Chapter 41
41
DAISY
It’s a miracle that I managed to get through the day in one piece.
I looked at the clock more times than I think is normal for any one person, and I had the kids doing more free reading and chatting than I would ever allow on a normal day. By the time the final bell rang, I was packed up as quickly as they were.
It was my first day in weeks without either a lunchtime visit from Bryce or one of her small meals packed into my lunch box. I miss her so much already.
Sitting in my car outside of the school, I send her another text.
Me: I’m about to leave work. Are you home?
It joins the other unanswered messages, and I wait anxiously for a reply. There’s an annoying, restless feeling prowling beneath my skin that only grows stronger with every minute I sit and stare down at the screen.
Clicking on her contact name, I smile at the photo that pops up. It’s from our mountain hike with the runoff sparkling behind our heads. Bryce is mid-eye roll, but I’ m grinning so wide I remember the way my cheeks ached afterward. Until now, I never noticed the slight crook of her mouth, like she couldn’t help but smile just a little bit but didn’t want me to know she was really enjoying having her picture taken.
I call her, but she doesn’t answer. With worry nipping at my stomach, I send off another text.
Me: Should I be worried that you haven’t messaged me? Are you okay?
I let the phone fall into my lap and lean my forehead against the steering wheel. There was this feeling in my gut all day that told me something was wrong, but I pushed past it, too excited to just see her again. I should have paid more attention to it.
Bryce’s mother is a soft spot for her, and I swear, if she made things worse, I’m going to?—
My phone starts vibrating, and Bryce’s name, along with our photo, appears before I answer the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey.” Just hearing her voice makes me smile.
“You didn’t answer any of my messages. I was worried.”
“I didn’t know what to say. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking today.”
My smile drops. “Thinking about what? How did it go with your mom?”
“She started crying when I brought up her not being supportive of my sexuality. But honestly, I don’t think that matters. She can cry and tell me anything she thinks I want to hear, and I don’t actually think it would make much of a difference right now.”
“I’m sorry, Frosty.”
“I quit the office job and told her I was done with the dates.”
“I’m proud of you.”
A pause on the line over the droned buzzing noise of a tattoo gun. “I want you to do something for me, Daisy. ”
No Sunshine. For some reason, that has me sitting up a bit straighter.
“What is it?”
“I’m going to crash somewhere else tonight, and I want you to take the space to think about whether you’re sure about us moving forward.”
“I don’t need a night alone to decide that. I already know the answer, and it’s yes,” I rush out, fear swallowing the last few words.
“Please. Just, please think about it. I’ll be home tomorrow, and we can sit down and talk. But tonight, just see if you change your mind. Things will be different for us now, and I need you to be sure that you’re okay with that.”
This is the part of Bryce that’s been hidden beneath layers and layers of ice. The woman who, like every other person who cares about someone with such an incredible fierceness, still needs reassurance but always feels uncomfortable asking for it. Like she thinks it will make her appear needy or insecure.
It’s the opposite. It makes her brave and confident enough in herself to know what she needs from someone she cares about.
“Okay, I’ll take the night. But I want to see you tomorrow morning before I leave for work.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I am. And Bryce?”
“Yeah?”
“Add another Daisy beside the one you already have on your ankle. Or even better, just make it a whole bouquet.”
I hang up before she replies, a ridiculous grin on my face. There was no way I was forgetting about seeing that tiny little yellow tattoo. Though, I have wondered if she had it the day I helped her into the bathtub. If she did, I’d been too busy staring at the rest of her to search her ankles for secret tattoos.
Not to mention that if she did have it by then, it would mean that she was interested in me weeks before my parents’ barbecue .
I roll my lips together and finally leave the parking lot. But I don’t head home. Instead, I take the main street out of town, knowing exactly what I need to do in order to convince Bryce that I’m here to stay.
Into The Shade is slow for a Monday night. Or I think it is.
There’s only one person in the building in addition to Shade when I walk inside, the door jingling above my head. A woman about my age is propped up on the same leather table I was on only days ago.
