A Week Till the Wedding (21 page)

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t think he ever entirely got over you.”

Vivian smiled. “That does make me feel a little better.”

“Not that he didn’t love
me,
” Eunice felt compelled to point out.

Vivian waved that statement off with a dismissive gesture of her hand. “We can talk about the past later, if it suits us to do so. For now, we need to fix this mess you’ve made.”

“May I point out that there would not be a mess to fix if you had kept your mouth shut?” Eunice couldn’t help it that her voice was sharp. As far as she could see, Vivian had ruined a perfectly good scheme.

“You may, but that’s not the case. Your ridiculous plan wasn’t working.”

“What do you mean it wasn’t working?” It had been working perfectly!

“On the way here Daisy told me that she’s moving to Atlanta to live with her sister. Is that what you had in mind?”

Eunice pursed her lips. “No.”

“I didn’t think so. Daisy is crazy about that grandson of yours, and he’s definitely got a thing for her. We can’t let this mess you’ve made pull them apart.”

“We?”

Vivian sighed. “Maybe I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but you were so obvious I just couldn’t do it.”

“I wasn’t obvious to anyone else.”

“They don’t know you the way I do.” Vivian stood, kicked off the brake and righted the wheelchair. “Your room?”

Eunice pointed. Before they could enter the room, Lurlene came around the corner, moving as quickly as possible, for her old bones.

“Lurlene, thank goodness you’re here,” Eunice said dramatically.

Vivian sighed and stopped pushing.

Eunice caught Lurlene’s eye. She could have Vivian kicked out of the house. It was her house after all. But even though there were things to be settled between them, she was very aware that life was moving quickly by, and she didn’t have many friends left. She didn’t have any as close as Vivian had once been, and none of them would dare to buck her.

“I’ll need six chocolate covered cherries tonight, three for me and three for my friend. Vivian, would you like another cup of decaf? Perhaps some tea?”

There was a moment’s hesitation before Vivian answered. “Sure. Decaf. Cream and sugar, please.”

“So tell me,” Eunice said as Vivian wheeled her into her suite. “How can we fix this?”

* * *

Daisy ran. Out of the dining room, out of the house, past the cars parked by the front porch. She kept running, realizing on some level that Lily was right behind her. Lily didn’t try to catch up to her sister. She could have, but instead she kept a short distance between them. She was close, in case she was needed, but far enough away to allow Daisy to have some privacy.

Daisy knew she could turn and run into her sister’s arms, she could pour out all her fears and anger and frustration. But she was unable to speak...unable to stop running. She ran up a gentle hill toward the cover of trees that were in stark contrast to the brilliant colors the setting sun had left behind.

At the base of an old oak tree, she stopped. She was out of breath and her legs shook from the effort. She put her hands on the trunk, leaned forward and took a deep breath. For a moment she thought she might throw up, but she didn’t. Her stomach pitched and rolled, and her heart pounded—from the run and more.

She was such an idiot! A gullible fool. She hated the Taskers, each and every one of them. If she never saw a Tasker again it would be too soon.

Lily placed a comforting hand on her back, and with that touch tears came. Daisy didn’t want to cry, but she did. The tears that ran down her cheeks weren’t tears of sadness; they were tears of anger.

Getting out of town seemed even more attractive than it had before. Attractive? Hell, it was
necessary
.

Then Lily asked the question that had been plaguing Daisy. “Do you think Jacob knew all along?”

It was her greatest fear, that Jacob really had been playing with her from the moment he’d stepped into her shop, that it had all been a game. But she’d seen the look on his face when Miss Vivian dropped the bombshell. She didn’t think a single person at that table had realized what was going on. If any one of them did, they were a great actor.

“No,” she whispered, sniffling. “I don’t think he knew. I think Miss Eunice lied to get him home, and then she lied to try to force us together.” If she’d thought Jacob was involved, if she believed for one second that he’d been in on the ruse, she’d never recover. She’d never trust anyone again. “How the hell far was she willing to go?”

“All the way, I’m guessing,” Lily said, her voice sharp.

