Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Daisy
D aisy quickly became accustomed to the two types of team meetings Archer called. They met in his office on the first floor if it had to do with Edward Hall. If it was strictly Turner business, then they met in the kitchen where comfort food was on tap.
The meeting that day would be in Archer’s office. Daisy didn’t know what to expect. It had been a week since she’d had her panic attack, and she hadn’t spoken to any of them. She hadn’t spoken to Nate either, choosing to work long hours with her day job at Edward Hall and taking extra shifts for the helpline in the evenings.
Daisy hesitated outside Archer’s office, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She had avoided everyone for a week, but now it was time to face them. She knocked softly on the door and heard Archer’s voice calling her in.
As Daisy stepped into Archer’s office, she felt a knot form in her stomach. He sat at his desk, staring at his computer screen. He looked up as Daisy walked in and motioned for her to take a seat. As she entered the room, she saw only Archer was present. Daisy greeted him with a nod, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten. Archer motioned again for her to take a seat, and she sat down, feeling like a prisoner waiting for her sentence.
“I hope you’re feeling better now,” Archer said as she sat down.
Daisy nodded, unsure of what to say.
“I called you here because I wanted to talk to you about Nate,” Archer continued.
“I thought this was our monthly meeting?”
“It is, but that starts in fifteen minutes. I sent a message to Jason and Luke to come by a little later so I could talk to you.”
“Oh. Well, we’re partners in this business, and you’re making this into a boss and subordinate meeting. So if this is about me, why are we having this meeting in your office?”
“Because you’ve been avoiding me.”
This was true. She timed it so that she wasn’t around when Archer picked up Teddy. Daisy had also taken to locking her back door.
“Are you feeling better, Daisy?” Archer asked, his voice gentle.
Daisy nodded, unable to meet his gaze. She had been avoiding him for a reason. She didn’t want to face the consequences of her weakness the day the gravestones were revealed. It had nothing to do with the gravestones and everything to do with the tin and its contents. She wasn’t ready to tell him she was in contact with their mother.
“I’m sorry for avoiding you,” she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just needed some time to myself.”
Archer reached across the table. “You don’t have to apologise to me. You’re my little sister, and it took Nate’s speech to see I’ve been neglecting you. You have always been so far ahead of us in maturity every year growing up. It never occurred to me you might be suffering.”
“It’s fine. I’m just dealing with some stuff that I can’t figure out.”
“Will you tell me about it?”
“Not now. I want to get it straight in my head, and then I can talk to you all.”
With a gentle smile, Archer reached out and took his sister’s hand in his.
“Just know that we’re all here for you, no matter what. You can always come to me, okay? I’ll be your rock.”
Daisy’s eyes filled with tears, and she squeezed his hand back. She had found another rock while her brothers were making a life with the women they’d fallen in love with. Still, it was good for Daisy to know they’d be there for her when she revealed her secret.
“Thank you, Archer. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Okay, whenever you’re ready.”
Daisy sat in silence for a moment, staring at her brother. She knew she had to tell him eventually, but the thought of revealing her secret made her stomach churn. How would she tell him she had been in touch with their mother her whole life?
Archer sensed his sister’s hesitation and gently squeezed her hand. “Whatever it is, you can tell me,” he said softly.
A knock on the door interrupted them, and then it opened. Jason stuck his head around the door.
“Safe to come in?” Jason asked.
“Of course, it’s safe to go in,” Luke said, shoving him aside. “She’s our sister. We gave him fifteen minutes to be big responsible brother. Now we get to be the nice guys.”
As soon as Jason entered the room, the tension between Daisy and her brother, Archer, disappeared. She cleared her throat, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked, looking from Luke to Jason.
“I’m fine. He’s fine,” Jason said, thumbing to Luke. “What’s going on with you and Nathaniel Hill?”
Daisy spoke, her voice shaking slightly. “We’ve been spending time together,” she said. “I know none of you will approve.”
Archer scoffed. “Well, you’re right about that,” he said. “Nathaniel is bad news, Daisy. You can’t trust him.”
Jason nodded in agreement. “He’s got a reputation for using women and then tossing them aside,” he said. “You don’t want to get involved with someone like that.”
Daisy bristled at their words. “I can make my own decisions,” she said defiantly. “And Nate isn’t like that. He’s kind and caring, and he treats me well.”
