21. Anthony
ANTHONY
The next morning, I woke up before Daisy. It was seven o’clock. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t manage to. Half an hour later, I decided to get up. Since we’d showered last night, I just put on fresh clothes before going downstairs.
I heard noises from the kitchen, so I headed straight there.
“Oh, honey, you’re … Oh, Anthony, it’s you!” Rosalie said.
“Morning, Rosalie.”
“Is Daisy up too?”
“No.”
“Hmm… the animals need to be fed in twenty minutes. I was just about to make Daisy’s favorite breakfast: omelet with tomatoes.”
“Last night, she set her alarm clock to ring with plenty of time,” I assured Rosalie. “The two of us can do it together if you prefer.”
“No, I… Well, I’m ashamed to say this, but it’s my husband’s domain. I’m not good with all that tech stuff.”
“And your farmhands can’t take it over?”
“No, they both have their hands full with everything else.”
I couldn’t understand why they were running this place with only two employees .
“Can I be of any assistance?” I asked her.
“If you could chop more tomatoes and an onion?—”
“I’m on it.” I immediately grabbed a board and a knife from the dish rack. She’d already put all the vegetables on the counter.
“So, you and Daisy… We didn’t know anything about it.”
“It hasn’t been going on for long.” I didn’t want to give her too many details. Daisy probably wanted to have this conversation with her mom herself.
“And yet you came here with her and offered to help us.”
“Of course. And I meant it. If there’s anything I can do to make the situation easier, like hiring more help for around the house or with your husband or the animals, just say the word.”
“That’s very kind of you, but we like to do things on our own.”
I nodded. “My offer still stands in case you change your mind.”
“What are you two chatting about?” Daisy asked, appearing in the kitchen. “And someone woke up very early.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” I explained.
Her gaze fell on the tomatoes I was chopping. Her mom was already cracking eggs.
“I’m getting my favorite omelet!” she exclaimed.
“Of course, dear,” Rosalie replied.
“Is Dad awake?”
“No. He took a pain pill about two hours ago, and it knocked him right out.”
Daisy bit the inside of her cheek. “Was the night terrible for him?”
Her mom pressed her lips together, focusing on the eggs. “The pain pills are great.”
“What do you want me to do?” Daisy asked, glancing at the chopping boards.
“Anthony and I have got this,” Rosalie replied.
Daisy looked at me with an impish smile, then waved. She’d woken up in a good mood .
Once the omelets were done, Rosalie plated everything, and we ate breakfast very quickly. After her last forkful, Daisy said, “I’ll go out to the animals.”
“I’m coming with you,” I said.
“You don’t have to do that. You can just keep Mom company.”
“Let’s all go,” Rosalie said. “That way you can show me how to use all those things.” She seemed visibly stressed out. “I need to get the hang of operating the machines. I can’t ask poor Annelise to come every day.”
Daisy’s expression darkened as she nodded.
How hard could it be? Surely she’d pick it up if Daisy showed her how to do things a few times…
It turned out I was wrong. I’d been used to everyone picking up technology quickly.
Even my grandparents managed their own tech stuff.
But Daisy hadn’t been joking. Rosalie truly couldn’t grasp it.
Daisy showed her about seven times how to start the milking station, and yet Rosalie did it wrong every single time she tried.
At one point, she attempted to write down the instructions, but even then, she managed to list them out of order.
“Mom, don’t fret,” Daisy said. “I’ll talk to the Tanner boys?—”
“No, they already do too much,” Rosalie insisted.
“Then Annelise will come until you feel comfortable with everything.”
Rosalie’s shoulders slumped. “All right. Let’s move on to the chickens.”
We finished our rounds, as Daisy called it, about two hours later, and one thing was crystal clear: There was no way Rosalie could take care of the farm with the little bit of help they had.
When we came out from the vegetable greenhouse, it was already noon.
“All right, you two, I’m going to prepare lunch,” Rosalie said, a bit exasperated .
“Sure. I’ll show Anthony around a bit, and then I’ll help you with the meal.”
“Nonsense. The kitchen is my domain. I also have to check on your dad. Although he hasn’t called yet, which means he’s still asleep. But I should wake him up anyway to give him something to eat.” She went up to the house, still talking to herself.
Daisy sighed. I immediately went up to her, touching her jawline. “Talk to me.”
“I’m trying to process how to best help my parents, especially if this takes longer than six weeks. I can’t imagine him starting to work right after they take off the cast.”
