Dreaming of Daisy (A Red Maple Falls Novel, #6)

by Theresa Paolo

  “Do you still drink it with more sugar than coffee?” he asked.

  “I’ve cut down a lot.” She took the top off and dropped four and a half teaspoons into her ten-ounce mug.

  Nick arched an eyebrow and laughed. “That’s cutting down a lot?”

  “Baby steps. I started out with half a teaspoon less and went from there, adding another half once I got used to it, and now it’s much less than the eight I used to put in it. Besides not everybody likes to start their day with motor oil.”

  “Coffee is delicious on its own. It doesn’t need all that extra crap.”

  “That’s your opinion.”

  She brought the mug to her mouth, took a sip then placed the mug down, but his eyes were still focused on her lips, the way her tongue slipped out and dabbed at the plump bottom curve before slowly swiping across the rest of her lip.

  The unintentional movement stirred desire inside him. He swallowed down the need to reach out and run his finger across the slick path.

  He yanked at the collar of his shirt and cleared his throat. “How’s Betty doing?” he asked, desperate to focus his attention on something other than her mouth and all the glorious things she once did with it.

  “Good. I went up to see her again last night, and she’s doing better than when we saw her right after surgery. She’s not nearly as loopy.”

  “That’s great to hear. I’ll have to stop by again before they transfer her to the nursing home.”

  “She’d like that I’m sure.” She tilted the mug to her lips, taking a generous sip. “Have you thought anymore about your house and what you want to do?”

  Nick leaned back in his chair and looked out the window overlooking Main Street. After Daisy left, he did the one thing he thought he would never do—he left, too. He liked living somewhere else more than he ever thought he would, but when he came back, it just felt right. Red Maple Falls was home and he didn’t want to leave again.

  “I haven’t,” he said. “I love my job and this town, Daze. It’s home.”

  “No one is saying you have to leave. You can always sell the house and buy something else in the area. Or maybe rent something for a while, like a bachelor pad like Caleb had before he moved in with Kate.”

  “That was a pretty cool place,” Nick said, remembering the few times he had been for poker night with the guys. It was masculine and had Caleb’s own spin. There weren’t doilies on the headrest of wing chairs or flowered wall paper in the bathroom. No quilt racks or decorative pillow for each corner of every couch and chair.

  Nick hadn’t changed anything in the house, mainly because he thought his mom would be back, but even now, knowing she was staying in South Caroline, he still hadn’t removed a single doily.

  Maybe if he chipped away slowly instead of all at once, the changes wouldn’t seem so overwhelming and such a huge kick in the ass to his childhood and his parents who created the home over years of hard work and love for their family.

  “Something to definitely think about.”

  This was nice spending time with Daisy, talking to her without the built-up animosity that he’d held onto for so long, but he refused to get his hopes up. It was only a matter of time before she left again.

  Chapter 12

  Sunday night dinner had been a staple at the Hayes family household since Daisy was a kid. It was their mother’s way to make sure she got to see her kids as they got older and made less time for her. The rule was if you were in Red Maple Falls then you damn well be at the dinner table come five p.m. or there’d be hell to pay… in the form of a major guilt trip that would make you never want to miss dinner again. It had been years since Daisy was a regular at Sunday night dinner. Living in New York had been her ticket out, but she’d missed it, especially when her roommates had been out doing their own thing and she’d been left alone.

  She was actually happy to see her entire family in one place other than a hospital. Though, without her grandparents, it didn’t feel right. In all the years of Sunday night dinner they had only missed a handful.

  The house seemed extra quiet tonight, quite a feat since the entire family was there, including the dogs.

  Lady, a senior golden cocker spaniel, stayed close to Hadley’s side like always, but Hadley’s other dog Marshmallow and Matt and Shay’s dog, Bubbles, were currently chasing each other around the coffee table. Rex, Tommy’s dog, chewed on a bone in the corner.

  “Hey, baby sis.” Cooper wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her close.

  She rolled her eyes at the sentiment. “I’m not a baby and haven’t been for a very long time.”

