Chapter 9
Daisy looked across the table at Charlie. “I’m sorry, I’ve been talking about me all afternoon.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about,” Charlie said with a grin.
Daisy smiled and shook her head with a soft sigh.
“Seriously, though, we didn’t just talk about you. I told you all about me, and about Carson. We’ve just been getting to know each other.”
“True,” she agreed. “But now that you know I’m so broken I allowed my married professor to gaslight me, and then his psycho wife to chase me back home rather than standing up to her and finishing my last couple of classes to get my degree, you can run screaming from the restaurant now. I fully understand.”
Charlie laughed. “Not scaring me off that easily.”
“You sure? This is your opportunity to exit stage left and not get any flack at all from me. I’ll even call my cousin to come get me instead of you having to drive me home.”
“Honestly, the only question is why didn’t you file a complaint when you found out he was still married after conducting an ongoing affair with you?”
“I was embarrassed. I felt humiliated. I should have known. I should have picked up on the cues that indicated what a lie it all was. Instead I was blissfully discounting any doubt I had because I thought I’d finally found someone to love me.
To appreciate me, the socially awkward, quiet, homebody, for who I really was.
He said he admired my creativity, that I was kind and loving, and that he saw beauty in me that he’d never seen before.
” She looked down at her hands folded neatly in her lap just beyond the table’s edge.
“I guess I just wanted that so badly that I bought it hook, line and sinker. Then his wife showed up screeching at me everywhere I went, making it quite clear that not only had he lied to me, but that I wasn’t the only one.
And I do mean everywhere… my dorm, my classes, the library, everywhere I went on campus and off, there was a ninety percent chance she’d arrive at any moment and begin shrieking ‘whore’ and ‘home wrecker’ at the top of her lungs.
She even went so far as to start telling anyone who was present that I’d seduced her husband and had sex with him in her bed.
Which I did not do! He seduced me! And we never went to his house. ”
“You should have called the police and filed harassment charges. At the very least campus security.”
“I couldn’t. I felt like to a degree I deserved what she was doing.
I should have been smart enough to not just take his word for it.
I should have checked out his story. I should have paid more attention and I should have believed the little voice in my head telling me to listen, to feel, to scent him!
But I didn’t. I just let my need for acceptance, for love, make me fall for everything. ”
“You can’t fault yourself for him being a douche bag. You’re too kind to assume people are bad, but people are bad, Daisy.”
“If I’d filed reports, there would have been no way to keep it from my family. They’d have found out, and if they found out, I’d have not even had home to return to.”
“What do you mean? I can’t believe they’d not have allowed you to come home if you needed to.”
“Oh, they would. They’d have most likely come and gotten me. But I’d have never been able to face them. I still live in fear that they’ll find out and be so disappointed in me.”
“Daisy, there’s no way you could have known.”
“But that’s the thing, Charlie. There’s everything about me that screams that I should have known. I still don’t know how I didn’t know. But I didn’t.”
“It’s okay,” he said, reaching out to her. “This professor… what’s his name?”
“Bourne.”
“This Professor Bourne obviously took advantage of other young women. He knew what he was doing. He deserves to have his life yanked out from under him.”
Daisy lifted her hand and laid it on the table so he could touch her, like he was so obviously trying to do.
Charlie laid his hand over the top of hers. “If you ever want to go that route, I’ll be honored to stand beside you through it all.”
“I don’t know if I could. I’m still having panic attacks from it.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that… have still been going through all that.”
“I want so bad to trust again, to move on, but I’m terrified. Each time I go out, I scan the room of wherever I am, praying I don’t see her, or him for that matter.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. But like I said, this is when you take the opportunity to run. Just please keep everything I told you to yourself. I just really needed an outlet, and you gave me that. I appreciate it.”
“I am not an outlet. I’m a friend. I’m not going anywhere.”
Daisy chuckled, trying to make light of his commitment to try to remain her friend. “You should. I would.”
“No, you wouldn't.”
Charlie scooted his chair a little closer to the small table they sat at and took her hand in both of his.
“Look, Daisy, I don’t know if you even care, but I’ve been trying for months to work up the nerve to ask you out.
You always seem to shut me down in such a way that makes me wonder if you’re even aware, or if you just don’t date.
