Page 61 of A Christmas Duet

“Him?” Hailey nodded toward a man. He looked to be around her own age, disheveled and depressed. He hung his head and stared into his coffee as though he didn’t have a friend in the world.

“Yup.”

Hailey continued to study him, as if she might have met him at one time or another. She shook her head, convinced he wasn’t anyone she’d ever met.

“He said he desperately needed to talk to you. I quizzed him if he was family. He was honest enough to tell me you didn’t know him personally.”

Hailey had no idea who this guy was. “Weird,” she added under her breath. She continued to study him. The poor fellow certainly looked down.

Is it possible?

Could itbe?

It didn’t seem conceivable that this stranger might be Charles. Daisy’s rocket scientist.

Nancy mentioned that he was desperate to talk to her. At first Hailey had assumed it was someone else who’d come to talk to her about the video. For Daisy’s sake, she needed to find out.

Hailey climbed out of the booth and walked directly across the diner to where he sat. On closer inspection, he resembled an absent-minded professor, or better yet, a rocket scientist. Convinced now that he was her sister’s Charles, she claimed the seat across from him.

“By chance is your name Charles?” she asked.

Startled, he looked up and nodded. “Are you…Daisy’s sister?”

“I am.”

His eyes brightened, and he smiled as if seeing her was a Christmas miracle. “I’ve been asking all over town, hoping to find you. Daisy told me all about you, andwhen I saw the YouTube video, I noticed it was in Podunk. I’ve been desperate to find her. Do you know where she might be?”

“I do. She’s with me.”

He reached for his hat. “Will you take me to her? Please. I need to see her, convince her how much I love and need her.”

Hailey had every intention of making that happen. “Slow down, cowboy.”

His eyes pleaded with her. “I don’t know that I can. Daisy broke up with me and said she doesn’t love me, and our relationship was a mistake, but I don’t believe her. Not for a minute. I knew her parents lived in Tacoma, so I drove there first. A neighbor told me they’d left for the holidays. I didn’t know where else she could be until I came across that video of you in Podunk.”

“How did you even know where to find where our parents live?”

He grinned as if that was easy. “One can find almost anything on the internet. I knew your dad was a pharmaceutical salesman, now retired. That was all the information required to track him down.”

Her sister was right; this guy was clever. “Daisy mentioned you have a great brain.”

He sat up straighter and his smile grew. “She mentioned me?”

“Oh yes, she told me all about you. You were right not to listen to her. I’m pretty confident she’s head over heels in love with you.”

“Then why…”

“Your guess is as good as mine. I think Daisy is afraid with all your differences that you’ll grow tired of her.”

“Never,” he insisted. “The minute I saw her at that farmers’ market, I knew. She was so bright and friendly; people were naturally drawn to her. She’s like the sun warming everyone around her with her smile. She mesmerized me. It took me a week to gather up the courage to even approach her. I was afraid I’d be too tongue-tied to speak.”

“Daisy is her own person, and some people might find her quirky.”

“Quirky,” he repeated, as if he’d never heard the word before. “That’s ridiculous. I realize she’s a bit different than some women, but that’s what makes Daisy who she is. I love her for being herself.”

“Daisy is special, and it takes a rare man to recognize how truly wonderful she is.”

For a moment it looked like Charles was about to tear up. “Do you think Daisy will be willing to see me?”

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