31. Landry
CHAPTER 31
landry
“You should get down with me. I mean, if you want,” Daisy offers quietly as I drive up to her coworker’s house. Festive lights and decorations line the path from the driveway to the back of the house, and I can hear faint Christmas music from the car.
I smile. “I’m not a Camellia High faculty member.”
“As the husband of a faculty member, you’re entitled to be my date.”
“I’m not the kind of husband that’s entitled to anything,” I correct her, but I try to keep my expression light to avoid hurting her feelings again. Although, I might need the reminder more than she does.
Things have felt different between Daisy and me for the past few weeks or so. I thought we’d hit a sweet spot in our relationship where we could live comfortably and platonically until it was time for our annulment. But ever since we got sick together and I had to let Daisy doctor me up, her confidence has grown around me. Not that it’s a bad thing—I’m proud of her. It honestly warms my heart to see Daisy maturing into this more capable, self-assured version of herself. But the way she’s started cracking suggestive jokes at my expense and making it seem like she’s the one taking care of me is becoming somewhat problematic. It’s like we’ve swapped roles, and now I’m the awkward one around the house. It’s also getting harder to keep myself from seeing her as the competent adult she’s obviously become, and I’m afraid it’ll only take one more crack in the mental fortress I’ve built around “Potentially Attractive Adult Daisy” for the whole damn thing to come crashing down.
“I don’t mean that kind of date,” she mumbles, bringing me back. “But Mrs. Julie said we could each bring a guest. And there will be plenty of food. You might as well get a free meal for your trouble.”
I shake my head. “I’m good, thanks. You go have a fun time. Just call me when you’re ready.”
Her shoulders droop. “I’d probably have more fun if I didn’t have to walk in alone or feel guilty about making you drive back to pick me up later.”
“Maybe you could ask Blake or JD for a ride home,” I suggest, but she frowns. “I’m not even dressed for a party.”
“It’s casual. Just take off your tie.”
She sticks out her bottom lip in a pout, preparing to give me that look—the one she knows I can’t refuse.
Aaaand … yep. There it is.
“Just for a minute? Pleeease?” She looks up at me from beneath her lashes. “It’s not like I can go out and find a real date, you know?”
I heave out a sigh. Why am I such a sucker? What happened to my resolve, my fortitude, my freaking backbone?
She blinks at me again, and there’s more determination in her big green eyes than I have in my whole body.
“A minute. That’s all.”
She lets out one of her trademark squeals while her face breaks out into an ear-splitting grin, and I’m overcome with an unexpected spark of attraction. I look away quickly, pretending to concern myself with my tie, but she rises to her knees and leans over to loosen it for me.
“You need this, Doc. It’ll get you into the Christmas spirit. And since you aren’t having a holiday party at work …”
I clear my throat. “Actually, there’s a big hospital party this weekend. I just hadn’t planned on going.”
“Why not?” she frowns and drags my tie out from my collar.
“I, uh … I didn’t want to go alone either, I guess.” I wasn’t planning on admitting that to anyone, but I need a distraction from the feeling of Daisy’s fingers moving deftly over the buttons at my neck.
Shit.
I inhale deeply, then immediately realize it’s a mistake because she smells so damned good and feminine and … Daisy-ish.
Measles, mumps, rubella … roseola, varicella …
“I’ll go with you, silly,” she says as she opens my collar. “Hmm, one button or two?”
I continue holding my breath while she leans back and surveys my chest, then loosens another button and regards it again.
“Did you trim your chest hair?”
“What?” My voice cracks, and my ears heat up.
“I like it,” she remarks with a smirk before she reaches out to pat the skin she’s exposed. “Two buttons it is.”
Respiratory syncytial virus, laryngotracheobronchitis, pertussis …
“What’s pertussis ?”
I straighten in my seat. Have I been saying that out loud?
“Uh, it’s uh … whooping cough.”
“Why are you whispering about whooping cough?” she asks again, her expression amused.
I shake my head. “It’s … something I forgot to chart earlier,” I lie. Which I’m not supposed to be doing. But I also cannot under any circumstances explain my default method of deflection to her. The very idea that I need a distraction would be all the encouragement she needs to start tempting me on purpose.
“See—all the more reason to let loose tonight,” she continues, finally moving back to the passenger side, to my relief.
“Yeah, I guess,” I mutter before getting out of the Jeep and going around to open her door. Daisy smiles happily as she wraps her hands around my bicep, and I remind myself that I’m not allowed to enjoy the feeling of her at my side as I lead her on to the gathering in the back.
“Well, fancy meeting the two of you here … together ,” a familiar voice drawls. I yank my arm free and look up, my stomach immediately twisting into knots when I see Blake approaching.
