Page 14 of Fighting for Daisy

“All right,” he said. “Where?”

“The Drip. The new one on Trent Boulevard. You know it?”

He nodded and drove to the coffee shop.

“This place looks much better than it did the last time I was here,” he said. The parking lot had been repaved, and all the storefronts redone in a woodsy, old-timey theme.

“Arresting kids for smoking behind the building?”

“And painting graffiti. Also known as destruction of property.”

She smirked. “Can’t start a road trip without my jitter juice,” she sang gleefully before getting out of the car.

Coffee did sound good, and the aroma that hit him when he opened the door was a welcoming balm.

Daisy glided in on three-inch sandals, and all heads turned.

“Daisy!” a very pretty, very pregnant blond woman said. Daisy went to her and hugged her. After stepping back, the mother-to-be peeked around Daisy to look at Noah, and her eyebrows raised.

“Noah,” Daisy said. “This is Lucy. One of my sisters.”

“Nice to meet you,” Noah said with a nod.

“Why are you working, woman?” Daisy said, reaching out to rub Lucy’s belly. From what Noah’s sisters had told him, pregnant women hated that, but Lucy didn’t seem to mind. And they were sisters.

“I’m not,” Lucy said, attempting to subtly give Noah a once over. “I just dropped by for some paperwork and a snack.”

They ordered, and Daisy wandered over to a table of older men who’d called out to her. Noah followed a step behind. This bodyguard thing was new. Should he stay glued to her side? Or was being in the same vicinity okay?

“Hello, boys,” Daisy said. “How are my favorite retirees today?”

“Another day above ground…” one of the men said.

“Noah, this is Archie, Walter, and Gene.” She pointed to each. “We call them the Three Musketeers.”

“Gentlemen,” Noah said.

“Heard you’re up for some big shot award, Daisy,” Gene said.

“Of course you did. You guys hear everything,” Daisy said. “You fellas better not be betting against me.” She turned to Noah. “These three sit here all day, gossip, and make bets on anything and anyone.”

“You’re a shoo-in,” Walter said. “No one would bet against you.”

“Did you hear about the play your grandma’s puttin’ on?” Gene asked. “We all got parts, you know?”

“I did catch wind of that,” Daisy said. “It’s very exciting. And I will be there for the opening performance. Broadway, here you come.”

The door opened, and two more gorgeous women rushed in. One wore sandals like Daisy’s and had sleek blond hair. The other wore a pink sundress and had strawberry blond hair. They all had blue eyes and looked similar to Daisy.

“Damn it, Lucy,” Daisy mumbled to herself.

She touched his arm, and a shock jolted through him. “I’ll be right back. Keep an eye on these three, will ya?” she said with a wink. With that, she went to huddle with the newcomers.

“You might as well take a seat, son,” Archie said. “They could be awhile.”

“So, you and Daisy, huh?” Gene said. “Haven’t heard anything about that, so it must be new.”

“Oh, no,” Noah clarified immediately. “It’s not what you think. Her dad hired me to look after her. I work in security.” He didn’t want to say much more than that.

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