Chapter Twenty-One #2
“Just for a bit,” Daisy said. “Anyway, it’s time for your shower. Say goodbye to Jameson.”
Amelia ignored that. “Did you know my dad?”
Daisy’s breath caught. Panic slowly crept in. “Amelia. Shower. Now.”
Amelia stared at Jameson one more beat, then stomped off. When the bathroom door clicked shut, Daisy whispered, “You should go.”
Jameson stood and walked slowly toward Daisy. “I’m sorry. That was thoughtless on my part.”
Daisy gulped hard. “It’s all right. I just wasn’t prepared for that. I hate lying to her.”
“You’re a good mum, Daisy. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
She tried not to smile but failed and walked him to the door. “See you Friday.”
“Can’t wait.”
“I can’t believe we’re going to the aquarium!” Amelia squealed as they waited for pickup. Daisy wasn’t thrilled about letting him drive them, but he’d insisted; of course he had.
Some things didn’t change.
“I’m going to show him everything. The penguins, the jellyfish—”
“He’s been. I’m sure he remembers.”
Amelia tilted her chin and incredulously smirked. “Oh right, when you two were boyfriend and girlfriend. Did you kiss?”
She eyeballed the persistent girl. God, she was so much like Jameson.
“You’re hesitating… that must mean you kissed a lot.”
“I’m going to need you to stop talking.”
“Mom.”
“Shhh…”
Mother and daughter sat in silence before Daisy’s phone chirped and broke the stillness. Gazing down at where her phone sat on the coffee table, she saw that Jameson had texted her.
Jameson: Two minutes away. I’ll come up.
Daisy: No need. We’ll come down.
Daisy gently elbowed a glowing Amelia and said, “Grab your backpack, sweet stuff. Jameson is pulling up.”
Amelia was out the door before Daisy had her bag on her shoulder. By the time Daisy locked up and reached the downstairs entrance, a black Escalade idled at the curb and Jameson stepped out from the back.
“Jameson!” Amelia barreled into his open arms.
Daisy stopped halfway and let the moment happen. She tried not to let the guilt overtake her yet again, but there it was, waiting to settle in on her soul.
Jameson waved at her over Amelia’s shoulder. She waved back and walked toward the car. As she got closer, she saw a bald man in a black shirt, seated in the driver’s seat of the car.
“Who’s that?” she asked softly.
“That’s Barry,” Jameson said, opening the back door for Amelia. “My driver.”
Barry nodded; Daisy offered a small, awkward smile as she climbed in beside Amelia. “You don’t drive yourself?”
“Sometimes I still take the Cruiser out,” he said, circling to the other side. “But not as often as I should.”
“You still have the Land Cruiser?” Daisy asked, surprised.
“Of course. Too many good memories to let it go.” He lifted his eyebrows as they pulled away.
Heat flooded Daisy’s face at the memories they had shared in that car, particularly the back-seat ones.
“What memories?” Amelia asked, sharp as a pin.
Jameson chuckled and threw his arm across the headrest. “The best ones. Your mum was there for most.”
“Like what?”
Daisy smoothed Amelia’s hair, shooting Jameson a look. “Like the time he drove us to the beach in winter and dared me to jump in the ocean.”
“Did you?”
In unison, they said, “Of course.”
“Your mum was never scared of a dare,” he said.
“Neither were you,” she countered.
“We should do it again!” Amelia said. “Jameson, will you take us in the Cruiser?”
“I’ll take you for a ride,” he said. “But I’m not letting you jump into the ocean. We were lucky we didn’t catch hypothermia.”
“Fine.” She crossed her arms and grunted. “I’ll wait till I’m older and go with my boyfriend.”
Jameson’s smile snapped into a grimace. “Absolutely not. I’ll take you.”
“But you just said—”
“When it’s warmer,” he amended.
Daisy shook her head, amused. She already had him wrapped around her finger.
Hook, line, and sinker.
They spent the rest of the drive trading the safe versions of old stories. At the curb, Jameson pulled on an oversized hoodie, an SF Giants cap, aviators, and much to Amelia’s delight, a fake black mustache.
