13. Daisy
CHAPTER 13
daisy
I shut the Louisiana teacher certification test prep book with a sigh and set it down on the coffee table. It’s a beautiful Saturday morning, yet here I am, studying for a test I’m not even sure I want to pass.
My phone buzzes, and I jump to answer it, eager for a distraction.
Magnolia
DAISY COLETTE LAFLEUR
Why am I just finding out from Rowan now that you’re living with LANDRY REED??
Iris
What? You’re living with a man?
I cringe. Maybe that study guide wasn’t so bad after all.
Violet
At least he’s a doctor.
Magnolia
He’s not just any doctor, Vi. He’s a hot doctor. We’re talking McDreamy/McSteamy hot.
Iris
Are you living together as a couple? Or are you just roommates?
Marigold
Calm down, ladies. Let’s give her a chance to answer before we jump to conclusions.
Rosemary
Mari’s right. Judge not lest we be judged, sisters.
Iris
Really, Rose?
Rosemary
Jk.
I’m here for the Doctor Landry McSteamy details.
*gif of Patrick Dempsey from Grey’s Anatomy*
Magnolia
Rosie, That’s McDreamy, not McSteamy.
Rosemary
Tough crowd today.
I snort at Rosemary’s reply. Even my consecrated Sister (with a capital S ) can’t deny that Landry’s easy on the eyes.
Violet
I don’t get it.
Daisy, did you move in with your hot doctor so he can watch over you? Or is it that you can’t answer us right now because you’re busy fornicating?
I groan. My parents hadn’t even reacted this way when I broke the news to them about Landry and me deciding to share a house. They only traded amused looks as if they had been placing bets on how long it would take me to give up on living alone and reminded me that I could come home as soon as I was ready. Not if I was ready, but when I was ready.
Once they realized I was serious and that I was not in fact ready to admit defeat, my dad tried to give me a short lecture about the dangers of putting oneself in a state of unnecessary temptation. I cut in to reassure him that there would be no danger of anything happening between Landry and me, but he insisted on finishing his sermon with a reminder that pride often precedes the fall. I thanked him for the advice, even though I was sure it wasn’t relevant to my situation. And I don’t think my sisters will understand, either.
I also know they won’t leave me alone if I don’t answer them.
Daisy
Landry and I are renting separate rooms in his sister’s old house. He’s been very kind to me because, and I quote, “he owes it to Rowan to take good care of his baby sister.” And that about sums it up.
Magnolia
Oof. He best-friend’s-baby-sister-zoned you?
Marigold
Oh, honey. I hope this doesn’t make you forget how beautiful you are, both inside and out.
Iris
I still think this is a bad idea. You’re at least going to walk in on one another naked at some point, and it’s hard to come back from that.
Rosemary
I’m just relieved to hear that he’s taking care of you, Daisy. You know we all love you and want you to be safe, happy, and holy. I’ll be praying for you and your roommate to get along well.
Violet
So, no fornication, then?
I roll my eyes and set my phone down on top of that test prep guide. I glance toward the light streaming in from the front window, thinking I could use a little vitamin D. Normally, I’d have brought my book outside to study, but Landry said he was going out to wash the Jeep earlier, and I knew I’d end up talking to him if I went out there. I think I might have to take that risk, though, since I can’t seem to focus inside.
I rise and make my way to the front door, halting in front of the window when I spot the shirtless man wielding the water hose.
“Mercy me,” I hear myself saying on a gasp.
Maybe I should at least go out to water the flowers. I bet they’re real thirsty.
I’m not even sure I’m conscious of what I’m doing as I shuffle out to the front porch and pick up my watering can. I gulp and allow my gaze to run over Landry’s bare back, his muscles flexing as he reaches up to rinse the top of the car. His skin looks flushed beneath a layer of glistening moisture, the origins of which are unclear. Has he been sweating through his grueling labor as the sun blazes down upon him? Or has he simply gotten caught in the spray of the water hose, inadvertently drenching himself as he continues toiling away?
