Page 33 of A Doctor for Daisy

“That about sums it up,” she said.

“Good. Then we have that in common.”

“I highly doubt you have that fear.”

“Are you kidding me?” he said, squeezing her hand some. “You’re hot. You’re friendly. And you’re giving me the time of day. Most of my life hot chicks were only interested in me to do their homework for them.”

She rolled her eyes. “I doubt that.”

His hand went to his heart. “Oh, that’s the truth. In college, the hot chicks were all coming up to me and playing nice and being sweet and flirting with the sixteen-year-old that hadn’t reached six feet yet and didn’t have any facial hair. They thought they could get me to think they were attracted to me.”

She snorted. “Old trick. Did you fall for it? I mean most sixteen-year-old boys only think with one organ.”

He laughed at her. “That was a given, but my brain won out. I knew what they wanted from a young age. By the time I graduated though, I’d hit six foot one and had facial hair. I could blend in with the other seniors even though I was three years younger.”

“Did it make life easier for you?” she asked.

His thumb was running over the top of her hand in a caress and she found she was doing the same back to him.

“No. Or some. I didn’t stand out as much, but word had gotten out at that point. Most of my friends were those that needed help. Not anyone that wanted to hang out.”

She realized she’d judged him wrong. She felt a bit sorry for him now but wouldn’t dare say that to him.

“I’m sorry for that,” she said. “I didn’t have a lot growing up. We lived with my grandmother for years and then when my grandmother met a man and moved and got married we moved out on our own. And by grandmother, you have to understand she was under fifty at that point. I was ten. My grandmother was seventeen when she had my mother and my mother was eighteen when she had me. So yeah, I’m already winning.”

“You were winning long before that,” he said. “I can see the determination in your eyes to be your own person.”

“How the heck can you understand me so well?” she asked.

“Remember that. Not what is in our pasts. Just what we knew and felt of each other before we started this conversation.”

Daisy released his fingers even though she didn’t want to, but she wanted some more wine to wet her parched throat.

“You know, for someone that is worried you might blow it, you’re pretty smooth.”

“Said no woman ever to me before,” he said. “I’m serious. The truth is, I’m at a point in my life where I’m trying to just live it the best that I can. And maybe not screw up. But I’ve always been the type that went after something I wanted and worked until it was mine.”

She lifted an eyebrow up at him. “I hope you’re not talking about me. I’m not sure I want any guy to make me their possession.”

“And that is why I like you. There are a lot of women out there that would want to be with me for all the wrong reasons to get a life they wanted but not the man.”

“Not me,” she said. “I want the man and will figure out my life on my own.”

“As I said, you are doing a pretty good job of it so far.”

“Thank you. And the reason I don’t want Heather to know just yet, is I’m not sure where this is going. We have this one date and already we are both wondering what is going on. I just don’t want to add to my list of failed dates to anyone else.” It was just another rung on the embarrassment ladder she seemed to be climbing up and down on in her life.

“I’m hoping for more than this one, but if you don’t want to, just let me know.”

“I’d like another. I really would.”

“Then let’s finish this lunch because I want that cookie. Just so you know, no one has ever baked anything for me before. Not a woman I’ve dated or been dating.”

“Really? That’s sad.”

“Yeah,” he said. “It is.”

They finished their lunch after that, then he was true to his word and they split a cookie because it was so huge and she was stuffed from lunch.

---