22. Daisy
DAISY
Anthony and I returned to New Orleans three days later. Dad was feeling a little bit better, although he couldn’t move around much. Annelise promised that she’d drop by daily to start the machines. I needed a better solution, though.
So, when I went into the office the next morning, I texted Samantha first thing.
Daisy: Hey, you said you have a lead in North Dakota. Can you send it to me?
Samantha: Relocating?
Daisy: Maybe.
It was the last thing I wanted to do, and yet I would feel guilty if I didn’t even try.
Samantha: I’m on it. And by the way, Farm&Garden got back to me. They went with another candidate.
Whatever. The job wasn’t overly exciting, although I was disappointed that I didn’t make it to the next round of interviews. Especially since I thought it had gone well.
I pushed the phone away and dove back into my work. Luckily, this was another busy week. Anthony and I had to be at the jazz competition two evenings in a row. The Drums Festival was coming up, too, and we had a million things to do for it .
While I dove into my inbox, I kept my ears peeled for any signs of Anthony. He was on location again this morning. Was it weird that I felt as if I had Anthony withdrawals? After these past few days together in North Dakota, it felt strange to be apart.
I was definitely feeling as though we were a couple. Could a long-term relationship be in the cards? I was so falling for this man. But was he falling for me?
In the afternoon, Dorothy came into my office again with a familiar-looking cup. She also had a huge package under her left arm.
“Delivery for you,” she sang as she handed me my drink.
“Thank you so much.” I immediately took the cup from her.
“Enjoy.” She winked before leaving my office. I wondered if she suspected something.
I took a large sip. This time, it had a hint of orange. I smiled, feeling utterly and completely in love.
Yeah, that was right.
In love!
Anthony LeBlanc was the man of my dreams—especially after the past few days. I took a few more sips before I grabbed my phone and texted him.
Daisy: Your plan to woo me with hot chocolate continues.
I sent a picture of the cup.
Anthony: My plan to woo you includes many things. Among which, yes, hot chocolate.
Oh, wow. Despite having a few stressful days, I was so happy. Being in love was blissful. The whole time we were at the farm, Anthony made it his priority to make sure I was taken care of. I never knew a relationship could be like this.
Daisy: What else is part of that plan?
Anthony: Every time you stress out, I’ll do something to help you decompress.
Now I was starting to get dangerous ideas. Could I just pretend to be stressed and reap the benefits, or would he be able to tell?
Anthony: I’m starting by taking you out tonight.
I nearly jumped out of my seat with joy. I was going on a date with Anthony LeBlanc.
We chatted a bit more, but then he had to go. Someone at the location needed his assistance.
Before getting back to my to-do list, I took a quick moment and checked in with Annelise too.
She was stopping by Mom and Dad’s every day.
I repeatedly told her she didn’t have to, but she insisted that it was no trouble.
I loved my friend to the moon and back. She assured me things were fine and that the farmhands were enjoying the freedom from being under Dad’s scrutiny.
Daisy: How are my parents today?
Annelise sent me two pictures. One was a selfie with Mom in the kitchen, and the other one was a picture of Dad holding up a cinnamon bun.
Annelise: Your mom and I baked cinnamon buns. Your dad was happy to be our tester.
I immediately got an idea, inspired, of course, by Anthony and the treats he was spoiling me with.
Daisy: I’m going to look up some good bakeries that deliver and send my parents goodies every day.
Annelise: Girl, you are a genius. Our cinnamon buns were good… but not the best.
Mom was very good with pies, so if she put her mind to it, she could perfect the cinnamon bun as well.
But I wanted to spoil them any way I could.
I looked up bakeries in the vicinity, and I was surprised to find quite a few.
I put orders in at three of them. My parents were going to get a delivery daily for the next month. And so was Annelise.
And since I was already researching, I looked up the Harry Potter item Anthony and the family were trying to find for Bella. He’d sent me the details back at the farm, but I didn’t have time to look into it then.
It was a cool wand that could turn lights on and off. It was basically a remote in the shape of a wand, and it was also out of stock. But I did have mad research skills. Only ten minutes later, I actually found a vendor. I immediately texted it to Anthony.
Daisy: Found this for Bella. Did anyone else in the family come up with something, or should I put an order in?
Anthony: You’re a genius. I’ll forward it to Scarlett, and she’ll order it. Thanks so much for looking into it.
Daisy: Not going to reprimand me for doing it during work hours?
