Her Surprise Engagement (Sorensen Family)

by Ashlee Mallory

  Daisy laughed. “Henry’s a Republican.”

  “Don’t remind me.” She sighed heavily before taking a drink of her iced tea.

  “Mama? What do you think?” Daisy asked, more nervous than she’d expected.

  “I like how he makes you happy. How your face lights up when you look at him—and more importantly, how his face lights up when he looks at you. And his daughter? Lily? She’s sweet. It makes my heart happy to think that maybe you can offer her the same love you give your kids so generously.”

  Daisy exhaled in relief. Having her mama’s approval meant more than she’d thought.

  “Now why are you two hiding away in here? Come on, it’s time we rejoin the party. But first, help me grab the ice cream from the freezer. Your father spent the entire day yesterday mixing up gallons of it using the new ice-cream maker that you and Henry bought him for Father’s Day. I’m swimming in ice cream, even with your father’s sweet tooth for the stuff.”

  They clambered off their stools and went to the freezer, taking the tubs their mom handed them and, tucking them under an arm, headed back outside.

  Setting the tubs on the table, Daisy took a moment to look out over the lawn. Jack was holding onto Jenna, making sure she was ready for him to let her go so she could soar the four feet over the ground that the zip line provided. Nothing death-defying, but certainly enough to give them a thrill.

  “Ready?” he asked. Jenna nodded, and in a second she was sliding, her face one of pure joy and triumph.

  Daisy met Jack’s gaze and her heart thumped hard in her chest.

  It would be easy to get swallowed up in the emotions she felt for this man, emotions that grew each and every day.

  Emotions that terrified her, knowing the pain and heartache she’d be in for if some day, for whatever reason, he wasn’t there.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Late Tuesday afternoon, Jack was reviewing the initial draft of a proposed state budget he hoped to deliver in the first couple of months of his tenure. Ambitious, but it resonated with his values and what he saw for the state.

  He reread the third paragraph down, still not satisfied. “I want to rework this one, too,” he said, crossing out the troublesome line and jotting some notes.

  Instead of the usual argument, however, Stuart was preoccupied with his cell phone.

  “Stuart?” Jack repeated.

  Stuart glanced up, a look crossing his face that told Jack that something was up. He set the pen down and leaned back in his chair, waiting.

  “It’s probably nothing. But it looks like Aaron Leary is stepping up his public profile. He’s slated to speak at three regional party conferences in the next few months and has created an official exploratory committee to look into his run for next year’s gubernatorial race.”

  “Nothing new. We knew it was just a matter of time,” Jack said cautiously.

  “But it’s a good reminder that we’re going to need to step up our own efforts as well, do more to get out there in the public eye. And not just reach the usual political savvy voters who keep updated with this kind of stuff. We need to reach an untapped segment of voters, those who are more likely to read People and US Weekly than the Congressional Quarterly.”

  Jack grinned. “Said every political committee for the past few decades. I think that’s a little tougher than you make it sound. But if you have a magical solution, I’m all ears.”

  Stuart paused. “Well, I think you said it yourself last week. Everyone loves a fairy tale, and what better way to sell one than to capitalize on your and Daisy’s engagement. Just think of it. A tasteful story in Utah Brides magazine—maybe even a cover spread if we’re lucky—of the soon-to-be bride. Maybe a few interviews with the two of you out front and personal, letting everyone see how much you two are in love. And I don’t know if Daisy has an interest, but if she were to create a blog that details the little behind-the-scene type of things, like choosing a florist, hiring a band, you two having a wedding cake tasting event, that sort of thing. Heck, maybe even if she didn’t, we could hire someone who could do that for her.”

  Sometimes Jack wondered if Stuart was even tethered to reality at times. “Stuart, you do remember that up until about a week and a half ago, Daisy and I hadn’t even met, right? We’re on new ground right now, both of us getting used to being in a relationship and enjoying the little things that being with someone you care about brings. We are far from being ready to set a date, let alone record a history of our engagement plans.”

  “Then make it a long engagement, Jack. Hell, you could set the date for eighteen months from now. But it’s just a matter of keeping the two of you front and center, in the minds of all the potential voters next year who will see your name along with Aaron Leary’s and any number of other party candidates in the spring, and later, if we’re lucky, in the fall elections, and say with confidence that they like you. They want you to represent them for the next four years.”

  A long engagement. That didn’t sound necessarily like such a bad idea. Especially since he knew in his heart, just as he had all those years ago when he’d first met Lara, that his feelings for Daisy—not to mention Jenna, Natalie, and Paul—were only going to continue to grow. He only hoped that hers did for him and Lily, too.

  “I’m not committing to anything right now, Stuart. Let’s first see if Governor Pratchett gets the confirmation vote before we count our eggs.”

  Stuart grinned. “Well, if yesterday’s vote in the committee to recommend the governor for the cabinet position is any indication, the senate’s official vote in the next few days should be just a matter of form.”

  “Until I hear it and the governor’s officially ready to resign his position and I’m sworn in, I think we can table this discussion a little longer.”

  His phone buzzed on his desk and he picked it up.

  It was a text from Daisy. A text and a photo, actually.