  “You’ll be in a nursing home in diapers and still be my baby sis.”

  “That’s not going to happen. We seem to come from some really good genes.”

  Cooper nodded, his blue eyes dimming. “I always thought so until recently.”

  “I know what you mean. I always assumed grandma was indestructible then she was taken out by some black ice.”

  “She’s not down for the count,” he said. “She has a lot of fight left in her.”

  “It’s still scary to think…” Daisy paused, an unexpected tinge of emotion burning her throat. “She’s not going to be around forever and that’s a lot to grasp.”

  Cooper took a deep breath and let it slow. “I try not to think about it.”

  “Is it me or is it uncomfortably quiet here tonight?” Hadley asked, taking a sip of beer from her pint glass. Her blonde hair that she recently cut back into a bob was tucked securely behind her right ear.

  “I thought it was just me,” Daisy said.

  “Definitely not,” Kate said, joining the conversation. “I keep waiting for Grandma to pop out from the woodwork.”

  Mason walked over, handing Cooper a beer. “You sure she’s not up there? She’s sneaky like that.”

  “Like that time you climbed out your bedroom window to meet up with Claire Fowley, and she was standing at the edge of the driveway waiting for you,” Hadley said to Cooper.

  “Who is Claire Fowley?” Sarah, Cooper’s wife asked as she shifted their beautiful eleven-month-old son onto her other hip. Theo reached up, grabbing her black hair, and tugged. Sarah unwrapped his little fingers from the strands and pushed her hair behind her shoulders.

  “Nobody,” Cooper said, flashing the Hayes signature smile.

  Sarah laughed. “Nobody my butt.”

  “None of us liked her,” Kate said.

  “Didn’t like who?” Matt asked, walking over with his son in his arms.

  “Claire Fowley,” Kate responded.

  “She was nothing but trouble that one. What brought her up?”

  Hadley shrugged. “Grandma.”

  A very rare silence fell between them. Everyone seemed to be wrapped up on their own thoughts, all too scared to say them out loud.

  “She’ll be fine,” Daisy finally said. “She is fine.”

  “Of course she is,” Matt said. “She’s not going anywhere until she sees every one of you walk down the aisle.”

  “Then lucky for us she will be around for a while. I have no plans to marry anytime soon,” Daisy said.

  Kate took a sip from her glass of wine. “I heard you and Nick had a little bit of a heated discussion at the brewery the other day.”

  Daisy sighed. Forget the town; there was nothing sacred in this family.

  “Thanks Cassie!” Daisy called out to her soon to be sister-in-law who was helping her mother in the kitchen.

  She poked her head out, her auburn hair falling in her face. “For what?”

  “Ratting me out.”

  “About you and Nick? Please. Something tells me that was only the first of many heated interactions.”

  “You’re still a snitch.”

  “I’m okay with that.” Cassie winked then disappeared back into the kitchen.

  Daisy turned back around, and every pair of eyes was on her like crows circling roadkill. “What?”

  “Anything you want
to tell us?” Matt asked. As the oldest, he made it his job to know everybody’s business, and when he wasn’t the first to know he got cranky. He hated being out of the loop almost as much as he hated big cities.

  “No,” she said, refusing to acknowledge the subject.

  But she should have known her siblings had other ideas, all of which centered around poking and prodding.

  “Must be weird seeing him after so long,” Hadley said.

  Daisy rolled her eyes. She hadn’t really missed New York but now she was feeling this sudden urge to head back there. “It was fine.”

  “Is that why you snuck off with him while Grandma was in surgery?” Hadley asked.

  “What is this? Grandma isn’t here so you have to fill her shoes?”

  “I’m just curious,” Hadley said.

  “Me too,” Cooper added.

  Daisy turned to him with narrowed eyes. “Traitor!”

  “What? I’m sorry. It’s just the poor guy has been hung up on you for years. Shit like that doesn’t just go away.”

  “Not to mention you two were attached at the hip since you were eleven,” Kate added.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Daisy said with finality in her tone. Not that it mattered. Her family were like vultures with roadkill dangling in front of them.

