Daisy Does It All (Clover Park, Book 2) Contemporary Romance (The Clover Park Series)

by Kylie Gilmore

  Maggie held the shirt up to show off the front with a couple ballroom dancing; then she turned it around. The back read: Dancers do it backwards and in heels.

  “Gran!” Trav exclaimed, grabbing the shirt. “Did you design this one?”

  Maggie’s chest puffed out proudly. “I sure did. It’s just for the women. The one for men says ‘Dancers do it in the ballroom.’ Cute, right?”

  Trav laughed. Daisy elbowed him.

  “We didn’t mean to overstep,” Daisy said.

  “Not at all,” Jessica said smoothly. “I like her. Cute and kitschy. You should write her into your blog.”

  “Does that mean you’ll wear it?” Maggie asked, holding the T-shirt out to Jessica again.

  Jessica pushed the shirt out of her personal comfort zone. “I don’t wear T-shirts. My stylist, Kimberly, does a fine job scouring the city for the right Jessica Larsen look. Wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings. Oh, our producer is here.” She turned, and her voice hit a husky purr. “Max, finally.”

  Jessica airkissed a tall man with jet black hair. When she stepped back, Daisy sucked in a breath. It couldn’t be. He looked like…her Max. Her heart raced. She clutched Trav’s arm; she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Oh, God. No, no, no. Not now.

  “I’ve got to get some Perrier and organic lemon slices to the set,” Jessica said. Hand on her hip, she said playfully, “You know I depend on it when we’re on location.”

  “Of course,” Max murmured.

  Daisy stood, frozen in shock, everything in the room fading away except this man who’d left her a wretched mess. He wasn’t fat and bald. He was gorgeous, even more so than he’d been all those years ago. His hair was still black, not a single gray hair, and cut short now. His eyes, that stunning blue-green with the thick lashes. He was fit and muscular.

  The room slowly came back into focus, and a hysterical sob fought to get free. She wanted to pound his chest and scream at him.

  “Ow,” Trav muttered, loosening her grip on his arm.

  Max Parker stepped forward. “Daisy, so good to see you again.”

  He embraced her while she stood with her arms stiffly at her sides. His spicy cologne washed over her, the memories flooding back. She closed her eyes against the remembered pain of their last meeting. He released her. She just stood there and stared. Why was he here? What did he want?

  She swallowed hard over the lump in her throat. Unable to scream at him in front of the TV people, she remained mute.

  Dimly, she heard Trav introduce himself.

  “I’ve got to make a phone call,” Max was saying to her, holding up his cell. “We’ll catch up after.”

  “Catch up?” Trav asked, waving a hand in front of Daisy’s eyes. She couldn’t stop staring. “Who the hell was that?”

  She blinked and slowly turned to him. “Husband number one.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “Good morning, friends!” Jessica chirped into the camera. “Thank you for joining us for a very special Mornings with Jessica. Today I’m on location in the quaint town of Clover Park, Connecticut, in the lovely home of Daisy Garner from the popular blog Daisy Does It All. How are you, Daisy?”

  “Great, I’m thrilled to be here,” Daisy said stiffly. She tried not to fuss with her hair as she sat in the swivel chair, legs crossed at the knee in a perfect mirror image of Jessica. Two cameras focused on them, one on Jessica and one on her. They’d attached a small microphone to her shirt, and she was afraid to move in case it fell off.

  Trav and Max watched off-camera. There’d been no time to catch up with Max, what with the hair and makeup guy fussing over them and the crew setting them up, but she was positive that his being here today was no coincidence. She couldn’t believe he showed up now when she was trying to get through what could be the most important career-changing event of her life.

  “Your blog has followers in the six figures as well as a high share rate on social media.” Jessica dropped her voice conspiratorially. “So, tell us, what’s the secret to creating such a wildly successful blog?”

  Jessica sat, eyes wide, riveted on Daisy, waiting for her reply. Daisy made the mistake of looking at the camera focused on her, with its huge lens and red light that meant it was filming. Time seemed to slow down. Sweat dripped down her back. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Seconds ticked by.

  “Cut!” someone said.

  The red light went out. Daisy blinked and looked around.

