When she was out of earshot, Beau tugged him aside. “Look, just because my daughter shared a kiss with you in that video doesn’t mean anything.”
“I’m not going to hurt her, Beau.” Trevin pulled back from him. Damn. He’d never seen Beau so uptight.
“So you say. But it doesn’t mean something can’t happen.”
“Daisy isn’t really looking for a relationship, she’s made that very clear. But it’s unfair not to let her hang out with us while she’s here, otherwise she’s going to have a very boring summer. I mean, you brought her on tour to have fun and make up for not seeing her, right?”
“Sure, but I wasn’t expecting her to fall in so well with you guys.”
“Trust me, Beau. You’ve known me for a couple of years.” This whole thing would come to a screeching halt if Beau decided to forbid Daisy from hanging out with him. This sucked. Bad.
“Yeah, I have. You’re a good kid.”
“But not good enough for your daughter?” Trevin scuffed at the sand with his toe. Maybe that was it. Maybe Beau was more like his dad than he thought. Because back home, nothing he ever did was good enough for his dad.
“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just you’re not going to be around much, with your career taking off, which means you’ll end up letting her down. I don’t want her to get hurt. I’ve done that enough myself over the years.”
“I’d make time for her. I swear it. But like I said, right now, we’re just friends. It might never go beyond that.”
Beau backed down. “Just be careful with her. She’s had a rough couple years. Part of that was my fault for not coming around—then her grandpa passed away. I’m just not sure she’s ready for something like this.”
Trevin nodded and followed him back to the SUV. Maybe Beau was right, maybe this wasn’t a good idea—problem was it was too late to back out now. He didn’t like the idea of not being around Daisy. He just had to be better than what Beau had been over the years. He’d find ways to see her. He wouldn’t let her down. He would make this work.
…
Daisy sat on a bench near the boardwalk waiting for the guys to get loaded into the vehicle. She rested her head in her hands. Crap. What was she going to do? Trevin seemed so sincere. That stupid kiss changed everything. The way he’d made her feel—like she was melting, and he was the only one who could hold her up.
She could imagine what her dad said to him. Okay, she had to get it together. She was stuck here this summer with the boy who’d broken her heart. And he wanted to go out with her. This was exactly what she’d been waiting for. The chance to hook him, lure him in, and crush him.
So why did that seem so bad now? What she needed to do was call Lena and get back on track. She slipped her cell out, but just as she was about to dial the number, her phone rang.
It was her mom.
“Hey,” she answered.
“Daisy, oh, honey, it’s so good to hear your voice. How are things going? Do you like the boys? Are you having fun?”
Daisy gave a halfhearted laugh. “Slow down, geesh, it’s only been a few days since we’ve talked.”
“I know, I just miss you.”
“Everything is going well. We’re in Miami today—and get this, I got to be in a music video.”
“What? No way, honey, that’s so great.”
“Yeah, and Trevin Jacobs had to kiss me.” Okay, maybe she could’ve left that part out, but she wanted to tell someone about it.
“No,” her mom said on the other end. “Are you teasing me?”
“Um, not even close. You can ask Dad if you don’t believe me.”
“I-Is everything okay with that boy? Did he apologize for standing you up? If you feel uncomfortable, I can see about trying to come back early.”
Daisy traced her fingers through the sand. “No. He didn’t even remember me. And quit worrying, I’m only here for the rest of the summer, not eternity. Besides, the kiss wasn’t so bad.” With a sigh, she knew she needed to change the subject. “So, tell me where you’ve been so far?”
“We visited Rome yesterday. You would’ve loved the Trevi Fountain. And then we went to the Vatican. Ah, I can’t believe I’m really over here. It’s like a dream come true.”
“I’m glad you’re having fun. You needed the vacation.” But it didn’t stop the pang in her chest. Just hearing her mom’s voice made her miss her even more. They’d never been apart this long before.
In the background she heard a masculine voice. “Oh, Rick, I mean, Dr. Bradley says hi.”
