Page 17 of The Bride and the Baker

Chapter Four

Daisy stood in the middle of the apartment and looked around in awe. This apartment was huge, certainly twice the size of the one she had shared with Nick. And it had an incredible view from the huge windows, showing downtown Seattle.

These apartments cost a fortune. She couldn’t even think about owning a place like this.

“You’re going to stick like that when the wind changes.”

Daisy turned. Lee was leaning against the kitchen counter, watching her with a smile. Daisy felt her face getting warm. That smile of his was more than enough to make her forget the barriers between them.

Forcing back the flutters starting low in her stomach, Daisy gestured at their surroundings.

“This is your sister’s apartment?”

“It was hers. She’s just moved in with her guys, and she was planning on putting this place up for rent.”

“Her guys.” Daisy frowned. “Did I hear you correctly, or was that a way of saying roommates?”

“I suppose you could call them roommates. They all share the same room when they sleep.” Lee burst out laughing. “You should see the look on your face right now.”

“How many guys are we talking about?”

“Three.”

“Three?” Daisy squeaked. “Seriously?”

“Yes. All of them are cops. Let’s just say Myra was too stubborn to choose, and she needs more than one guy to keep her in check.” Lee shook his head. “Not conventional, I agree, but it works for them. And they all love Myra, plus Myra is happier. They’ve found a medium that works, so who am I to piss all over that?”

Three guys. Myra had struggled to get one guy into bed and keep his attention. She couldn’t imagine doing that with three. She bit her lip.

“So, she’s letting me use the apartment for the time being?”

“It’s got good security into the building, plus one of the best state-of-the-art systems. And Nick won’t know where you are.” Lee pushed himself off the counter. “You can stay here for as long as you need until you can get your own place, but Myra also offered to rent this place out to you as a reduced price.”

“Really?”

“I’m her brother, and she’s doing this as a favor for me. She said if you wanted, she could let you stay as her tenant.”

Daisy didn’t know what to say about that. She thought the place was incredible, certainly far too dear for her. But if there was a chance to stay here on a more permanent basis…

“I’ll think about it.” Daisy sighed. “I think I should get everything with Nick sorted first before I deal with that. There is a lot I need to deal with.”

“I understand.” Lee paused. “I’m sorry, Daisy.”

“What for?”

“That this happened to you. If I’d known that he was such a dick…”

“Nobody saw this coming. Nick was very good at hiding it from everyone, including me.” Daisy wrapped her arms around her middle and wandered towards the huge windows. The view really was spectacular. “I was with him for four years, and for two of them I didn’t even know that he was cheating on me. That he was stringing two of us along at once.”

“I don’t get why anyone would do that.”

“Why else? Money.”

Lee frowned.

“I didn’t think a musician earned that much for someone to mooch off of.”

“Well, it’s a steady job, and I get paid quite well for concerts and lessons. I’ve even performed in symphonies.” Daisy shrugged. “I guess I saved up quite a lot. Plus, I have an inheritance from my mom when she died. That means I can live comfortably without needing to work if I so wanted for quite a while.”

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