  “Sweetie, don’t look at the camera,” Jessica said. “Just look at me. We’re just talking.” She smiled, more like a baring of teeth. “Just having a little conversation, okay?”

  Daisy wiped her clammy hands on her pants. “Of course. Sorry. Can I get a drink of water?”

  “Got it,” someone said.

  Daisy turned her chair away from the view of Max and the cameras and focused on the fireplace. She had to think of a good answer to Jessica’s question. Why was her blog popular? She had to make it sound like it was more than just dumb luck. Which it was. A guy returned with a glass of water. “Thank you.”

  She sipped, trying to cool down. The makeup guy returned to blot the sweat from her face.

  “We good, Daisy?” Max asked.

  No, we are not good, asshole. What are you doing here?

  Geez, she couldn’t blow this interview before she even answered one question.

  She turned her chair back in position. “I’m good.”

  “And rolling…”

  Jessica asked her question with the exact same tone and expression as the first time.

  Daisy focused on Jessica when she answered. Just having a little conversation. “I wouldn’t say there’s any secret to it. I try to talk about things I think my readers would be interested in. Like keeping the romance alive after baby. Having fun as a family. Things like that.”

  “Let’s have your husband come on over here.” Jessica motioned Trav over. The camera followed him as he took the few steps to sit in the chair next to Daisy.

  Daisy broke into a sweat again. This was the hard part, coming across as a happily married couple. The lights made her sweating even worse. Jessica looked cool and dry.

  “This is Darling Husband, everyone,” Jessica said, addressing the camera directly. “Isn’t he a hottie? Travis, what do you think of your wife’s success?”

  “I’m extremely proud of her.” He squeezed Daisy’s hand in a show of husbandly support. Daisy tensed at his touch and forced herself to relax. It all felt so fake.

  “Any secrets you’d like to share for a happy marriage?” Jessica asked, turning back to Daisy.

  Daisy glanced at Max off-camera and suddenly found it hard to breathe. She snapped her attention back to Jessica, sucked in a breath, and exhaled slowly. “Yes.”

  “What would that be?” Jessica prompted.

  “A happy marriage is good. No secrets.” Brilliant, Daisy. Any brain cells working up there?

  “Interesting.” Jessica turned her attention to Trav. “Would you agree that it’s important to have no secrets in a happy marriage?”

  “Absolutely. And some lacy nighties don’t hurt either.” He grinned and kissed Daisy’s cheek.

  Jessica laughed heartily while Daisy forced a smile. Trav had remembered the details of her blog. And look at how relaxed he was on camera. She took another deep breath. Trav was playing his part perfectly, and she could do the same.

  Just don’t look at Max.

  Jessica tipped her head to the side. “Did you always want to be a blogger, Daisy?”

  “It was something new for me.” Daisy focused on Jessica, relieved to find the words came more easily now. “I just needed to write about my experiences as a new mom. The blog was an easy way to share that with other moms.”

  Jessica turned to Trav. “And I understand you’re a big help around the house and with baby.”

  “That’s right,” Trav said with a straight face. He was good. This was going to be fine. With Trav at her side, everything wo
uld go smoothly.

  Jessica leaned forward. “Would you agree with Daisy that your baby is the best thing about marriage?”

  Trav glanced at Daisy, and she smiled, silently begging him to agree. “One of many great things about being married to Daze. She’s also fantastic in the sack.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  Daisy gasped. “Trav! That’s private!”

  He patted her arm. “Sorry, honey, you’re right. Change that to fantastic in the kitchen.”

  Daisy groaned.

  Jessica tittered. “You guys are so cute together. Tell us about your first date.”

  “It was at Garner’s,” Trav said at the same time as Daisy said, “It was at the town Fourth of July fireworks.”

  Shit. The proposal was at the fireworks. Trav had it right. The first date was supposed to have been at Garner’s.

  Jessica looked from one to the other. “You don’t seem to have the same first date. Which is it?”

  “Fireworks,” Trav promptly said just as Daisy confirmed, “Garner’s.”

  Daisy rushed to explain their contradicting stories. “I mean, first we went to Garner’s and had dinner, then we went to the town’s fireworks show.” Except Garner’s was closed on the Fourth of July because they set up shop at the concession stand at the Clover Park High football stadium.