“Did we miss anything?” Daisy returns cheerfully when he makes his way over, and my eyes scan the crowd for my sister. She’d never let me hear the end of it if she were to see us walking in arm-in-arm.
“It just got a helluva lot more interesting from where I’m standing, that’s for sure,” Blake proclaims with a wide grin. “So what are you doing out here, Lando?”
I shove my hands in my pockets. “You know … official roommate business.”
“The kind that requires you to get dressed up and escort your roomie to a work party?” He leans in and brushes a kiss over Daisy’s cheek. “You look lovely tonight, by the way.”
I grunt but don’t say anything. “What, I figure someone ought to compliment the young lady, in case her date forgets to do it,” Blake replies with a sly grin. Daisy casts a remorseful glance my way before thanking him.
“You’re awfully quiet, brother. Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” Blake asks after a while.
“I’m not your brother,” I grumble.
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, Doc. I happen to be well-versed in the law. And the fact that your sister and nieces bear my last name, share my DNA, and sleep in my bed definitely makes us brothers by law.” Blake tilts his head from side to side before he brings his drink up to his mouth and takes a sip. “Kinda the same way you and Dr. Rowan would become legal bros if you and Daisy were to end up tying the knot one day.”
Daisy’s eyes grow wide, but I clench my jaw, too annoyed to panic with her. “Technically, Loren wouldn’t share your DNA unless she developed fetal microchimerism and the twins left behind your half of their genetic material,” I say automatically.
“Sperm transfers DNA, doesn’t it?” Blake poses.
“Yes,” I answer hesitantly.
Blake cocks an eyebrow. “Well, then she’s definitely walking around with a healthy dose of my genetic?—”
“Enough,” I interrupt him, my blood starting to boil. Whatever it is that makes me so powerless against Daisy has got to be the same stuff that Blake’s always used to get under my skin. I may have learned to tolerate and respect my brother-in-law, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped imagining how satisfying a right hook to his chin would feel most of the time.
Blake only grins harder. “There he is. I was starting to worry you’d gone soft.”
“All right, you can stop now. This isn’t a date. I’m only here to take care of her,” I blurt out, my tone much harsher than necessary. Blake frowns as Daisy and I trade embarrassed glances.
“It was my idea,” she admits softly. “He didn’t want to come, but I begged him not to make me walk in alone.” I can see her eyes watering and her chin quivering as she says it.
Maybe that newfound confidence doesn’t run as deep as I assumed.
I sigh. “Daisy, don’t?—”
“Dammit, Landry,” Blake curses under his breath and steps in to place a comforting hand on Daisy’s back. “You know, you lose all your brownie points when you act like an ass, even when you’re doing something nice.”
“It’s okay,” she says, sniffling. “He doesn’t realize you weren’t being literal, that as unlikely as it is for me to show up with a real date, no one would ever be silly enough to believe Landry would stoop to my level.”
Blake gives her a look that I can’t quite read as she pulls away from his embrace. It’s not pity—maybe empathy or understanding—and it reminds me that Loren really did put him through the ringer. I don’t know if I like what it implies about my relationship with Daisy, but I don’t have time to overanalyze that kind of stuff right now, and I’m not about to ask Blake for his thoughts.
“Daze …” My voice is hoarse when I finally speak up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”
She sniffs one more time and nods, and I instinctively reach out for her hand as I continue. “You know it’s the other way around, right? You’re the one who’s too fun and beautiful to waste your time on an old grump like me. Okay?”
Her eyes are still downcast as she uses her free hand to wipe the moisture from her cheeks. “Yeah, sure.”
“I mean it. That’s why I didn’t ask you to come to the hospital party with me. I figured everyone would think I was delusional if I showed up with you on my arm. Or they’d all assume you were only with me for my money.”
To my relief, that one elicits a small laugh from her, and I smile at the sound of it.
“Well,” Blake begins, bringing me back. “This keeps getting more interesting by the minute.”
I glower at him as Loren walks up, and he bounces his eyebrows suggestively and shoots me a cocky smirk. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear he just set me up.
“Heyyy, you two look noice ,” my sister slurs and tucks herself under her husband’s arm.
I snort out a laugh. “Yeah. And you sound like you’re feeling pretty nice, Lo-Lo.”
She giggles and casts a sultry glance up at Blake, and I barely manage to hide my disgust. “Oh, I’m feeling verryyy nice, thanks to this drink my husband fixed me.” She reaches up to tap her cup against his, and he smiles down at her. “You should make one of these for old Land- oh ,” she tells him, puckering her lips as she drags out my name. “It’ll help dislodge that stick up his ass.”