  “So does that mean there is something to talk about?” Kate asked, eyeing Daisy over her wine glass. “After you left my place yesterday I couldn’t help but notice you and Nick walking out of The Happy Apple together.”

  “And the truth comes out,” Matt said.

  “How many outings have there been exactly?” Kate asked.

  Daisy turned a death glare onto Kate. “Don’t you have a husband to bother?”

  “Sorry, but he’s talking bikes with Dad.” Caleb could talk bikes all night, and since her dad was currently in the market for a mountain bike, that conversation was guaranteed to continue well into the next few weeks.

  Daisy threw her arms up in annoyance. “You are all impossible.”

  “Cut Daisy some slack,” Sarah said. “She just got home. Are you trying to chase her off back to New York already?”

  “I knew I loved you for a reason,” Daisy said with a smile for Sarah.

  Sarah nudged her with her shoulder. “I got your back.”

  “Dinner’s ready,” a pregnant Shay said, walking over to the table with a basket of bread.

  “Let me get that.” Matt went to grab the basket from his wife who pulled it out of his reach.

  “It’s a basket of bread. Don’t start with me.”

  Daisy laughed. She wasn’t around for Shay’s first pregnancy, but her siblings and Shay filled her in on how Matt was more overbearing than usual, coddling Shay like she was a fragile piece of china about to break—something that drove Shay absolutely nuts.

  “I’m just trying to help,” Matt insisted.

  “No, you’re trying to keep me from doing anything. If you had your way I’d be on bed rest for this entire pregnancy.”

  “Anyone have any popcorn? This is getting good,” Cooper said, taking a seat at the table.

  “You’ll spoil your dinner,” Tommy said, causing everyone to laugh. It didn’t take long for Tommy to join in, hamming it up for the attention.

  The kid reminded Daisy so much of herself when she was his age. He loved the attention, but he also was very grounded and respectful. Sarah raised him well, and Daisy would think that it’d be only a matter of time for Cooper to undo years of Sarah’s hard work, but to Daisy’s surprise, Cooper was a good dad. A great dad actually. Something she never would ‘ve believed unless she saw it with her own eyes. It was another reason why she was happy to be home for a little longer than a few days.

  “Tommy is right,” Jonathon Hayes said. “No popcorn until after dinner and no show either.”

  Carol Hayes came into the dining room, carrying a large roast, and placed it in the middle of the table. “Bon Appetit.”

  “Looks delicious, Mom,” Matt said.

  Daisy sat next to Tommy and nudged his shoulder. “How are the lines coming?”

  “I’ve been practicing in front of Rex.”

  “I used to practice in front of Dylan.”

  Tommy’s eyebrows rose and his nose crinkled. “The donkey?”

  “Practicing in front of a Donkey is not much different than practicing in front of a dog. Besides, he was my best audience.” Daisy smiled, remembering all the times she’d drag her trunk filled with costumes to the barn and perform as if Dylan wasn’t a donkey but a crowded theater. “If you want to, come by tomorrow we can go out to the barn and practice with him.”

  Tommy turned to Sarah with full on puppy dog eyes. “Mom, can I? Please?”

  Sarah laughed. “If Daisy doesn’t mind.”

  “Not at all.”

  Everyone sat down at the table, plates were passed, drinks were poured and then a silence fell. The sound of forks hitting the ceramic plates was the only noise in the usually noisy dining room. Daisy hadn’t been home for a Sunday night dinner in a while, but even she knew something was off.

  Carol placed her napkin on the table then flattened her hands against the oak surface. “That’s it.” She pushed up from her seat and everyone turned to look at her. “Grab your plates and meet me in the kitchen.”

  “Is everything okay?” Matt asked.

  “Just meet me in the kitchen. All of you.” She didn’t explain further, grabbing her own plate and walking away.

  Daisy looked to her siblings, but they looked just as confused as she felt. One by one they followed with plates in hand.

