Falling for My Ex Next Door: A Best Friend's Brother Second Chance Romance

Chapter Thirteen

Old Napoleon had just left when the door opened, and Daisy dashed inside, excitedly flinging herself on me.

“I’m so relieved you are okay,” Daisy cried. A minute ago, I was almost smothered with her kisses, and she would not stop talking about how worried she was when she heard about me being in the hospital. She brought me flowers. I was grateful to her, and so was my mom.

“When did the doctor say you’d be discharged?” She asked.

“Tomorrow, I guess. He said I needed to be under his watch for another twenty-four hours.” I replied.

“That’s okay. I’ll just quickly go to Jacob’s and drop off my things, then I’ll be with you all day. I never planned for us to spend the day like this, but I’ll still make it worthwhile.” She said in a breath.

“I appreciate you, Daisy.” I smiled.

“Yeah, so I’ll just run along now. Jacob, keys.” She turned to her brother. Jacob handed the keys to his car to her.

Standing up from her seat, the door opened, and my mom appeared. She had gone to prepare lunch.

“Daisy?” She was surprised to see her.

“Hello,” Daisy approached her, quite nervous. I could relate to her reaction. We had not been in contact for three years now and my mom also knew about it.

“Hi.” Mom dropped the food basket on the bedside table. “How have you been?” She opened her arms to embrace her.

“I’ve been well.” Daisy hugged her, smiling wryly.

“ I’m happy to see you. I wasn’t expecting to see you here. You look good.”

“Guess I brought everyone together,” I muttered.

“Definitely.” Jacob chuckled. He looked quite happy.

“Thank you. How have you been, Auntie?” Daisy asked, disengaging.

“Well, I’ve been fine. And how are your parents?”

“They are fine, as well.” Daisy smiled.

“Good.” she grinned.

“I have to run along now. I’ll see you soon.” Daisy said, grabbing her purse.

“Oh, of course.”

“See you soon, Clara.” Daisy leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek before she left the room.

“Daisy looks different and nice.” Mom smiled at Jacob, taking her seat at the edge of the bed.

“Yeah,” I was kind of pleased with everything.

“Yes, Jacob,” she cocked her head towards him. “How was work today? You seem to have come here early.”

“Pretty good. I’m going back. I came to drop Daisy off and see how Clara was doing.” The last sentence made something shift in me.

He looked briefly at me before looking back at Mom. There was this sparkle in his eyes that I had not seen in a long time.

“Oh, thank you.” She smiled. “I brought lunch, will you have some before you leave?” Mom offered.

“Sure, thanks.”

***

The sun was shining resplendently in the clear azure sky. The air outside was filled with a medley of freshness and the typical smell hospitals gave off.

It was all part of Sunnyvale, the beauty and the appreciation of it.

Jacob had left for work and Daisy had returned to keep me company. Seeing her after a long time made me feel happy and sure about leaving the past behind and moving on. Though I could still feel a hindrance in our discussion as it did not come as naturally as it normally would, I knew we could still make things work between us so that our reconciliation would birth a better friendship.

“I want to know how you have been for the past three years.” She began.

“Well, there’s not much to say save for the part of me being heartbroken.” I let out an absurd laugh.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.” She solemnly said.

“I’m sorry for not doing what friends do, for not reaching out to you.” I felt guilty, too.

“I thought we were well past these, Clara.” She made a face. “I’m not comfortable with you apologizing.”

“You started it, Daisy. I’m as guilty as you are.” I chuckled.

“Okay, fine. Let’s stop apologizing; let’s talk about interesting things.” She said with a tone of finality.

“Agreed.”

“So yeah, what do you do now? I mean, here in Sunnyvale?”

“I run my late aunt’s coffee shop.”

“Interesting, I’d like to see the place.”

“Sure.”

“How’s working as a barista? As far as I know, coffee making is a big deal.” she chuckled.

“Yeah, it’s fun and practical too. Overall, it’s still the best job I have ever ventured into. I’m having the best time of my life.” I laughed.

“Wow, it’s great to hear you say that. I mean, because you’ve always wanted to run your own business. I’m happy for you.” She smiled widely.

“Yeah, thank you. So what about you? Are you still a model?”

“Yeah, but I switched agencies.” She responded.

“Why? I thought you were doing very well at Michael’s.”

“I outgrew him, and I required a fresh, new place,” she said nonchalantly

“Well, did you find one?” I was curious.

“Yes, I did.” She said with excitement.

“And?” It seemed to me like she wanted to say more.

“And I met this guy, Nathan.” She instantly added, her eyes sparkling with delight.

“Oh, Nathan. Tell me about him.” I was happy to have her sharing important details of her life with me like she used to.

“Yeah, he’s the cutest guy I’ve ever seen. He’s a model too, and one thing that most especially excites me about him is that he’s exotic.” She said in one breath.

“Exotic?”

“Yeah, his mom is Italian, and his dad is Irish,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Sometimes he’s all fiery Italian passion, and other times he’s got that charming Irish wit. But no matter what, I just love the way he makes me feel.” She was beaming, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

“You must like this, Nathan.” I teased.

“Of course, I’m in love with him.” She confessed unashamedly.

“Are you dating?”

“Well,” I could spot mischief in her eyes without her even having to say a word. “It’s not official, but…”

“But?”

“I don’t know, he’s not so keen on titles.” She didn’t seem to care.

“Great!” I smiled. “I’m good as long as you are happy with him.”

“That’s it. Thank you, babe.” She chuckled.

***

Returning to the house, it felt like I had been away for light years. I nestled in my bed for the first and second days while my mom cheerfully took care of everything that needed to be done in the house. Though she didn’t mean to explicitly praise Jacob, he more often than not appeared in our discussions. Especially when she knew he kept sending packages of glucose and groceries.