He didn’t reply.
I bit my lower lip, putting my phone down. Oh, man. The lines between our personal and professional relationship were a blur. Did Anthony just come to the same realization?
I was about to text him back when the man himself strolled into my office. He closed the door behind him too.
“What did you do that for?”
He tilted his head. “Because I plan to show you exactly what I think about you doing research for private things during work hours.”
I swallowed hard. “And it’s not for others to see?”
“It’s not PG-rated, that’s for sure.”
I laughed. I liked how playfully he was addressing this. In fact, he made it seem like a nonissue at all.
Oh, screw it. Why should I be worried about anything? This was a temporary job, after all. And I just wanted to enjoy this man for however long this lasted. So, as he walked closer, I wiggled my eyebrows too. He stopped in his tracks. Ha! I love surprising him.
“I bet you were expecting me to play coy.”
“Yeah.” He sounded stunned.
“Well, I’m not. So, what kind of dirty thoughts do you have for me? ”
He came over, leaning his ass against my desk. “Want to know all the details?”
“You’ve given this some thought already?”
“Every fucking day, Daisy. I come in here and think about all the things I’d do to you”—he patted the wood—“right here on this desk.” Then he jutted his chin toward me. “And on the chair.” He leaned over slightly. “And against that window.”
“Holy shit. You’ve been holding out on me. Why didn’t you tell me any of those things?”
“Because saying them out loud only makes me want them more.”
He smiled, and it was so damn seductive that I was ready to do whatever he wanted. I had no shame, really. But then a knock at the door startled us both.
“Daisy?”
Anthony immediately straightened up and hitched himself from my desk, stepping to one side.
“Come in!”
The door opened, and Dorothy came in. She smiled. “Oh, good. Both of you are here.”
Did she suspect something was going on between us? She must.
“What do you need, Dorothy?” Anthony asked.
“I mostly need you, of course. Just a signature. Daisy, you just need to remember that I need this from him once a quarter, in case you’re still here.”
“Noted.” I really liked Dorothy.
“How are your parents?” she asked as she put the documents in front of Anthony.
“Dad is doing as best he can. A bit grumpy.” When I’d left for the farm, I’d forgotten to notify her that I was leaving to help my parents, but on the plane, Anthony assured me that he’d informed her. Even so, I’d emailed her the next day.
“Oh, all men get grumpy when they’re sick. How did this one,” she said, nodding at Anthony and then grinning, “fare on a farm? I would’ve paid good money to see that.”
My eyes bulged. I glanced at Anthony, who simply shook his head.
“Dorothy, I told you in confidence where I was.”
Wait, so she knew everything? That wasn’t how I understood it.
“I’m only saying it in front of Daisy, so how exactly am I breaking your confidence?” Then she winked at me.
I was honestly too stunned to speak. “He did w-well at the farm,” I stuttered for a second.
“Excellent!” she exclaimed, then took the document Anthony signed and strolled out of my office.
I looked up at him questioningly.
He grimaced. “Sorry, I should’ve checked in with you first, but I just called to tell her I was gone. One thing led to another…”
“Right.” So, she probably already knew Anthony was with me when I sent my email. Crap. I felt like I’d lied to her by omission.
He frowned. “You mind?”
“No, just unexpected, that’s all. I didn’t say in my email you were with me, just where I was. Which is okay, but…” I bit the inside of my cheek. “So, how exactly are we going to handle things?”
“Let’s play it by ear. Dorothy is like a vault. We don’t have to hide, but I wouldn’t exactly flaunt us at the office.”
“Oh, I agree with that.” I wouldn’t want anyone to think I was being treated differently or specially because I was dating Anthony.
He took my hand, kissing it. “Don’t fret about anything, Daisy. I want you to be comfortable. If at any moment you aren’t, just tell me, okay?”
I nodded. “Sure.” He let go of my hand and took a step back. “ So, how about that plan you had earlier? It sounded delicious,” I teased.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Changed my mind. My plans aren’t exactly discreet.”
I chuckled and questioned sarcastically, “Really?”
He swallowed hard. “But tonight, I’ll put all of them in motion. Every single one.”
I gasped. “You want us to come back to the office?”
“No! I have a desk at home. And a window. And an office chair.” His eyebrows were doing a happy dance. This man was too much!
“Ooh la la. That sounds delicious. And almost like a promise.”
He grinned wolfishly. “It so fucking is.”