She watched a seagull dive at the waves. “Tell him hi back from me.”
“Look sweetie, it’s getting late here, I should probably let you go for now. I’ll try to get ahold of you again soon, okay? But if you need anything, call me day or night.”
“I will, Mom, love you.” Her voice cracked.
“Love you, too!”
She hung up. Her gaze slid along the shoreline. It probably wouldn’t be long before “Rick” proposed to her mom. They’d been seeing more of each other lately. And that scared her, because that meant one more person who might be taken from her. Daisy and her mom had always been close, but she’d noticed her mom starting to plan more things with Rick, which meant she was home less often. Not that she didn’t want her mom to be happy, it’s just, she was so used to it being the two of them. She hoped that Rick would wait until she graduated school to pop the question, since at least then she’d be in college.
She definitely needed to shut down her mind. She had enough to worry about without having to think about the possibility of a future stepdad.
From a distance, she saw her dad waving to her, signaling it was time to go.
When she got to the car, she noticed the convenient open spot right next to Trevin in the back. Daisy hesitated a moment, then decided she needed to do this. Her plan would only work if she gave it her all. She climbed over Miles and slid into the seat by Trevin.
His bare knee brushed against her leg, sending warmth flooding through her. She lifted her head until their eyes met. She swallowed hard and leaned closer to him. Please don’t let me regret this.
“I—I had a chance to think about what you said earlier,” she whispered.
“And have you made a decision?”
“Yes.”
“Yes?” Trevin quirked an eyebrow.
“I want to get to know you better. You’re right about everything. Sometimes we just need to take a chance,” Daisy said. And hope that you aren’t making the biggest mistake of your life.
“Are you sure?”
Not really. But she forced herself to smile. This was the only way she’d ever get close enough to hurt him. It meant putting herself out there, too. Then why did she feel kind of bad about this?
“I’m positive. Well, as long as you think you can handle my dad.”
“Hey, I survived my last talk with him, didn’t I? Just leave him to me.” Trevin looped his fingers through hers and gave them a squeeze. “I promise, you won’t regret this.”
But he might. Daisy pretended not to notice her increased pulse as his thumb rubbed the back of her hand. Everything would work out fine. She hoped. She had to stay focused and remember she was doing this to win back her self-respect. To show the world Daisy Morris wasn’t to be trifled with.
Chapter Ten
Trevin finished lifting weights, then turned to Miles and Will. “Do you guys think you could cover for me for a bit?”
Miles wiped sweat out of his face with a towel. “Why, what’s going on?”
“I wanted to take Daisy out for lunch. There’s this great Korean restaurant a few blocks from here.” Trevin grabbed his water bottle and took a swig.
“I’ll be around chatting with Aimee on the phone, until they need us in rehearsal,” Miles said. “If anyone comes looking for you, I’ll tell them you’re reading or sleeping or something.”
“I’ll so owe you one.”
“No you won’t, we’ll just be eve
n. Or have you forgotten how you covered for me with Aimee when I had her on The One?”
He laughed, remembering the whole incident. “Thanks, bro.”
“If you want, I can head out with you,” Will said. “That way you can say you were with me the whole time. I’ll just do some shopping until you’re done eating. I can have DeMarcus tail me.”
“You don’t think he’ll say something to Beau, do you?” Trevin followed the guys from the gym. DeMarcus was one of Beau’s guys; last thing he needed was for it to get back to him that he’d snuck out with Daisy. Damn, why was he so nervous all of a sudden? Probably because you’re about to break the rules, and for some girl at that.
“Nah, he knows we need our privacy sometimes. Hell, he’s helped me break free a few times.” Will winked. “You’re not the only one with secrets.”
What’d he mean by that? Trevin suddenly wondered what kinds of things Will kept hidden. But at the moment, he had other stuff to worry about.
