28. Daisy
***Daisy***
After the beach I tied a sarong around my hips and chased after the kids without bothering to put my dress back on.
I was still wet and there were plenty of people walking around in their bikinis.
Fortunately for the other women, they didn’t have their own personal hell sticking to them like glue.
No matter what store I went into, one of them was with me.
The kids had met up with their friends and were running along ahead of us, having a blast so I’d gone from nanny to a grown woman being babysat by three giant men.
I went into a jewelry store next, just to get out of the sun for a moment. Wes followed me in and stood so close to me that I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. It was driving me insane. I’d dragged us all to the village so I wouldn’t have to be alone with any of them.
Since that plan didn’t seem to be working, I turned on Wes with my hands on my hips. His eyes raked down my body before settling on my face. “Is there a reason y’all are acting like I’m a wayward teen you’re trying to parent?”
His response came back fast. “Put your dress back on and we’ll give you a little space.”
I scowled. “Are you serious?”
“You’re half naked, Daisy.”
I motioned to the people in the store around us. “So is everyone else. I don’t see you policing them.”
“They’re not our-” He cut himself off and looked away. “Men are watching you.”
Maybe I would’ve been charmed by the jealousy if he would’ve been willing to talk to me about what we’d done, instead of just hiding. I blew out a deep breath and spoke quietly. “Well, Wes, I am a single woman now. Let them look. Maybe I’ll find a man.”
His eyes narrowed dangerously as he caught my waist and pinned me to his chest. “Maybe you already found all the man you need.”
I planted my hands on his chest and stared up at him with a teasing smile on my lips. “You mean Flynn? Or Max?”
His jaw tightened right along with his hands on my waist. “Daisy.”
I ignored his warning tone and continued teasing him. “Wes.”
He seemed to realize people were watching us and whispering. His face went pale for a moment before moving away. I had to pretend like it didn’t hurt. He cleared his throat and nodded. “Do what you want.”
Something in me went ugly at yet another rejection.
I narrowed my gaze on his face and crossed my arms under my chest. Seeing his eyes drop to my chest didn’t soothe any of the anger in me.
“I have been doing what I want, Wes. I slept with Flynn and it was amazing. And Max? Max knows exactly how I taste.”
The way his mouth fell open almost made my words worth it.
In reality, I was horrified and shamed of myself for saying those things.
I couldn’t understand why the hell I’d just said the things I said because after saying them, I wanted to drown in a ditch.
I wasn’t normally like that; I didn’t normally say things to hurt people.
Apparently getting dumped and cutting off my family made me mean.
“I-I shouldn’t have said that.”
I stepped around him and out of the store. Without looking at Max or Flynn, I took off towards the kids. Hank spawned next to my feet and licked my hand. I patted him and tried to keep myself together.
A minute or two later Wes fell into step with me. He caught my hand again. “Okay.”
I shot him an unreadable look with plenty of skepticism. “What?”
“Okay. You slept with Flynn and hooked up with Max. Fine. I was the best, obviously.” He kept his eyes on the sidewalk ahead but there was a smirk on his face and a cockiness that I didn’t recognize in him. “I’ll make sure to stay the best. No matter the cost.”
I was so surprised by his new attitude that I stopped walking and would’ve been run over by a large man carrying a toddler on his shoulders if Max hadn’t been close enough to grab me and pull me out of the way and into his chest. I stared up at him and knew I was in trouble.
Real trouble. It shouldn’t have been possible to go from seeing Wes with hearts in my eyes to seeing Max with hearts in my eyes in less than five seconds.
I already knew if I looked back at Flynn, it’d be more of the same.
Crushing guilt and panic had me pushing away from Max and Wes.
One glance around let me see that people were staring.
Some I recognized as locals from my time in the village.
They were pointing and whispering to each other and it was my turn to be ashamed.
They all knew the Calloways. They all knew I’d been showing up for three years with Tyler.
They’d all witnessed me hanging out with Tyler’s brothers all summer, with no Tyler in sight.
They were watching me hang all over Wes and Max right there in public.
I knew what they must be thinking of me.
Shame and guilt hit me hard. My stomach clenched and I had to take a deep, shaky breath to keep from throwing up.
Wes reached for me again but I sidestepped him and started forward.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what all the people around us were thinking about me.
And it would be me that they’d be talking about.
The Calloways were a structure in Sweetwater Cove.
People got out of their way when they walked and no one dared whisper about them where the Calloways could possibly overhear.
I was the one out on a limb all by herself.
I was there for judgement. And a big part of me felt like I deserved it.