Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
It was the afternoon of the Beltane festival and Elliot was standing inside Daisy’s tiny apartment, waiting for her to be ready to leave.
And while he and Daisy had been hanging out together for a few weeks now, today still felt like a big deal.
The entire town would be there, and Daisy needed to show off her beautiful flower crowns as well as her totally real, and not at all cursed, relationship.
And that was why Elliot was already sweating.
That and the fact that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about touching Daisy.
About how she’d gasped his name.
About how he wanted to do it again.
About how he’d never been harder in his entire life.
About how he nearly confessed his very real feelings for her.
About how he was absolutely going to get hurt if they continued down this path.
Not to mention how Daisy had totally called him on his bullshit, and now he couldn’t stop wondering if he really was just repeating his old pattern. Was it possible he’d gotten attached to Daisy just because she’d talked to him first? Was he really that pathetic?
A woman talks to him and he’s ready to marry her.
Could it have been anyone?
He was a mess, and he was characteristically nervous about this date.
It was one thing to talk to the book club or be spotted together at the beach, but a Dream Harbor festival was no joke. He’d briefly popped into last year’s Midsummer festival, and he hadn’t lasted more than a half hour. It had been packed, and he’d been completely out of his depth.
After today, Daisy would probably be wishing she’d picked a better fake partner, one who was more adept at being charming and chatty. One who would sell her story better and help her save her shop.
‘Okay, all set.’ Daisy emerged from her bathroom, dressed and ready to go. As soon as he saw her, his earlier question was immediately answered.
No, it could not have been anyone.
Daisy was different.
‘You’re not wearing black.’ A brilliant thing to say. He was nailing this already.
Daisy glanced down at her dress like she’d forgotten what she’d put on. She ran a hand over the velvety material. The dress was long with billowy sleeves, and her black boots peeked out from the bottom.
‘I thought dark purple was more … festive.’ There was a hesitation in her answer, a touch of nerves. It made him feel better to know he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
‘I like it.’
She smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. ‘It’s a pagan festival, might as well go with a witchy vibe.’
‘It suits you.’
Daisy laughed.
‘I mean…’ He winced. Shit. Was it bad to say she looked like a witch? He meant she looked like a sexy witch. ‘I just meant you look really … beautiful.’
Daisy’s laughter faded and as she held his gaze, he felt his cheeks pinken. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘Should we go?’ Daisy asked, and he realized he was just staring at her stupidly and completely blocking the door.
The door he had pinned her against only a few days earlier.
Elliot swallowed hard.
‘Yes. Definitely.’
He followed Daisy out of the apartment and through the shop to Main Street, cursing himself the whole way for being so damn awkward.
Daisy had wanted to change after setting up this morning, and he offered to walk with her back to the festival.
He would be by Daisy’s side while she sold her flowers, and then later, they’d get to enjoy the festival together.
It all sounded very simple, but the whole plan hinged on him surviving that long and not making a fool of himself sooner rather than later. This day was reminding him of every reason he avoided dating. The main one being he was bad at it.
‘So, what should I expect at this festival?’ he asked, grasping at something to say to fill the silence, even though he’d been at nearly every town meeting and knew perfectly well what was planned for the day.
The street was already busy with townsfolk heading toward the square.
After another long winter and a rather dreary spring, it was the perfect day for a festival celebrating the coming of summer.
It was warm and sunny, the air scented with flowers and the sea.
The effervescent mood of the crowd was contagious and Elliot felt himself getting caught up in the excitement.
Neighbors waved and greeted each other as they came out of the café with iced teas and lemonades complete with edible flowers floating on top of the ice.
Even the drinks were festive. A few people waved and smiled at Elliot, and he couldn’t help his flush of surprise and pleasure.
They probably only said hello because he was with Daisy, but it was nice to finally feel like he belonged here. At least a little bit.
A little girl ran past them chased by another. They were each holding balloons that flapped wildly behind them, squealing with delight as they ran.
‘Cece, Ivy! Slow down!’ Noah called, appearing beside Daisy and Elliot, flushed and out of breath.
‘Hey, guys,’ he said.
Hazel hurried to his side. ‘We’re losing them again.’
‘Nah,’ Noah assured her, scanning the crowd. ‘That’s why I strapped those balloons to their wrists. See, there they go.’ He pointed to the two pink balloons floating ahead of them.
