Cherished (37 page)

Which is why Gwen was so horrified by Daisy’s very presence, she wagered. Their kind meant affluent and most likely white.

He smiled at her but there was sadness at the edges. “So I asked Kelsey to get into therapy.”

He took her hand, latching his fingers with hers. She wanted to soothe and pet. Wanted to rage about his mother and her selfishness. But she made herself listen because that’s what he needed.

“It didn’t last very long. It wasn’t even a month before she started missing therapist appointments. I tried to talk to her about rehab, but she dropped her best bombshell yet; she was pregnant.”

Oh, this got worse and worse. She squeezed his hand.

“But as I said, we weren’t having sex so it wasn’t mine. A friend does family law and I went to him that next day to get things in motion to file for divorce. Prenup or not, I had to be free of her. I did urge her to quit drinking for the baby’s sake, but she ignored that. Two nights later, she drove the wrong way up an off-ramp on the viaduct and hit a car head-on. She was killed instantly as was the baby she was carrying.

“And then it wasn’t about the shitty excuse for a human being I’d married. Overnight everyone just pretended she was a saint. Pretended she hadn’t been sleeping with so many other men she didn’t know who the father was. Pretended she hadn’t been totally able to kill the person she ran into, though thank God she didn’t. Overnight she was the love of my life and everyone expected me to play along. And I guess I did.”

“Hence the tattoo.” She understood him so much better now. Understood those words on his arm were his way of making sure he never forgot the truth he lived even when everyone else wanted him to.

He nodded.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that instead of supporting you, all you got was grief.”

“I’m sorry you had to hear about it from someone else. I should have told you myself.”

“Yes, you should have. But I understand why you didn’t.”

“I apologize for what you had to deal with tonight. Not everyone in my family thinks like that.”

“But some do.”

He shifted uncomfortably. “Yes. Some do. But as time passes, less and less.”

There was more she should have said. But all she wanted to do was be with him. It made her weak, but it was true either way. So she snuggled into his body and he held her with a sigh of his own as he kissed her temple.

She didn’t believe he thought the same way his sister-in-law did.

He said he was sorry for what happened and she believed that totally. He’d never disrespected her.

So she let it go because she was being irrational and silly and they could talk about the other stuff at another time when she wasn’t tired and on the verge of tears.

Chapter 13

“So that’s the story.” She finished up the saga of the stupid fight she’d had with Levi two weeks before. She’d told Mary, but hadn’t filled in all the others so Jules pounced on her right as they’d begun tying their aprons. “We patched things up, but there’s some unspoken stuff between us.”

Daisy made sure everything on the tray she was getting ready to carry out looked pretty before she shifted it to rest on her arm.

“I don’t like it. This bitch needs to be punched. How dare she call you names? She doesn’t even know you.” Jules glared at her a moment.

“She doesn’t. And it’s not like I’ve been at family events for her to get to know me. So there’s that.”

“There is that.” Jules agreed. “And also, this unspoken stuff. Baby, you know that’s not a good thing, right?”

“I can’t go into that right now. Let’s get this stuff out there. Then we can complain about my boyfriend and his dumb family when we get back.”

She cruised through the party, an event she’d actually helped
land for Mary. The woman throwing the event was a friend of a friend and when she’d bumped into Daisy at a party in Seattle a month before, the topic of catering and parties had come up. Turns out, her parents were getting ready to celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary.

When she’d broached the subject with Mary, Mary had said, “Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, that’s all catering bread and butter. You better bet your ass I’m thrilled to do this job.”

She passed around tray after tray of gorgeous food as she visited with the guests. Not inappropriately of course, but people did like to chitchat here and there at a happy event.

The evening sped by and she was glad tomorrow morning wasn’t a gallery day. She’d have time to work on a new piece she’d been mulling over for the last few months.

She even had a coffee date with a gallery owner who’d picked up her card at that auction Levi had given them out at. He was interested in talking to Daisy about a possible show in the early fall with two other up-and-coming local artists.

It was nearing midnight when they’d finally finished cleaning up and getting all the gear packed back into the catering truck. She headed home and discovered Levi had left a few messages for her on her cell.