Daisy turned, leaned her back against the tree trunk and slid down into a sitting position. She didn’t have the strength to stand, at the moment. Her knees were knocking; her heart was beating too hard. She wiped away her tears, angry at herself for allowing them to fall in the first place.

She was going to have to find strength, and she’d need it for more than standing and walking away. She was going to have to find the strength to start a new life, say goodbye to Jacob, say goodbye to everything she knew. At the moment, escape sounded really good. More than good, she was coming to accept that escaping from Bell Grove, a home she truly loved, was necessary.

Lily sat down in front of Daisy, crossed her legs and leaned forward. “You can’t let one old bat’s sick game send you into a tailspin.”

“What makes you think I’m...”

“You’re pale, your hands are shaking, you’re crying, and instead of heading for the car when the truth came out you kept running. In case you haven’t noticed that we’re sitting in the middle of nowhere.”

Daisy stared at her sister in the dying light. “I’m not as strong as you are.”

Lily’s response was a single word that would’ve shocked their parents. It even shocked Daisy, a little. “You’re the strongest of us all. You’re a rock for me and Mari, and you always have been. There was a time I almost hated you for being so damn perfect.”

Daisy snorted. She was so
not
perfect.

“It’s true,” Lily snapped. “You gave up everything for us, and don’t think we don’t realize that. Mari and I never wanted for anything after Mom and Dad died, we had a stable home, food on the table, clothes. More than that, we still had a family. Thanks to you. That’s strength, Daisy.”

She leaned forward, and so did Lily. They hugged, tight.

“You really are the strongest person I know,” Lily whispered.

And in the distance she heard a frustrated Jacob calling her name.

Chapter Fifteen

H
er car was parked right where she’d left it, but where was Daisy? Jacob circled the house. As soon as complete darkness fell he’d have a hell of a time finding her and worse, she’d have a hell of a time finding her way back, if she’d wandered far. He checked out the garage and the gardens. Nothing.

The look on her face as the truth sank in and took hold had broken his heart. And he was to blame. He hadn’t lied to her, he hadn’t purposely hurt her, but he’d dragged her into this charade that had hurt her so badly. Where would she go, if she didn’t jump in the car and make a quick escape?

After searching the immediate property as thoroughly as he could without a flashlight, Jacob rounded the house to the front, again. Daisy’s car was still here. She wasn’t in it, and neither was Lily. She couldn’t have gone far. In frustration he shouted her name. Would that call her to him, or scare her away?

Jacob was embarrassed and angry; he felt as if he’d been betrayed. So how did Daisy feel right now? Wherever she might be, he imagined she was experiencing all of the same emotions. And more.

If she hadn’t hated him before tonight, she did now. Not that he’d known what his grandmother had been up to, not that he would ever condone that kind of trickery, but still...he was a Tasker, and the head of the clan had screwed Daisy over in a big way.

After a few very long minutes, movement caught his eye. Finally! Two women—Daisy and her sister—approached from the west. They didn’t seem to be in a hurry. Dusk made a colorful pastel backdrop for them as they headed slowly in his direction. Skirts fluttered in the breeze, and as they came closer and saw him standing there, Lily reached out and took Daisy’s hand.

Comfort offered because he was close.

Jacob was glad Daisy had her sisters; he was grateful to know they would always be there for her. He wished he could be the one to comfort her, wished she would let him take her hand in tough times. And good times, too.

When they reached him, Lily shot daggers his way with her dark eyes. Daisy turned and dipped her head and whispered something to her sister, and Lily reluctantly released Daisy’s hand and headed for the steps, a path that took her right past Jacob. As she brushed by him she muttered, “Addams family.”

He ignored her. She had every right to be angry.

“I’m so sorry,” he said when he and Daisy were alone. “I didn’t have any idea what she’d done.”

“I know,” Daisy said, her voice so low he could barely hear her. “Everyone at the table looked so surprised. This mess appears to be all your grandmother’s doings. Maybe she really is unwell, just not the way we thought.”

“Maybe. Personally I think she’s just a world-class control freak and she wanted what she wanted and would do anything to get it.” His words were sharp, condemning. And, he was certain, right.

