Or mine.
CHAPTER 15
Daisy
(TEN YEARS AGO)
Dear Diary,
When I was a kid, I always got scolded for daydreaming in class. I still do. But why would anyone not want to dream? It’s pure hope, conjured out of nothing and accessible always.
Some days, it’s all I have.
(NOW)
This is how I know I’m a little delusional. Because two nights ago in my bedroom, Ryder thought he was warning me away from him.
But what I actually heard was blah, blah, blah. “You’re fucking gorgeous.” Blah, blah, blah. “You’re important.” Blah, blah, blah. “I haven’t thought of you as a kid in a long time.”
I know it was only one kiss we shared—an impossibly hot and heavy kiss that I never wanted to end. He didn’t continue it and make sweet, sweet love to me. In fact, he told me it would never happen again. So maybe I shouldn’t be so hopeful.
But he kissed me! It’s more progress than I’ve had—ever. I have proof now that he views me as a woman, and he thinks I’m fun and sweet and gorgeous. Me! And he imagines I can wrap guys around my little finger. I mean, I have. I can. Some guys.
Just never Ryder. But now, I see hope as I never have before.
Ryderthinkshe doesn’t want a relationship, but he’s wrong. I understand he’s wary. But I’m willing to risk my heart for him. And maybe I can convince him to risk his for me.Because he thinks I’m sweet and fun and fucking gorgeous.
So several mornings later, I walk into the kitchen without my crutch because the doctor declared my ankle healed yesterday.
Unfortunately, my newfound mobility means Ryder doesn’t need to carry me around the house any longer. But at least I’m not supposed to exercise on it for a few more days, so he’s still on the hook for Archie walks. I haven’t forgotten Operation Make Ryder Fall in Love with the Dog as I work on Operation Make Ryder Fall in Love with Me.
I press a button on the coffee machine and yawn as I wait for it to brew.
It’s only 8:00 a.m. I’m a night owl, so I normally would still be in bed. Especially since Archie abandoned me in favor of sleeping in Ryder’s room.
But today…I have to be up early because I’m hosting a party.
I’m no stranger to parties. Some might say they’re my specialty. But today, I’m hosting my very first corgi playdate.
I open the large box of cupcakes that were delivered late yesterday. It’s my philosophy that cupcakes make every life event better. I ordered two dozen decorated with cute corgi facesand dog bones and other puppy motifs. Those are for the human guests.
But I convinced the baker to make two dozen pupcakes as well, with dog-friendly ingredients. The dog and human varieties look scarily similar to each other, so I’m a little nervous about mixing them.
By 9:30 a.m., the mimosas are ready. A box of gourmet coffee has been delivered from my favorite café in town. And the cupcakes are displayed on crystal serving platters I found in a china cabinet. Everything’s set to be taken poolside when the guests arrive.
Archie whines, probably smelling the pupcakes.
“You have to wait. It wouldn’t be polite to sample the treats until your friends are here,” I scold the dog.
Luckily for Archie, the guests arrive soon after. People and animals mingle, and the cupcakes are a hit. Even the weather cooperates. The sky is a brilliant blue decorated with fluffy clouds.
And most importantly, Archie’s having a blast.
Maybe I’m not so bad at this pet-sitting thing after all.
Peace settles through me in a way no wild rager or all-nighter at the club has ever engendered. Those pleasures, while intense, always came with payment the next day. When I woke in a bed that wasn’t mine next to a man who wasn’t the one I truly wanted. Or with a rolling stomach and painful head. I don’t regret everything about those times. I had fun. But perhaps I’m outgrowing some of it. Not settling down, precisely, but moving forward into a new era.
“Great party, Daisy! This is the best corgi get-together yet,” Lola, a waitress at the Fish Shack and owner of a senior corgi, enthuses, taking a sip of mimosa, courtesy of the mansion’s truly top-notch wine cellar. Mrs. Halle did say to make myself at home and use anything I needed. And this is for a noble cause.
