Willow Smoke (26 page)

Daisy
looked
and
her eyebrows shot up. It was
still her, but she looked more...more sophisticated.

“I love your hair,”
Angie said. “I wish mine had the natural wave yours does.”

“But you’re gorgeous,”
Daisy said, faltering. “You’re voluptuous. Men must be crazy about you.”

“Funny, I only seem to
find crazy men. But you have the long legs men desire. You must be something in
a bikini.”

Daisy frowned.

“You do have a bikini?”

Daisy
shook
her
head.

“Come on down to my old
room. Most of my stuff is still here because I’m on the
road
with
the
theater
group
so
much.
Actually,
we’ll be in Chicago in a couple
months.”

“Great! I look forward
to your next play.”

As they entered Angie’s
room, Daisy’s heart fluttered. The accoutrements of family were so evident.
Pictures of Angie with her parents, with Nick, and with an older woman on
picnics and standing in front of a lakeside cottage were on a pegboard.

There were pictures of
Angie in various stage roles and with friends. “Ah, here’s one that should fit
you.”

Angie held in her hands
the tiniest swimsuit Daisy had ever seen. It was light blue.

“Try this on. Let me see
how you look. It should go good with your eyes, not that any man will notice
that small detail.”

Daisy’s skin warmed. She
wasn’t unaccustomed to undressing in front of others. There was little modesty
possible in a group home
.
Clearly,
Angie
was
used
to
it
from
her stage life.

Taking
a
deep
breath,
Daisy
shrugged
out
of
her
blouse.
In
minutes,
she’d
donned
the
brief
pieces
of
material
and
tied
the appropriate
strings.
She
looked
at
herself
in
the
full
length
mirror.
Her
eyes
rounded.
Was
that
really
her?
The
bikini
hid
just
enough
to
be
mysterious
and
legal.

“You
have
a
nice
bikini
line,
but
you’ll
have
to
move
it
in
a
little
to
accommodate
this one.”

“I can’t accept this.”

“Sure
you
can.
It’s
brand
new.
The
guy
who
bought
it
for
me
had
no
concept
of
size.
It
fits
you
like
a
glove.
I’d
just
hang
out over it. If you don’t mind my
saying so,
you
still
look
a
little
raw
down
there.
What
kind
of
kit
did
you
use?”

Daisy
told
Angie
about
her
harrowing
experience
with
wax
and
hair
removal
patches.

Angie
shook
her
head
and
giggled.
“That
procedure
went
out
with
cavewomen.
Here,”
she
said,
pulling
out
a
dresser
drawer,
“this
is
what
you
need
to
buy.
Much
simpler
and,
believe
me,
much
less
painful.”

Daisy
didn’t
hesitate.
She
reached
for
her
purse
and
scribbled
down
the
brand
and
the
label,
then
reconfirmed
the
names
of
cosmetics
Angie
had
used
on
her.

She
examined
the
bikini
line
kit
again
and then
smiled
at
Angie.
“Thanks.
Thanks
for
all
your
help.
If
this
works
like
you
say,
I
may
not
feel
like
such
a
human
sacrifice.”

Angie
laughed.
“I
figure
if
I’m
helping
you,
I’m
helping
my
big
brother.
I’ve
always
adored
Nick,
but
he’s
not
been
the
best
judge
of
women.
It’s nice to know that he’s
finally
found
one
with
enough
gumption
to
match
his
own.
Why
don’t
you
go
ahead
and
change
and
stuff
that
bikini
in
your
purse?
I’ll
meet
you
downstairs.”

Turning
so
she
could
see
her
backside
in
the
mirror,
Daisy
flushed.
Where
had
the
back
of
the
suit
gone?
Calling
it
a
suit
suggested
it
possessed
more
fabric
than
it
actually
did.
She’d
take
it
back
to
Chicago
with
her,
but
there
wasn’t
any
public
place
she’d
ever
wear
it.

She
grinned.
Maybe
she’d
model
it
for
Nick
in the privacy of her bedroom.
He
might
like
that.
And
she
might
like
his
reaction.
She
ran
a
hand
across
her
belly
wishing
it
was
his
hand.

She’d
planned
on
becoming
a
woman
during
this
trip;
she
hadn’t
counted
on
returning
with
a
lover.
Having
a
man
in
her
life
was
unnerving,
yet
her
body
tingled
with
anticipation.

- o -

“Looks
like
you
girls
have
been
playing
makeup,”
Agnes
Underwood
commented
when
Daisy
entered
the
living
room.
“I
hope
you
don’t
mind,
Daisy.
Angie
has been
doing
this
since
she
was
six
or
seven.
It’s
really
quite
a
stunning
effect.
Hope you
like
it.
What
do
you
think,
Nick?”

Nick
swallowed
hard.
Stunning.
There
must
be
a
better
word.
This
woman
didn’t
look
quite
so
innocent.
This
woman
was
as
mysterious
as
the
Daisy
he’d
known
before, maybe even more so. More sultry. Goddamn, he wanted to
throw her on the floor and make love to her.

He
gritted
his
teeth.
“She
looks
very
nice,
Mom.
Daisy
always
does.”
He
stood
holding
the
comics
over
his
fly.
“We
better
get
back
now;
we
leave
early
tomorrow morning.”

“It’s
not
even
three
o’clock,
son,”
his
father
complained.
“I
haven’t
had
a
chance
to
beat you at chess
yet.”

“That’s
okay,
Dad,”
Angie
chimed
in,
rising
to escort her brother and Daisy to the
door.
“I’ll
give
you
a
game.
These
two
have
to get a lot
of sleep. I expect they’ve
been
celebrating
too
hard
over
their
horse’s
win.”

“Thanks
again,”
Daisy
said,
returning
Angie’s
hug.
She
waved
at
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Underwood.

“You
seemed
all
fired
up
to
go.
Was
it
something
I
said?”
Daisy
asked
Nick
climbing
into
the
pickup.
“I
didn’t
mean
to
offend
anyone.”