokesperson.”
Beckett just stared. Kelly must have watched an episode while he was too stunned to put two thoughts together.
Kelly laughed again. She’d laughed more in this one phone call than she had in the six years previously. “You had no idea, did you?”
Beckett scowled. “Do I look like I need tips on mascara?”
Kelly ignored his sarcasm. “Okay, so your job is to make this makeover awesome.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Do everything Daisy tells you.”
Beckett tugged on his beard. “I’m having flashbacks to dolls with blue eye shadow and circles of blush.”
“If her last episode is any indication, she’s come a long way from that.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he muttered. They said goodbye and hung up. Beckett opened a web browser, but he couldn’t bring himself to connect to Daisy’s channel. He didn’t want to lose the girl-next-door image of Daisy that he’d carried in his heart all these years. He didn’t want her to be a mega star. He wanted the sweetheart who’d captured the best parts of his childhood memories years ago. With a swipe, the screen went dark.
Chapter Six
EveryDayGlam! Beauty Tip
Blush should look natural and enhance your inner radiance.
If you have oily skin, try using a powder. The fine particles will absorb oil and help keep your face from shining.
For those with dry skin and those over fifty, use a tinted cream. Apply with a blush brush or cotton ball, and remember to blend, blend, blend for a glowing finish.
Daisy took her phone and left Vivian in her room to finish up the edits on her latest blush segment. Having Vivian there during filming was essential when she had products to juggle.
She’d done an overview including some of the newest products on the market. Instead of bashing the blush that crumbled to pieces, she ranked them in order of favorite and gave the reasons why. That trick had saved her from alienating sponsors in the past while still giving her viewers the truth.
Under her foundation, her cheeks tingled from applying color and washing it off only to start the process all over again with a new product.
Jason was asleep on her bed, Quinton was asleep in his room, and Beckett was asleep on the couch, which left her no place to go to make a phone call. Since when did the guys take over her house? She huffed and headed out the front door to sit on the porch.
The sun hadn’t come up yet, so she grabbed a sweatshirt off the barstool as she walked by. She slipped her arms inside and pulled the massive amounts of material over her head. Too late, she realized that the hoodie belonged to Beckett and not Quin. Quinton wore a men’s medium, which was baggy on her but didn’t wear like a dress. She unlocked the door, cringing at the creaky hinge, and slipped outside.
Her neighborhood was quiet, the houses dark. Street lamps cast soft yellow light at even intervals down the sidewalk. She hoped Daniel, her neighbor to the north, was fully alert when he went to his car parked in the driveway. He’d need to be to navigate the minefield of toys and trikes. As a single dad, he was always running from place to place. She made a mental note to talk to Vivian about going out with him—it was about time Vivian had some romance in her life. A woman that wonderful deserved to be treated as such.
Daisy took in a deep breath of cool morning air, catching the scent of freshly mowed grass and roses. The rosebushes grew well next to the house, where they baked throughout the day. Her favorite were the fire and ice blooms with white petals that looked like the edges had been dipped in red. Daisy twirled her red hair around her finger, noting her preference to the deep color with a chuckle.
She checked the time and knew her parents would be up and going two time zones away. They had a house in Florida and enjoyed early morning Tai Chi on the beach every Tuesday. She dialed her mom and tucked the phone next to her ear.
“Hello, darling.”
Daisy’s mood lifte
d at the chirp in her mom’s voice. There would never be a time in her life when she didn’t need her mom in one way or another. That’s just how it worked when your mom was amazing. “Hi, Mom.”
“How are things?”
“Good. I’m on track with the cosmetics line. We had a banner month introducing the coconut-flavored lip balm. And my subscriber list is still growing.”
“Yes. Yes. But how is my girl? Are you getting enough sleep?” There was a rustling in the background. “It’s too early for you to be up.”
Daisy smiled. She wouldn’t tell her mom she’d been up for over almost two hours already. Mom would just worry. “It’s the perfect time to meditate at sunrise,” she said. Which she planned to do as soon as the sun decided to come up. She settled onto the east-facing front porch swing and tucked her legs up underneath her. The huge hoodie easily cocooned her legs and feet.
