Page 10 of Sunshine
“We’ll check our schedules and get back to you,” I say.
“All right. In the meantime…” Hannah shifts her body ever so slightly toward Daisy, effectively putting her back to me. “I’ve been meaning to call you, Daze. How’s your brother doing?”
Daisy sets her glass down with a careful hand. “My brother?”
“Yes. Dylan. He must be working so hard raising that little girl all on his own.”
“What makes you think he’s on his own?” Daisy asks.
Behind her back, Morgan and Rachel exchange a curious look, and I roll my eyes as I pluck up another French fry. Here we go.
Hannah tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as she leans in with curiosity. “So, is Dylan seeing someone? Because the last I heard, he was single.”
Daisy crosses her arms under her breasts and leans back in her seat, giving the impression of looming even though she’s sitting while Hannah stands. “Why do you want to know?”
Hannah lifts one shoulder and laughs lightly. “Just making conversation.”
“And how about Finn?” Rachel asks. “We barely see him around town since he returned from service, but we’re almost certain he hasn’t dated anyone locally. He’s still single, right?”
Daisy’s mouth flattens. “I really couldn’t tell you.”
“And Chord?” Morgan adds. “Is he still dating that gold-digging fashion designer? They’re such an odd match. It won’t last much longer—right?”
“They’re very happy together,” Daisy replies shortly as one leg begins to bounce under the table. “And she’snota gold-digger.”
“Really?” Morgan frowns for a silent moment, then shakes her head. “I don’t buy it.”
“I’m not sure what else to tell you.” Daisy’s tone is flat enough for me to know she’s at her limit. “Now, if you’re done insulting my friends and grilling me for information about my brothers’ love lives, Poppy and I were in the middle of a conversation, so you three can just f—”
“You don’t have to be so harsh,” Hannah snaps.
Daisy glares up at her. “And you don’t have to be so transparent. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Don’t pretend to be my friend just to get to my brothers.”
Hannah returns Daisy’s hot stare with a frosty look down her nose. “Now I remember why it’s so hard to like you.”
Daisy snorts as they walk away, and I wait until they’re out of earshot before I reach under the table and steady her bouncing with a hand on her knee. “Are you okay?”
Daisy shakes her head and scoffs under her breath. “I’m fine. I just—Ugh!I hate the way those girls make me feel. Like the only reason I’m worth their time is because I’ve got three hot brothers. Why do I let their stupid shit get to me? Shouldn’t I be over it by now?”
I shrug. “High school leaves scars.”
“Yeah, well, it’s stuff like this that makes me more determined to go ahead with our plan to put Dylan’s life back on track. Can you imagine the look on Hannah’s face when Dylan’s finally off the market?”
Daisy rubs her palms together, and I dip my chin in surprise. “Ourplan?”
“Our plan. My plan. To-may-to. To-mah-to.” Daisy grins. “Phase one is already underway—you’re Izzy’s new nanny. That’sgoing to give Dylan more time to take care of himself, which will naturally lead to meeting new people and falling in love.”
I manage to swallow my mouthful of root beer without choking. “You want Dylan to fall in love?That’sphase two of your plan?”
“Yes. Izzy needs more than a mother who only visits two or three times a year, and Dylan needs a real partner. Someone to love him and support him and make a life with him. Someone who’llstay.”
I choose my next words carefully, hoping Daisy only hears my concern for Dylan and not the despair of imagining him in love with someone else. “Isn’t that the kind of thing Dylan needs to work out for himself?”
Daisy shakes her head and holds up a hand, a single digit raised as she starts listing reasons why it’s reasonable for her to interfere in her big brother’s personal life.
“One: he doesn’t know how. Two: he works too hard. Three: he’s too busy with Izzy and the restaurant to find a minute for himself. And four: he’s lonely. He’s been lonely for years. If we don’t step in now, nothing will ever change. I don’t want that for my brother or my niece. They deserve so much more, and it’s up to us to make sure they get it.”
I think about why my best friend is back in Aster Springs, and though I promised not to talk about it unless she brings it up, I’m intuitive enough to suspect that this obsession with Dylan’s love life has something to do with Daisy’s breakup with her ex.
