“Though it’s sometimes hard to tell, guys care about the way they look. And when they look good and know it, it’s hard to take your eyes off them,” she’d said.
Beckett thought the same thing about her. She wore a white sundress that draped softly across her curves.
Vivian, the amazing videographer that she was, had the camera on a tripod and caught everything. She hadn’t said much this morning. Come to think of it, she was as quiet as Quinton had been yesterday. Maybe something happened between them—something not so great. Beckett frowned at the thought. Quinton was as close as he came to having a brother; he wanted Quinton to be happy. He’d looked happy sitting next to Vivian at the club.
And Vivian? Vivian was fast becoming friendly—he wanted her to be happy too. His frown deepened and he shifted in his seat trying to dislodge the roots sinking into this city. He wasn’t a roots kind of guy.
“Okay, friends, today is the big day! Since you went above and beyond with your donations, we are doing the beard and the man bun in one episode.” Daisy’s smile was like sunshine; it fed Beckett’s soul. Just imagine what her children would grow to be with that kind of nourishment every day. Beckett’s chest warmed at the thought of Daisy as a mother. He could see her videoing her kid’s first soccer game, her first birthday. But it would be Beckett holding the camera in the hospital as Daisy held their baby in her arms for the first time.
“I think Beckett’s a little nervous.” She laughed lightly. “He’s gone white.”
Indeed, Beckett was lightheaded—not because they were about to shave his beard and his hair, but because he had such a clear picture of Daisy as the mother of his children that he couldn’t deny the beauty, the majesty. He brushed aside the black barber’s cape and reached for her hand. “Hold my hand?”
Daisy’s smile warmed, and he loved that he had the ability to reach into some part of her that her channel didn’t get to. Their skin connected and he relaxed, knowing he was right where he needed to be in that moment.
Chapter Nineteen
Daisy lightly held Beckett’s hand. There was a current running between them, just under the surface. He brushed his thumb across her knuckles, and the same feelings of desire and need that propelled her into his arms the other night threatened to break through.
For a minute there, she thought they’d have to get Beckett a paper bag to breathe into. A man passing out because of a haircut was great footage—the episode would go viral in minutes. But she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of 11 million people by posting him falling out of the chair and face-planting. She wouldn’t do that to him—even if he had passed out. Brittany would have done it. But that was what set the two of them apart, and Daisy was proud of herself for taking the high road with her channel.
Brittany’s latest episode, posted just this morning, was totally clickbait: “How I Lost My Big Butt in 7 Days.” That woman was a size two—she disappeared when she turned sideways. The post was ridiculous, fifteen minutes talking about how she was going to tell them the big secret to her weight loss and reshaping and one minute of demonstrating how to do a simple squat with a tutorial on dry brushing. It was all Daisy could do to get through all seventeen minutes. The post was obviously a drastic move to steal Daisy’s thunder. The FreeWater makeover project had MyHeartChannel’s attention. Vivian sent her a list of channel owners who’d mentioned FreeWater, Beckett, and/or the man bun in recent episodes.
And yet, Brittany’s hearts and likes were through the roof. Which only reinforced Daisy’s belief that there was enough success in the world for everyone.
Beckett increased the pressure on her hand. Daisy blinked at him.
“Are you ready for all this?” Beckett swirled his free hand around his face.
She laughed at his cockiness. “Bring it.” She was saying that she was ready for his makeover, but what she really wanted was for him to bring his face right on over and kiss her ever-loving lips off.
The barber, Vern, motioned for them to drop hands so he could swivel the chair and lay it back. Daisy let go—hating the way she lost something when she lost his touch. That wasn’t really possible. Except that, with Beckett around, she’d felt more like herself.
With efficient movements, Vern worked oils into Beckett’s face.
“What’s that?” Daisy squinted to see the bottle.
“It’s a pre-shave oil. It protects the skin and allows the razor to glide smoothly over the surface.”