  He smiled at the bank’s letter confirming her small business loan had been preapproved and the next steps she needed to take in the process. Jack made a mental note to contact his accountant to see if he could get started on some of the paperwork, and to try and set up an appointment as early as possible to finalize everything.

  He knew this bakery meant the world to Daisy, and he wanted to make sure the road was paved as well as he could manage.

  Jack typed a quick congratulations, and that he couldn’t wait to see her and the kids later when they came over for dinner and swimming.

  Life had a funny way of working out like it did sometimes. Who would have thought a few months ago that he was finally about to get everything he could have possibly wanted?

  It was difficult to suppress his smile as he glanced up at Stuart, who was waiting patiently for him to finish. “Sorry. Okay, let’s get back to business.”

  …

  “Don’t forget to put your swim towels in the laundry,” Daisy reminded the kids Wednesday evening as she unlocked the front door and stepped aside as they bolted past her, eager to be home after a longer than normal day at their summer camp. She’d had to stay later at work thanks to a mix-up in the schedule and the place being short-staffed, and now she was simply exhausted.

  In the past, she would find happiness in even the simple day-to-day activities at work, but since Gina’d sold the place, Daisy had lost a lot of her previous joy in her work. Now she dreamed of the day she could run things her own way without feeling like just a cog in the wheel. This disappointment, combined with feeling underappreciated—especially after her boss made a comment today about how nice it must be to have someone pay for nice vacations, new cars, and fancy dinners—made it more paramount she put that place behind her. Which was why the bank meeting this Friday was so exciting, on the precipice of making her dream a reality.

  Daisy set the mail and the car keys on the small table near the door just as the kids raced back into the front room having, presumably, left their towels in the laundry room next to the kitchen. Jenna successfu
lly managed to grab the remote first, which meant she’d get to choose what the kids watched between now and dinner.

  It was their first week back to camp and it was still taking some adjusting for them to get back into their routine, her included. Case in point, the towels they’d used today should have been washed last night after they’d returned home from their night of swimming and dinner over at Jack’s. Only she’d forgotten about the laundry until this morning when it was time to head out and, being a Wednesday, the kids needed towels for their swim day at camp. The wretched smell of chlorine and mildew wafting from the towels had filled her with guilt, not that the kids seemed to mind when they’d stuffed them into their backpacks and headed out the door.

  But the past couple of nights, after getting the kids to bed, instead of doing her usual household chores like laundry and cleaning, she’d been sitting at the dining room table. Pouring through application forms and working on things like a profit and loss statement, projected financial statements, a formalized business plan, and all the other forms the bank needed to underwrite the loan. Fortunately, the seminars at the Salt Lake Chamber’s office had prepared her for this and she had some idea of what the forms should include. She just hoped that, with a day off tomorrow and the kids at camp, she’d have it all completed in time for Friday’s appointment at the bank to finalize everything.

  A familiar pang of discomfort hit her anytime she thought about Jack helping her get the business loan. She’d only resigned herself to accepting his help because it had been a business agreement—she would pretend to be his fiancée in exchange for him guaranteeing her loan. But now that things weren’t so fake anymore, and they were actually in a relationship, she was less certain about his continuing help in obtaining the loan.

  But like before, Jack had reminded her that he would still be receiving something from the deal. His five percent interest. An amount that he was certain was going to be very profitable based on his sampling from a few of her menu options.

  She wasn’t so sure. It was still a big risk. If this thing failed, if she went under—and the statistics were not in her favor—then Jack would be on the hook initially to pay all that money back until she could.

  It was another hour before she had dinner ready and she was taking a seat with the kids in front of the television. Normally, she’d have them at the dining table, television off, but with it covered in her loan paperwork, she was making a concession.

  “Paul, stop trying to push your peas under the lasagna. You’re only making it harder on yourself when I make you finish the entire plate later.”

  “But Mom, you know I don’t like lasagna,” Paul whined. “Or peas. I hate the way the meat and sauce are all mixed in with this white glop.”

  She stared at his plate, vaguely recalling his previous aversion to the entrée. But when she’d stopped at the store for a quick dinner before she grabbed the kids from camp, she’d only been thinking about something fast and big enough to feed them all. She hated that she was giving him a reheated frozen dinner. It was barely a step up from fast food.

  But in between recalibrating from being on vacation pace this previous week, not to mention work and the headache-inducing bank forms, she was barely able to keep her eyes open.

  “Fine. You can pour yourself a bowl of cereal,” she said, knowing that if she let him, he’d eat cereal for every meal. Paul hopped up and ran to the kitchen.

  “Mom, how come Lily gets to stay at home in the summer and hang out at her own house?” Jenna asked, picking at her own meal.

  “Because she has Aggie to look after her,” she said, referencing the kind, all seeing-woman who acted as a pseudo cook/maid/nanny for Lily’s entire life. Damn, she wanted an Aggie in her life, too. “You guys are too young for me to leave you here all alone.”

  “I’m eleven, Mom. Most kids my age stay home all alone.”

