Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
The mayor was apologizing to her again, but Daisy wasn’t really paying attention. There was only one person she wanted to talk to, and Elliot hadn’t filed out of the town hall building yet. Or if he had, she’d missed him entirely.
She really hoped she hadn’t missed him. Clearly, they needed to talk.
What she was going to say when they did talk, she didn’t know yet. Was it kind of him to stand up for her during the meeting? Yes. Should he have made this crazy decision on his own? Probably not. Did she actually think this was a good idea? Nope. Not at all.
But was she going to go through with it anyway?
Well, he had called her perfect.
‘I told you, Dad, you can’t just say things like that. This town takes it all too seriously,’ Hazel was saying to Mayor Kelly when Daisy tuned back in.
‘You’re right. Sometimes I forget the power I wield here.’
Hazel rolled her eyes at her father, but Noah nudged him playfully on the shoulder. ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’
‘So true, Noah,’ the mayor said, in all seriousness, and Daisy couldn’t help but laugh.
‘It’s fine. It’s really not your fault,’ she told him for the millionth time.
Even though it really wasn’t fine. The mayor’s dream had added fuel to the curse fire, but him feeling bad about it really didn’t help her at all.
The important thing was, she’d kept her spot selling flowers at the festival.
They were always a big hit, usually selling out, and without that money, she wouldn’t be able to pay her bills this month.
Things were getting desperate at the flower shop.
Hence, the reason she hadn’t completely rejected Elliot’s plan. If it got the town to shut up about this damn curse and got some weddings on the books, then maybe she should consider it.
‘Oh, hey, there’s your new boyfriend,’ Noah said with a grin, pointing to where Elliot was walking toward their little group.
As they all turned to stare at him, Elliot looked like he wanted to run in the opposite direction, but to his credit, he didn’t.
‘Hi, everyone,’ he said, coming to stand awkwardly beside Daisy. His hands were tucked in his pockets like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them, and a furious blush had worked its way to the tips of his ears.
Daisy looped her arm through his, taking charge of the moment. Elliot had done enough of that for the evening. It was her turn. If they were going to do this fake-dating thing, they might as well be convincing.
‘Hi,’ she said, tipping her face up to his. ‘Thanks for rescuing me in there.’
His blush deepened. ‘Any time.’
Hazel cleared her throat. ‘So … you two…’
‘Uh, yeah,’ Daisy pulled her attention from Elliot’s shy smile to the overly interested group in front of her.
‘It’s all pretty new so we were … uh … keeping things quiet.
’ She felt bad lying to her friends but if too many people knew the truth, this would never work.
And what would everyone think if they learned she’d faked an entire relationship? She shuddered at the thought.
‘Guess that’s over now.’ Hazel winced. ‘The crowd was a bit hostile tonight.’
Daisy shrugged, refusing to let everyone get to her. ‘Spring fever has them all rowdy again.’
‘It was very brave of you to out yourself to the whole town, Elliot,’ Hazel said. ‘It’s not easy being anonymous here. I would have held onto that for as long as possible.’
‘You’re too cute to be anonymous, Haze. Everyone would notice you right away,’ Noah said and Hazel pretended to roll her eyes, but she was smiling too hard to really pull it off.
‘Not that you’re not cute,’ Noah said, turning to Elliot. ‘And obviously, I knew who you were.’
‘Uh … thanks. You’re cute, too?’ Elliot said with a laugh, and Daisy felt oddly pleased that he was getting along with her friends, like that mattered, like they were a real couple.
‘How’s your mom enjoying her stay?’ Noah asked.
‘She loves the house. You did a great job with the reno.’
Noah beamed. ‘Thanks, man. That means a lot coming from a professional like you.’
‘You saw the potential and ran with it. Putting on all new cedar shakes was a great call. Very classic New England.’
Hazel leaned into Noah’s side, giving him a little nudge and a smile that so clearly said how proud she was of him. Daisy thought Noah might burst with happiness. Which was lovely for him, but Daisy had a fake relationship to orchestrate. Or end. She wasn’t sure which.
‘She especially loves the small porch you added.’
‘I thought that would be a big hit,’ Noah said. ‘A great spot to sit out and look at the water.’
‘For sure. I caught her out there all bundled up yesterday. It will be gorgeous in the summer.’
‘Agreed,’ said Hazel, coming up on her toes to kiss Noah’s cheek.
‘Thanks for opening it up early,’ Elliot said.
