6. Daisy
CHAPTER 6
daisy
“Hey, Daisy, hang on!”
I try to keep my expression somewhat neutral when I turn to face Claire LeBlanc, but the truth is that I’m nearly giddy with excitement at the sound of her calling out for me. I don’t even know what she wants yet, but I’m hoping she’s chasing me down to tell me she thinks we should be work besties. Then again, judging by the book she’s waving in her hand and the uninterested look on her face, I could be reading this all wrong.
“Um, hi, Claire,” I say hopefully, shifting my weight under the heavy bags I’m carrying.
“Hey,” she returns when she reaches me. “I found that study guide for you.”
“Oh, thanks.” I force a smile and take the book she offers. “Can’t wait to get started.”
She lets out a short laugh. It sounds genuine though, despite her stoic look. “Listen, I wanted to say I’m sorry for my shitty attitude yesterday. You and JD caught me at a bad time. But it’s not your fault I was having a horrible day.”
I feel my shoulders relax when I realize she’s saying she doesn’t actually hate me. “Thanks, but no apology necessary. I was having a pretty yucky day myself, so I’m sure I wasn’t?—”
But she cuts me off by throwing her head back and cackling loudly this time. “Oh, stop it. I was a bitch to you, and you know it. But it’s cute that you want to make excuses for me.”
My jaw hangs open, and I blink a few times before I find my voice. “No—no worries. This was really nice of you,” I tell her, holding up the test prep guide. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and although I’d normally ignore it, I figure I’d better not risk upsetting Landry any more than I already have.
“I’m sorry, this is probably my ride home,” I say to Claire before I check the message.
Landry
I’m here.
I glance to the right and see his black Jeep parked against the fence. Then I roll my eyes before punching in an answer.
Daisy
Be there in a second.
I’m still not happy about the way he yelled and stormed out last night in addition to the silent treatment he gave me when he dropped me off at church early this morning. But my options are still limited for now.
“You don’t drive?” she asks as I struggle to put my phone away. Then she sighs and plucks it from my hands, turns it and uses my face to unlock it, punches in her contact information, and send herself a text, all before she slips it into my cardigan pocket.
“Oh, thanks. Um, no, not right now. It’s a long story. But my roommate’s helping me out for a while.”
“Don’t you live in Loren’s old house?”
I nod.
“I pass right by your place every day. I can give you a ride whenever you need. Just call me.” She frowns harder, despite the kind offer she’s extending.
“Wow, that’s really nice of you. Thanks,” I say, trying to hide my surprise.
“It’s nothing,” she replies with a shrug. “That your roommate?” she asks when she sees my eyes darting nervously to Landry’s car.
“Yeah. I’m sorry if I seem distracted. He can be a little impatient?—”
“Isn’t that Loren’s brother?” She squints at the Jeep and shields her eyes from the sun to get a better look. “Damn. Nice job, sis. He’s pretty hot.”
I snort out a laugh. “He’s definitely both of those things, and he’s a doctor. But we’re just friends.”
“You’re friends … with that guy? Isn’t he, like, a total dick?”
“Not totally .” She shoots me a skeptical glare. “He and my brother were college roommates, so he’s actually been really nice to me,” I say with a shrug.
“I’d probably find an excuse to accidentally walk in on him in the shower. Just sayin’. If you have to put up with his douchey ass, might as well make it worth your while.”
I chuckle. “Not a bad idea.” My phone chimes again, and I groan.
“Good luck with that, then,” she offers, patting me on the shoulder. “See ya ‘round, Daisy.”
“Thanks. See you around, Claire.” I grin as I make my way to Landry, my smile fading when I see the disgruntled frown he’s sporting.
“Thanks for waiting,” I mumble as I buckle my seatbelt. All he offers is a grunt in response, so I guess he’s picking up where we left off this morning.
We drive home in silence, and he has the audacity to come around and grab one of the bags from my shoulder when I step out of the car. I shoot him the angriest glare I can muster, but I can see the remorse in his eyes before he turns and leads me into the house. I drop my things in the living room before marching out the front door to pick up my watering can.
A few minutes pass before I hear the door creaking open and his heavy footsteps on the wooden porch.
“Hey,” Landry says when he approaches, his head bowed. “Mind if I join you?”
