27. Daisy
27
DAISY
“ L isten, I can’t talk about it here, but I know some guys who can take care of that particular problem for you,” Betty was saying to Granny Madge when I went over to grab another drink.
“Oh, are you matchmaking for my grandmother?” I joked to Betty.
“Naw, she knows someone who can dig up dirt on that gold-digging crustacean who’s suctioned to my brother.” Granny Madge glared at the plastic-looking woman in the miniskirt and sky-high heels that were definitely not appropriate for a beach shindig. She was rubbing my elderly great-uncle’s shoulders, flashing the jewelry he’d bought her.
“A little blackmail is just what the doctor ordered.” Betty and Granny Madge toasted shots of tequila.
“That’s why I keep telling Aaron he needs to hurry up and settle down,” Betty said. “One of these days he’s not going to be young and handsome anymore, and he’ll have every leech in Manhattan after him.”
I mumbled something about going to stop Aunt Clara from stealing the antique knickknacks in the living room so I didn’t have to hear any more about Aaron’s love life.
Didn’t Betty think I was cool?
Maybe she didn’t actually believe I was the right woman for Aaron.
I don’t care , I reminded myself, because Aaron was a horrible man and not someone I wanted to be chained to for a month, let alone ’til death did us part.
A bony hand grabbed my arm.
“Hi, Emily. Are you enjoying the party?” I asked Aaron’s mother with forced cheeriness.
“They are a perfect couple, aren’t they?” The candlelight flickered on Emily’s wan face.
I followed her gaze, suppressing my gasp when I saw Aaron and Aurora openly flirting with each other.
The way Aaron gazed at her? He’d never looked at me with that much warmth.
God, fuck him.
“You ruined his life, you know.” Emily’s lips thinned. “They were in love. I’d never seen her so happy. He broke her heart when you agreed to marry him.” Emily turned to me. “You ruined true love.”
“I—” I took a step back.
“You’re a homewrecker.” Her words came out in a clipped staccato. “You and your family are soft and spoiled. You ruined a man’s life so that you could continue to waste money. You caused so much heartbreak...”
Angry tears swam in my eyes. I was glad of the dark because hopefully no one would see me cry.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be divorced in two weeks.”
“Oh? You’re not going to try to win him over?” Emily inspected her glass.
“Hell no. There is nothing anyone could say to convince me Aaron is worthy of wasting my life on.” All my good-hostess lessons went into the trash as I continued. “No offense, Emily,” I said to her, “but your son is the worst man I have ever met.”
“You should have seen his father.” Emily drained her glass. “Do you have any more gin?”
I left Emily at the bar and went to load up at the snack table. Normally, I liked beach parties but not today. I just wanted everyone to leave so I could wallow.
“Uh-oh,” Reese said when she caught me sneaking upstairs to my bedroom with snacks and a whole bottle of wine.
“I hate him. He’s such an asshole.”
Reese took the wine bottle from me and followed me into the pink bedroom.
I sat on the bed where Aaron had been.
“Yeah, that’s old news,” Reese said.
“He’s in love with Aurora.” I sniffled.
“So what?”
“He never loved me,” I sobbed. “There was never any chance of it. He never looked at me the way he was looking at her. Ever.”
“Okay, no. Are you PMSing? You better not be pregnant with that man’s baby.” Reese shook me.
I uncorked the bottle of wine and took a swig.
“We never did it. All he does is lie and get my hopes up and then humiliate me. He thinks I’m gross and disgusting. When we do have sex, he’s going to be thinking about her the whole time.”
“No way are you losing your virginity to him. Fuck Aaron. He doesn’t deserve it.”
“No man wants me,” I wailed.
“There is one who does.” Reese went to my bookcase, selected a copy of Madame Bovary , and took a photo of a page.
“Oh my god, what are you doing?”
“Relax. It’s some literary flirting.”
“Oh no.” I grabbed the book. It was open to the part where Madame gets railed in a forest. “Reese!”
Daisy (Via Reese) : Finding inspirations in literary greats before me.
“This is so dumb. Professor Pennington’s going to think I’m crazy.”
My phone went off when I was digging into the snacks, the chilled rosé working its magic.
“I told you!” Reese shoved the phone in my face.
Professor Pennington had sent back a photo of another page with a highlighted quote: Busy reading novels, wicked books .
“He’s flirting.” Reese nudged me.
Professor Pennington: Though I don’t believe the best thing a girl can be in this world is a beautiful little fool.
I took the phone from Reese.
Daisy: I didn’t know an Englishman specializing in Victorian literature could throw out a Great Gatsby quote.
Professor Pennington: Daisy Buchannan inspires men to dreams and madness.
The accompanying image he sent next was from Jane Austen: You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope... I have loved none but you.
Reese and I swooned.
Daisy: Turns out my love language is literary quotes.
Professor Pennington: If you had a true gentleman to instruct you, then you’d learn things about yourself that brute of a husband could never teach you.
“Oh Em Gee! Professor Pennington is so after you!” Reese was hovering over my shoulder when the third image came in.
We studied the photo.
“So classy.” I sighed as we looked at the moody lighting and the hand writing with a quill near an inkwell. There on the desk was a black-and-white picture of me from the English-department mixer.
Professor Pennington: You inspire me to write.
“Lordy.” Reese fanned herself. “It’s the literature-professor version of a dick pic. Juniper and Isla are going to be so jealous.”
“This time next week, I’m not going to be a virgin anymore.” I hummed a happy song.
“You’re going to meet with him in his office. After hours?”
“It’s not that late. Keep your voice down,” I hissed. “It’s like five thirty.”
“That’s late.”
“It’s still technically business hours.”
“No one’s going to be in the department,” I argued.
“I hope you’re going to shave.” Reese shot a concerned look to the window. In the dark, the light in Aaron’s bedroom window burned.
I hovered at the window just to torture myself, just to see if he was there with Aurora.
The room was empty.
“It won’t void your marriage contract, will it?”
“It shouldn’t, but I will read the contract,” I stammered, “just to double-check.”
Now that I was this close to losing my V-card, I was starting to get cold feet.
“Funny, you always said you’d lose it to him,” Reese mused. “You really giving up on that dream?”
Guiltily, I looked at Aaron’s window again.
Then I straightened.
“He doesn’t deserve me. So I’m going after a man who does.”