She really needed to talk to Beckett about buying clothes that fit. Though the jacket had a clean scent that mingled with mint shampoo and something specific to Beckett, it wouldn’t do for him to wear jumbo-sized clothing—especially if people thought she had dressed him.
Which brought her to the real reason for her call. “Hey, Mom, do you still have those scrapbooks?”
“I sure do.” Mom was the queen of MyHeartChannel scrapbooking. Back when Quinton was in high school, she showcased her award-winning designs and gave tutorials on how to use everything from chalk to glue dots. She still made money off ads and she hadn’t posted in eight years. It was unlikely that anyone knew the scrapbook queen was Daisy’s mother, despite the fact that pictures of Daisy in her prom dress, graduation gown, and an inner tube on the lake were all over that channel.
“Can you find some fun pictures of Beckett?”
“Beckett?”
“Yeah, I’m doing a fundraiser for FreeWater. If we raise $5000, I get to give Beckett a makeover.”
“Beckett’s there?” Her mother’s pitch elevated.
Daisy nodded even though her mom couldn’t see her. There was a fine line between lying and withholding information. “It was just supposed to be for a couple days, but then there was a revolution and he was grounded.”
Mom laughed. “Beckett started a revolution and got grounded?”
It was Daisy’s turn to laugh. “Okay, that came out wrong. Long story short, he’s stuck here for a while, so we’re collaborating to raise money for FreeWater.”
Mom was quiet. The sound of waves crashed in the background, letting Daisy know she hadn’t dropped the call. The longer the silence stretched out, the antsier Daisy became. “FreeWater’s purpose and mission statement go hand in hand with my commitment to beautifying inside and out. This will provide my subscribers with an opportunity to do something for a person they’ve never met before. A random act of kindness a day is in my pledge.”
“You’re right about that.”
“But …?”
“But you don’t want to commit to a cause and then remove your support later. I’ve seen that ruin too many channel owners. They give while they’re making good money and pledge to continue, only to have to pull their support when they lose a big sponsor and their income drops. Then the trolls swoop in and paint them as a monster who refuses to help orphans.”
Daisy chewed her lip. “This is a one-off with a $5000 cap. I haven’t promised proceeds from sales or anything like that.”
“So you’re only getting one episode out of this?”
“No, I’m working out how to set up four—it’ll run through the end of the month, which is all the time Beckett could freely commit.”
“Tell me the plan.”
Daisy leaned back into the coral cushions, making the swing rock gently. “The first segment will be after we raise $1000. I don’t anticipate that taking long, so it should air this Friday. I’ll go over …” She glanced down. “How to buy a shirt that fits. Soooo many men are walking around in the wrong-sized shirt.”
“A little investment and a little payoff. I like it. What’s after that?”
“A full wardrobe at $2500. For Beckett that’s like two pairs of cargo shorts and a few shirts, but I’ll need to get him dressed up too. He has these amazing shoulders and a flat stomach that would look fantastic in one of those untucked fitted dress shirts. I’ll post that one the following Wednesday.”
“You’ll have a weekend to collect funds and for the movement to gather momentum.”
“Exactly. The next Wednesday we’ll shave the beard for $4000. And a week later the man bun will disappear for the full $5000.”
“Man bun? Beckett? Are you kidding me?”
Daisy pressed her palm to her forehead. “It’s so bad, Mom. I mean, I saw him with his hair loose—it’s got a little wave to it and these natural highlights that look so good.” She said so good like she was talking about a black forest cake from Sweet Home Vermont’s cake extravaganza episode. “But he pulls it back into this elastic and it just kills his bad-boy charm. He’s going to look so hot when I get done with him. It’s a good thing he’s leaving the country, because my subscribers will be all over him.” She adjusted in her seat, warming to the topic. “I can already read the comments section—especially once we take off his beard. He has these blue eyes that just pop. You know, maybe we should just shorten and shape the beard. Facial hair is in right now, and with his eyes, a defined jawbone would be absolutely amazing.”