He had court first thing in the morning so she’d return his call when she woke up.

And then she paced. A lot.

She got dressed again and went for a drive to see if the light was on in Gillian’s office. Mary was out cold, but Gillian often worked late a few nights a week.

The light was on and she tiptoed up to peek carefully. She didn’t want to barge in on Gillian and Adrian getting hot and heavy. Though it wouldn’t be a chore to see Adrian Brown naked and giving the business to someone. Mmm!

Feeling a little better, she nearly left before tapping, but did it
anyway. Gillian started and looked up from her work. When she recognized Daisy her face lit and she motioned her to the front door.

“You could have called.” Gillian opened the door to admit her.

“I didn’t want to wake anyone.”

Gillian hugged her. “Miles is off with Adrian for some Brown male fest thing. He’s got the rest of this week off from school.”

“Well, considering how pretty those males are, that’s not a bad place to be.”

“You know, I met you first when you weren’t even ten yet. I’ve known you a long time. We’ve both done a lot of growing up over the years.” Gillian took her hand and they went to sit on the couch. “You’re the most well-adjusted, emotionally centered twenty-four-year-old I’ve ever met. But you’re upset. I’ve been meaning to ask you and I haven’t because life keeps getting in the way. But you’re always there for me. Tell me.”

So she poured it all out.

When Gillian laughed at the end, it was rueful. “I’m so sorry I’ve been so caught up in all this wedding, renovation and life stuff that I’ve neglected to see how upset you are.”

“Don’t apologize for having a life. I love that you’re so busy and happy with all this stuff. Seeing you with Adrian gives me hope. You know? He makes me happy, Gillian. Not Adrian, though he’s nice to look at. Levi.” She buried her face in her hands. “I’m in love with him. And I shouldn’t have allowed it because we
are
from two different worlds.”

“Oh, sweetheart, so what? I’m going to marry a rock star. Me.” She took a deep breath. “Different isn’t always bad. You’ll keep him on his toes. I imagine a man like him is used to people just sort of following whatever he says. You won’t do that.”

She laughed, unable to help herself. “Not in most things, no. The thing is…” She blushed and blushed. “When it comes to sex stuff I do. Obey him and stuff. It’s so hot and it feels right and I
know people will think it’s weird and maybe it is. But I like it and he likes it and so whatever.”

It was Gillian’s turn to blush.

“I’m sorry for embarrassing you.” Daisy was perilously close to a giggle.

Gillian laughed then. “Don’t be sorry. We’ve been friends a long time. You didn’t embarrass me. You said you liked it, he likes it too so that’s really all there is to it. You’re both adults. I’m glad you’re happy with your sex life. And I’m thrilled to hear you’re in love.” She smiled at Daisy, squeezing her hands. “But I don’t like that you’re feeling off balance and that maybe he’s hiding you from his family. I don’t want you feeling as if you’re not good enough. That makes me quite cross with your Levi.”

“The thing is, I know I’m good enough. And you know, we go out in public so it’s not like he’s hiding me really. He actually”—she paused to find the right words—“he makes me feel beautiful. Special. I’m just. God. I’m being irrational. I hate that.”

“Of all the people I know, the last word I’d use to describe you is irrational. Sometimes when we love someone else it makes us see things differently. Sometimes we second-guess what we know is true and sometimes we’re right. I think you should talk to him about it.”

This is why she came to Gillian and Daisy said so.

Gillian grinned at her. “Come on. You’re staying over. Let’s watch something scary, eat nachos and have margaritas.”

“Oh, that sounds so good. I don’t have to be up until after ten.”

Levi walked into his parents’ front entry and narrowed his gaze when he heard Gwen’s voice. He hadn’t spoken with her in person yet about the scene she’d made two weeks before at the Met.

Mal saw him first and steered him out of the drawing room and into the hall. “I’m sorry for the other week. She’d had a few drinks.”

Which only made him angrier. “Yeah, been there, done that. I’m not really fond of drunks.”

“Hey! That’s my wife. She was out of line, but she did it because she cares.”

“Keep her away from me unless you want me addressing my concerns to her in person.”

