13. Daisy
13
DAISY
I follow Victoria as we walk along the main street of Whispers, everyone looking at me, but this time, they have lots of smiles, coupled with their curious glances, so that helps. Whispers is so pretty. Exactly how you’d imagine a quaint town to be. Flower beds are brimming with color, people out and about, everyone seeming to know everyone, the small street bustling in a way only a small town can.
We’ve already visited Bob at the hardware store. Then I met the lovely Evelyn, who runs the homewares store. We stopped in the bar again for Victoria to pick something up, and I grabbed a few things from the local supermarket.
“Okay, here we are,” she says, pushing open the door to the diner, and we walk in. The place is packed, the barstools all taken, a few tables also full. It has a nice hum of conversation to the place, everyone seems happy, talking, laughing, and of course, looking at me.
“Clearly, this is the place to be,” I say, feeling like I’m under the microscope the way everyone’s gazes move to me. I see a few familiar faces from the bar the other night, but mostly new ones.
“Ladies, welcome. Hi, Daisy, I’m Rochelle, so nice to finally meet you,” an older woman, whom I guess must be in her sixties, says. I remember Connor mentioning she’s one of the best cooks in town.
“Nice to meet you too.” I smile, enjoying the niceties that a small town brings. While Victoria drives a truck, I found it easier to get in and out of hers. It’s a little lower, further cementing that Connor’s is obviously made especially for his larger stature.
“We’ll grab a seat at the back. What’s on today?” Victoria asks as we walk through. I spot a group of women around my age sitting together at the front of the diner, watching us carefully. They don’t look as approachable as everyone else, so that underbelly feeling creeps back into me for a moment.
“Chicken soup today. Shall I get two bowls?” Rochelle asks.
Victoria looks at me in question, and I smile.
“Sounds delicious.”
Rochelle practically beams, and Victoria and I continue walking farther down, grabbing a booth toward the back.
“So that tea you made me yesterday that I drank before bed last night, it knocked me right out. I slept for eight hours straight!” she says, almost in disbelief.
“It was my sleepy time tea. All natural, a mix of herbs, such as chamomile, a little bit of rosehip, lavender, and other things,” I tell her, glad that it helped her. It’s one of my best sellers.
“Connor mentioned that you have a tea range? Is that something you might like to stock at the spa?”
At the mere mention of his name, the vision of Connor running shirtless is back in my mind. When I first saw him shirtless at Sunshine, I hid my eyes. It seemed unprofessional to ogle the man who was clearly confused about what the treatment entailed. But he knew exactly what he was doing on his morning run yesterday, and so I was going to look this time. And I can confirm that, yes, he is a real-life Adonis.
“Mom and I have been making tea for years and using it at our clinic. I would like to implement them at the spa as well. We have a small retail range that we can stock. But also, offering a different tea each day of the week in the reception area to get clients relaxed for both pre and post treatment would be good too.” I think that it’s not only beneficial to the spa, but also, long term, it’s great for Mom and me. Having a spa stock our tea gets our name out there a bit more.
“I think it’d be perfect. I would like to see how we can incorporate whiskey a little more, though,” she says, and I nod.
“I’ve been thinking about that. What if I developed something where we can blend both? In Scotland, they have hot tea toddys, which is essentially tea with a splash of whiskey. I can use the lemon and honey from the distillery gardens and add in some other herbs, like Whisper’s chamomile, which I know grows here well. That would make it very regional specific, could even be an exclusive tea of the region. We can sell that tea with a bottle of whiskey as a pair. It will be ideal for soothing a cough or cold and also great as a holiday gift idea,” I suggest. Although I don’t want any alcohol in my teas, it doesn’t mean I can’t use some of the more natural ingredients to make their whiskey a little more wellness friendly.
“I can see why Connor offered you a job. You think a lot like him, and that tea duo would be amazing. I know Lacy would love that idea,” Victoria says, and I smile brightly, relieved we’re on the same page.
“Here we are, two soups,” a younger woman, who looks to be around my age, says as she places the two bowls on the table.
“Thanks, Nikki. Nikki, this is Daisy. She’ll be working at the spa for a month or so. Daisy, this is Nikki, newish to town as well,” Victoria says, introducing us.
“Oh great, I’m not the only newbie, then. Where are you from?” I ask, and when Nikki’s smile falters a little, I feel like I’ve asked the wrong question.
“Uh, West Coast,” she says vaguely, giving off a weird type of nervous energy. I can already tell she has secrets. I don’t pry and just give her my kindest smile.
“Well, Whispers seems like a lovely place to settle,” I tell her, and as her eyes meet mine, I give her a small nod. She swallows, smiling back.
“Enjoy your soup,” she says to both of us before scurrying away, back behind the bar to top off the coffees.
“She’s so hard to get to know. I wish she would open up more, but we only ever see her here at the diner. She never comes to the bar. She’s a single mom, but boy, she must have had her child young, because she barely looks old enough to have a driver's license herself. I think she actually cycles to work most days.”
I look over at Nikki, seeing her keeping busy, her head down. She’s polite but not drawing attention to herself.
“So, you obviously love Whispers since you haven’t moved back to the city, right?” I ask the question that’s been on my mind since I arrived. The small-town vibe is great, one that I instantly took to, but it’s a change of pace from New York, that’s for sure.
