Chapter Thirteen
Daisy
I don’t know how or why things changed for Gus. He can still turn into a chicken at will—he’s done it a few times just to make sure—but for some reason, when we woke up, he was still human.
Now, I have no way of knowing that it’s impossible for them to wake up in human form.
I don’t know anything about this curse, and I have no way of witnessing it—I can only believe what they’ve told me.
Even if they are chickens out there every morning, they could be doing it on purpose.
Or maybe it has something to do with dreams, or the way they let their guard down when they sleep.
I can’t begin to explain it. It’s hard to believe that I know three men who turn into chickens in the first place, never mind digging deeper into the hows and whys.
But the excitement in Gus’s eyes? That is not something that can be faked.
It can’t. He’s been beaming all morning, ever since he woke up human and scared me half to death by jumping out of bed.
He ran outside to tell Wade and Rhett—to celebrate—even though Wade didn’t look too happy.
In fact, he gave me a look that made it seem like this is somehow my fault—like I have bad intentions.
He looked at me like this is a bad thing.
This is a good thing. It has to be.
“Maybe it’s just wearing off?” I offer.
“Don’t think so,” Gus says, pacing back and forth in my living room.
We had breakfast together—I made pancakes and bacon. It’s nice having him here. It’s not so lonely—and not just here in the living room right this moment, but in general.
“Full moon?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “We’ve been through those before. And it wasn’t a full moon last night.”
“Maybe it was, uh, you know…”
He stops, turning to face me, raising a brow.
“What we did?” I say in a small voice.
“But I woke up human before that. It’s, uh… why I got so excited.” His cheeks turn pink.
I feel mine heating too.
“Could it have something to do with me?” I ask.
His eyes narrow, and he looks me up and down. “Maybe,” he says slowly. “But what?”
“I don’t know. There’s like… a mate thing.”
“Mate thing?”
My cheeks are getting hotter by the millisecond. “Yeah, I’ve read books with fated mates. Like… soul mates, but on a deeper level. A level that’s almost unbearable to deny. Only…”
“Only what?”
“No offense, but it doesn’t feel unbearable. So, I don’t know. I mean, I like you, but I’m not ready to kill someone for you or anything… Maybe it’s not that. It was a silly suggestion.”
“No,” he says thoughtfully, coming to sit beside me. “It could be something like that.” He takes my hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss. “Maybe it’s like that, but different.”
“How will we know?”
“I don’t know,” he says with a huff.
There’s a knock on the back door.
“Come in!” I call, glancing over the back of the couch to see who comes through the door. It’s Rhett.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hi,” he says, walking over to us. “Uh, would it be okay if I slept inside tonight?”
“Of course,” I say with a smile.
“It’s not the house,” Gus says.
“Yeah, well, if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to try for myself.”
“I’m fine with it,” I say. “I’ll make up the couch for you.”
“Are you staying in here again?” he asks Gus.
“Yeah, we, uh… agreed to sleep in the bed together upstairs.”
Rhett glances at our linked hands, then back at Gus.
“Right,” he says carefully. “I’m going to get working on the fence outside.” He hooks his thumb over his shoulder. “Wade is going to help, so maybe you should come help too.”
“Definitely,” Gus says with a smile.
Rhett watches him for a moment longer, then goes through the kitchen to go out the front door.
“Are you sure it’s not the house?” I ask.
“Positive,” he says, getting to his feet. “Do you think you could work on the safe today?”
“Yeah, absolutely.” I get to my feet.
“Thank you.” Gus smiles and takes a step forward, his hand going to my hip. He leans down to kiss me softly. “Is this okay?”
“Absolutely,” I say.
He does it again, then turns to leave with a smile on his face.
I head upstairs and into Grannie’s bedroom. Crossing my arms, I look around the room, trying to figure out where the heck she could have hidden the code for this safe—and if I ever find it, what’s going to be inside.
As I search through Grannie’s drawers, under her bed, and behind the curtains, I can’t stop thinking about last night. Well, early this morning, I suppose. What happened with Gus.
It’s so unlike me.
Sure, I’ve had sex before, a few times, but it was never with someone random. It was someone I dated for a while, and my first time was with my friend from high school. We were friends, we knew each other for years, and we planned it.
Last night was… amazing. Fun. Exciting. Everything about it felt right, and if I’m honest, I’m hoping it happens again tonight. Which it may… considering he’s sleeping in bed with me.
I find nothing that tells me or even hints at what the code for the safe is.
So, I start all over again. I do it three more times before I give up and take a shower.
When I’m done, it’s lunch time. And since I’m still trying to kill—not literally—them with kindness, I make a mix of sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade to take out to them.
It’s hot today, and they should stay hydrated.
Grannie has this old picnic basket we used to put lunch in to sit on the hill and eat. I smile as I find it in the same spot it was always in, in the cabinet under the sink. I pull it out and put everything inside, then carefully carry it out.
I spot the boys working on the fence off to the left, and I wave when Rhett looks my way.
He holds his hand up in acknowledgment. Gus looks next, waving happily when he sees me.
It pulls Wade’s attention, and he looks too, only he doesn’t wave.
I lift the basket a little, gesturing to it.
Gus holds two thumbs up, then says something to them and starts to walk over.
Rhett and Wade share some kind of conversation, and then Rhett hurries after Gus.
I settle at the bottom of the hill, not too far from the road. I’d have gone closer, but the grass isn’t so lush on that side, and there’s more rocks and dirt. It’s nicer over here. The perfect spot for a picnic lunch.