When they got back to their room, Trevin took a quick shower, pulled out one of his disguises, and slipped it in his backpack. “I’m going to run down to Daisy’s room real quick. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be ready in a few.” Will tugged on a baseball cap and grabbed a pair of ridiculously large sunglasses.
Trevin left his room and headed down the hall. When he got to Daisy’s room, he took a deep breath, pretending not to notice that his hands were shaking. Okay, you can do this. You’re Trevin Jacobs. But what if she doesn’t want to go? Or what if she’s just being nice to you because of her dad? After a couple more panicked seconds, he knocked on the door.
The door flew open to reveal Daisy standing there in a pair of cutoff shorts and a peasant shirt. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I wondered if you wanted to have lunch with me?” His eyes slid over her small frame. Damn she was beautiful.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Can you give me a minute? My dad is going off on a tangent about spending time with him.”
“Actually, I might have an idea about that. Hold on a second.” He stepped out into the hall, took out his phone, and dialed Will’s number.
“What’s up?” Will answered.
“Change of plan. Is there any way you can tell Beau you’re going out shopping and need him to come along? He’s not going to leave Daisy alone unless he’s got work to do.”
“Sure, I can tell him I need to get my mom something for her birthday, and I can only find it at the mall. Which means I’ll need a bigger security detail.”
“Thanks, man. Also, one more favor?”
“Sure.”
“Any way you could drop off my guitar for me if I give you an address?”
“Yeah, I can swing it. Just let me get a pen and paper.”
Trevin listened to him scrounge around before he came back on. “Okay, I’m ready.”
He rattled off the street address. “Thanks again—I don’t think I could’ve done this without you.”
“No problem. You’d do the same for me,” Will said.
After he hung up, Trevin went back to her door. “Meet me in my room after your dad leaves.”
“How do you know he’s going to be gone?” Daisy cast him a suspicious look.
“Trust me.”
He went back to his room and sat down to watch TV, waiting for Beau and DeMarcus to come get Will, who was hanging out in Trevin and Miles’s suite at the moment.
Beau glanced at him when he walked in. “What are you doing today?”
Trevin shrugged. “I might hang out by the pool, or try to catch some Zs before our show tonight.” He gave a fake yawn and stretched on the couch.
Beau nodded. “Don’t go out anywhere without a bodyguard. James, Matthew, Chase, and Barrett are still here if you need someone to escort you.”
“I’m good. But thanks. Have fun, Will.” He waved, hoping Beau didn’t figure out what he was trying to do. He didn’t want to piss him off, but he really wanted to spend some time with Daisy.
“Yeah, you too.”
Soon after they left, a soft knock sounded. Trevin hurried to the door to find Daisy waiting there.
“Let me put on my disguise, then we can head out,” Trevin said.
“So where exactly are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” One he hoped she liked. He’d put a lot of thought into this.
“You know if my dad finds out we’ve lied to him, I’m probably going to get grounded.”
“He won’t find out, I promise. Besides, how am I going to get to know you better if we never hang out?” He smiled, clutching hold of her hand. To his surprise, she didn’t try to jerk away. Trevin loved the way her hand fit perfectly in his. How smooth her skin was against his.
“You’re right.”
They went downstairs and snuck out a back door. Trevin glanced at his phone, following the map on the GPS. Soon they arrived at the restaurant.
“You said you liked Korean food—and I’m missing my mom’s cooking, so I thought it’d be nice to stop in here.”
Daisy followed him into the restaurant. A hostess met them by the counter. “I made a reservation for a private booth,” Trevin said.
“Ah, yes, come on back.” The woman led them to a dark corner and handed them menus.
Once they were seated, Trevin glanced over the selection. “Have you ever tried gogigui?”
“No, I normally order kimchi stew. But I’m willing to try anything, well, within reason,” Daisy said.
“Gogigui is basically Korean barbeque.”
“Like barbeque chicken?” She quirked an eyebrow.
“Um, no.” He laughed. “My mom soaks her meat in soy sauce, with garlic, peppers, chili paste—then you wrap it up in pieces of lettuce.”