Daisy stifles a laugh, and I huff. “Should you be drinking while you’re still breastfeeding?”
Loren scoffs and waves me off. “Re-laaxx, Doc. I’m only having one drink, and I just pumped a half-hour ago. It’ll be out of my system by the next feeding.”
“Don’t worry, I’m monitoring the situation very closely,” Blake leans in and says quietly before raising his voice again. “And of course I don’t mind mixing a cocktail for you, bro. I can even make it a little weaker than my wife’s, if you prefer. After all, I’m not trying to get you drunk enough for a DNA swap later. Although, your roommate might?—”
I growl, and he cuts himself off mid-sentence, grinning at me all the while. “I was just going to say she might appreciate the lubrication if she’s going to try to remove that aforementioned branch before the end of the night.”
“All right, boys, play nice,” Daisy chimes in and places a hand on my forearm, instantly calming me. “And for the record, Landry doesn’t have a big stick or a tree branch up his butt. It’s more like an itty, bitty splinter.”
My sister sprays us all when she bursts into laughter mid-sip, which Daisy apparently takes as a compliment. She aims a satisfied smirk at me, and I can’t even be mad at her for that one. I smile in return and nudge her playfully.
“I’m sorry,” Loren apologizes and wipes her chin. “Can you say that last part again?”
“It’s more like an itty, bitty splinter?” Daisy shrugs.
“Uh, that’s what she said,” JD pops in over Loren’s shoulder to deliver, and I groan.
“It’s like his calling card,” Loren explains as her brother-in-law and his wife join us. “If you set up a wood joke, he will?—”
“No one wants to hear that one, Agnes.” Blake slips a hand over her mouth before she can finish, then winces when she bites him. “ Save that enthusiasm for later, huh?” he tells her, narrowing his eyes and shaking his hand out.
I gag to myself.
“She’s not wrong, though. In fact, it doesn’t take much,” Tenley says with a snort, and he reaches down to smack her lightly on the butt, making her giggle before he turns to me.
“Sorry if that one was at your expense, Doc. The opportunity was too good to pass up.”
I glare at JD strangely. “Well, we have shared a locker room before, so I don’t think I need to remind you that it’s bigger than a splinter.”
Daisy gasps quietly beside me, and my smile creeps back. Because she knows it, too.
“Ay, I may have seen the lumber, but my wife hasn’t. So keep your tree trunk to yourself, man,” JD adds. Tenley bites her lip and rolls her eyes while the rest of them stifle their laughter, and I grin.
“Wait, you haven’t actually seen it, have you?” he turns and whispers to Tenley, but he’s not doing a good job of keeping a straight face.
“I wouldn’t tease him if I were you,” Tenley mumbles. “It took you two months to accomplish what he did in ten minutes.”
JD huffs and pouts while Blake tugs Tenley closer and plants a kiss on her cheek. “Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that you married my brother?” I’m surprised again by their ease with one another. I’ve never taken Tenley for an affectionate person, and that’s coming from someone who’s actually tried being physically affectionate with her before. “I’ve got to make the lumberjack over there a drink. After that burn, you’ve earned one, too, Ten,” Blake continues.
“Well, you heard the man,” JD agrees quickly, shoving his wife forward. “We’re officially six weeks post-delivery. I need you as drunk as Lo.”
“Geez, don’t you guys ever think about anything but sex?” I mutter.
JD and Blake glance at one another and shrug. “We married up. Can you blame us?” JD replies, making Tenley roll her eyes again. Then she simpers at him as if she’s got the same thing on her mind, and he leans down for a short kiss before the four of them walk on together.
Meanwhile, I stand there confused, watching it all unfold.
“Everything okay?” Daisy whispers when I don’t move.
“Yeah,” I say after a second. “It’s just … weird.”
“What’s weird?”
“All of it … my sister and her husband being so nice, the Golden Boy cracking inappropriate jokes and not looking at me as if he wants to knock my head off my shoulders, Tenley bringing up that time we dated as kids … it’s all a little foreign to me,” I admit.
She smiles softly. “I think that means you’re in their club now.”
I furrow my brow. “It’s never been this easy before. What’s changed?”
“They’re probably saying the same things they always have. You’re just reacting differently,” she offers with a shrug.
“Come on, Lando. I need you to bear witness to all this. Your sister makes dirty jokes when she hits the sauce too hard, and I can’t be held responsible when I fall for her methods of seduction again,” Blake calls after me, and I snort out a laugh as Daisy tugs me forward.