“I agree. He’s probably going to need crutches and physiotherapy.” I sighed. “Sorry to be so blunt, but I don’t think your mom will get the hang of the machinery. Even if Annelise shows her a few more times.”
“No, she won’t. Mom is good with the greenhouse and cooking and cleaning, but she won’t be able to do this. Or she’ll panic and ask Dad, who will then insist that he can do it, and so on.”
Daisy was getting into a frenzy again. I put my hands on her shoulders. “I have solutions for everything.”
“Maybe I could find a job near here. Samantha said she might have something.”
My blood went cold. Hell no. I always knew Daisy would only be my assistant for a limited time, but I figured she’d find something in New Orleans. My woman wasn’t going anywhere. Now that I’d had her, she was mine.
Not wanting to come across like an overbearing asshole, I kissed her forehead.
“Let’s take it one step at a time,” I said in a calm voice even though I was fucking not feeling calm at all.
I wanted to tell her there was no way in hell I would let her move so far away.
But it would be a selfish thing to say when she was worried sick about her parents.
“But she didn’t tell me exactly where it was. I need something close to home. It could take a ton of time to find something in this area.”
Some of the air seemed to return to my lungs. So, she wasn’t considering this a viable option after all.
Her phone beeped, and she glanced down at it. “Annelise is here. I told her I’d take care of everything this morning, but she insisted on coming by. She wants to catch up.” Looking up at me, she blushed.
I wiggled my eyebrows. “How did she react when you told her I was here?”
Daisy laughed. “She wants details, of course.”
“Then I’ll help your mom cook while you two chat.”
I put my hand on her back as we walked toward the house.
The farm was larger than I’d imagined. Daisy’s parents clearly needed more help, and I had vast resources at my disposal. I simply had to convince them to use them.
In the kitchen, a chatty brunette was sitting on the counter. She hopped down when she saw us.
“Hey, girlfriend. And you must be Anthony LeBlanc?”
“Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, Annelise.” I hadn’t had the opportunity to meet her when she came to NOLA.
“Is Dad up?” Daisy asked her mom.
“He woke to eat but then went right back to sleep. He needs a lot of rest, and I think the medication is helping him do that.”
Daisy pouted. “Of course. Although I wanted to see him. But I’ll get the chance later on.”
Annelise nudged Daisy. “Hey, how about you and I stroll around the grounds?”
“That’s a great idea,” I said, then offered, “I’ll help Rosalie with lunch while you two… catch up.”
“I like you, Anthony,” Annelise said.
Rosalie was looking at me with a huge smile. “I’m making polenta with mushroom ragù.”
“Yum, I haven’t had that since I left home,” Daisy said. “I love it. ”
“What do you need me to do, Rosalie?” I asked because I didn’t know a thing about this dish.
“Chopping. And thanks for offering. These two never want to stick around when I’m cooking.”
Daisy grinned. “That’s right. We never wanted to help in the kitchen.”
“We always preferred to be out with your dad, learning how to use all those cool tools for the animals,” Annelise added.
That would explain why Daisy’s friend could operate them so well. I was still surprised Rosalie couldn’t get the hang of it. Even I could do it now with my eyes closed and one hand behind my back.
As the two of them left the kitchen, my woman was visibly more relaxed, which was exactly what I’d been hoping for.
Daisy
The second Annelise and I stepped out, I had second thoughts.
“Hmm, not sure if I should let Mom and Anthony be alone for too long.”
“Why not? The man is charming enough to win Rosalie over. Then again, it’s very easy to win your mom over.”
We laughed. My mom was pretty easygoing.
“She already likes him. But should I leave them alone so soon? I don’t know what the protocol is for this. I haven’t brought anyone home for them to meet since college.”
“I’m sure he’ll survive. So, how are you doing?”
My shoulders slumped. “Let’s sit on the swing next to the house.”
As we sat down, I sighed and confessed, “I’m a bit overwhelmed, to be honest. This morning, I went with Anthony and Mom to start the feeding stations and the one for milking, and Mom just couldn’t get the hang of it. At all. I don’t see how she can do this on her own.”
“Well, she’s not totally alone. I can come here for as long as they need.”
“But that’s not fair to you.”
“I love your parents. You know that. They’re practically like my own. I grew up in their house. It’s the least I can do, and it won’t be forever.”
“No, but it’s going to be for quite some time. Maybe three months! And you’ve got your own job to do.”
Calm yourself, Daisy. You’re panicking again.
“Listen, this is what friends are for. And this is what we have an actual village for. You know how things work around here. Everyone will drop by and help. Your parents are not alone.”