Or maybe I was just jealous. There was a very distinct possibility that I was jealous. What I wouldn’t give to have that with Daisy right now—the sort of teasing, fun, lighthearted friendship that was at the root of our undeniably complicated relationship.
“Are you two through?” I interrupted when Jamie made a supremely girlie squealing sound.
“Sorry,” she said quickly.
“Yeah, sorry man.” Alex’s voice was far more somber. “We’re here for you if you need us.”
We. Us. I rolled my eyes a bit at the over-the-top coupledom happening in my friend’s world, but I was happy for her. She deserved a good guy like Alex, and he her. Plus, I’d made out pretty well in this bargain, too. Alex seemed to be of the mindset that Jamie’s friends were his friends too, so I’d gained a new friend when she and Alex made it official.
Actually, thanks to Jamie, I had a few new friends. Her new billionaire buddy, Oliver, and his girl Liv were a blast to hang out with when I was in New York…which wasn’t as often as I liked.
Technically, I owned multiple homes, thanks to some savvy investing by my money guy. He and my manager made sure I’d be set for life, and my assets included houses on three different continents. But that didn’t mean I had a home. Mainly I lived out of hotel rooms.
The last time I’d had a home was here in Jordan Springs, but it wasn’t this location that made it home, and it certainly wasn’t my parents. It had been Daisy and her family; it had been Brady and the others, but mainly Daisy’s unconditional love.
“She needs something,” I said.
My sudden non sequitur was met by silence.
“What does she need?” Jamie asked.
“I…don’t know. All I know is, ever since I met the girl back in preschool she was always looking out for everyone else. But even in preschool she was terrible at accepting help. She was always the giver, never the taker.”
Jamie made a sort of humming noise. “That’s tough, Tieg. How are you going to help her if you don’t know what kind of help she needs?”
Now it was my turn to answer with silence. I could guess what the Whittakers needed. It didn’t take a genius to see how run down their house was, or that they still didn’t have a second car for Daisy or the others. “Money,” I said. “I could give money.”
“That’s super romantic, bro,” Alex said, his tone flat.
Jamie snickered.
“I’m open to other suggestions,” I said. When neither offered up an answer, I added, “Jamie, what would you want as a gift? Something thoughtful that says…”
I trailed off, and Alex chimed in. “Something that says ‘I’m sorry I’m a melodramatic, brooding hipster?’”
Jamie laughed, and I scowled down at the phone. “Seriously, Jamie, what would you want as a gift?”
“Oh, you already gave me the gift that keeps giving with that Kumbaya session,” she said through a fit of giggles.
Alex sounded like he was choking on a laugh too.
That was what prompted this phone call from my friends. The videos Allison and her friends had made during the birthday fun had gone viral.
My bad boy image was officially ruined. I’d been dodging my manager’s phone calls all morning. I knew he wanted to chew me out. I’d come across as a huge softie, and now tons of people had seen it. All he cared about was my image. All anyone cared about was my image.
Ask me how much I cared.
I sighed as they laughed. “You guys are hilarious. Are you through?”
“Sorry, sorry,” Jamie said, though she sounded like she was struggling to hold it together.
Awesome. So glad I could be their source of amusement.
“Okay, here’s my serious answer,” she said. “You’re right, Daisy might need help, and she’s probably pushing you away for all the wrong reasons. But the only way you’re going to be able to get her to open up to you is if she trusts you again.”
I stared at the phone, hearing the logic there but more frustrated than ever. “And that answers the question how?”
She sighed in exasperation. “I’m saying, give her something from the heart. Something that reminds her that she can trust you.”
I nodded slowly and then realized she couldn’t see me. “Yeah. Okay. I think…I think I can do that.”
A few hours later, I was more nervous than I’d ever been to step on stage.
Ridiculous, really, since I’d sold out some of the biggest stadiums in the world and this was a field with about twenty teens and college students milling about a giant field as they set up.
But one of those teens was Daisy.
Yup, my palms were totally sweating.
“You ready?” Mary asked. The producer might have been young, but she had a competent air about her that was reassuring right now.
Was I ready to put my heart on the line…again?
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
I cleared my throat, and the mic gave wicked feedback that made everyone on stage and in the field cringe.
It also had all eyes on me. Not even Daisy could ignore me after that ear-piercing sound.
Sure enough, her gaze clashed with mine, and I swore, even from this distance, I could see the green in her eyes. “Hey,” I said.
Yeah, that’s right. I was eloquent like that. For those at home who were keeping track, the great and powerful rock god Tieg had managed to get caught on camera singing bible study songs, had lost the girl of his dreams for the second time in his young life, and was about to lay his heart on the line in front of dozens of strangers on the off chance that he could somehow salvage his love life.
Oh yeah…and he was starting to refer to himself in the third person.
I cleared my throat again and turned back to see my makeshift band piling on stage behind me. This tour had been last minute and on a bare-bones budget so my normal crew had sat this one out and I was going to perform with a bunch of newbies. Well, no one in Jordan Springs would call Willie Boyd a newbie since he was in his seventies and had been playing locally since way before I was born but…you know what I mean.