Daisy nodded. “That’s probably so. I suppose I’d prefer to think that a woman I once admired was sick, rather than cruel and manipulative. All evidence to the contrary,” she whispered. She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “So, are you still sticking around for the reunion?”

“I don’t think so.” He walked toward her, but the way her body stiffened when he moved in her direction stopped him from closing the gap between them. He wouldn’t do anything to make her more uncomfortable. He wouldn’t stay for his family, but he’d stay for her, if she asked him to. What were the odds of that happening? Slim to none, he figured.

“I don’t have any proof, but I suppose it was your grandmother who bought my downtown space.”

He would have proof soon, if Ted did his job. “I’d guess so. No matter who it was, I can make it right for you. I can stop the deal before...”

“Don’t,” Daisy said sharply. “She can have it. Martin wants to retire, and it’s a good deal for him. Besides, I’m not staying in this town, no matter what.”

His heart sank, a little. Bell Grove without Daisy in it was just wrong. He didn’t have the right to try to change her mind. “You’re going to Atlanta with Lily?”

She nodded. “Not right away. I still have to finish cleaning out the shop, and there will be papers to sign to get the house on the market. Someone will have to replace me on my Monday meals run, and...well, there are a million small details to take care of before I go.”

She looked so vulnerable, so sad. He didn’t think she really wanted to leave Bell Grove: she was being forced out of town. He felt helpless, and he was angry for her. His mother had been right; he’d just been slow to accept the truth. He did still love her. Not the same way he’d loved her years ago, not in a way he could explain. But there it was. Too late.

Maybe not too late. If Daisy knew that he still loved her, if she knew he’d do anything to keep her...

“Daisy, I...” he began.

Lily came storming through the door. “You won’t believe it! Miss Vivian and that psycho are chatting it up like lifelong buds, and she’s not ready to go. The psycho said she’d have someone drive her guest home later.”

“Miss Vivian was okay with that?” Daisy asked, more than a little confused.

“More than okay. She’s fine here, trust me.” The middle Bell sister stormed past Jacob without acknowledging his existence. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Daisy nodded, and Jacob watched as she got in the car. The passenger seat. Lily jumped behind the wheel and took the keys from her big sister. Just as well, Jacob supposed. Daisy was badly shaken and had no business driving. He could see the women through the windshield, watched as the engine revved and the car slowly backed away and made a sharp one-eighty. Daisy never so much as lifted her head to look his way.

Jacob stood there and watched the taillights fade away. His frustration grew, second by second. He wanted to do something; he needed to fix this mess...but it wasn’t an easy fix. He couldn’t buy a solution or hire a team to make things right.

They were back to square one, just like that. He was leaving town without Daisy. And this time, she was leaving without him.

* * *

Everyone who came into the shop on Saturday wanted to know about Daisy’s move to Atlanta. Daisy smiled a lot. She never hinted that the relocation was anything other than something she desperately wanted to do. She didn’t complain about the space being sold out from under her, or an old woman’s lies to get her way, or Jacob breaking her heart all over again. Instead she talked about being closer to concerts and ball games and shopping. She told everyone she’d probably lease a chair at a salon in Atlanta. More than a few customers said they’d still come to her to get their hair done, even though they’d have to pass a lot of salons along the way to get to her.

She was flattered, and pleased, and more than a little teary-eyed. Maybe her subconscious motives for staying put had been wrong-minded, but she had a lot of friends here, friends who had become like family over the years.

It was Lily who called a local real estate agent and made an appointment for that afternoon, after the shop closed. Houses didn’t exactly fly off the market in Bell Grove, but by signing the papers she’d set things into motion.

Daisy only thought about Jacob every ten minutes or so, which was an improvement over the mostly sleepless night before, when she’d almost felt as if he were still lying beside her.

Her anger had faded as she’d tossed and turned, and by morning she’d been left more sad than anything else. Still embarrassed to be such a fool, hurt that she’d been used as a patsy, but mostly she was just sad.

As she walked through the house the real estate agent—a middle-aged man who was fond of telling bad jokes—suggested improvements that would make the house more attractive to potential buyers. New wall colors, decluttering, new appliances. He told her how much more she’d get for the house if she made those improvements.