  Jessica pursed her lips in a serious expression. “Do you always agree on parenting?”

  “Mostly we do,” Daisy said, looking with genuine affection to Trav. In this one area, they were in perfect accord.

  “We follow an attachment parenting philosophy,” Trav said. “It’s about meeting your kid’s needs when they’re very young so they grow into confident, independent kids.”

  “Can you give us an example?” Jessica asked.

  Daisy spoke up. “I breastfeed; he sleeps in a crib in my, er, our room so I can respond to his cries right away—”

  “We never let him cry it out,” Trav added.

  Daisy nodded. “We’ll often carry him around in a sling or Baby Bjorn carrier so he can be close to us.”

  Jessica stared at them like they were crazy hippies. “Okay, let’s go back to the blog. Your post on ‘Bedroom Shenanigans After Baby’ has gone viral with a million views and thousands of retweets. In that post, you advocate sexy talk to get things started. Care to elaborate?”

  Um, no? Daisy laughed and went for a casual breeziness she was far from feeling. “I could, but my sexy talk only works for my husband. It’s very individual, so I leave that to the imagination.”

  “Good answer,” Trav said, patting her leg.

  “Thank you,” Daisy replied. She wished he would stop touching her. It was making her more nervous. She was sure the cameras would pick up on their charade. Though it was nice that Max got to see her as a happily married woman. Take that, ex-husband. I did just fine without you.

  “Any plans for baby number two?” Jessica asked sweetly.

  “No!” Daisy said at the same time as Trav said, “Yes.”

  Daisy turned to him in alarm.

  “We talked about it,” Trav said smoothly. “When the time feels right. No rush.”

  Daisy reached for composure, extremely aware of Max studying her with an intensity that made her want to jump up and scream, What do you want?

  “Exactly, when it feels right,” Daisy said. “But one of the things I emphasize on my blog is giving your body a break between babies. So that’s why my answer was no. Bryce is only six months old.”

  Right on cue, Bryce’s throaty scream rang out from upstairs as he woke from his nap. WAAAAAHHHHH!

  “Excuse me,” Daisy said. “I need to check on him. He’s usually hungry after a nap.”

  “Cut!” Jessica yelled. She turned to Daisy, eyes flashing. “We’re in the middle of an interview. Couldn’t his grandmother take care of it?”

  “His great-grandmother and no,” Daisy said, unclipping her microphone and standing.

  “Great,” Jessica muttered. Her tone changed from sour to sweet in a flash. “Bring the baby in here. Our viewers would love to see the happy family together.”

  Daisy and Trav exchanged a look. Bryce was unpredictable at best. How would it look on camera to see the two of them struggling to calm their screaming son?

  “Maybe later,” Daisy said.

  “Sure,” Jessica purred. “I can wait.” She smiled up under her lashes at Trav. “Tell me more about yourself.”

  Daisy barely held back an urgent warning to Trav, Say nothing. Don’t trust her. Instead, she bolted from the room, knowing it was urgent to get Bryce calmed down quickly before he went to full throttle. Hopefully they’d pulled off covering up their little first-date slipup.

  ~ ~ ~

  Daisy settled back into the guest chair for more questions. The makeup guy touched up her face while the sound guy reattached her mike. Bryce was happy for now with Maggie and Jorge entertaining him upstairs. Now that she’d gotten through the first few questions on-camera, she was feeling more comfortable. All she had to do was avoid looking at Max and pretend she was happily married.

  She nodded at Jessica. “I’m ready.”

  Jessica merely rotated a finger in the air. The crew picked up her signal.

  “And rolling,” someone said.

  Jessica leaned forward eagerly. “Daisy, we’ve all enjoyed reading about the delicious, healthy meals you prepare for your family. Would you make one of your specialties for our viewers at home?”

  Daisy’s mouth opened and closed. Shit. Not only did she not know her way around Maggie’s kitchen, she didn’t know how to cook. She glanced over at Trav, where he stood off-camera. His brows went up in concern.

