Page 29 of Sunshine
“What do you mean?” I ask, clearing my throat when it cracks.
“I mean you’ve got more time to focus on yourself now that Izzy has a nanny,” Daisy says. “You shaved this week. Next step: do your hair. Put on a nice shirt and a pair of pants without food stains. Wear a little cologne.” She raises her eyebrows suggestively. “Meet new people. Maybe even go on a date.”
“A date?” If we’re not talking about Poppy, then I don’t want to talk about this at all. “I don’t have time to date.”
“Yeah, you do,” Finn mutters.
I shoot him a dirty look. “Whose side are you on?”
“Daisy’s.”
Our little sister gives me a triumphant smirk, and I glare at her. “What are you scheming this time?”
Daisy rolls her eyes, likeI’mthe one givinghera hard time. “I was right about Poppy being a great nanny for Izzy, wasn’t I?”
I take a sip of my beer to delay the inevitable. “Maybe.”
“Definitely. So can you please keep an open mind when I tell you about the incredible woman I’ve set you up with for tomorrow night?”
A spray of beer bursts from my lips, and I scowl hard at Finn. Daisy interferes enough without his encouragement, but by the look on his face, this part of her plan is news to him too.
“Daze,” he says with a tone of warning. “What did you do?”
“What?” She stiffens with indignation. “You agreed he needs to get out there.”
“Yeah, but I thought you meant with a woman he knows. Maybe one he chooses for himself?”
Daisy’s snort is so quiet, I might be convinced it never happened except Finn hears it too.
“What’s so funny?” he asks.
“You want Dylan to choose a match for himself? With his track record?”
“All right.” I stand, unable to tell if I’m offended because Daisy’s wrong or because she’s got it really right. “I’m not talking about this, and I’mnotgoing out with a woman I don’t know just because you tell me to.”
Daisy scrambles to her feet, following me into the kitchen, and even Finn tucks his phone away and trails along behind.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious?” Daisy asks me.
“Nope.”
She crosses her arms with a huff, then frowns at Finn like she just noticed him. “Why are you following me?”
“The police are going to want a witness.”
Daisy shoves him—he doesn’t move—before she positions herself between me and the exit, bracing herself with a wide stance as if she expects me to barrel right through.
“Her name’s Molly,” Daisy says. “She’s twenty-six years old, has an English lit degree, and runs a bookstore in Jasper Creek.”
“Good for Molly.”
I step to the left, but Daisy darts to the side to block me. Behind her, Finn lounges against the wall, arms crossed over his broad chest, watching with amusement.
“She’s a brunette—I know you like brunettes—and she loves small town life.”
“Who said I like brunettes?” I ask, then shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. The answer is no.”
“She’s got no plans to move away from her hometown,” Daisy says, ignoring me and talking faster with every word. “But Jasper Creek is only twenty minutes from here, so it’s not like we’re talking long distance. How great is that?”