Luke, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. “I agree with Jason,” he said. “Nathaniel is not a good guy.”
“You guys are just judging him based on rumours,” Daisy said. “You should hear the rumours about us and none of them are true.
Luke, Jason and Archer exchanged a look, clearly not convinced.
Daisy shifted in her seat while the others took theirs around the small conference table. She felt her face flame with anger. Daisy couldn’t believe that her brothers were being so judgmental about Nathaniel. She had never felt this way about anyone before, and she knew deep down that he differed from the other guys she had dated in the past .
“I can’t believe you guys,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion. “You don’t even know him, and yet you’re ready to label him as a bad guy just because of some stupid comments when we were in school.”
“Those comments made you cry, Daisy,” Luke said.
“He’s different now. Anyway, this meeting is about Edward Hall, not my love life. I didn’t interfere with yours, so keep out of mine.”
Daisy stood up, her hands resting on the table as she leaned forward to stare at her brothers.
“You don’t get to judge me, Luke. You don’t get to decide who I love or who I date. Nathaniel has been nothing but kind and understanding towards me, something that none of my brothers have been able to do.”
Her brothers recoiled in surprise at her sudden outburst. She had always been the quiet one in the family, the peacemaker who avoided confrontations. But not this time. She was tired of being dismissed and belittled by her own family.
“Let’s get this meeting started so I can go back to my desk to make sure we can pay our wages bill this month,” she barked.
She watched her brothers attempt to disagree and want to grill her about Nate, but she was all business, banging open her work diary with the list of subjects she wanted to go through. Archer would give his headline news, and then it would be Daisy.
Luke gave her the evils, and Jason had moved on and tapped at his tablet to get to come to life. When she looked back to Archer, he was giving her a look of contemplation. A look she couldn’t read.
As the meeting progressed, Daisy could feel Archer’s gaze on her. It was as if he was studying her, trying to decipher what had caused her sudden change in demeanour. Daisy couldn’t help but feel self-conscious under his scrutiny.
When it was finally her turn to speak, she took a deep breath and began to go through her list of subjects. But she couldn’t shake off the feeling that Archer was still watching her intently.
When she was done, Archer went to his updates.
“Some Turner business that links in with Edward Hall that you should know,” Archer said. “Jennifer has retired, and Cynthia has hired nurses to look after her.”
Daisy’s dating life and her panic attacks were forgotten. They all focussed on Archer. Jennifer had been by Cynthia’s side for fifty years or more.
“Was it over the row outside the cottages?” Daisy asked and then regretted her omission.
“How do you know about that?” Luke asked.
“I was there,” Daisy confessed.
“We didn’t see you. In fact, we didn’t see you for a month afterwards.”
“I didn’t hang around. My internship finished early, so I came back to Copper Island. I could see something going down and decided if I was coming back full time, then I should take a break before coming back.”
“For a month?” Jason said.
“It was a really nice hotel,” Daisy replied with a shrug.
Three sets of wary glances swung her way, but Archer spoke up again.
“I’m told by Bailey that she only goes out for fresh air at night. Don’t be alarmed if you see her wandering about for fresh air at night. She’s taken to walking the perimeter of the fencing along the cliff after the filming shuts down for the day. ”
Daisy’s body went stiff. She now knew what had set her off. She had seen her aunt. Daisy hadn’t spoken to her aunt since Archer’s wedding and the signing over of Edward Hall. It was enough to set her off.
“Daisy, are you okay?” Archer asked. “Are you having another attack?”
Daisy took a deep breath and cleared her throat, trying to push away the discomfort of her brothers’ gazes. She knew they were waiting for her to say something. She couldn’t.
Daisy wanted to pick up her phone and send a message to Nate, but a business meeting wasn’t the time.
“I’m fine. First on my list,” she began, flipping through her diary, “is the finances for the marketing campaign for the regatta next Spring. We need to start planning the launch event and coordinate with the advertising team to create a buzz.”
Luke groaned, rolling his eyes. “Can’t we just hire someone else to handle that? I don’t have time for that.”
Daisy shot him a glare. “We can’t afford to outsource everything, Luke. Plus, this is a crucial part of the business. We need to make sure the launch is successful in generating revenue for Copper Island.”
Archer nodded in agreement, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Daisy felt a small sense of relief that at least one of her brothers was letting her off.