“I’m game.”
The way she seemed to embrace his culture definitely made his day. Most girls wouldn’t have even considered how big his Korean heritage was to him. They only cared about “Trevin the singer,” not “Trevin the person.”
When the waitress came over, Trevin ordered for them.
“So, does your family go back to Korea often?”
“No. I’ve only been there a couple of times since I was a kid. We visited my great aunt in Seoul. But my mom tries to keep a lot of the traditions alive.”
“How did your parents meet?” Daisy asked, fidgeting with her napkin.
“My mom’s family opened a seamstress shop when they came to the U.S. My dad, at the time, needed some pants taken in for his brother’s wedding. So he stopped by, and my mom waited on him. According to them, it was love at first sight.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. For a week straight my dad kept bringing different pairs of pants into the shop, trying to work up the courage to ask my mom out. And, well, finally he did—they’ve been married for twenty-five years now. Have I mentioned they own a farm?”
“They own a farm? But I thought—”
“See, you don’t know everything about me.” He grinned. “I’m not some rich kid—or at least I didn’t grow up that way. I had chores and my dad was pretty hard on me.” He glanced at her. “So do you still hate me?”
“No—I—I agreed to give you a chance, don’t make me regret it.” Daisy peered at him, her face turning a nice shade of flamingo pink.
“I’m glad you did.” This had definitely been a great idea, getting her out on her own. Trevin wanted her to know about the real him. To know where and what he came from. His family was important to him and somehow, he wanted her to be, too.
…
Daisy spooned some of the meat and chili paste stuff onto a lettuce leaf. Trevin definitely had great taste in food. Even in his blond wig, he was adorable. Not that she noticed or anything. She liked hearing about his family and about his trips to Seoul. He seemed so animated when he talked about his family, especially his siblings.
“What about you? What do you do back home for fun?” Trevin wiped his mouth on a napkin.
“I work at a record shop. One of my grandpa’s friends opened it years ago. He offered me a job when I turned fifteen. It’s cool, you know, listening to old music. Stuff people have forgotten about or never even heard before.”
“Do you get much business?”
“Yeah, we get a lot of collectors who come in. And every summer we host different bands for a Picnic in the Park series, where the groups and bands play an outdoor venue. Half of the proceeds are donated to the community.” She traced the wood grain on the table. “My grandpa used to take me to it every year. We’d sit on a blanket, listen to the music, and eat chicken sandwiches and apple pie.”
“You must miss him.” Trevin reached for her hand.
“I do. He’s the one who introduced me to so much stuff. Not just music, but life. My mom worked a lot to pay the bills and, as you know, my dad didn’t come around much. So he’d take me in. Sometimes I’d sit in his friend Slim’s house as they played music, other times he’d bring me to the library for story time. He was always there for me. That one constant in my life when everything else was falling apart. But he died.” Why was it so hard to rehash these memories? The pain never went away. It was always at the back of her mind. Always there, just below the surface, choking away her happiness. Thinking about him made it hard to breathe.
“Daisy, he’s not really dead, you know.”
Her eyes welled as she stared at him. “He is.”
“No. Not if you keep his memory alive.”
Trevin stood and slid into the booth next to her, his cologne wafting in the air around them. He opened his arms to her, and she let him hug her. For the first time in a long time, she felt like someone cared. The way his embrace sheltered her from everything else. The sound of his heartbeat against her ear as she laid her head on his chest. He smoothed her hair down. She snuggled closer, loving how safe he made her feel. Like he wouldn’t let anything hurt her.
“Shhh…it’s okay, I’m here. I promise I’m not going anywhere.”
“Wh-why are you being so nice to me after how crappy I’ve treated you?” She sniffled, wiping her face on the back of her hands.
“I thought that was obvious.” He tilted her chin so she looked up at him. “I told you I liked you and wanted to get to know you. That wasn’t just a line.”
Daisy and the Front Man (Entangled Crush) (Backstage Pass) Page 10