Chapter 5
FIVE
Daisy
I forget to set my alarm. When I wake up, it’s already after eight, and sunlight filters through the blinds.
“Shit!”
I leap out of bed and bolt into the hallway. Running into the bathroom, I crank the shower as hot as it will go and strip. I’m surprised Beans didn’t wake me up. Usually, he nudges me and licks my face to take him outside. I’ll have to do that when I grab breakfast.
I shampoo my hair and rinse my body off quickly. I’m pretty sure it’s the fastest shower I’ve ever taken. When I step out of the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, I remember that I’m not alone.
“Uh… morning,” I say weakly, my whole body turning cherry red.
Ledger doesn’t respond. He just stares at me, his eyes tracing my body from head to toes, where a puddle is forming on the floor.
“I’ll clean that up in a second,” I say, hurrying into my bedroom to get dressed.
Reminder to self: Bring a change of clothes into the bathroom with me when Ledger is around.
I toss on a black shirt and my black skinny jeans and slip on my shoes. I wipe up the water on the floor and then hang my towel up. My hair will have to wait until I get to the salon, where I can blow-dry it. For now, I twist it up and secure it with a clip.
“Beans!” I call as I skid around the corner and into the kitchen. “You want to go outside?”
“I took him for a walk this morning,” Ledger says.
“Oh. Thanks. Did he wake you up? I’m so sorry about that. I—”
“No, I’m an early riser. It was nice to have company on my walk.”
I nod, grabbing a granola bar and a Pop-Tart out of the cupboard.
“I’m headed to work,” I say, stuffing my breakfast into my purse. “I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah, maybe we can grab dinner tonight. I’ve heard that Palmer’s is pretty good. Or we could grab those life-changing tacos you were telling me about.”
I nod distractedly. “Probably tacos. Palmer’s is fancy. It’s more of a date spot.”
“All right, Palmer’s it is,” he says casually.
I freeze.
What does that mean? Is he asking me out? Or does he just want to take me somewhere fancy to get to know me better, since we’re living together?
“Uh… what?” I stare at him wide-eyed.
“I’d like to take you out on a date, Daisy. We can go get tacos if you prefer. Whatever you want.”
“Okay,” I say lamely. I don’t have time to think this through.
I give him a smile and a wave before I race out the door, freaking out as I make the short drive to work and park in the back. Once inside, I quickly eat my granola bar as I brush my hair out and blow-dry it.
My first client arrives a minute after I’m done. I greet her with a smile and wave her into a chair.
Work distracts me for a bit, but as soon as my client leaves, all I can think about is Ledger and our upcoming date.
I have a few minutes before my next appointment, so I grab my phone and call Alexi.
“Hello?” she croaks.
“Ouch! You sound terrible!”
She groans. “I know. I feel terrible.”
“Make a doctor’s appointment, and I’ll take you,” I order.
“No, I just need some more medicine and rest. I’ll be better tomorrow.”
“Fine, but if you’re not, we’re going to the doctor.”
She doesn’t respond, and I know that it’ll be a fight to get her to go.
“Text me what you need, and I’ll go to the store on my lunch break.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Of course.”
She coughs, and I wince. She sounds awful. More medicine isn’t likely to fix anything. Alexi is stubborn, though. I’ll have to call and make her an appointment this afternoon. Maybe we’ll be able to get in tomorrow, even if I have to drag her there.
“How are you and Mr. Hottie?” she asks weakly.
“Um…”
“Oh, my gosh! What happened?”
She coughs again, so I wait until she stops before telling her about this morning.
“You need a backup alarm. They make some that wake you up gently,” she tells me.
“Yeah, maybe I’ll get one for myself for my birthday or something.”
“Hey! It was my idea! I’ll get you one for your birthday.”
I laugh. “All right. That’s fair.”
“Okay, so you woke up late, and he saw you in a towel. Then what happened? Or was the towel the juicy part?”
“No. I went into the kitchen, and he told me he’d already walked Beans.”
“That was nice of him.”
“Yeah. Then he asked me out.”
“Daisy! Way to bury the lead!”
“I didn’t know he was doing it at first.”
“Tell me exactly what he said.”
“He said we could go out to Palmer’s, and I told him that was more of a date place, and he said, ‘All right, Palmer’s it is.’”
“Gah! He’s so hot.”
“I know.” I sigh, leaning against the front counter.
“You said yes, right?”
I snort. “Of course. You’ve seen him! Who would ever turn him down?”
“Right? It’s just, you don’t seem so sure about the date.”
I pause as she coughs again. “It’s just… is it a good idea to date my roommate? I mean, I already like the guy a lot. What happens if the date doesn’t go well and I have to see him at home all the time?”
