Page 20 of Shattered Secrets

“Let me know if you need anything,” Four said, shooting her a wink and heading to the other end of the bar.

Facing Matt, she gathered her wits.Answer his question. There’s no need to be nervous, dammit.Right. “I was just telling Four that Daisy’s good. The cast hasn’t slowed her down one bit.”

He looked around, brow furrowing. “Is she here?”

“No. She apparently had plans tonight and wasn’t going to let a cast stop her.” Scarlet smiled, recalling her shy little girl’s determination this morning. “I was going to keep her home from day care today, but she insisted on going. She didn’t want to miss pool day.”

“Pool day?”

She nodded. “Flora and Katie set up a bunch of kiddie pools in the backyard and had a pool party with ice cream and treats. They have this calendar in the playroom and all the kids have been counting down the days. Daisy’s been looking forward to it for weeks.”

“Not gonna lie, that sounds like a damn good time. Wait.” He frowned, and a crinkle between his eyebrows popped. “Can Daisy get her cast wet?”

“No, but Flora somehow got her a special cast-covering baggie thing. It’s even pink. So Daisy’s all good. Then tonight, they arranged for a projector and screen to do a backyard movie thing for the kids with sleeping bags, endless chicken nuggets, and popcorn. Daisy really wanted to stay for that—and Daisy never wants to stay for those things—so here I am.”

“Wow, that’s quite the day. I’m glad she’s bounced back.” Matt stared at her for a moment, and it took everything she had to not squirm. “Areyoudoing okay? I imagine that yesterday was a roller coaster for you.”

Surprise had her thoughts scrambling, and she moved her gaze to her glass of water. “Um, yeah. It was quite the nerve-racking day for sure.” She peeked back at him with a bright smile. “But I’m fine.”

A complete lie. Yesterday had been horrendous. She’d used every bit of acting skill she didn’t know she possessed to hold it together. To not reveal her utter terror and heartbreak at seeing her daughter injured for the first time.

It had taken longer than usual to get Daisy settled last night, and after forty-five minutes of tossing and turning in bed, of crying that she couldn’t get comfortable, Scarlet had tucked Daisy into her own bed beside her. Once her daughter had finally fallen asleep, she’d carefully snuck out of bed, hopped into the shower, and cried her eyes out.

Hours later, as she’d lain in bed with her daughter kicking and whacking the crap out of her, her mind had raced. What if Daisy had been injured worse? What would she have done? What ifshegot injured? What would happen to Daisy then? Who would look out for her?

The rabbit hole she’d gone down hadn’t been pretty, but in the wee hours of the morning, she’d concluded that she needed to step it up and act like an adult. She’d avoided so many things for fear of getting her name in the system, but it wasn’t just about her anymore. She had to think about Daisy, and it killed her that it had taken her baby getting hurt for her to realize it.

Scarlet didn’t know anything about wills or stuff like that, but she needed to sort it all out. Because if anything happened to her, Daisy would be all alone. And that was unacceptable.

On top of her to-do list was talking to Poppy and Cade to see if, worst-case scenario, they’d be willing to take Daisy. If they declined, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. No other backup person came to mind. Aside from Poppy, Ray and Martha were the only ones who knew anything remotely about Scarlet’s past. They loved Daisy, but they weren’t an option. They were in their eighties.

It was Poppy and Cade or foster care. And while she didn’t know anything about Washington State’s system, she imagined they were all the same. She’d grown up in and out of South Dakota’s and wouldn’t wish that on her baby.

She would figure something out. She had to.

“Scarlet?”

She jerked, and her eyes flew to meet Matt’s.Ohmygod, what were we talking about?“I’m so sorry. I totally spaced out there.”

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, waving her hand like her brain lapse was no big deal. “But I suppose I’m a little more tired than I thought. I’m sorry, you were saying?”

“I asked what time you had to pick up Daisy tonight?”

“Oh.” She glanced at her watch. Just under two hours to go. “Seven.”

“Here you are, Scar,” Four said, setting a bowl of soup and a plate of fries in front of her.

“Oh, Four, I ordered a cup.” She gently pushed the bowl to him.

“Did you? Oh well, I’ll just charge you for the cup.” He shrugged. “You may as well eat that since it’s here. What kind of sauce do you want for your fries?”

She suspected Four knew exactly what he was doing. Embarrassment sprouted in her belly, but she ignored it. She hated the charity, the pity. However, she was a realist and had put her pride aside countless times to survive. If the man wanted to give her extra food, she wasn’t going to be an idiot and refuse it.

“Thanks, Four. And ketchup, please.” She flashed him that chipper smile she’d perfected at the diner, then took a sip of soup and bit back a groan. This was way, way better than the canned tomato soup that was on rotation at home. She turned to Matt, determined to converse like a normal human being. “What are you up to tonight?”

“We all figured we’d get one last dinner in to catch up before Cade heads out of town.” His chin lifted when Four refilled his water. “And we figured we’d do it here so we can harass this guy at the same time.”

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