I study him for a second as I continue watering my plants. “Only if you’ve come to apologize.”
“I have,” he replies, holding back a smile.
“Let’s hear it, then.” I move to sit on the front porch steps and pat the space beside me.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, groaning softly as he lowers himself to sit.
“That’s it? Really?”
He sighs. “Fine. I’m sorry for taking my stress out on you yesterday. You didn’t deserve most of that. But this is exactly why I hesitated to move in together. So if you can’t handle?—”
I click my tongue in disappointment. “You’re crummy at apologies, Landry.”
“Yeah, well, you’re shit at cussing,” he says with an eye roll.
“Look, I can’t begin to understand what you’ve been going through. I’m sure it’s killing you, having to stand by and not being able to help. But it doesn’t exempt you from being kind to everyone else. You’re still responsible for working on yourself, even in hard times. Just think of it as an opportunity to grow as a person.”
He rears back in surprise. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“How we handle tragedy and setbacks says a lot about us, and offering up one’s suffering for the betterment of others is more rewarding than you’d think.”
“And I’ve told you before that I don’t need your help to grow as a person ,” he retorts indignantly.
I shrug. “Sure seems like you do.”
I know I’m pushing my luck, but he needs to hear this, so it might as well come from me. And after the hissy fit he threw last night, I think I’m entitled to call him out on his bad attitude.
“What would you know about adversity, anyway?” he blurts out, but he looks regretful as soon as he says the words. “I’m sorry,” he adds softly. “Forget I said that last part.”
“Like I told you before, I can handle more than you think. You’re not the only one who’s had a rough childhood, you know, even if my problems looked different than yours,” I tell him, reaching out to pick one of my flowers.
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” he repeats after a while. “I’m just not fond of getting lectures from a kid.”
“I’m twenty-five, you know, old enough to need a period cup,” I say dryly as I roll the pink camellia’s stem between my fingers. “And despite the way it looks, I’ve lived through more than most people my age.”
“Maybe you have endured a lot, but you still haven’t learned that most people aren’t as inherently good as you and the rest of your family. The majority of us aren’t looking to grow or better ourselves. We’re trying to survive and take care of the people we love, and we don’t have the time or energy to bother with the rest.”
“I refuse to believe people aren’t inherently good,” I reply. “Especially you, Landry.”
He clears his throat and looks away. “Good luck holding onto that philosophy as a high school teacher.”
“Yeah,” I admit. “I know they’re all good kids, but some of them just act like downright … twerps.”
He snorts. “ Twerps ? No wonder they’re having a field day with you.”
I shove him playfully. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, Daisy,” he says, glaring at me incredulously. “You’re young and beautiful, and you flinch every time you hear a bad word. You’re practically begging them to give you a hard time.”
My jaw lowers. “That’s not true at all.”
“If you don’t think you’re locker room fodder yet, then you’re even more naive than I thought.”
I frown and bring my knees up to my chest. “I’m sure those kids don’t care enough to give me a second thought once they leave my classroom.”
“And I can’t imagine the male population of Camellia High isn’t infatuated with you by now,” he says with a smirk, but his expression shifts. “You’re not wearing anything too sexy or revealing, are you?”
I blink. “I don’t think so. I mean, I’m pretty sure everything I own is relatively modest.”
He leans back as his gaze runs over me, making it harder for me to breathe. I’m wearing a sleeveless dress today, but I’m pretty well-covered.
“You could add an extra layer, like a sweater or something, just to be safe,” he says, his voice thick. But his eyes are still locked onto my shoulders. I bring my attention back to the flower in my hands when I feel my cheeks flushing.
He clears his throat and adds, “Not that you’re doing anything wrong. It’s just … teenage boys are pretty disgusting.”
I nod, but I can’t bring myself to look up at him. For some reason, I feel more vulnerable right now than I did when I was standing in front of him in my underwear the other day.
“Daisy, have any of them said something to make you uncomfortable?” he ventures after a while.
I shrug. “Nothing all that bad. I just pretend not to hear them.”
“They haven’t threatened you or anything, have they?”
“No, of course not,” I say, shaking my head. “They’re immature, but I don’t let any of it bother me, I promise.”
