“It’s faster than writing a grant proposal and waiting for red tape to clear.” Kelly was all over this. Her eyes danced like a chorusline.
He rubbed his eyes. He should never have binge-watched musicals. “Fine. I’ll doit.”
Daisy jumped up and down. “Yes!” She froze. “I have to call Vivian! There’s so many details to work out.” She practically climbed over the back of the couch and over Beckett to get closer to the phone. Her hip rested on his shoulder—her slight frame so tempting to grab on to and pull all the way into his lap. He shook his head. These types of thoughts really needed tostop.
“Thanks, Kelly.” Daisy blew her a kiss. “You’re thebest.”
Kelly blew a kiss back—a fact that blew Beckett’s mind. “Thankyou!”
“I’ll expect an email from your legal department and I’ll needgraphics.”
Kelly scribbled notes while Daisy flung herself back up to standing. “Woot!” She scrubbed her fingers on the top of Beckett’s scalp and giggled. “Thank you too, Beck. I’m so excited.” She took off. “I’ll be in my room if Quinton needsme.”
Beckett stared after her. No one called him Beck anymore. He liked the way she pressed her lips together to make the “B” sound. He liked her lips in general andspecifically.
A few moments passed in silence. “You have the most amazing luck.” Kelly brought him out of his meditation on Daisy’s lips. “The more I watch her, the more I want to be her best friend. She’s perfect for FreeWater. If she wasn’t already a mega star, I’d ask her to be ourspokesperson.”
Beckett just stared. Kelly must have watched an episode while he was too stunned to put two thoughtstogether.
Kelly laughed again. She’d laughed more in this one phone call than she had in the six years previously. “You had no idea, didyou?”
Beckett scowled. “Do I look like I need tips onmascara?”
Kelly ignored his sarcasm. “Okay, so your job is to make this makeoverawesome.”
“How am I supposed to dothat?”
“Do everything Daisy tellsyou.”
Beckett tugged on his beard. “I’m having flashbacks to dolls with blue eye shadow and circles ofblush.”
“If her last episode is any indication, she’s come a long way fromthat.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he muttered. They said goodbye and hung up. Beckett opened a web browser, but he couldn’t bring himself to connect to Daisy’s channel. He didn’t want to lose the girl-next-door image of Daisy that he’d carried in his heart all these years. He didn’t want her to be a mega star. He wanted the sweetheart who’d captured the best parts of his childhood memories years ago. With a swipe, the screen wentdark.
Chapter Six
EveryDayGlam!BeautyTip
Blush should look natural and enhance your innerradiance.
If you have oily skin, try using a powder. The fine particles will absorb oil and help keep your face fromshining.
For those with dry skin and those over fifty, use a tinted cream. Apply with a blush brush or cotton ball, and remember to blend, blend, blend for a glowingfinish.
Daisy tookher phone and left Vivian in her room to finish up the edits on her latest blush segment. Having Vivian there during filming was essential when she had products tojuggle.
She’d done an overview including some of the newest products on the market. Instead of bashing the blush that crumbled to pieces, she ranked them in order of favorite and gave the reasons why. That trick had saved her from alienating sponsors in the past while still giving her viewers thetruth.
Under her foundation, her cheeks tingled from applying color and washing it off only to start the process all over again with a newproduct.
Jason was asleep on her bed, Quinton was asleep in his room, and Beckett was asleep on the couch, which left her no place to go to make a phone call. Since when did the guys take over her house? She huffed and headed out the front door to sit on theporch.
The sun hadn’t come up yet, so she grabbed a sweatshirt off the barstool as she walked by. She slipped her arms inside and pulled the massive amounts of material over her head. Too late, she realized that the hoodie belonged to Beckett and not Quin. Quinton wore a men’s medium, which was baggy on her but didn’t wear like a dress. She unlocked the door, cringing at the creaky hinge, and slippedoutside.
Her neighborhood was quiet, the houses dark. Street lamps cast soft yellow light at even intervals down the sidewalk. She hoped Daniel, her neighbor to the north, was fully alert when he went to his car parked in the driveway. He’d need to be to navigate the minefield of toys and trikes. As a single dad, he was always running from place to place. She made a mental note to talk to Vivian about going out with him—it was about time Vivian had some romance in her life. A woman that wonderful deserved to be treated assuch.
Daisy took in a deep breath of cool morning air, catching the scent of freshly mowed grass and roses. The rosebushes grew well next to the house, where they baked throughout the day. Her favorite were the fire and ice blooms with white petals that looked like the edges had been dipped in red. Daisy twirled her red hair around her finger, noting her preference to the deep color with achuckle.