Daisy also visited, and she kept me company throughout my convalescing period.

I was glad she was around, and I could say she played a large part in my stage of convalescence. When I was out of the hospital and fully discharged, I invited her over to the coffee shop, where she had a taste of my handiwork. That was about three days after when my mom permitted me to reopen the shop after satisfactorily confirming my good state of health.

“Where did you learn to make such amazing coffee?” Her eyes widened in excitement as she took the first sip of the espresso I offered her.

“It’s nice, huh?” I smiled, taking my seat next to her.

“Definitely. I like it, and I’m envious of you right now.” She giggled.

“Oh, Daisy.”

“I’m serious!” She frowned.

“Alright, I’m glad you like it.”

“Yeah, it feels really good to be here.” She sighed and looked on for a moment. “I like the decor and the feel around here.” Then her eyes lit up again.

“Let’s go out. We can shop for clothes, shoes, jewelry, anything!”

“Daisy-”

“Do not refuse, please.” She pleaded.

“Who’s going to look after the shop? You know I don’t have an assistant yet.”

“Oh, Clara. It won’t be long before we get back. I just want to spend time with you, that is, outside, and I want to see the city, too.” She cried again.

“Mom’s gonna be here in a few minutes,” I mentioned.

“Oh,” she sounded disappointed.

I sighed, knowing she just wanted us to have a good time. She had not changed in the slightest, she was still the same old Daisy Bradley I knew.

“Perhaps I could tell her about it, and we can close the shop temporarily till we get back?”

Immediately, she got the message, and her mood lightened up.

“Exactly!” She giggled.

“Well, I don’t mind if your mom comes along. We could get her a few nice things.” She added, thoughtfully.

“No, it’s fine. She will be just fine at home.”

“But we can still get her a few nice things.” she blinked.

“Definitely.” I smiled.

“Come on now,” she gulped down the remnants in her cup and set it on the table. “Grab your purse.” She rose to her feet.

“Alright.” I pushed back the chair and hurried to the counter. I put some things in place, took off my apron, grabbed my purse, and then we left the shop.

Daisy and I wove through the bustling streets of Sunnyvale, heavily laden with our previous shopping. And when I thought we were just about to round off the series of excursions, Daisy paused in front of a boutique window. Apparently, something must have caught her eye, and it was a sparkling display of necklaces and pairing earrings.

“Oh my God, that looks gorgeous. I’m sure it would be perfect for the little white dress you wore earlier.” Daisy gasped. She pointed at one that was made out of gold, it was simple, with a clean-cut ruby in the center.

“But do we have to get it, Daisy?”

“Hm, hmm.” she nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Oh, Daisy, it doesn’t really matter.”

“I still want to get it, yes, I’ll get it for your Mom.” She said, rushing to the door. I had no choice but to follow her.

Pushing through the door, we were immediately welcomed by the cheerful chime of the bell. The shop was quite large and relatively filled to the brim with alluring jewelry.

Daisy flitted from one display to another, trying on rings and draping necklaces over her neck. I just watched while she made her selections. At last, we got to where the necklace that had attracted us was, and then she even took time to admire it further.

“It’s a limited edition of Chopard.” A female voice came behind us, and a smiling face appeared. It turned out she was the shop owner.

“What do you think?” Daisy asked.

“I think you have an eye for good things.” She beamed a smile.

Daisy and I exchanged glances, knowing that her comment was expected of every business owner keen on making brilliant sales. As it was, Daisy did not actually require her opinion to buy the jewelry in the first place. She was going to buy it, anyway.

As we moved towards the counter to make purchases, Daisy caught sight of another piece of jewelry, this time it was neither a necklace nor a pair of earrings but a headband adorned with pearls.

“It’s a trend these days,” she mentioned. “I hoped to get one.” She smiled, adding the accessory to the cart. Finally, the cashier summed up our bill, we paid and left the boutique.

When we boarded a taxi, I found a moment of respite, reclining in my seat while Daisy quickly tapped on her phone screen. She was responding to important messages about work, she said. I told her to take her time; hanging out with her was nice.

“Aw,” she hugged me before proceeding with what she was doing.

Looking out the window, I let the freshness that accompanied the breeze caress my face. I watched how people trooped in and out of shops, cafes, and bookstores and how the streets bustled in everyday activities. It was all nice to watch. However, my attention suddenly shifted to a large crowd of people in front of a tall skyscraper. A chorus of sirens and revving of the present heavy machinery seemed to announce something. The building was about to come down.

“Oh my God,” I was alarmed as I tried to keep the activity in sight even as the taxi sped on further away from the terrible scene.

A loud thud immediately followed, shaking the earth.

“What’s that sound?” Even Daisy was jolted out of consciousness about what she was doing.

Impatiently staring back, she must have figured it out, for she said;

“That’s one big blow. Are you okay?” I heard her concerned voice, but I felt inhibited to respond.

For a fleeting moment, I was not myself. I remembered how the machinery circled the perimeter of the building like hungry predators. It was a hideous sight. I hated seeing buildings get demolished.

It never just meant material destruction; I also viewed it as sentimental value destruction.

I imagined the first wrecking ball, the deafening boom echoing through the streets, and dust clouds rising into the air.

“Clara,” Daisy’s voice jolted me back to life.

“Yes,” I regained my composure.

“You seem lost in thoughts.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“You are sure?”

“Yeah,” I breathed.

I knew there was no cause to be worried, but here I was, worried. No law in the US could strong-arm a person to sell his or her property. Joe Griffin wanted to buy the coffee shop, but I was not ready to sell it. It was that simple. So, yeah, I was fine.