  In the kitchen Carol took down a stack of Tupperware and handed it out to everyone. “If your grandparents can’t be here with us then we are going to have to go to them.”

  “Will the hospital be okay with all of us there?” Daisy asked.

  “Quite frankly,” her mother said, “I don’t care. We have a tradition in this family, and I’m not going to let a little hospital stay side track that. So go on, pack your food up and let’s get going.”

  Thirty minutes later, they were all squeezed into Betty’s hospital room, eating out of Tupperware. Laughs floated in and out, causing nurses to stop by and join in the conversations.

  This was the Sunday night dinner that Daisy remembered.

  Chapter 13

  It was a busy day at the office for Nick. He managed to set up a private tasting with a very big potential client and confirmed two more locations that would carry Mason’s newest batch once they had them bottled and ready to ship.

  There was a knock on his door, and he looked up from the paperwork he was reviewing. For a split second, he’d hoped it was Daisy. After sharing a meal yesterday, he couldn’t seem to get her off his mind no matter how much he warned himself against it.

  Tyler peeked his head in. “Got a minute?”

  “For you? Eh, I guess so.”

  “Funny.” Tyler walked in, slipped out of his coat and sat at the chair on the other side of the desk.

  Nick crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. “What’s going on?” He assumed it had to do with his newest idea.

  Nick didn’t mind listening, but he stopped putting too much stock in whatever Tyler was trying to sell him on. Once the appeal wore off and there was actual work that needed to be done, Tyler’s enthusiasm dwindled until the idea was nothing more than a memory added to the long list of discarded projects.

  “I was thinking you should sell your house to me.”

  Nick fell forward in his chair. “What?” Out of all the crazy ideas he’d had over the years, and there had been many, this had to be the craziest. Why the hell would he sell his house to Tyler?

  Tyler held his hands in front of him. “Hear me out. Okay?”

  Nick yanked at the collar of his shirt and sat back, already unamused by this newest idea. The least he could do was hear him out; Tyler had always been there for him, especially during his dad’s illness, and while Nick might
not agree with Tyler’s lifestyle, it wouldn’t kill him to keep an open mind. And listening didn’t mean he had to go along with whatever he said. He could still say no which he most definitely planned on. “Go on,” Nick said.

  “I told you about what I want to do, and I don’t know why it didn’t dawn on me the other night at the bar, but it’s the perfect arrangement. You sell me the house with all the furniture you don’t want, I keep it as is, and rent it out for vacations.”

  Nick went to speak, but Tyler kept going.

  “People will bring their kids to the ski slopes, or to the fall festival or to the hiking trails in the summer, and your house will become a memory from their childhood. You have the opportunity to give those memories to other families.”

  Tyler was working an angle, feeding on Nick’s sense of nostalgia. “I don’t know, Ty.”

  “I’m not asking you to make a decision right now. Think about it. Take all the time you need. I’m in no rush. But I think it’ll be a good opportunity for you.” Tyler rested his hand on the desk and looked at Nick. “At least you know I’ll take care of the house. You can even stop by and check up on it in between tenants. Hell, you could stay a night or a month if you feel the need. Again…” Tyler stood up, hands in front of him. “Think about it.”

  Nick had nothing to lose if he agreed to think about it. If he ever did decide to sell, he’d rather sell it to someone he knew and trusted and he didn’t trust anyone more than he trusted Tyler. He just needed to know that Tyler was serious about this venture before agreeing to this. He also needed to decide if selling the house was what he really wanted because he honestly wasn’t sure.

  “All right, I’ll think about it,” he said.

  Tyler’s face sparked with excitement. “You will?”

  “Just thinking about it, but yes, I will.”

  “That’s great,” Tyler said. “I’ll see you tonight at trivia then. I’ve been studying.”

  Nick and Tyler’s team were the reigning champs for a couple weeks until the last trivia night when Brooke’s team beat them. Tyler was out for redemption. Nick had a feeling if it were any other team Tyler wouldn’t care so much, but he and Brooke were the equivalent to the Yankees and the Red Sox.