“Hey guys,” I said a little louder this time to the group assembled. “First off, I just want to say thanks to everyone who’s volunteering here today. You are all rock stars in my book.”
That got a chuckle from the crowd. What could I say? I was a musician, not a comedian.
“Let’s give an extra special thanks to Daisy Whittaker for coming up with the idea and seeing it through.”
The group burst into applause, and I saw Daisy duck her head, a blush creeping into her cheeks and a shy smile tugging at her lips. She peeked up at me and her look was chastising, but not mad.
I’d do just about anything to see that look on a regular basis.
“The band will be joining me shortly to go through the numbers for tomorrow, but before we do, I wanted to take a moment to thank someone who can’t be here tonight.”
I shifted my guitar in front of me, my eyes never leaving Daisy’s. “For those of you who weren’t lucky enough to know Lila Whittaker, she was one of a kind, just like her daughter. She filled every room with brightness, and she spread her kindness just about everywhere she went.”
Daisy pressed her lips together and widened her eyes, but she didn’t cry.
“Anyone who’s met Daisy knows that she does the same.” I didn’t look away from Daisy’s wide-eyed gaze, but I could feel the crowd shifting, their focus seeking out Daisy rather than me. As it should be. She was the one who deserved the attention. All I’d ever done for this town was leave it. My only skills lie in music and acting—not like a TV star acting. I meant, I’d perfected the art of acting like I didn’t care.
But I was tired of the acts and the bravado. I was sick of pretending that I wasn’t lonely and tired after three years of meaningless interactions with similarly fake people. I was so tired of it that I couldn’t bring myself to care about the video going viral or the fact that this very moment was likely bein
g judged by thousands—maybe millions—if someone in this crowd decided to livestream it.
But none of that mattered. All that mattered was Daisy, and whether she knew it or not…she needed my help.
I just had to know why. I had to know what had changed so drastically that she’d given up on her dreams.
“What some of you might not know was that it was Daisy’s mom who taught me how to play the guitar. She taught me how to sing.”
I heard people talking, I saw phones coming out to record an intimate moment.
Who cares? This was for Daisy. Only Daisy. “She started with the bible study songs some of you might have heard me singing last night.”
Laughter swelled up because even those who hadn’t been at the campsite last night, which was most of them—they’d still seen the viral videos.
“But Daisy’s mom taught me other songs, too.”
Daisy blinked, and I watched her lips part as she inhaled. Did she know where I was going with this?
Probably. We might have been separated, but we’d never truly parted. That connection was still there, and I hoped it always would be. I started to strum some chords as I spoke, letting myself rely on the music to speak for me. Hoping she’d understand what I was trying to say.
“One day I asked Mrs. Whittaker to teach me how to play Daisy’s favorite song.” I cleared my throat because the memory came back to me fast and fierce and for a moment I let myself grieve the kind, loving woman who’d shown me such kindness…the woman who’d given us Daisy.
“It was the song that Mrs. Whittaker used to sing to her as a little girl.”
I saw Daisy’s brows furrow and her lips press together as she battled emotion. I had no doubt she knew what was coming.
Jamie’s words came back to me. This was about trust, right? Reminding Daisy of who she was—who I’d been to her. Reminding her of who she’d wanted to be…
“I wanted to learn the song so I could play it for her for her twelfth birthday,” I said. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever sung it as well as Mrs. Whittaker, but it’s the thought that counts, right?”
I heard some quiet laughter, but I refused to look away from Daisy as I sang Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles. She and her mom had shared a love of the old band and that song, in particular.
She stood there silent while I played, and when the last chords came to a stop, she seemed to come back to life. In a heartbeat she was swiping at her eyes and rushing the stage.
Was that a good thing or…
“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed as she clambered up onto the stage, seeming not to notice the crowds watching her or the musicians who’d been tuning their instruments while I’d played, or Mary who was giving us an exasperated look and pointing to an imaginary watch on her wrist.
I ignored her, and I was pretty sure Daisy didn’t even see her. She only had eyes for me…
And not in a good way.
“What. Were. You. Thinking?” After each word she gave my chest a little shove.
“I just wanted—”
“What? To make me cry in front of half the town?”
My brows shot up in surprise, and I looked from her to the dozens of people in the crowd. “I wouldn’t say half. I mean, I know it’s a small town but—”
“Enough.” Her eyes were so wide and so filled with emotion I stopped any attempts at levity.
“I’m sorry, Daisy. I wasn’t trying to upset you, I just wanted to remind you—”
“Remind me of what?” she said with a desperate shake of her head. “That my mom is gone, that you left me, that my father is never around? What is it exactly you were hoping to remind me of, Tieg?”
I reached out for her, hoping to calm her down. She pulled back before I could touch her. “Remind you who you are,” I said. “Remind you that I know you.”
“If you knew me then you’d know I’d never leave my family.”