  “I, uh, wouldn’t you rather—”

  “Maybe that rosemary leg of lamb you mentioned?” Jessica looked to the camera and nodded, as if a live studio audience would back her up.

  Trav grimaced.

  “I’m sorry, I’m unprepared,” Daisy said. “I planned on going to Garner’s for lunch today. It’s my parents’ restaurant and very popular here in town. Would you like to have lunch there?”

  Good job. She mentally patted herself on the back. Deflect and showcase your parents’ place.

  “I think our viewers would really love to see you in action at home,” Jessica said. “There must be something you can make here. Let’s go to the kitchen.” She stood, and Daisy followed slowly behind her.

  There was a flurry of activity while the crew set up cameras and lights in the kitchen. Jessica spent her time getting touched up by makeup.

  Trav appeared at her side and slung an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his side, grateful for the support. “What am I going to do?” she whispered in his ear.

  “Grilled cheese,” he whispered back.

  She closed her eyes. Grilled cheese wasn’t even close to the kind of dishes she’d described on her blog. Was she really going to show millions of viewers how to make grilled cheese?

  A short time later, the crew was all set up.

  “And we’re good here, people,” Max said.

  “And…rolling.”

  “So…” Jessica asked in a coaxing way. “What are we having?”

  “I make a mean grilled cheese,” Daisy found herself saying. “High quality, organic cheese on fresh-baked multigrain bread.”

  Jessica’s brows shot up. “Grilled cheese? From your blog, it seemed you were always whipping up some gourmet dish. I seem to remember saffron rice and, of course, that lamb dish.” She looked at Daisy expectantly.

  “Sometimes simple is best for lunch,” Daisy said. Like now. “It’s important to have healthy meals for your family, but that doesn’t always mean they have to be fancy or take a long time. Trav loves my grilled cheese too.”

  The camera swung to Trav. “Love her grilled cheese.”

  “Well,” Jessica huffed. “I suppose. There are some gourmet grilled cheese places in the city. Could you make some of that homemade cream of tomato soup to go with it?”

/>   Why did I spend so much time describing food on my blog? Probably because I wrote late at night when I was getting the munchies, but too tired to make anything. My fantasy food life.

  Daisy pretended to think about that. “Soup, well…”

  “We’re all out of tomatoes, honey,” Trav said.

  “Yes, that’s what I was just about to say,” Daisy said, nodding vigorously. “We’re all out. Sorry, no soup.”

  Jessica stared at her blandly. “Okay, let’s see this famous grilled cheese.”

  “Sure,” Daisy said. “I just need to get the bread.”

  She opened the breadbox on the counter and found a collection of Pez dispensers all lined up inside. She slammed the lid down and heard the clatter of Kiss, the Simpsons, and what appeared to be the Founding Fathers taking a dive to the counter. She turned to Trav. His eyes darted to the refrigerator.

  Daisy opened the fridge. “I forgot I moved the bread to the refrigerator to keep it fresh longer. Yes, here it is. And the butter and cheese too. Perfect!”

  She pulled half the loaf from the store bag, grabbed the package of sliced cheese and butter, and set it all on the counter next to the stove.

  Jessica stared at the cheese. “I didn’t know they made organic American cheese. Isn’t that processed?”

  Daisy snatched the cheese off the counter, hiding the label. “Not this kind. We get it from a health food store nearby, Gary’s Greens & More.” She decided to put in a plug for her dad’s friend Gary. “That’s also where I buy natural grape soda and the most delicious chocolate cookie sandwiches.”

  “You think soda and cookies are healthy?” Jessica asked.

  “They are at the health food store,” Daisy said as she spread butter on some bread. She glanced around the kitchen, trying to decide where Maggie would keep the frying pan. There were a lot of cabinets. Well, most people kept it in a cabinet near the stove, right?

  She opened the cabinet to her right and quickly shut it.

  Troll dolls. Each one next to an empty beer bottle. Little troll party in there.

  She tried the cabinet to the left. Tin baking molds—camel, pig, chicken, weird doll-like people. Her eyes widened. Was that a giant—she slammed the cabinet. What was wrong with Maggie? Didn’t she own a frying pan? Her heart kicked up, and energy shot down her legs. She would not bolt. She could still pull this off.