He grunts. “You ought to tell them you’re JD’s cousin or something, call him to your classroom the next time they start talking shit. I mean, isn’t that his job?”
My brow rises. Last I checked, asking JD for help equated to pushing one of Landry’s buttons. “I can’t call the assistant principal for every little thing. They’ll think I’m a pushover and spread the word that I can’t handle them myself.” I lift my chin as I say it, hoping it makes me look more confident than I feel.
“Hmm. You may be right,” he admits.
“I’m not as dumb as you think,” I murmur.
He frowns. “I don’t think you’re dumb. I just hate the idea of you getting bullied or objectified by a bunch of punk-ass teenagers.”
“That’s why I wanted to bake those cookies, you know, to give JD an excuse to stop by my classroom throughout the day. I figured it couldn’t hurt to make the kids think he might pop in unannounced,” I say, hesitating before I add the next part. “And I’d never crush on a married man, for the record.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, either.” He pauses and lets out a breath. “The truth is, I got really scared when you didn’t answer me yesterday afternoon. All of these horrible scenarios started running through my mind, like you’d had a seizure and hurt yourself and the students were making fun of you instead of helping …” He shakes his head when he trails off, and my chest tightens when I imagine him sitting in his car stressing over my safety while I was wrestling with the copy machine. “I debated going inside to check on you, but I didn’t want to embarrass you. Then I felt so stupid when you came out, even though I was relieved to see you were fine, and I let my frustration get the best of me … just like I always do.”
I instinctively reach out to place my free hand over his, and I’m surprised when he doesn’t flinch or pull away from the contact. “I’m sorry, too. It was careless of me to leave you hanging like that, especially when you’re already worrying about your sister. I should have known you’d be easily agitated.”
His mouth turns up on one side. “I’m always easily agitated. In case you haven’t noticed, that’s kind of my thing.”
I let out a soft laugh. “You know, you’re not always the grouchy, old grump you promised you’d be. I think you just let yourself get worked up because you carry so much weight on your shoulders.”
“Maybe,” he chokes out after a while.
“Then you shouldn’t waste your energy worrying about me so much,” I say, glancing down at our hands.
“I can’t help it.” He shrugs and looks up at me. “Rowan’s always treated me like a brother. That makes us as good as family, right?”
“Right,” I reply, tugging my hand back and forcing a smile.
“I’ll try to be better about not letting my anxiety get the best of me and not snapping at you every time I get overwhelmed.”
I swallow hard. This apology is getting much heavier than I expected. “And I’ll try to be more considerate, especially about giving you your space when you need it.”
He nods. “Thank you.”
“What if we tried to split more of the chores? It might make things easier if we weren’t doubling up on some things and trying to work in the same space.”
“Like when you offered to take over laundry duties?” he asks.
“Sure.” I shrug. “I don’t mind doing dishes, either, or cleaning the bathroom, since my hair’s always clogging the drain. And I’ll take care of the gardening, obviously.”
He smiles. “I suppose that leaves me with transportation and logistics?”
“Naturally.”
“I’ll handle all the grocery shopping and keep all of our supplies in stock, as long as you let me know what we need. Maybe we could start a shared list?”
“Yeah, that works,” I agree.
“What else do you want me to take care of? This feels a little one-sided.”
I laugh. “I don’t mind. But if you really want another job, you could take over culinary duties. I’m not a very good cook.”
“Neither am I,” he admits regretfully. “But I do make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or so I’m told.”
“Perfect. I’ve never had one,” I say with a grin.
He stares at me in shock. “You’ve seriously never had a PB&J? I know you grew up in a peanut-free household, but that’s just un-American.”
“Then I guess that also makes you the director of first-time experiences,” I say, giggling before I realize how awkward that sounds.
He clears his throat and stands, and I curse myself for ruining the moment. But then I see the hand he’s offering me, and I smile before I clasp it and let him pull me to my feet.
“Why don’t we start by taking that trip to the grocery store? You can look up cookie recipes on the way. There’s gotta be a TikTok or YouTube video for that, right?” He smirks at me, and my heart literally skips a beat. “And maybe you could bring some of your flowers to Lo when we drop off her cookies later?” he adds, gesturing to the one in my hand.
“That would be great,” I say softly, hoping I’m not wearing my adoration as plainly on my face as it feels.