He answers my question when he turns the hose on himself, giving his sun-kissed shoulders a quick reprieve from the heat.
I hear myself whine as I continue gaping. Then I flinch when I realize my feet are wet, too, because I’m literally standing in a puddle. Apparently, I’ve been watering the same pot of hydrangeas for the last two minutes.
“Frick and frack,” I mutter to myself.
“Hey, I didn’t realize you were out here.” Landry calls. Because of course he’d choose that particular moment to notice me. He halts the spray as he turns to shoot me a friendly smile and adjusts the backward cap on his head. “Everything okay?” he asks once he takes in my strange expression.
“Yep,” I squeak. “Fine. Just … you know, keeping everyone hydrated.”
He chuckles softly. “Speaking of, mind grabbing me a water from inside? It’s not easy to drink from the hose with a nozzle on there. Plus, it feels a little like eating off a stick.”
“No problem,” I manage before I scramble inside and return with a cold bottle. He’s waiting at the edge of the porch when I walk outside again, and I nearly lose my own footing when he props one leg on the first step and brings his arm up to swipe at his forehead.
He takes the bottle and thanks me before unscrewing the cap and tilting his head back, his throat bobbing as he downs it within seconds. Then he lets loose a guttural, inherently masculine ahh , and my hand flies up to cover my mouth when I whimper quietly in response.
No need to look for a basal body temperature rise this month—peak ovulation day has just been confirmed.
My eyes run down his chest and catch on the edges of his lightly defined hip vee. The athletic shorts he’s wearing are slung low enough to reveal the waistband of his boxers, and I shiver at the reminder that this man is technically bound to me. Well, legally bound, at least.
He furrows his brow when he catches me staring. “Don’t worry, I’m going straight to the shower once I’m finished out here. I promise I won’t get swamp ass on the couch.”
I blink away the sudden image of Landry’s face under the stream of water before my ovaries get a peek at him below the neck.
“Oh, um, you’re fine,” I choke out, and he looks amused. “I mean, I grew up on a farm, remember? I’m immune to the smell of hard work.”
He chuckles. “Why does the image of Rowan shoveling horse shit and feeding pigs seem so hilarious to me?”
For the first time ever, I’m actually grateful when he shifts the conversation to mention my brother.
“We all had to do it,” I say with a smile. “Even Dr. Athanasius.”
Landry shakes his head. “And I always forget about his first name. Poor kid.”
“My parents figured the more obscure the saint name, the closer to heaven, I guess.” I shrug, and he laughs again.
He hands me the empty bottle and steps back, resting his hands on his hips, and it takes all of my willpower to keep from gawking again. “Hey, you got anything going on today?”
I shake my head quickly. “Nope. Free as a bird,” I say, cringing inwardly. “Well, I’m supposed to be studying for my certification exam, but that’s all.”
“Great, because I was thinking we could hang out. You know, watch a movie, paint each other’s toenails,” he proposes with a sly grin.
I scoff and toss the empty water bottle at him. It bounces off his chest and hits the steps. “Very funny.”
“Nah, but seriously … wanna come with me to see the twins in a little bit?” he offers instead.
“Really?” I can’t help the way my face lights up.
“Lo said she and Blake have an appointment with the priest or something, so we could take the day shift in the NICU,” he continues, his smile growing more genuine.
I nod vehemently, suppressing a full-on squeal. I’ve only gotten to see videos and photos of Penny and Charley so far, but I absolutely adore them already.
“And after that, I was thinking we could grab some takeout. It’s your turn to pay, if memory serves me.”
“Okay,” I agree, reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ears. My night’s getting better by the second.
Landry takes a step up, and his eyelids lower. “Then, when we get home, there’s something I really think we should do … together,” he drawls, pausing to lick his lips. “Something I’m sure you haven’t done with anyone else before. But I really think you need to try it with a partner at least once, and who better to teach you than your husband?”
My lips part as I take in a shuddery breath, and my heart feels like it’s trying to do a somersault in my chest. “Yeah?”