That was … a revelation. Perhaps not the one she’d been seeking that would tell her what to do about Beckett and his ultra-talented lips, but a revelation nonetheless.
Daisy widened her eyes and flipped to the camera, checking to make sure the red light was on before she began. “Hi, friends, remember this?” She flourished her hands towards Beckett in the chair. “Well, I learned a fantastic tip for beating razor burn while we were here, and I can’t wait to share it with you.”
She held her smile until Vivian gave her the thumbs-up, indicating that she’d caught the teaser. They’d worked together so long that Vivian would know to store that footage for a later episode. In fact, with the popularity of Beckett’s makeover, she should have been planning spin-off episodes throughout. She mentally kicked herself for missing that opportunity and then turned back to watch the barber at work.
Hot towels, oils, creams, a razor, scissors—Vern had all the tools. His counter rivaled Daisy’s with bottles, brushes, and grooming tools lined up three deep. Vern was in a talkative mood, going over his technique and discussing cowlicks—apparently Beckett had several, including one in his beard.
Daisy let him take over. He had a gravelly voice. Time had roughed the tone, but his wife probably melted over it when they first met. His olive skin set off his brown eyes beautifully and the gray at his temples worked as a distinguishing feature. Daisy didn’t have to look far to find a picture of a much younger Vern and his grandfather in front of the shop among the images of heavyweight fighters and their pretty belts. They both wore white shirts and black aprons and smiles full of pride. She snapped a picture with her phone, excited to work it into the episode. Her subscribers would fall in love with Vern.
Her phone buzzed inside her purse, and since she wasn’t needed at the moment, Daisy checked the caller. She motioned to Vivian that she was going outside to take the call and ducked out. Beckett was wrapped up in another towel, his hands hanging loose like he’d fallen asleep. The bell over the door dinged and she was on the street.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart. I’ve been watching your posts—”
“She made me buy three new shirts!” Dad yelled over Mom.
Daisy chuckled. Her parents had plenty of money, but Dad hated change—of any kind. Anytime he found clothing he liked, Mom bought two of them. That way, when one wore out, she could slip a new shirt or pair of pants in the wash and throw the old one out without Dad being any wiser. If he did need to shop, Daisy and Mom conspired to tell him he’d lost weight and the clothing was too big. Whether he believed them or not, he always agreed.
Knowing her part in this, Daisy said, “Good. You’ve lost weight since you started golfing more—I’ll bet these fit better.”
“You think so?”
“I’ve only seen you on video chat, but it looks that way to me.”
“You’ll get a chance to see for yourself,” Mom cut in. “Our plane lands at three-twenty-two on Wednesday.”
Daisy’s blood pressure spiked and she clutched at her heart. “You’re what now?”
“Our plaaane.” Mom slowed down her speech.
Daisy sat there, trying to wrap her head around her parents in town, Beckett on her couch and the kissing thing, and Quinton depressed. There were too many variables to compute.
Mom’s laughter trilled through the phone. “Please tell me you haven’t forgotten about the Meet the Fans Conference.”
Suddenly everything zipped into place. “Of course not. I—nooooo.”
&nb
sp; Shoot! She had a rough draft of her class somewhere on her hard drive. She’d started it over a month ago and, at this moment, couldn’t remember the topic.
She’d gotten so wrapped up in this makeover and Beckett and life that she’d spaced the commitment. That wasn’t good. Especially since KPaka Cosmetics would have a representative at the conference and probably in her class.
“I booked us a hotel near your house. I figured that would be easier for you to pick me up there than from one by the conference center where the traffic is heavy.”
“Yeah.” Daisy blinked several times as the tasks multiplied. When she and her mom planned attending the conference together, her life was much simpler. She’d even been looking forward to getting out of her bedroom for a day or two. Now she had to finish her class, pre-record her post for Friday morning, and pick her parents up at the airport. All this plus she’d planned to go on location to film the big Beckett reveal. “Hey, Mom? I gotta go; we’re filming.”
