47. Daisy
We changed out of our wet clothes, grabbed a fresh round of drinks (I was on water, the memory of my hangover after the Velvet Rope too vivid to risk another so soon), and hiked up to the ridge to watch the fireworks.
From that vantage point we had a view of three different shows from Blackwell Falls and two neighboring towns, and I sat nestled between Otis and Wolf, my face tipped to the sky as colors exploded across the inky expanse.
Jace sat nearby, clearly brooding about something, and even though I felt safe and happy between Wolf and Otis, I still felt sad seeing Jace set himself apart.
After the fireworks were over we headed back down the hill, Wolf and Otis insisting on taking turns giving me piggyback rides over rough terrain even though I was more than capable of walking.
I protested, but I secretly loved how easily they lifted me off the ground, carrying me over fallen trees, exposed roots, and large boulders like I weighed nothing at all.
Now everyone was around the fire, either sitting or standing in groups while Pinky set out a fresh round of food and one of the Blades fired up the grills for a round of late-night burgers.
Otis had given me his hoody, and I sat on his lap, trying not to squirm when he slapped his hand under the thick fabric to stroke my stomach. Wolf sat on my other side, but when I looked over at him, he just grinned, like he knew exactly what Otis was up to.
Otis started to slip his hand into the waistband of my shorts.
I slapped his hand away. “Stop it.”
“Why? Seemed like you were enjoying it, doll.”
“That’s not the point,” I said. “We’re not alone.”
He nuzzled my neck. “We weren’t alone at the Velvet Rope either.”
Desire flooded my pussy at the memory. “This isn’t the Velvet Rope.”
“Pretty sure no one here would complain if I got you off around the fire,” he said.
“I definitely wouldn’t,” Wolf said, obviously eavesdropping. “Although I might expect an invitation to join.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “You’re ridiculous.”
My protests rang false even to my own ears. My breathing was shallow, my body already on fire for them.
Eventually the music stopped blaring from the outdoor speakers and Wolf picked up his guitar and started to strum. I recognized the song immediately. It was the one he played the most, the one I heard him playing on repeat in his room late at night.
The melody was soft and sweet, but there was something haunting about it too, and I sank back into Otis and closed my eyes as the notes washed over me. There was a story in the song, but I couldn’t quite grasp it. Something about longing and loss, sorrow and beauty.
When I opened my eyes, everyone was quiet, staring at the fire or cuddling or looking up at the sky, visible between the trees that surrounded the compound.
I looked at Jace and felt the heat of his gaze on my face, every bit as hot as the fire, except there was one big difference between the two: I was smart enough to steer clear of the flames dancing in the fire pit.
But with Jace Kane? I didn’t stand a chance in hell of not getting burned.
I was suddenly hot, like I was overheating in Otis’ hoodie even though I’d been cold not fifteen minutes earlier.
I scooted off Otis’ lap. “I’m going to get water.” Wolf had finished his song, and one of the Blades had started up with something more upbeat on an old scratched guitar. “Want anything?”
“We can get you water,” Otis said.
“It’s okay. I need to stretch my legs and go to the bathroom.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Jace’s searing gaze was getting to me, and not just physically.
Sure, I wanted him, but even worse, I wanted to understand him.
Ugh. If Cassie or Sarai came to me asking about an emotionally unavailable guy with a chip the size of Mount Everest on his shoulder, I would have told them to run in the other direction, but here I was, completely powerless to resist the walking emotionally unavailable chip that was Jace Kane.
I went into the main dorm building to use the bathroom, half hoping Jace would follow me inside, that we’d end up in another steamy make-out sesh like we’d had during Summer Shit.
But he didn’t. The building was quiet, and I went back outside and walked over to the coolers to get a water.
I fished around in the ice and came up with a water bottle, then noticed a giant with a gray beard halfway down his chest staring at me.
“Um, hi,” I said.
“You’re Nory’s kid,” he said.
I glanced behind me, then looked back at the man when I realized he was talking to me. “Um… Nory?”
He snapped his fingers, like he was trying to remember something. “Eleanor! Eleanor Mercer.”
I don’t know what was stranger, having someone refer to my mom by a nickname I’d never heard or having someone refer to her at all. No one ever talked about her around me. She’d been gone a long time, and even before that, it had been my dad who’d been front and center.
“I am,” I said. “And you are?”
He held out a hand with a deep gravely laugh. “Doc. I knew it! You look just like her. No one had those purple eyes like Nory.”
“You knew her?” The water bottle was dripping down my arm, but I didn’t even care. Finding someone who’d known my mom was like finding a hundred-dollar bill sitting on the pavement.
He looked at me like I was crazy. “All of us old timers did! She was joined at the hip with Mac back in those days.”
“Mac?” Oh no. I was doing the repeating words thing again.
Doc’s laughter sounded like a boulder rolling down a mountain, thunderous and vaguely ominous. “The two of them were like peas and carrots back in the day.”
“Really? I… I didn’t know that.”
“How would you? You were nothing but a twinkle in her eye!” he said. “I was real sorry to hear of her passing. She was a good woman.”
This was new, thinking of my mom as a good woman. Not because she hadn’t been one, but because I’d only seen her through the eyes of childhood, and later, through my dad’s eyes, which, let’s be honest, wasn’t exactly flattering.
“Daisy!” I startled at the sound of Jace’s voice. When I turned around he was standing a few feet away. “You good?”
“Just talking to your girl here,” Doc said. “No harm, no foul.”
“I’m good,” I said, because Jace looked ready to murder Doc when the poor guy was just making conversation.
“You going back to the fire?” Jace asked.
“Yep.” I turned toward Doc. “It was nice meeting you.”
“You too, little darlin,” he said. “Take care.”
Jace was waiting for me, like he didn’t want to leave me alone with Doc even though he seemed perfectly harmless.
We walked back to the fire, Doc’s words echoing in my mind.
She was joined at the hip with Mac back in those days.
What the actual fuck?