‘Your nieces are back in town?’ Daisy asked with a laugh and Noah smiled.
‘They are back. And I told my sisters that Hazel and I would take them to the festival while they take the night off.’
‘You’re a good brother,’ Elliot said.
Noah shrugged. ‘Making up for lost time.’
‘We should probably catch up to them,’ Hazel said, pulling him along. ‘See you two later!’ They disappeared into the rest of the commotion.
‘So, Beltane…’ Elliot said when the silence had dragged on for too long. Or what felt like too long anyway.
‘Just your typical pagan festival,’ Daisy said as though every town hosted an annual Beltane festival. ‘Bonfires and maypoles and all that.’
‘A bit syncretic,’ Elliot said as they made their way down Main toward the town square and the green space beside it where most of today’s activities would take place.
‘Syncretic?’
‘Uh … melding practices from different cultures. The maypole has Germanic roots while the bonfire tradition has Celtic origins.’
Daisy stopped and looked up at him with a curious smile. ‘You should have brought that up at a town meeting.’
‘I wouldn’t dare.’
Daisy laughed, some of their earlier awkwardness fading.
‘I never met anyone who uses words like syncretic before. Or knew about the origins of maypoles,’ she said as they continued their walk, the crowd thickening as they got closer.
‘The symbolism of the maypole is still debated, you know,’ Elliot said, rambling on as though Daisy cared about maypoles.
Rambling about history happened to be a nervous habit.
One he’d bored several blind dates with.
But he couldn’t seem to stop himself. It was either talking about the historical significance of the maypole or rehashing their fuck-buddy conversation.
History was much safer. ‘Some scholars think the shape represents the Earth’s axis, while others think it’s more likely a representation of a sacred tree.
’ They were approaching the town square now, where the maypole rose from the lawn in front of the town hall decorated with ribbons and greenery.
‘Of course, some people think it’s just a big phallic symbol. ’
Daisy stopped in her tracks and stared up at the maypole, while Elliot wished for the power to go back in time and shut the hell up.
And then she started giggling, beautiful, fizzy, delighted giggles.
‘That’s a really big phallic symbol,’ she said, laughter still bubbling out of her and Elliot had to join her, his own laughter easing the sting of embarrassment in his gut. If Daisy found his rambling funny, then he’d happily keep talking.
‘Yep.’
‘You are just full of interesting facts,’ she said, turning away from the pole and heading toward her booth.
‘Sorry. I tend to spew facts when I’m nervous.’
‘You’re nervous?’
‘A bit, yeah.’
She stopped, having arrived at her designated spot.
‘Why are you nervous?’
‘I don’t want to let you down.’
‘You won’t.’
Elliot scoffed. ‘Don’t be so sure. There’s a reason I’ve only ever dated one woman. I’m not very good at this.’
‘You’ve been good all along. Today won’t be any different. Unless you’d rather leave … that’s totally fine…’
‘No!’ The word was too loud, too abrupt, but Daisy smiled.
‘Okay.’
‘I want to stay. I want to help sell these…’ He gestured to the table where Daisy’s crowns were laid out, looking at them for the first time.
‘These are … incredible,’ he said, letting the awe for her work fill his voice.
Delicate crowns with flowers in every color and shape were laid out in tidy rows.
Some had ribbons trailing off the back, others were clearly designed for kids: smaller and covered in glitter; Elliot could imagine them making some little people very happy. Daisy had created magic.
‘Thanks. I missed a few nights of sleep to finish them.’
‘They’re beautiful.’
‘Thank you.’ She was gazing at him, her cheeks pink and her smile warm and soft, and his determination not to let her down was renewed.
If this town needed to see her in a loving relationship before they could trust her with their weddings again, then that was what they were going to see.
He could put all his own confusion and feelings aside.
Because Daisy was talented. She was so damn good at what she did, and this town should appreciate her for that.
They should be lined up around the block for the chance to buy a little piece of the joy that Daisy made with flowers.
Fools.
He stepped closer, wishing he could touch her. She’d worked a few small braids into her hair, and he couldn’t resist running one through his fingers. Daisy’s breath hitched.
‘We can do this,’ he whispered, leaning toward her and she nodded, her eyes still locked on his.