Daisy blinked once and her eyes darted back to the camera. “I think we’d all like to help. So, I’m inviting you to click on the link at the bottom of the screen and donate to FreeWater today. If we all give up a morning latte or an afternoon soda and give that money to FreeWater, it will add up quickly. Isn’t that right?”
Beckett nodded. “Two dollars can pay a local worker and feed his family for several days.”
“Two dollars? Really?” Daisy’s eyebrows lifted.
“Really.” Beckett nodded.
Daisy nodded and sat up straighter. “Don’t worry, friends, there’s a little bit of fun thrown into thisfundraiser.” Daisy made her hand look like it was talking.
“What was that?” Beckett interrupted.
Vivian answered. “Every time Daisy makes a bad joke, we add in a wah-wah sound. It’s a way to show that she doesn’t take herself too seriously.” She motioned for Daisy to continue.
“Check out this thermometer thingy on my right.” She pointed that direction.
Beckett glanced over, expecting to see something.
“Made you look,” Daisy teased. “It’s on-screen.”
Sure enough, there was a hot-pink thermometer running up the side of the screen.
“You’ll notice there’s a mark at one thousand dollars. When we raise a thousand dollars, I’ll take Beckett shopping and buy him a new shirt. Of course, this trip wouldn’t be complete without my friends, so you’re coming along. We’ll go over how to buy a shirt for a guy and get the right fit.” She plucked at Beckett’s shirt. “When a man’s got this much going on, we should accentuate it—right?”
Vivian played a loud wolf whistle. Beckett glared at her. She and Daisy laughed at his scowl.
“At twenty-five hundred dollars, we’ll get him a new wardrobe. At four thousand, his beard gets a trim.” She cupped one hand around her mouth, her fingers slightly splayed. “Or we’ll have him take it all off.” She winked suggestively. “And at five thousand dollars, the man bun goes bye-bye.” She waved at the camera and didn’t say anything.
After a brief pause, Beckett asked, “Am I done?”
Daisy shook her head, making her red hair bounce against her arms. “Noooo.” She reached for a small bowl of cream. “We still need to share a beauty tip for today.” She squeezed out two cotton balls while she talked about the benefits of cream for puffy eyes.
Beckett leaned closer to examine her eyes. They looked perfect. Bright. Luminescent even. “You don’t need those,” he scoffed after her explanation.
“Not this morning. But you do.” She moved to place the cotton on his face.
He leaned as far away as he could get while keeping his butt in the chair. “Are you crazy?”
“Beck! Hold still.”
She’d used his nickname again. He liked it even more this time. That didn’t mean he was going to let her put things on his face. He grabbed her wrists. “I don’t think so, buttercup.” She wasn’t the only one who could use old nicknames to their advantage.
She cocked her head to the side. “It takes ten minutes.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“It’s going to work.”
“But—”
“Stop being such a baby.” She pressed forward, but he easily kept her at bay. When she was putting all her effort into it, he released his grip on her hands and caught her as she fell into his chest. “Oof! Beck!” She struggled against him as he held her close. “You’re such a brat.”
He laughed. “Do you give?”
She growled—actually growled, which did some funny things to his body temperature. His hands went hot and his throat went dry. His reaction was so strong that it caused him to release his grip.
Daisy’s cheek hit his shoulder before she caught herself. “Ouch.”
“Sorry.” He grabbed her up again, cradling her head in the crook of his arm as he ran his fingers across her cheekbone to check for swelling. The spot was slightly pink. “Sorry,” he said again.