‘Of course. Let me know if she needs anything. Fresh towels, more coffee, a fishing buddy. Anything. We aim to please.’ Noah grinned.
Elliot laughed and nodded in thanks, and the conversation petered out. Or at least paused for enough seconds to give Daisy a chance to tug on Elliot’s arm and ask him to walk her home. They needed to talk and get their stories straight before they spent any more time with other people.
By the time they were alone on Main Street, away from the milling crowd in front of the town hall, Daisy could breathe a sigh of relief.
Which she did, and then immediately turned and whacked Elliot on the arm. ‘What the hell was that?!’
He looked back at her, shocked and rubbing his arm. ‘What was what?’
‘That little display at the meeting! You told the whole town we’re together! Are you insane?’
‘You just thanked me for rescuing you!’
Daisy threw up her hands in frustration. ‘That’s because we were in front of people!’
‘Look … I … I just thought…’
‘You thought what?’ she hissed, walking off again. Elliot followed, his long strides quickly catching up to hers. ‘You thought you would just decide that we should be together? Just like that?’
‘Not … I mean … not for real…’
When she glanced at him again, he looked truly stricken. And she almost felt bad about that. Almost.
‘I know you’re not from around here, but these people are crazy and now they all think we’re together and…’ Daisy groaned loud enough to elicit another startled look from Elliot.
‘I thought it would help,’ he said. ‘I thought it would help get everyone off your back. It felt right at the time. I thought we had an understanding, but you can feel free to fake break up with me. If you want.’
She stopped. He looked so damn sincere.
‘We can’t just break up now! That will only add more evidence to the growing pile that I am cursed in all things love.’ Shit. She hadn’t even really considered that. Elliot had backed her into a corner.
He winced. ‘But you would be the one doing the breaking up this time. Maybe that would be okay?’
‘No, Elliot. None of this is okay.’ Her business was floundering, she had two failed relationships under her belt—and now she was trapped in a fake relationship. How does that even happen?
‘Then let me help you,’ Elliot said from behind her. She’d taken off walking again, but Elliot was keeping up. Unfortunately. ‘Let me help you show the town you are perfectly capable of being in … love.’
Daisy stopped short, and Elliot nearly ran into her, skidding to a stop and narrowly avoiding her body.
She looked up at him, feeling sad in entirely new ways.
She didn’t want to fake a break-up with Elliot.
He was already feeling like a kindred spirit, a fellow broken-hearted soul.
Even if his current move had complicated things for her.
‘But I’m not perfectly capable of being in love.’
‘Me, neither,’ he said with a shrug like it was a small thing to be broken in this way. ‘That’s the fake part.’
Daisy blew out a long sigh, considering her options.
She could leave town but there was the pesky problem of having nowhere to go. And that she actually liked it here.
She could tell everyone to go to hell and make funeral wreaths, exclusively, for the rest of her life.
Or…
‘This might work,’ she said, and Elliot’s mouth hitched up in one corner like this pleased him, just a little. ‘If people see that I’m able to have a functioning relationship, maybe they’ll get this whole curse idea out of their head.’
‘Right, and after spending an afternoon with my mother fretting over my lack of social life, I think this could help me, too.’
‘Oh, yeah?’
‘Yes. She is beside herself that I haven’t dated anyone in two years.’
‘Two years?’ Daisy tried and failed to keep the shock out of her voice.
‘Aside from a few disastrous blind dates.’
‘Yikes.’ Daisy winced. ‘Sorry.’
‘I think yikes is the appropriate reaction.’
She couldn’t help but laugh. ‘I am sorry, but I like that this helps us both. A mutually beneficial endeavor.’ She did like that.
It somehow made the whole thing feel less …
icky. It wasn’t her fault this damn town was obsessed with her love life, and it wasn’t Elliot’s fault his mom was worried about him.
They could help each other meet everyone’s absurd expectations while protecting themselves from the pain of a real relationship.
It might actually be the perfect plan, after all.
‘Very romantic,’ he said, dryly.
Romantic was the exact opposite of what Daisy was going for. This was a business deal. ‘Now, Elliot, I think you know we failed at romance so we might as well create a situation where we can both be successful.’
He watched her for a beat. ‘Of course.’ He nodded and Daisy breathed a sigh of relief. He understood. He saw how this plan would help them both. He had his own reasons for fake-dating her, and they weren’t based on real feelings at all.
That was important.
No real feelings from either of them was integral to the plan.