“I think it all happened at the right time for me. I wasn’t really succeeding in my career. I was let go from my job, actually. My fiancé at the time wasn’t who I thought he was, so we broke up. Then I got a letter explaining my long-lost aunt left me a property here in Whispers, so I made the move. I met Tanner, and that was it. My life is now here, and I don’t want to be anywhere else.” She pauses for a moment, then adds, “Although I do miss the shopping, the bars, and the food selection sometimes…”
I giggle at that last bit, totally understanding.
“Did you go to Benny’s? That’s one of my favorite places,” I ask, and she lights up.
“Oh my God, I love Benny’s. It’s my go-to place,” she whines, and I laugh. The two of us have more in common than I first thought.
“So you’re friends with Fiona?” That’s how this connection came about. Fiona being one of our clients at Sunshine.
“Yes, she’s one of my best friends and told me all about Sunshine. I knew I had to try it, but unfortunately, I had to send Connor to the city to do it instead. I can’t believe he fell asleep on you!” She grins as she starts to spoon her soup.
My mind goes right back to the man’s half-naked body, but also his smug smirk, his kind eyes, the way I catch him watching me sometimes, the way his hands felt on my body. I clear my throat, shaking away the thoughts.
“Yeah. It isn’t uncommon…” I say, thinking about it. “But he was certainly a different type of client. He had no idea what he was in for, really.”
She laughs, then her expression softens. “Yeah, well, we didn’t tell him on purpose. Connor’s probably the most typical male, bossy billionaire I know. Still a little more laid-back than the city types, but he’s a go-getter, thinks about things from all angles, and has a good eye for the numbers. Between him and Tanner, they’ve built the distillery into this amazing business and put so much into this town that they love so much.”
“I’ve found him to be a little arrogant and certainly frustrating…” I murmur, thinking about how the two of us interact. We seem to always be slightly pushing each other. It’s new, and I don’t totally hate it. Victoria grins like she knows what I’m thinking.
“He usually isn't. You must just push his buttons,” she adds with a wink, and I remain quiet, spooning the soup into my mouth to stop me from dissecting my new boss too much to his soon-to-be stepmom. That thought is still hard to grasp because of their ages.
“So, what about you? Any boyfriend back in the city waiting for you?”
My cheeks heat. It’s almost like I’m with Trisha and talking to a close friend. It’s nice. I don’t have lots of friends; in fact, making friends as an adult is harder than I ever thought it would be. But Victoria is lovely, and this lunch catch-up is almost like we have been friends for years.
“No. No one,” I tell her, shaking my head. “Just the clinic, my parents, friends… the usual. The city is so busy, full of… I don’t know… people.” I can’t find the word I’m looking for.
Now that I've been out of the city for a few days, I feel like I can breathe. It wasn’t that I was stressed in the city, but nothing really felt like mine. I share a home with Trisha; Sunshine is my mom’s business; I don’t have dates unless Trisha sets them up, and really, I kinda felt like I’ve just been floating along, not pushing myself into any direction in life. Now, even after a few days, my initial nerves have dissipated, and I feel a new fire starting to build inside of me, and the excitement of opportunity swirls.
“Assholes?” she offers, and I laugh.
“Yeah… I seem to meet a lot of those.”
“Urghhh, I hated dating in the city. The apps, the meet-ups. It was all just… horrible.” Scrunching her face, her shoulders shake like she gets a cold chill from thinking about it.
“Exactly. And they all end up being total boys. Not men. But boys.” Now I understand the difference. It’s not just their physical appearance, but maturity and decency.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place, because believe me, there’s something in the water here in Whispers, because the men are amazing.”
Yet again, my mind flicks to Connor's very fine physique, his abs of steel something that can’t be removed from my memory, no matter how hard I try. If I can’t get this damn image out of my mind, I have no idea what I’m going to do.
“Oh, speaking of water, Connor mentioned you have mineral springs at your place next door to the distillery?” I ask her, and she nods.
“They’re amazing. You should definitely get there soon and check them out.”
“I would like to offer that as an upsell on treatments…” I put it out there.
“I think that would be great, and the whole reason we built the spa on that side of the distillery was so that we could have access.”
That’s great news. “Maybe, like, a thirty- or sixty-minute soak before your treatment to get into a state of relaxation… No stock required, no therapist needed, it would be pure profit. We’ll just need to ensure the safety of the path to the springs and provide footwear and robes.”
“It’s exactly what we were thinking.”
I feel good that we’re on the same page.
“So, I finalized the treatment plan,” I tell her, moving the conversation on to specific business topics.
She smiles. “I read through it last night. I need to speak to Tanner and Connor, but from what I can tell, I think it’ll be perfect. Everything you have outlined will be amazing, and I personally can’t wait to try it all. Connor is better to look at the numbers and staffing, but I can help you start on planning out the retail space for shelving and cupboards and also the treatment rooms.”
“Awesome. I’ve ordered the treatment beds and some supplies already, so they should arrive next week,” I tell her, my tone filled with excitement, and she looks impressed.
“This spa is going to be amazing. I’m so glad you’re here to build it with us. Speaking of which, we need to eat. Tanner will be almost ready for his treatment back at the distillery, and I can’t wait for him to give it a go.”
I took my sleepy time tea last night as well, and after my morning meditation earlier, I feel ready to do Tanner’s treatment. He’s a big man, like his son, so I know there will be a lot of energy to manage, but me and my singing bowls are ready for the challenge.