I cautiously sip the drink Blake fixes for me, reminding myself that I can’t afford another incident like the one at their wedding reception last month. Daisy hesitates when she gets ahold of a spiked hot chocolate, but I reassure her that I’m fine to look after her. She brings the cup to her lips, I suppose to test the temperature, then takes a longer drink. She glances up at me and stifles an adorable smirk, looking pleased with herself, and I can’t help but return the smile.
Not long after she finishes her drink, Daisy mentions being cold and rubs her hands over her arms. I lead her away from the rest of our crew to join the crowd gathering around a firepit near the edge of the patio. She leans into me, I assume to soak up some of my body heat, and I automatically wrap an arm around her to help her warm up more quickly.
Daisy laughs as she chats up her friend Claire with my arm draped over her shoulders. After a while, she reaches up and wraps her fingers around my forearm, tugging it in closer. It’s the kind of thing teenagers would do in public. In fact, I’d usually scoff if I saw adults my age acting like this. I imagine it must be the alcohol making her more friendly, especially since she doesn’t drink often.
I’m plotting on how to slink away without hurting her feelings when she brushes her fingernails lightly up my forearm as she continues talking. And it makes me shiver.
I force a friendly smile and pretend I’m paying attention to what they’re saying while she does it again, and my stomach dips.
Oh, no. This is bad.
I … like it.
The way she’s being so openly affectionate as she talks me up to her coworker, the feel of her gentle strokes over my arm …
I like all of it.
“You guys get cold?” Blake’s voice knocks me back into consciousness, and I tug my arm back a bit too quickly to avoid looking guilty.
I clear my throat and glance down at the drink in my other hand. Maybe this thing is stronger than I thought. “Uh, yeah, Daisy’s just trying to warm up.”
Because that’s all it was. And just like the morning after the wedding, I’m certain what I felt just now was only a natural reaction to her physical contact.
“Who needs hot chocolate and a bonfire when you have a hot date?” Blake mumbles so quietly that I’m the only one who hears it.
I shoot him a dangerous glare and put a little more space between Daisy and me, and her eyes dart around nervously when she notices the distance. She crosses her arms over her middle as she continues talking to her friend, but it’s obvious that my overreaction embarrassed her.
“Want me to grab you another drink?” I lean in to ask in an attempt to smooth things over.
She lifts her empty cup and forces an uncomfortable smile. “Um, no thanks, I’m fine.”
I sigh when she purposefully turns her back to me. This must be one of those times when “I’m fine” is actually code for “I’m pissed and it’s all your fault.”
Blake coughs lightly, grabbing my attention, and his smug expression confirms my suspicions.
He tilts his head encouragingly in Daisy’s direction. I shake mine in response. He nods, I mouth a silent no . He rolls his eyes and steps forward to grab my arm and force my hand toward Daisy’s backside, and I barely manage to move it up in time to catch the small of her back instead of her ass.
Then Blake spins around and pretends to take a drink, leaving me to face Daisy on my own.
Her round eyes meet mine questioningly, and I open and close my mouth a few times before I spit out an awkward response.
“Um, sorry, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Oh, sure,” she replies carefully. And I search my mind frantically for my next move as she excuses herself from her previous conversation.
I use the hand still planted on her back to lead her toward the patio, buying my time before I have to speak again.
“So, uh, just now,” I begin, furrowing my brow when I catch my brother-in-law puckering his lips at me over Daisy’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to?—”
But I’m interrupted when the host of the party walks by and pats my arm. “Uh-oh, looks like you guys are standing under the mistletoe,” Mrs. Julie announces. “You know what that means!”
Daisy and I both glance up at the same time to find the bunch of greenery hanging from the edge of the awning above us. My stomach dips immediately.
“Guess you gotta give your date a kiss now, Doc,” Blake says, smirking.
Loren grins and sidles up to him. “He’s right,” she chimes in, her eyes glossy. “It’s tradition.”
I clear my throat uncomfortably and look down to Daisy. She’s already blushing and looking adorably shy. But I can’t come out and ask her what she’s thinking right now, so I’ll have to sort it out.
My heart rate picks up as I continue to survey her expression. I think back on our previous conversations, and my memory flickers over her saying she wants a man who isn’t afraid of a little PDA, as well as all the times she’s seemingly enjoyed our harmless flirting, especially over the past month. And I imagine she’ll be devastated if I leave her hanging in front of her coworkers, even though she’s already preparing herself for a letdown.
Maybe it’s the slight buzz that fuels me on, or maybe it’s the warmth still lingering in my chest from earlier, but I swallow hard and channel Impulsive Landry as I grab Daisy’s hand and yank her closer. “Well then, we can’t break tradition. Right?”