“I can’t wait to see how Beckett turns out. Do you think you can get him to come over to your place for dinner one night? I’ll put something in the crockpot.”
“I’ll barbeque!” Dad yelled over her.
“Your father will take care of dinner.”
Daisy chewed her lip. “I’m pretty sure Beckett will be there.” Considering he’s living with me. She wondered if she could convince Beckett to hide his things in the closet and pretend he wasn’t sleeping in her front room while her parents were in town. Dad was overprotective and Mom’s favorite lecture was about keeping the magic of chemical mystery alive before marriage. This was all going to be a bit tricky.
Chapter Twenty
Monday passed by so fast, Beckett hardly noticed the time. The barbershop was an … experience. A wonderful, manly experience. More guys should go for a shave and a haircut. When Daisy first came up with the whole makeover idea, he’d pictured some froufrou salon that smelled like perm solution and handed out glasses of champagne, not Vern and his love of all things boxing.
“Boxing is a gentleman’s sport,” Vern scolded Daisy when she made a comment about the men trying to win a blinged-out belt.
Her cheeks sank. Beckett had to look away or he’d laugh knowing she was biting her cheeks to hold in her laughter. She hadn’t meant to rile Vern, but she’d done a good job of it.
Vern didn’t shave off the beard, but he cut it to a quarter inch long. At that length, the hair hung straight and he could comb it down with ease. The sideburns were a little shorter and blended into the hair on the sides and back of his head. The top was left long and he was able to do that sweet up-and-over style Quin did for the comedy club. He had to admit, he was polished like a new pair of Sunday shoes and almost as dark. Almost all the sun-bleached hair was left in Vern’s dustbin. The change was startling, making him do a double take when they passed a store window on the way out. He didn’t recognize himself—which wasn’t a bad thing.
On top of getting a great cut, the price was more than reasonable. Daisy tipped well and Beckett left feeling almost as good as he did when he left a village knowing they were taken care of. Not that he’d taken care of Vern—it was quite the opposite—but Vern was a small-business owner who supported his family and kept up an institution. Hopefully the big reveal episode would help business.
Beckett paused in the middle of brushing his teeth. Of course Daisy had chosen Vern’s Barbershop, not just for his comfort but because she wanted to help a local business. She wasn’t blind to the effect her posts had on companies, and she’d strategically used her fame to bless some random person’s life.
And all this time he thought she’d taken him to the shop with the crack in the steps, the leather seats, and the faded pictures on the wall to make him feel more comfortable. Well, she’d probably taken that into consideration too. Win-win-win. Daisy got the footage she wanted with an interesting character, Vern’s business boomed, and Beckett relaxed enough to enjoy the experience.
Daisy spent a lot of time thinking about others. That was hugely attractive.
He finished brushing and checked her door, wanting more than anything to see Daisy and hold her close. He’d kill for one of those sunshine smiles of hers.
Maybe not kill—but he’d blend. The “filming” sign was still on the door, so he checked the time. She’d be done in fifteen minutes and out for breakfast. It was high time he did something for her.
Chapter Twenty-One
EveryDayGlam! Beauty Tip
Intensive Hand Treatment
½ of a ripe avocado
2 teaspoons sweet almond oil.
Mash the avocado and mix with the sweet almond oil. Rub the mixture into your rough and tired hands. Wrap your hands in plastic wrap and let sit for twenty minutes to an hour. Rinse clean and blot dry for beautifully nourished hands and nails.
Daisy was thankful, and not for the first time, that she’d picked the type of door handle that moved by pushing down and not a knob she’d have to turn. The knob would have been darn near impossible with her hands covered in avocado and almond oil and wrapped in plastic wrap. She had twenty minutes before she could wash off the goop, which smelled like Betsy Lacey’s oatmeal cookies. Maybe she’d put a link in to the recipe and give the Sweet Home Vermont channel a boost. That would be fun. She had yet to meet the star of the cooking channel but hoped to see her at the conference.