“Honey?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re gushing.”
“Mom!” Daisy’s eyes darted to the front door, the only thing keeping Beckett from hearing every word she said. She fought to free her hand from the extra-long sleeve and pressed it to her warm face. “I’m not gushing over Beckett Kingsley.”
“You are, and since you’re denying it, I’m all the more worried that you might have feelings for this man.”
“He’s not a man; he’s Beckett.” He was a man, all right, but there was no way Daisy was going to let her mom think she was looking at him that way. Her thoughts caught on something her mom said like they’d run under a clothesline and forgot to duck. “What do you mean, you’re worried? Why would you be worried?” Beckett was like the third Covington growing up—her mom loved him.
Mom sighed. “He’s a rolling stone, darling. He rolled right away from his parents, from us, the moment he graduated high school, and he’s been rolling ever since. I’m afraid you’d give him your heart and he’d tuck it under his arm and roll away from you too.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Mom.” Her face now burned as if she wore a charcoal face mask. Those things were killer on her sensitive skin. “My heart is safe from the likes of Beckett Kingsley.”
“You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders and a beautiful heart.”
Daisy smiled and continued to fan her face. “I learned from the best.”
“I’ve got to go. Your father made fresh orange juice.”
“He’s so sweet.”
Mom chuckled. “That’s why I keep him around.”
“Don’t forget to send the pictures, okay? I want to put together a montage of him for this first episode.”
“I’ll take care of it this afternoon.”
They said I-love-yous and goodbyes and hung up. Daisy tossed her phone on the bench and ripped her arms out of the hoodie, suddenly needing some space between her and anything of Beckett’s. She struggled to get the shirt all the way over her head with her hair in the way. Dancing around the porch, she twisted and turned before finally escaping and throwing the garment to the ground.
Cold air assaulted her skin and she threw her arms out to the side, soaking up the chill. She breathed deeply. Daisy loved her mother very much, but sometimes it was hard to have a mom who was always right. Beckett had caught her attention and she may have developed a tiny crush on the guy. There was nothing wrong with a little crush or with flirting with a crush. She could handle that without giving her heart to Beckett, right?
Yes. She no
dded to herself. Yes, I can.
Although, as she picked up his sweatshirt and brought it to her face to smell, she wondered if she really believed that or if she was trying to convince herself. Avoiding Beckett would be easy today, but she wouldn’t be so lucky tomorrow when they filmed the first episode.
Chapter Seven
EverDayGlam! Beauty Tip
Early mornings, or late nights (wink! wink!), can get the best of any girl. Clear up dark, puffy circles under the eyes with this simple trick.
Soak two cotton balls in cold whipping cream, squeeze lightly, and place over the eyes for ten minutes. The cream will smooth and soothe skin, brighten the overall tone, and even fight those pesky wrinkles. The cold will help to reduce the swelling and puffiness.
In just a few short minutes, you’ll look bright-eyed and beautiful.
Beckett rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes in an attempt to clear the sleep from his brain.
“Don’t do that; you’ll cause wrinkles.” Daisy’s light touch pulled his hands away from his eyes. He blinked, working to focus on her flawless face. The whites of her eyes were luminescent. Her skin was creamy and smooth. He knew she had on makeup, probably lots of it, but she looked fresh. Fresh as just-picked strawberries. And her hair? Her hair hung in long waves on either side of her face, brushing over both her shoulders and down her … her … front.
He would not think about Daisy’s … front. Even though she stood less than six inches away and continually ran her hands through his hair. Her gentle touch stirred all sorts of thoughts and feelings inside of him. How long had it been since a woman ran her fingers through his hair? Years? He wasn’t a monk, but developing relationships to the level of intimacy required for any closeness to happen was difficult when he moved every three to five months.
Irritated at himself, he swatted her hands away. “What are you doing?”
EveryDayLove!: A MyHeartChannel Romance Page 4