  “Yes, that may very well be, but I just don’t feel comfortable leaving the responsibility of watching your younger sister and brother on your shoulders. Maybe in a year or two.” She took a bite of her own lasagna, trying not to cringe from the bland taste and overly dry layers.

  “Aunt Glenda could watch us,” Jenna tried again.

  Daisy sighed, the argument familiar. “Honey, I think it’s enough that she watches you guys after school, I’m not sure she’s up for all the work involved in watching you every day, all day, for an entire summer. Now enough. Let’s enjoy our dinner, please.”

  “Couldn’t we stay at Lily’s house with her and Aggie?” Natalie asked. “We’d be so good, we wouldn’t fight and we could help Aggie do some cleaning.”

  Daisy set her plate down. “What’s the problem? I thought you guys liked the camp?” Well, besides after the first week of going they’d all came down with strep throat, two of them with ear infections, and one a spider bite.

  Jenna shrugged. “The counselors can be kind of mean sometimes, and we never get to do what we want to do, and yesterday one of the boys pushed Paul down.”

  That she didn’t know and she’d definitely talk to someone tomorrow about yesterday’s incident. But as to the other stuff, not liking the counselor and the schedule, that was just the breaks. Nothing was perfect.

  “I know that Lily misses us. And Ollie, too,” Natalie said.

  Grr. This was so hard. Made impossibly harder by the fact that Tuesday night, while she and Jack watched the kids playing in the pool, he’d made that exact offer. To let the kids come over and hang out with Lily during the days she worked.

  It had been tempting to accept his offer. Lord knew it would help ease the stress on her wallet of paying for the costly service—community center or not. But it was just another example of how she had to be careful. They had a nice system right now—maybe not ideal, but it worked. And with time, it could be revisited when she looked at where she was in a year. But for now, she was keeping the status quo.

  “Sorry guys. There’s only a few more weeks to go and then we’ll be back in school.”

  Which was true. She was already counting down the days until the third week of August and their lives got back to a more familiar schedule.

  Her phone rang and she quickly answered it, glad for the chance to escape the conversation.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  She rolled her eyes and headed into the kitchen, as her heart felt a little lighter at hearing his voice. “You know, that has to be the cheesiest line ever.” She passed Paul carrying a gargantuan bowl of Froot Loops that was ready to overflow on her floor. He’d apparently found the hidden stash of dessert cereal, but right now, she wasn’t going to fight him on it.

  “You can’t fault me for telling the truth.”

  “So did you just call to inflate my ego or was there something else?” she asked and picked a couple of stray Froot Loops from the stool before sliding on. The counter was a mess of cereal and milk she’d deal with in a minute.

  “What, a guy can’t just call to tell the person he’s engaged to how much he missed her today? And how much he enjoyed spending time with her the night before?”

  “I guess not. We all had a pretty good time, too.”

  “But I think you and I are going to need our own good time—alone. And soon,” he said.

  It was hard not to feel her pulse speed up, the warm heat stir low in her belly at the promise in his voice. “Is that right? Are you saying Friday night isn’t soon enough for you?”

  “Absolutely,” he said in complete sincerity.

  She chortled. Although…yeah. She could kind of relate. But…responsibilities.

  “Okay, I’ll have to table those thoughts for now. In the meantime, how’s the loan stuff coming? My offer still stands if you want my accountant to help you put anything together.”

  “No, really. I’ve got it covered.” Because, truthfully, as exhausting as all this paperwork was, there was a sense of pride, of accomplishment, as she completed and checked off each item on that list.

  “Okay. But just s
ay the word if you change your mind.”

  “Mom!” Jenna shrieked from the other room. She jumped up and went in to see Paul’s bowl flipped over the coffee table and the floor. “Look what Paul did!” Jenna continued, pointing to her wet lap, milk dripping down her legs.

  “Is everything okay?” Jack asked.

  She smacked her hand to her head, taking a breath so she didn’t lose it. “Yeah. But I’ve got to take care of this.”

  “I understand. Call me if you need anything.”

  “Okay.” The moment she disconnected the call, she spoke as calmly as possible. “Jenna, go run up and hop in the shower. Paul, go get one of those swim towels back out of the washer and let’s get this cleaned up.”

  For a second she thought about Jack’s offer. To call him for anything. Daisy knew, if she let him, he’d swoop in and somehow take all her troubles away. And it would be so nice. So easy.

  But there was still something for doing things on her own. The satisfaction and pride of knowing she could do it by herself. Not needing anyone to rescue her.

  It was what she’d promised herself that day two years ago when she suddenly found herself all alone, with three terrified kids, and a bank account as miniscule as her credit score. She’d had nothing. It had taken two long years for her to finally become self-sufficient again.

  She got to her knees, scooping what she could of the soppy mess back into the bowl, sure of one thing.

  She wouldn’t let what happened with Leo ever happen again.

  …

  Jack was waiting inside the bank, chatting with the manager when Daisy arrived for their appointment late Friday afternoon. She’d come directly from work and he knew—by the tightness around her mouth—that she was stressed.

  He wanted to take her hand, maybe give her a brief kiss for support, but she’d already been firm that today was about business. No public displays of any kind of affection would be okay. So he’d give her that.