“He’s leaving soon,” she reminds me.
I groan. “And that’s another problem! What if I fall in love with him and we never see each other?
Do I really want a relationship with someone who’s away more than they’re here?
What if he’s just looking for a fling or like a friends with benefits situation when he’s in town?
He might have a girl in Virginia for all I know! ”
“Calm down!” Alexi wheezes. “You’re spiraling. It’s just one date.”
“It feels big,” I admit quietly.
“It is big. This is your first date. You shouldn’t put too much pressure on it. You can talk to Ledger tonight and find out if he’s seeing anyone else or if this is just casual to him. It will be okay.”
“This could go wrong in so many ways.”
“Or it could go right! Think about it, Daisy. He’s the first guy you’ve had feelings for. Your life has been work and stress for so long. Maybe this is a sign to live a little. Go out tonight and have some fun. See where it goes,” she advises me.
I know she’s right. I kind of shut down after I lost my mom and grandma. I lost myself in grief and threw myself into work at the shop and everything that needed to be done at home.
This is my chance to date, to live out one of my romance books. Plus, I trust Ledger. He seems like a standup guy, and I know he doesn’t want to hurt me.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I say, squaring my shoulders.
Alexi coughs. “I always am.”
“So am I. Go to the doctor.”
“No,” she huffs.
I release a frustrated sigh. “I’m making you an appointment.”
She growls adorably.
“I’ll let you know when it is, and I’ll take you. Oh, and text me what you need from the store, and I’ll go at lunch.”
“Okay, I’ll send the list in a second.”
The bell over the front door dings, and I smile as my next client enters.
“I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you in a bit. Get some rest.”
“Okay, see you.”
I hang up and get back to work. Between clients, shopping for Alexi, running it over to her place, and closing up, the day flies by.
When I get home, Ledger is outside playing with Beans in the front yard. He grins at me as I park, and my heart stutters in my chest.
Beans spots my car and takes off like a rocket, his ears flapping. I barely get the door open before he launches himself at me.
“Hey, baby,” I coo, bending to pet him. “Did you have a good day?”
“He definitely did,” Ledger says, chuckling as he comes over. “We went on another walk this afternoon. I think I’m his new favorite.”
“Traitor,” I whisper to Beans, my lips tugging into a smile.
Then I look up at Ledger properly and forget how breathing works.
He’s changed out of his earlier t-shirt and into a dark button-down that hugs his broad shoulders and fits a little too well around his chest. The sleeves are rolled up, showing off strong forearms crisscrossed with veins and faint scars.
His blond hair is slightly mussed, like he’s been raking a hand through it.
He looks like he just stepped out of the pages of one of my romance novels.
And he’s my date tonight.
“You, uh… clean up nice,” I say, my voice coming out higher than usual.
He smiles slowly, like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. “You look beautiful, Daisy. How was work?”
I blink. I’m still in my black skinny jeans, work shirt, and boots. Purple hair dye streaks my wrist, and I’m pretty sure my mascara is smudged under one eye from rubbing it earlier.
Beautiful.
Heat floods my cheeks.
“I… haven’t changed yet,” I stammer.
“Then I can’t wait to see you when you’re ready,” he says simply. No teasing. Just that warm, steady tone that makes my stomach flip. “Our reservation at Palmer’s is at seven. You’ve got time.”
Of course, he made a reservation. He’s got everything planned out.
“Right,” I say. “Okay. I’m just going to… go make myself slightly less scary.”
“You could show up in sweats and still be the most beautiful woman in the room,” he says easily. “But yeah, go get ready. I’ll feed Beans and take him out back.”
My heart does an actual somersault.
“Okay,” I repeat faintly, bolting inside before I can say something truly humiliating, like “Marry me.”
I shut my bedroom door and lean against it, palms flat on the wood, trying to slow my racing pulse.
“Okay,” I tell myself. “It’s just a date. One date.”
A date with your insanely hot new roommate who walks your dog and says things like “You’re beautiful.”
“Not helpful,” I mutter to my brain.
I kick off my shoes and strip out of my work clothes, tossing them into the hamper. The mirror on my dresser catches my eye, and I pause.
My black hair is a wavy, tangled mess from my rushed morning and long day. My clip is barely hanging on. My chest has a faint pink mark where a hot curling iron grazed me earlier, and my cheeks are still flushed from Ledger’s compliments.
I stand there for a second, taking myself in.
Curvy. Soft. A little chaotic.
But also… kind. And hard-working.
Someone who’s kept a legacy business going on her own. Someone who takes care of an old house, a slightly neurotic dog, and a stubborn best friend who refuses to see a doctor.