Daisy looks up at me with a raised brow.
“Okay, maybe not to her face,” I backtrack. “But I’m serious, lame study parties aside. She’s done all she can to make sure you have everything you need.”
She continues to stare at me, obviously suspicious of the conversation.
“Are you sick?” She blurts the question.
“No,” I grumble with a chuckle. “But you’re proving my point,” I say. “That attitude you have is all your mom. It’s going to come in handy later in life, just quit aiming it at me.”
“Mom’s too strict.” Daisy rolls her eyes.
“She’s just trying to make sure you stay on track, with school and your responsibilities.” I say, “It’s important.”
“She could ease up a little,” Daisy grunts.
“If you say this behind her back, what the hell are you saying about me?” I laugh in disbelief.
“You’re always late for meetings, you hover like I’m going to be kidnapped right in front of you, and you get angry over nothing…” she says without hesitation.
“Fair,” I sigh. “I don’t hover…”
“You do.” Daisy shakes her head, “Everyone is afraid of you and Mom. That’s why Auggie won’t come over,” she confesses.
“You were going to bring him over?” I stop her, ignoring the first bit.
“Yeah, but you scare him,” she scoffs.
“Me? Your mom is way scarier…” I groan.
“Yeah, but she’s friends with Dr. Shore, and that’s Auggie’s Dad, or step-dad, I guess...” She shrugs and goes back to her sketch.
I cock my head to the side. Isit now…
Silas Shore is a cockroach.A year before Daisy was born, Silas Shore bulldozed into our lives a fucking frat party and it seems like no matter what I do, I can't get rid of him. He was always there, haunting me, on the back of Riona's mind. A living, breathing what-if that never seemed to let it go. The universe is cruel and Daisy having a crush on his son is a joke.
“Right,” I nod, looking out over the water.These Hornets are starting to get on my fucking nerves.“Well, what if Auggie brings over his Mom and step-dad for dinner. Uncle B can cook whatever you want.”
Daisy looks back up at me. “Really?”
“Yeah, Sunny and Kaia can come too if you want,” I suggest.
“What about C?” she pushes. My hand flexes around the fishing pole, the wordshell noon my lips, but she stares at me with those big green eyes and quietly waits for me to say yes.
“If you want him there, he can come.” I grind out.And I can always choke him out in the service closet downstairs, where no one will ever find his body.
“Okay,” she agrees. “Will Rhea be there?” She asks.
“Sure,” I say, knowing that it’ll cause trouble. But if I have to deal with that blond fuckhead, then I’ll need backup.
Brighton is slamming things around in an empty bar, grumbling and grunting about something as I try to mark art assignments from the students' journals.
“Hey, grumpy,” I say to get his attention. “You slam those bottles any harder, I’m going to get jealous.”
Brighton stops, a tight laugh tumbling from him, and turns his head to look at me. There’s clearly something bothering him, but he’s not the type to just talk about it. If I want to know what’s going on, I have to pry the information from him with a crowbar.
“Are you okay?” I ask him.
“Fine.” His smile drops, and he goes back to roughing up top-shelf liquor.