Shade is hunched over her side with an open jar of healing lotion in his hand that he’s spreading over her hip. The wrap goes on next, and then he’s snapping his gloves off and looking my way.
“Little devil,” he says in greeting, his dark eyes warming slightly as he takes me in.
“Hey, Shade.”
“Gimme one sec, yeah?”
I flash a soft smile and turn to face the wall of photos behind the reception desk. They weren’t really a focal point for me the first time I was here, so I take the time Shade’s using with his client to search for any familiar tattoos in the photo frames.
It doesn’t take me very long to spot one. I’ve seen it often, considering the placement of it on her left forearm.
There’s a forest background set behind a cherry tree that’s been shaded in black with grey leaves. A cobra with a flared collar is twisted around and hanging from a lone branch, and a leopard pokes its head around the thick trunk with one paw extended. The jaw of the beast is wide, almost like it’s mid-growl. Storm clouds tie the design in with the rest of her sleeve.
Sneakers squeaking on the floor have me blinking and looking at the woman settling at the desk beside me. Her eyes, a unique shade of blueish green, meet mine as she smiles.
“That’s Bryce, right?” she asks.
I look back at the picture, curious as to how she knows that. “It is.”
“Don’t tell her, but I think that’s one of the best pieces I’ve ever done,” Shade boasts, joining us.
He moves behind the desk and grabs a portable debit machine before tapping on the pad at the bottom. A beat later, he hands it to the woman.
“It’s amazing, Shade,” I agree. “Did you do all of these?”
“I did.” His eyes fall to the edge of the desk. “How’s yours healing up?”
“I haven’t noticed it much, honestly. Bryce said it was healing well, though.”
The woman quickly pays for her tattoo and then hands the machine back to him. I tap my thigh where my first tattoo hides beneath the skirt of my dress.
“I’d bet she’s been checking it over every day just to have an excuse to take your pants off,” Shade teases.
I giggle, and the woman who’s still lingering raises both of her eyebrows at me.
“Wait, are you with Bryce?” she asks me.
My giggle slowly fades. “I am.”
“Oh! Can you please, please, please tell her to say yes to my request? I’ve been trying to get her to give me this tattoo I’ve been dreaming of for weeks now, but she turned me down. Sent me here to Shade instead,” she rambles, pushing her hands together in a praying position.
Shade gawks at her. “Are you saying I was your second choice? I bumped you ahead of the queue because Bryce asked me to.”
“She said she wasn’t taking any female clients for the time being,” she explains with an intense pout.
My cheeks burn while butterflies fill my stomach. I’ve never asked her not to take female clients, and I never would. In my mind, it doesn’t matter who she tattoos, but the gesture is so incredibly thoughtful that I know my decision to come here was the right one.
Bryce is the right decision. Always.
“I can talk to her, but I can’t promise anything,” I offer.
She beams. “Thank you! I’ll message her later this week. Thank you for this piece, Shade.”
“No problem,” he mutters.
I swallow a laugh at his reaction to this. What an overgrown puppy in need of praise.
“I’ll see you later, then,” she adds, making her way to the door.
Without offering my name, I wave and watch her leave. Shade is quick to lock the door behind her and gesture for me to head through the studio.
“So, Bryce isn’t taking any female clients?” he asks, smirking.
He’s dressed similarly to the first time I met him, but instead of a black hoodie, he’s in a simple black long-sleeve. It’s easier to tell how muscular he is without the extra bulk of the sweatshirt, but despite his size, he doesn’t intimidate me at all, even when I’m alone.
“I didn’t know she’d done that,” I answer. We sit on the couch, and I pull my legs up and under me. “I’m sorry to show up without asking first. I should have expected you to have a client.”
“You’re Bryce’s girl, little devil. That makes you family. You’re welcome here anytime.”
I press a hand over my heart in response to the sentiment and lean my cheek against the couch. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”
“I figured you didn’t show up here alone just to visit,” he teases.
“Ha-ha. It’s kind of serious.”
He sobers up, nodding for me to continue .