She rounded the corner to find Beckett standing over the blender, patiently chopping a banana. Her breath caught in her throat and she wondered if she’d ever get used to his new look. Under all that sun-bleached hair was a dark, brooding man who could easily grace the lens of any camera.
She leaned her shoulder against the wall, needing the support as her body went to jelly mode. Vern suggested leaving a sexy stubble. Vern hadn’t called it a sexy stubble—he probably would have kicked Daisy out of his shop for even thinking it was called a sexy stubble. He’d classified it as a one-week beard. Daisy classified it as long enough to be soft to the touch and short enough not to get in the way when they kissed. If they ever had the opportunity to kiss again. She’d been thinking about those kisses in the club parking lot much more than any woman should think about a kiss.
The beard transitioned smoothly into the hair at his temples. No gray there. The top was longer and parted on the side. It wasn’t flat against his head; rather, it went up and over—like Bryce Harper’s hair, only in a walnut-brown color. Even though she’d been starting at pictures of him for the video montage, she’d forgotten how his dark hair set off his bright eyes. They were positively electric. Wha-wha. When he looked at her, she felt the sparks all the way down to her silver-glitter-polished toenails.
His phone played “Hail to the Chief.” She dove for his back pocket, earning a yelp from him before he figured out who was grabbing at his backside. She didn’t actually grab him as she got his phone. The yelping was funny, though, and she laughed.
“What the …?”
She swiped the answer button. “Uh-uh, Kelly.” She shook her finger in front of her face for the tiny camera. “No spoilers. You can find out what Beckett looks like along with the rest of my followers.”
Kelly’s shoulders slumped. “Pleeease. I have a bet going with accounting. They think you went all guns and ammo pinup on him. I told them no way, my girl is classy.”
Daisy bit her lip, looking over the phone to Beckett. He lifted one eyebrow, asking her what she was going to do, and her insides turned to lava.
“Ooooh! It’s got to be so good. You’re blushing!”
There was no sense denying it. “That doesn’t mean anything. I’ve been blushing since he got here.”
“Really?” Kelly tipped her head to the side. “Is there something interesting going on?”
Beckett folded his arms and leaned against the counter, waiting for her to answer the question. He wasn’t going to be any help. His eyes were tinted with curiosity. Too bad. Daisy wasn’t giving anything away before Wednesday’s post. “
You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Ugh! You stink at girl talk. You know that?”
“Hey, be nice,” Beckett warned.
Daisy waved him off. “No worries. I’m horrible at it on purpose.” She smirked at the phone. “Now, did you want to switch over to a regular call or just talk now?”
Kelly sat up straight again. “Since you foiled my plan, I should just tell you that I called to talk to you.”
Daisy waited for her to go on.
“We’ve had phenomenal success with the makeover campaign. So much that our president would like to invite you and a guest to our annual fundraising dinner, where they would like to present you with an award.”
“An award?” Daisy repeated.
Beckett’s mouth hung open.
“I … uh …” She shrugged at Beckett.
“How come I’m not invited to this dinner?” Beckett asked. He sounded like an offended brother calling out his sister over taking the car on Friday night when it was his turn.
“Because you didn’t bring in a whole year’s budget in a couple weeks,” Kelly returned in the same tone of voice, making Daisy grin.
“Um, hello? I was the one she made over.”
“Yeah, but no one cared if you cut your hair until it was Daisy doing the cutting.”
Beckett frowned.
“Is he done yet?” Kelly asked.
“I think so. I’ll leave the room if he interrupts again.” Daisy dodged Beckett as he tried to tickle her side.
“He can be so demanding,” teased Kelly.
Beckett faked right and then went left. Daisy saw his move coming from a mile away and stepped out of reach. His fingers brushed the ends of her hair, making her giggle. “I prefer the term high-maintenance.”
“Ha!” Kelly barked.
Daisy circled the island, just out of Beckett’s reach. “Send me the deets on the dinner and I’ll check my calendar and get back to you.”
EveryDayLove!: A MyHeartChannel Romance Page 11