Page 112 of One Life to Loathe

“Sam will understand that part of it,” Daisy interjected. “Leo is right. He can’t control everything. He just needs a plan to present her with.”

“So, she goes with you to film the movie,” Jax pressed. “What then?”

“Then we do whatever she wants,” I replied. “It’s about getting both of us what we want.”

“And if Sam wants to come back here and find a place to live and spend the six months until you start filming again skipping along the waterfront?” Daisy challenged.

“Then Sam gets what she wants,” I replied without hesitation. “I’m not trying to take everything from her and not reciprocate. I want her to get everything she wants too.”

“What happens if the movie is a huge hit?” Jax asked. “Will you leave the show for another movie down the line?”

I’d already considered it. “I want to stay on the show. With Sam. I thought maybe the compromise would be one movie in the offseason. The rest of the time is for whatever she wants.”

“It sounds like a fair compromise to me,” Jax noted.

Daisy rolled her eyes. “Of course you think that.”

“You believe differently?” he challenged.

“This is a negotiation,” Daisy replied. “I’m trying to get my girl everything she needs.”

“Here we go,” Jax muttered under his breath, forcing me to swallow a smile.

I would need Daisy on my side if this was going to work, so if she had hoops she wanted me to jump through, I was ready for them. “What do you think she’s going to want to sweeten the deal?” I asked, bracing myself.

“Don’t say a proposal,” Jax warned. “Don’t even go there.”

Daisy shot him a disdainful look. “I wasn’t going to say a proposal, so just chill out. It’s too soon for that. Don’t propose until you’re done with the movie shoot,” she warned me. “The whole point of that shoot is for the two of you to get to know one another better and be out in the open for a change.”

“I wasn’t considering a proposal,” I assured her. “Not yet anyway. I just want to take care of her.”

“Then what else might she want?” Daisy asked primly.

“I was thinking maybe we could get a place here,” I replied. “If the show does as well as I think it will, then we’ll be spending at least half of the year here. Now, a house isn’t practical to start with,” I cautioned. “We need a place with a property manager.”

“Like a condo with a view of the water?”

“Actually, that sounds perfect.” I narrowed my eyes. “Why? Do you know of a condo on the water that’s going to be on the market?”

“Actually, I do,” Daisy replied. “Jennifer Granger is going to be selling her condo, but not for about four months or so. The timing might work out because you would be finishing up your shoot around then.”

“What’s the place like?”

“It’s a condo on the water,” Daisy replied. “Does it matter? It’s nice, though. She didn’t have any pets and she’s a nonsmoker.”

I ran the idea through my head. “I’m not buying a place until Sam and I are on the same page,” I warned her.

“I’m just saying it’s an option. You can have it in your back pocket when Sam fights you … and sheisgoing to fight you at first.”

My brow furrowed. “What makes you say that?”

“She wants you more than she’s ever wanted anything,” Daisy replied. “She’s afraid to want you, though. Also, she’s a giver. She’ll hurt herself if she believes she’s giving you what you need. You have to prove to her that what you need is her.”

It made sense when I thought about it. “She is what I need. If she doesn’t want to go with me to the movie set, I’ll give up the movie and stay here with her.”

Daisy shook her head. “She’s not going to want that either. You guys need to have balance. Her needs are important. Yours are too. She’ll want to go to the movie set with you.”

“And, in return, you’ll be coming back here for the show because it’s what she needs,” Jax said. “It’s a good compromise.”

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