I’m not ashamed of how my relationship with Bryce started, and Shade doesn’t show a single sign of judgment as I explain it to him. By the time I’m finished, I’m almost positive Bryce has told him far more than I had expected her to.
“I knew it had gotten bad with her mom, but not that bad,” he grits out.
“I think she hid a lot of it from everyone.”
“Sounds like her.”
“You live in a small town, so you know what it’s like when the gossip mill starts running. I think she’s got it in her head that I’m going to get spooked by what everyone’s saying or will think and take off on her.”
Even saying it out loud sounds wrong. Worse than repeating it in my mind.
“Again, that sounds like Bryce.” Shade pushes his hair back, sighing. “Listen, when she told me about the two of you, I didn’t question it for a fucking second. Even if I hadn’t caught you two making out outside the studio or seen the way you watched each other and couldn’t stand not touching for a single goddamn minute, I wouldn’t have doubted it.”
“Why not? You didn’t know me.”
“Didn’t I? I’d heard all about you for the last three years.”
“What do you mean?” I splutter, staring at him like he’s just grown a second head.
He touches his teeth together and pulls his lips back in an oops expression. “You didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t know. Now, explain. Please.”
“Bryce . . . Well, she’s been into you for a while, little devil. Not in the stalking you while you’re walking home kind of way, but she’s had an interest in you for like three years now. It’s why I didn’t second-guess you being together. I was used to hearing about all the cute things Daisy Mitchell had done or who you had gifted your smile to at those little barbecues your family throws. Bryce was enamoured by you.”
I bring my fingers to my throat, prodding at it to see if I can feel the bulge of emotion that’s currently restricting my ability to swallow properly.
“I never picked up on that. Bryce never acted like she was interested in me. She was always so rude. Even when Johnny asked if she’d let me move in for a little while, she looked like she wanted to tell me to get lost.”
“It was probably hard for her to imagine you being around all the time when she wanted to smash kissers. Didn’t you think it was odd that she agreed to let you stay with her at all? I mean, Bryce isn’t really the sharing-spaces-with-strangers type.”
“I thought it was a favour for my brother,” I murmur.
“Bryce doesn’t care much for favours.”
She hid it so well. For three years, she thought I was that attractive? Enamoured , Shade said. She was enamoured by me.
Sure, I only saw her occasionally, mostly only at the summer barbecues and birthday parties. But still, I didn’t anticipate this.
The clearest memory I have of her from before the last couple of months is from the birthday party Johnny’s friends threw us at Steele Ranch last Halloween.
Kiki had chosen my costume the week before, and while it was a total cliché, the whole angel thing was cute, and I looked good in white feathers. We got to the party shortly before my brother and Rory did, and I had just snagged a drink when I spotted Bryce in the next room.
I remember being surprised seeing her in the tight red devil costume. My brother had mentioned only a few days prior that he expected her to come dressed as a Ghostbuster like she always did. That night was the first time Bryce had made such intense eye contact with me. For a moment, I thought she was even going to come up and speak with me—maybe about what a coincidence our costumes were—but when Kiki came rushing up my side, Bryce turned and left.
I didn’t see her again for months.
“Halloween last year,” I blurt out, searching Shade’s face for any hint of recognition .
It’s there a second later. “Your brother mentioned your costume. I think she was planning on making a move that night, but I never heard how it went, so I didn’t ask.”
My heart pangs before rattling against my ribs. “I had no idea.”
“How could you? She didn’t scream it at the top of her lungs.”
“If I had noticed earlier, we could have?—”
“Nah. Don’t play the would have, could have game. It all worked out in the end, even if it did happen a bit later.”
“Why didn’t she tell me this once we got together?”
“That would be a question to ask her.”
Fair enough. I tuck my hair behind my ears and lean forward. “Do you have any other clients tonight?”
“Are you propositioning me, little devil? Because if so, I’m afraid I’ll have to turn you down.”
I laugh gently. “Not in that sense.”
Intrigue brightens his brown eyes. “I’m listening.”
“I know you said that the next time I came back here, I was going to tattoo Bryce, but what if you tattoo me instead?”