Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Elliot had been avoiding the flower shop for two reasons. Both having to do with the nearly frantic woman currently waving him over and calling him her boyfriend.
Daisy.
Lovely, soft Daisy.
Daisy, whom he’d spent far too much time thinking about ever since she’d arrived in town. He’d only been living here for a few months at that point, still wondering why he’d chosen this little town to hide out in. And then there she was, storming into a town meeting like she owned the place.
And he’d very nearly fallen in love with her.
A terrible habit of his.
Which was reason number one for avoiding the pretty little flower shop on Main Street and its pretty little owner.
Elliot had moved to Dream Harbor to forget about love.
To avoid it entirely, if possible. After two years, he still hadn’t been able to shake off the failure and heartache his divorce had caused, and he wasn’t eager to try again.
He hardly knew Daisy. But he knew himself and he knew he had already developed an absurd crush on the woman based almost completely on the way she argued with everyone at town meetings and the way she looked in a tight black T-shirt.
Like the one she wore now. Even with the faded, daisy-print apron she wore over it, he could see how it hugged all her curves.
Elliot swallowed hard.
He should not be looking at Daisy’s curves. Daisy’s curves were sure to lead nowhere good. At least, in the long term. In the short term, he was sure Daisy’s curves would lead him to all sorts of amazing places.
But that wasn’t the point, because the second reason he’d stayed away was a bit more insane but tied in with the first. Daisy was cursed.
Not that Elliot believed in curses, but if town gossip was to be trusted, Daisy left a trail of broken hearts in her wake, and Elliot’s was broken enough.
He was fairly certain it didn’t even work anymore, and so the issue of Daisy’s black T-shirt was moot, really.
‘Elliot.’ Daisy’s voice snapped his attention from her shirt to her face. Her eyes were wide, nearly pleading with him. She obviously wanted him to go along with whatever weird situation this was, but Elliot’s thoughts were stuck on one thing. She knows my name.
Elliot had a tendency to blend in. To hide, his brother would say.
He was just shy, his mother would insist. But Elliot wasn’t sure it was either of those things.
He was an observer. He liked to watch people, and he didn’t feel a huge need to thrust himself into the action.
Which most people seemed to find either creepy or boring.
But somewhere along the line, Daisy had learned his name.
And apparently now she needed him. ‘Come over and say hi to David,’ she said again, her volume increasing with each word. ‘You remember David, my ex. I told you about him.’ She raised her eyebrows dramatically like she was waiting for him to remember his line.
It was time to thrust himself into the action.
‘David, right, of course,’ he said, stepping up to shake the man’s hand. ‘So nice to meet you.’ If there was one thing Elliot understood, it was the pain and embarrassment of running into your ex and their new person. He’d experienced it one too many times before moving here.
Daisy mouthed thank you over David’s shoulder and scurried around the counter to stand next to Elliot.
She grabbed his hand in hers, twining their fingers together, and Elliot had to swallow the startled sigh that wanted to escape his lips.
It had been a long time since someone had held his hand.
And Daisy’s was so warm and small and perfect.
‘I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone,’ David said, clearly still trying to piece together what was going on while Elliot tried to keep his shit together about a girl holding his hand like he was twelve.
‘Yes, I’m seeing someone.’ Daisy still sounded a bit unhinged, so Elliot gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him with a surprised smile. ‘I’m seeing someone,’ she said again, rolling her shoulders back. ‘Not everyone announces new relationships on social media, David.’
David frowned but Daisy charged forward, this time with her eyes on Elliot. ‘His name is Elliot and he’s a…’ Her voice trailed off, and her eyes widened in panic. Okay, so she had learned his name but apparently, that was it.
‘I’m an architect,’ he said, turning his attention back to David and away from Daisy’s amber-colored eyes. He didn’t even know that was a real thing. Amber eyes. He shook his head. Not important right now. ‘I’m working on a new design for the inn, actually.’
At the mention of the inn, the woman who was clearly David’s new girlfriend, came hurrying back over to his side.
‘Are they renovating soon? I would hate for that to interfere with our wedding day.’ Her brow furrowed in concern.
‘I guess you should probably look elsewhere, then,’ Daisy blurted out and then immediately looked like she regretted it when the woman’s frown lines deepened.
Elliot tried not to smile when he added, ‘You know how these projects go; things will probably be a mess for a while. Personally, I would steer clear of the whole place.’
Daisy squeezed his hand in a silent thank-you, and Elliot hadn’t felt this pleased with himself in a very long time. Possibly ever. Helping Daisy lie to her ex and his girlfriend might be his new favorite thing to do. He really needed to get out more.
‘Right, well, we’ll take that into consideration.’ David’s gaze flicked between the two of them like he still wasn’t buying their little skit. Feeling bold, and high on Daisy’s hand squeeze, Elliot removed his fingers from hers and draped his arm over her shoulder, tucking her tight to his side.
And if he thought holding her hand was life-altering, well, having her entire body pressed against him was another plane of existence all together. He really needed to get out more.
If she was surprised or put off by the move, Daisy didn’t show it. In fact, she tipped her head to rest on his shoulder as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
David narrowed his eyes. ‘When did you say you two got together?’
‘About a month ago,’ Daisy said at the same time Elliot said, ‘Last fall.’ Christ, even in fake relationships he wasn’t on the same page as his partner.
Daisy laughed manically again, like she was coming undone. Elliot hugged her tighter as though he could keep her together.
‘Has it only been a month?’ he said with a laugh. ‘You know what they say, time flies when you’re having fun!’
‘Right, but—’
‘Don’t you two have an appointment to get to?’ Daisy cut David off before he could ask any more questions or dispute the use of that phrase in the current context, which admittedly made no sense.
‘We probably should get going,’ Hailey said, looking happy to take any excuse to get out of this awkward situation.
‘I guess we should.’ David gave them one last suspicious look before his fiancée dragged him out the door.
‘It was nice seeing you two!’ Daisy cooed. ‘We should double-date sometime! Don’t be strangers! Y’all come back now…’
Daisy continued to call out insane goodbyes until the two were gone, and she finally slumped away from him and blew out an incredibly long sigh of relief followed by a bit of existential moaning.
Elliot stood quietly until she was done.