Now I understand why. But it doesn’t scare me off.
I’ve never met anybody like you. I want to spend time with you.
I want to see if it’s possible that we might have something between us other than just this spark that flared to life the first time we met. ”
“You felt that, too, huh?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “But I understand you’re struggling through a lot. I guess what I’m asking is if we can just hang out, get to be friends, see where this takes us as you are able to see where it takes us. No expectations, but a lot of hope.”
“Are you sure you want that?”
“You are the kindest, the most sensitive woman I’ve ever met. There’s something uniquely special about you, and I find I can’t even consider not being around you, as often as you’ll allow.”
She had been looking at their hands, and finally raised her gaze to his. “If you’ll promise to let me know if it becomes too much. Just be honest with me.”
“It’s not going to happen, but if it makes you feel better, I promise.”
Daisy smiled at him.
He smiled at Daisy. “I’m glad I could be here for you.
I’m always here for you. And you never have to be afraid when you’re with me.
If anybody starts any kind of noise regarding you, or even considers offending you in any way, I’ll tackle them so hard I’ll break bones.
Just promise you’ll come bail me out later? ”
Daisy laughed. “I promise. And tackle?”
“Yep. I’m all businessman now, civil engineer and slacks, but there was a time I was a pretty decent football player. Was all state in my high-school days. Had perfect tackling form. I promise to use my expertise as needed.”
“Deal,” Daisy said.
“Good, now tell me some happy stories. Your dad is fantastic. I’m sure there are more than a few.”
“You have no idea. You know I have uncles and aunts and cousins that all kind of live within a stone’s throw from each other.”
“Yeah, it’s like a compound it seems.”
“Kind of. Yeah. If you decide to stick around enough, you’ll definitely meet my family. Sometimes they can be a bit much, but they’d all stand for each other, no matter the situation.”
“I wish I had a big family like that to offer Carson. It’s just me and him. I’m sure there’s an estranged uncle somewhere, but if I’ve never met them, why look them up now, you know?”
“I can’t imagine not having all my cousins. They’re a pain sometimes, but I’d be lost without them. Even my cousin Jobe and his family. We hear from them all the time, even though they’ve moved to Colorado.”
“That’s a long way from here, especially when his whole family is still in Louisiana,” Charlie said.
“He got a job offer from a construction company there. The job benefits and salary were off the charts. He talked to my Uncle Goldy and Aunt Sadie, who are his parents and they all agreed he couldn’t pass it up.
So, they moved. And Uncle Goldie and Aunt Sadie went with them.
But everybody else is still here, and let me tell you, some can be a pain in the ass. ”
“Well, well, well! What do we have here?” Havoc asked, dropping into an unoccupied chair at their table. He reached out and took a french fry off Daisy’s plate. “’Sup, cuz?”
Daisy eyed Havoc, then smiled exaggeratedly at Charlie. “This is the most pain in the ass cousin I have.”
“So, no tackles?” Charlie asked.
“Nope. He’d take it as a personal challenge and take you outside where you’d take turns tackling inanimate objects until you could determine who could tackle the toughest targets with the least damage to body and limb,” Daisy said.
“I’d win” Havoc said, stealing another fry. “Damn, girl. Those fries are rock hard and cold. I hope mine are better than that when they make it to the table, or I’m gonna be complaining — loudly.”
“They were hot when they were fresh. We’ve been sitting here a while.”
“Like a week or something?” Havoc asked, making a face at the taste of the last fry he tried to eat.
“No. Just a couple of hours.”
“Hours?! That’s a lot of talking.”
“We’re getting acquainted.”
Havoc looked at Charlie, then at Daisy. He leaned toward Charlie, and lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Hey, my man, let me just lay it out for you. She’s everybody’s favorite cousin. She’s sweet and trusting. You got to pass muster before you’re allowed to take her out.”
“Havoc! Go away. I’m older than you and perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
Havoc eyed Daisy, then Charlie again. “You that guy with the cute little genius artist kid, aren’t you?”
“I think so,” Charlie said, grinning at the antics going on between this man and Daisy. They were obviously family. And close family. They treated each other like siblings, though she’d said they were cousins.
“Yes, this is him,” Daisy said.