“What do we think?” he asked.
They cracked up but gave him their approval. It was perfect. Barely recognizable.
When he was ready to go, Jameson hopped out onto the curb and waited for Daisy and Amelia to follow out behind him. As they made their way toward the entrance, Daisy noticed that Barry was not far behind.
Perplexed, she leaned closer to Jameson and posed, “Sorry to be nosy, but why is your driver following us?”
“Barry heads my security,” Jameson said. “He drives sometimes, too.”
“You only brought him?”
“Just today. The disguise helps. He wasn’t thrilled.” He grimaced. “Apologies if he gets too protective. His job is to keep us safe.”
“You mean you,” she said automatically.
“No,” he said quickly, motioning to all three of them. “Us.”
Daisy nodded and led the way inside.
She was relieved to find the aquarium quiet for a Friday afternoon. Aside from a roaming swarm of middle-schoolers, it was practically empty. Amelia dragged Jameson straight to the penguins.
“Aren’t they the coolest?!”
Mesmerized, he watched the tuxedoed bodies rocket through blue water. “Yeah. Pretty awesome.”
“Do you remember the penguins being here when you and Mom came?”
He glanced at Daisy, grinning. “Honestly, I don’t remember much of this place.”
“How?” Amelia gasped. “This is the best!”
“You’ve seen your mum, right?”
She nodded, confused.
“I was a little busy trying to impress the pretty girl.”
“You must’ve had it bad,” Amelia said, rolling her eyes.
“So bad,” he murmured.
Daisy’s breath caught as she listened to their exchange.
The words brought back memories she thought she’d buried, but instead of hurting, they warmed her in a quiet, unexpected way.
It amazed her how easily he could slip beneath her guard, especially standing there beside Amelia, so casual and unassuming.
For a moment, the walls she’d built didn’t feel quite as sturdy.
“Come on! Let’s go see the jellyfish!” she shrieked, tugging them on.
An hour became two and Amelia didn’t tire.
Daisy loved that about her, this bottomless curiosity she had about the ocean.
She didn’t know where her interest had come from, maybe The Little Mermaid years.
She’d watched that movie a hundred times.
Daisy used to swear that if she heard “Part of Your World” one more time, she’d stage an intervention.
“I swear that kid never stops,” Jameson said.
Pulled out of her thoughts, Daisy looked up from the bench she was sitting on.
“Only around eight p.m. and even then, I think her brain is still whirling.”
He laughed, and his fake mustache slipped. Daisy bit her lip as he nudged it back into place.
“It’s a rough life for a rock star.”
“There aren’t many people here,” Daisy said, glancing around. “You can take it off.”
He ripped it off with relief. “Thank God. It was giving me a rash.”
He sat beside her.
“This is nice,” Daisy said.
“It is.” He exhaled. “I think I like this whole dad thing.”
“You’re a natural.”
“Thanks.”
They watched Amelia in front of the shark tunnel, small and steady. Daisy felt the old line inside her give. It might be time, past time, to be honest. To say the words she’d kept behind her teeth for Amelia’s whole life. But normalcy had its own gravity. It kept her anchored.
“Jameson…” She turned to him with kind eyes. “I think we should talk about—”
She was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of his phone.
“Sorry, it’s my mum.”
“Go ahead.”
“Hi, Mum, can I call you—” He stopped, listening. “Is she all right?” A pause. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay. I’m on my way.”
He hung up and stood. “We have to go.”
Daisy rose, hand light on his forearm. “What happened?”
“That was Mum’s neighbor,” he said, briefly glancing down at the place she touched him. His breath came heavier. “She was out for a walk and got attacked by an unleashed dog. Doesn’t sound great, and Mum is refusing to go to the hospital.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Yeah. My stubborn mum.” He managed a tight smile. “I need to check on her.”
“Of course.” Daisy shouldered her purse and Amelia’s backpack, rounded up her daughter, and hurried out. Barry had the SUV at the curb within seconds.
Only once they were moving did Daisy realize where they were headed and who they were about to see.