Page 45 of A Doctor for Daisy

“No,” she said. She hated that Poppy was surprised over Heather not knowing, but everyone was just so happy in their relationships and she wanted to savior this a little bit with Theo in case it didn’t work out.

There was so much about them that were opposites and though they said opposites attract, that didn’t mean it could be long term.

She really wanted long term in her life for once and holding out a little longer before anyone knew wasn’t that bad of a thing.

At least that was the logic she was using right now.

“You two are like sisters. You tell each other everything. You’re like me and Lily and Rose.”

“Lily and Rose didn’t tell you they were dating their husbands right away.”

Poppy pouted. “Fair point. But I suspected it. They aren’t nearly as sneaky and sly as I was.”

She’d heard Poppy was the wild child of the three girls. “It’s new yet.”

“Not so new that you got some action. Tell me who it is,” Poppy said. “I can keep a secret.”

“No, you can’t,” she said. “And I don’t want anyone to know. We don’t see each other much, but yesterday we went horseback riding and it was so much fun and sweet and kind of romantic.”

“Ahhh,” Poppy said. “So your lady parts got some action before the sex.”

She laughed. If there was one person she could talk to about this, it’d be Poppy. Her mother was always asking her about Theo and if they’d slept together yet and she just didn’t feel right talking about her sex life to her mother.

She never did. Not even as a kid. In her eyes there were some things you didn’t share with your mother.

There were times she wished she could have, but she figured it out on her own through sweat, tears, and sleepless nights.

Going to her mother wouldn’t have helped and probably would have made her feel worse.

Things worked out in life and she had to keep reminding herself of that too.

“I was trying to save them from the horse ride,” she said. “But then I kept getting yelled at by the tour guide for the way I was riding. I was doing more squatting to keep my ass from slapping up and down in the saddle. My thighs are pretty sore today so if I’m walking funny, I’m just telling people I had a hard workout.”

“Oh, sweetie, if he did it right, you had more than one,” Poppy said.

She started to laugh. “He did.”

“If Heather doesn’t know, then how did you get it past her? She had to notice you walking funny. Get up and move for me. Let me see if I can notice.”

“You know if I stand up to walk I’m going to be all self-conscious and then I won’t walk normal anyway.”

“You’ve got a point. What did you tell Heather?”

“I was getting out of the shower when she got home. I told her that I had a hard workout and my legs were like rubber.”

“Do you use the gym in the building?” Poppy asked.

Since it was Poppy’s old condo that Daisy lived in, she knew the building well.

“I do. So there wasn’t much of a lie there. Well, there was because I hadn’t used it yesterday, but I did on Saturday.”

She tried to go to the gym at least three times a week. Heather never wanted any part of it, so she went alone. She normally got hit on, or had in the past, but now she went when she knew it’d be slower.

“We all tell little white lies now and again. But what’s the real reason you don’t want Heather to know? Is it someone she knows?”

This was getting too close to home. Theo had said that he knew Reese too from when they were kids. Now she really had to dial back things she was going to say at least until Heather knew.

Time to skirt around and land on the truth without addressing that question. “It’s not that as much as I’ve had such horrible luck with men since I’ve lived here. I hate telling people that I’m dating someone to only tell them weeks later it’s done. I feel like such a loser. All you guys are finding the one for you. Even Heather looks to be going strong with Luke. She can get the attention right now.”