“This isn’t about leaving people. It’s about pursuing your dreams. It’s about living your life. It’s about…” My hands flew wildly as I searched for the right words. “It’s about you having that light that I love so much. It’s about that passion for life you inherited from your mom that you seem bent on killing.”
She jerked back like I’d slapped her.
I shook my head. “I’m not asking you to fly off with me tomorrow, Daisy. I just want you to give us a chance. Let me fly you out to my next show. You’ve always wanted to see Los Angeles, right?”
She looked ready to yell.
I backpedaled.
Clearly me and her and travel was not a good topic. “Fine, we don’t have to go anywhere. I can come visit you here while you finish school. And when you’re in college—”
“Maybe I’m not going to college,” she said, her voice tight. “Maybe I’m never leaving this town at all.”
“Fine,” I said, holding my hands up in defense. “That’s fine if that’s what you want. It’s just—”
“What?” she snapped. “Just say it.”
“It just doesn’t seem like you.”
She tilted her chin up. “You don’t know me.”
Everything about that rang false. “Look, Daisy, I didn’t mean to upset you. I honestly wanted to pay tribute to your mom and show you that I remember, even if you don’t, all the plans you used to make with her.”
“Yeah, well, they weren’t plans, they were dreams,” she said, her voice shockingly bitter. I’d never heard her sound so…defeated. “They were fairytales.”
“No,” I said quickly, my tone urgent. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I want to help you. I want to make your dreams come true. I want to support you the way you’ve always supported me.”
For a second I thought maybe I’d gotten through to her. She stared at me for a long moment. “That’s what this all comes back to. Our past. You said it yourself the only reason you have feelings for me is because I remember who you were.”
I hated that sound in her voice. It was the lack of emotion that killed me. Like she’d given up—on herself, on her dreams…on us.
That wasn’t her. I knew it, and I had no doubt that her mom would have known it.
“No,” I finally said. “That’s not it at all. I don’t just love you because of our past. I love you because you remind me of who I was, yes, but mostly because when I’m with you I remember who I want to be.”
She blinked, and for a second, I saw her waver.
I hurried on, ignoring the fact that people were coming toward us, our brief moment of solitude about to come to an end. “Daisy, I feel alive with you. Not jaded, but hopeful. I remember the good and the bad, but mainly I look at you and I see love. Unconditional love. The love I have for you and the love you have for me.”
“Oh my gosh, you guys are so dramatic.” Eliza’s voice to my right shattered the moment—the admittedly melodramatic moment.
Daisy looked over and so did I, only to find Keith and Brady right behind her. Brady looked exasperated and a little concerned. Keith was scowling at me like he’d welcome a fight.
“What did he do now?” Keith asked nobody in particular.
Since he was talking about yours truly, I figured he wasn’t addressing me.
Eliza crossed her arms and looked at Daisy. “Seriously, sis. So dramatic! You guys make my telenovelas look boring.” Then she whipped around to face me. “Can’t you go one hour without making my sister cry?”
“I’m not—”
“You are, and you did the same thing yesterday.” Eliza flapped a hand toward Daisy. “Poor thing was bawling her eyes out half the night.”
I opened my mouth to protest but Daisy beat me to it. “I wasn’t—”
“Oh please.” Eliza arched a brow and gave her older sister an impressively condescending look. “I heard you last night. Our bedrooms are connected, remember?”
Guilt hit me straight in the gut as I turned to face Daisy. “Is that true?”
She didn’t answer,
but her silence was answer enough.
I continued to stare at her until she half turned away as if she couldn’t meet my eyes. Maybe she saw what I was thinking…but you were the one who pushed me away.
Suspicion mixed with guilt, and let me tell you—it was not a great sensation. It made my blood rush through my ears, drowning out the rest of Eliza’s lecture. All I could feel was the crazy pounding of my heart as hope leapt up once again.
She might have pushed me away, but she was torn. There was more going on here, and I needed to know what.
Best of all she didn’t want to push me away.
I knew it just like I knew that she was plotting ways to murder Eliza right now. I knew it because I knew her.
I think I’d suspected it last night, and it was what gave me the courage to serenade her today despite the cameras, but now…now I knew.
And Daisy? She knew that I knew. How did I know? I just knew. Her gaze turned wary when she looked my way and caught me staring so intently. She licked her lips and reached for her sister, none too gently shoving her toward the side of the stage. “Come on, you’re causing a scene.”
Eliza’s eyes bugged out. “I’m causing a scene.” She looked around pointedly at the crowd and the cameras. I heard Keith and Brady snickering behind us.
“I think you two have got that covered,” Keith said.
Big mistake. Daisy might have had the biggest heart of anyone I’d ever met…but she was still the oldest sibling. She had to reach up to grab Keith’s neck in a death grip, but soon she was shoving and nudging her siblings off the stage.
She was about to walk away, and tomorrow was my last day here in town.
If she left now…
Desperation swept over me. I’d come this far, right? Why not go all the way?
Ignoring everyone else in this field, I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted after her. “I love you, Daisy Lou. Forever and always!”
Chapter Ten
The Man, The Myth, The Nerd: High School Billionaires #3 Page 9