“She’s concerned for our position in the community.”

“Over what? My having a steak with a friend in a public place? Or is it that my friend isn’t white? We were raised better than this. Don’t feed me your bullshit, Mal.
You
might be content to listen to your wife, but I’m not.”

“It has nothing to do with her race.”

“Really? Because from where I’m standing a different story is being told.”

“What on earth is going on out here?” Their mother came out, looking back and forth between her sons.

“Nothing I can’t handle. When’s dinner?”

She narrowed her gaze and Jonah stepped in, saving him. “Time to eat.” He inserted himself in between their mother and Levi and led the way, holding his arm out for their mother.

He kept himself away from Gwen, not trusting his tongue. The unfairness, the ugliness of her behavior burned in Levi’s gut. Daisy was one of the finest people he knew. Giving to a fault.

A person like Gwen had no business judging her.

His mother kept giving him the eye all through dinner until she finally got around to it. “So guess who I saw yesterday?”

“Liesl.” His father gave her the eye, which she ignored, and Levi’s stomach tightened, just waiting for whatever was next.

“Jenny Martrek. She says hello of course. And Dyan, her daughter? The one your age, Levi, I’m sure you remember her. Anyway, she’s moving back here to Seattle. I told Jenny you’d be happy to reacquaint her with the area. I gave her your card and invited them all to dinner Sunday.”

“I’m busy on Sunday, actually. I’m sure Dyan has plenty of people to squire her around town when she moves back.” He ate and kept his gaze down, not wanting to tangle with his mother but he would if she pushed it.

A man could only be pushed so far.

He blinked and cocked his head, but yes, that was indeed Daisy sitting at a nearby table with another man.

Her face was animated as she talked with her hands. The man, all Levi could see was the back of his head, nodded and leaned toward her.

Levi sat and waited for her to notice him, but she didn’t. Finally he got up to go to the bathroom, which happened to take him past their table.

She looked up at him and then smiled. “Levi, I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

He started to say he bet, but then he turned and realized her lunch date was Mark Schneider, the owner of a gallery on the Eastside.

She stood and he kissed both cheeks and clasped her hands. “I don’t want to interrupt. I’m meeting one of my brothers for lunch in just a few minutes. Good to see you, Mark.”

He walked off, feeling better and also a little like a jerk for thinking she was out at lunch with someone else for romantic reasons. He realized he felt greedy for her. He liked it better when all that animated beauty was aimed at him.

And all he had was lunch with Jonah.

When he returned to his table she was still chatting with Mark and not looking his way. Of course, he told himself, she didn’t look at him because this was business for her. He saw her portfolio leaning on the table leg and made a note to ask her all about the meeting when he saw her next.

When they both got up to leave about twenty minutes later, his brother finally asked, “What the fuck are you so distracted by?”

She walked past, still engaged in conversation but she sent Levi a quick smile and a wave.

“That’s her, right?” Jonah stared. “Christ, you weren’t kidding. Why are you acting like you barely know her?”

“I’m not acting like I barely know her. She was having some sort of business lunch with Mark. I told you, she’s an artist. He must be considering giving her a show.”

“She’s gorgeous.”

Levi smiled. “Yes.”

“What’s the story then? Clearly your face tells me this is more than a casual fuck. And the way you nearly threw down with Gwen underlines that too.”

“I like her, I told you that. But she’s too young and too…everything. We enjoy each other.” He shrugged.

“You’re a moron. Too everything? What? Pretty?”

“Tattooed. Artsy.”

“So you buy Gwen’s line about her not being our kind?”

He clenched his jaw. “No. That’s not it. It’s not her race. It’s not her class, though Gwen being a racist bitch wouldn’t imagine that Daisy’s father and sister are dentists and her grandmother is a successful painter.”

“So then what? She’s an artist, a damned good one from what I can tell. She’s beautiful. Her body is holy-shit wow. She’s intelligent and funny you tell me. She clearly enjoys your company enough to overlook your horrid sister-in-law. You’re not going to take it another step because she’s got ink and makes art? Because you collect art, Levi. You love art. Tell me how this is not a perfect match?”