Okay, I know he’s just messing with me. Even though he’s not usually this suggestive, I’m not stupid enough to think he’s setting me up for anything more than the punchline of a joke. But I’m also desperate, so I play along, just in case.
His brows draw together as he leans in to whisper, “Daisy, will you let me help you study for your certification test?”
“You—you canaille little … jerk!” I shriek, reaching out to shove him back. He absorbs my push off and barely budges as he tosses his head back and laughs. I cringe and shake out my sweat-covered hands.
“I thought I only had jerkish tendencies ?” he reminds me.
“Kiss my grits, Landry,” I fire back, stifling a smile. The truth is I’m still flattered, because he wouldn’t go this far with his teasing if he didn’t see me as an adult woman—one who makes him comfortable enough to be this flirty and silly.
He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “The potty mouth on this one,” he replies sarcastically.
I roll my eyes. “I’m only letting you get away with that because you’re bringing me to meet the twins. If I don’t get to hold a Bougie baby later, I’m gonna?—”
“Gonna what?” he interrupts me. “Cuss me out? Beat my ass? Force me to eat scrambled eggs again?”
I lift my chin haughtily. “Maybe I’ll just sneak a pair of my panties into your underwear stack.”
He glares at me. “You wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t I?” I tap my bottom lip, pretending to brew up an evil plan, and I could swear I see a flicker of something in his expression when his eyes follow my movement. “Or maybe I’ll accidentally knock your toothbrush into the?—”
“Daisy Colette!” he growls, and those silly butterflies flutter around at the way my name sounds in his deep, rumbly voice. “Don’t you dare touch my toothbrush.”
“Fine, but what if I,” I pause to lean in and narrow my eyes ominously, “hugged you?”
“Oh, is that supposed to be a punishment?” he says on a laugh.
“For you, it is. At least, last I checked,” I reply smugly, though my stomach dips again at his implications.
“Right, because if you were to hug me right now, I’d be the one grossed out?”
I scrunch up my nose. “Fair enough.”
A cocky smirk takes over his face, and he lunges forward to wrap his arms around me, pressing my cheek against his bare chest.
“Lan- dreee !” I squeal, feigning disgust. “Eww! Let me go! You’re so hairy and sweaty and … just ew !”
“You said you were used to that smell,” he reminds me and loosens his grip. I swipe at my face as he laughs one more time. “All right, Blondie. Go inside and clean yourself up. And stop distracting me. I have to finish this before we can go to the hospital.”
I eye him carefully. “How am I the distraction in this scenario?”
He straightens and reaches up to scratch the back of his neck, then adjusts that sexy ball cap again. “You’re too easy of a target,” he replies, suddenly sounding less confident than he did a second ago. “And my ADHD kicks into high gear when I’m doing chores.”
“Right,” I say, pulling my hair over my shoulder and twisting it into a quick braid. “Is that how you plan to help me study later? By distracting me?”
Something shifts in his expression as he watches me. His lips part, and his chest rises and falls as if he’s breathing heavier. I may not know a lot about men, and I’m not crazy enough to think he’ll ever change his mind about relationships on my account. But there are times when Landry looks at me, and I could swear he’s fighting against something , as if there’s at least a trace of attraction in his eyes.
What if my dad and my sisters are right? What if a man and a woman can’t coexist this way for an extended period of time without being drawn to one another? What if our close proximity is chipping away at his resolve, too, just at a much slower rate than it is for me?
He clears his throat. “We don’t have to study together if you don’t want to,” he says, then he turns abruptly and walks back to his Jeep. “But I’m leaving for the hospital in thirty minutes,” he adds, picking up the hose. “If you’re not ready, I’ll have to go without you.”
My eyes water against my will. Maybe I should have just stopped at I don’t know a lot about men .
Then again, Landry isn’t like most men. If he weren’t so kind and charitable, at least on the inside, I’d already have been forced to move back home with my parents.
Maybe it’s not up to me to figure him out; maybe I’m simply meant to help him.