Daisy whipped around to stare in horror at her brother. He was all dressed for work in navy scrubs that she’d insisted would look great with his coloring. Right now, his coloring was a deep shade ofangry.
Beckett didn’t let go of Daisy. His arms tightened around her and he rested his chin on her head. “Morning.”
Quinton glared. “How long has this been goingon?”
“About two minutes,” quippedBeckett.
Daisy elbowed him in the gut. Quinton turned his dark gaze on her. “Whatis goingon?”
All of the tiny particles of thought sucked back together like watching an exploding planet in reverse. She folded her arms over Beckett’s. “That’s what I’d like toknow.”
“Wha-at?” Beckett laugheduneasily.
Quinton planted his feet. “Talk—before I call Dad and tell him you’re living with yourboyfriend.”
“You’re the one who invited him,” Daisy firedback.
“I didn’t tell you to kiss my bestfriend.”
“You didn’t even tell me he was coming. And it’s not like you wouldn’t kiss my best friend if you had the chance.” Daisy held her breath after throwing that verbal dart across the room. She shouldn’t have said anything at all, especially after what Vivian had told her about complications.Shoot!
The color drained out of Quinton’s face so fast it looked like someone pulled the plug in the bathtub. “Ho—how did you know … about that? Did she tell you I tried to kissher?”
“You did?” Both Daisy and Beckett leaned forward asone.
“No!” He studied his shoes. “Maybe.”
Aw,crap.
“And she shot you down?” asked Beckett,quietly.
“After thefact.”
Daisy’s head spun. “You mean you kissed her and then she broke up with you?” She was going to shakeVivian!
Quinton looked up and ran his hands down his face. “She said it wouldn’t work out between us. There were too manyhurdles.”
“There’s no such thing as hurdles in a relationship. There’s only situations you have to work around,” Beckettsaid.
Daisy turned in his arms to face him fully. “Really?”
“Yes,really.”
“So you don’t think the fact that you’re about to leave the country is a hurdle we’d have to get over or jump or whatever you do withhurdles?”
He shook his head. “You’re friends with 11 million people. I think you and I can figure out how to have a relationship even if I’m in South America and you’rehere.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.” She pondered the possibilities. Her schedule was off, early mornings and evenings, but that wouldn’t matter as much if he was in a different time zone. And if his calls with Kelly were any indication, he was already in the habit of video calls. And she was used to talking to a camera lens. What seemed too tall to overcome suddenly seemed like a rock they had to stepover.
“Great! You two live happily ever after worlds apart while I die alone with the woman I want to be with living less than five miles away.” Quinton scraped his keys off the counter and stormedout.
“That didn’t go well at all.” Daisy slumped againstBeckett.
“On the contrary, I think it went just the way I’dhoped.”
“Excuseme?”
“I got you in my arms and the house to ourselves.” He ducked down and began kissing her neck again. His beard was soft and smelled like the barber’s shop—kind of spicy with woodundertones.
