Daisy secured the end of a messy braid in an even messier bun and spun around to check her work in the camera. “This look is all about keeping it loose. There’s a difference between looking like you don’t care and looking effortless. Effortlessness comes from knowing what to let go and what needs to be held tight.” She paused, thinking over her words.
“I guess life can be like that too, right? Grudges should be let go, good people should be held tight.” She flushed, thinking of holding tight to Beckett. The image came all too easily because she’d been playing different romantic scenes in her head throughout the day. She should have been writing her speech for the MyHeartChannel Meet the Fans Conference in a month, where she’d be teaching a class on cross-promotion. Her experience with FreeWater was a prime example. Thinking about FreeWater brought her right back to the puzzling over Beckett.
She wished she’d set the donation bar higher—she’d underestimated her subscribers by quite a bit. They were wonderful people, willing to give.
Like Beckett.
And she’d thrown her success in his face. She blinked and came back to the camera. “Sorry. I was just thinking about something that happened the other day—maybe I was a little harsh on someone.”
She smiled wide, considering editing that last bit. Her channel wasn’t about perfection; it was about letting the most beautiful parts of yourself shine through. In order for the gems to stand out, there had to be some rough patches too, so she left the comment. “You may have to try this braid a few times, but it’s not about perfection. Beauty isn’t about perfection. It’s about accepting ourselves as we are and helping one another on this crazy journey. You all have been so generous in donating to the FreeWater makeover project. I’m blown away by your generosity.”
She laughed. “Either that or you all are dying to see Beck without his man bun! You’ll get a preview soon. I’m putting together a photo montage of his teen years that I can’t wait to show everyone, but tonight I’m off to a night out. Bye, friends.” She waved at the camera for an extra beat before switching it off.
She quickly slipped the video into the template Vivian created a few years ago for these quick tutorials Daisy did on the fly. They were more like her early work, with little editing required and nothing fancy except her logo at the beginning and her contact/subscription information at the end. She uploaded the video and set it to post the next day around five p.m. That way, people would think she was going out on Sunday early evening instead of Saturday night. While she loved her viewers, protecting herself was also a consideration. She didn’t need to broadcast when her home would be empty.
She slipped out of her custom white clothing and into an emerald-green dress and a pair of heels. The comedy club offered two shows, one at seven and the other starting at ten. Vivian hated to leave Jason with a sitter and insisted on tucking him in before she left. That meant they went to the late shows. Which was fine with Daisy. Sundays were for sleeping in, brunch, and late church service.
Satisfied that her dark red hair was sufficiently tamed and the braid wouldn’t fall to pieces, she opened her door and removed the “filming” card she’d hung there an hour ago.
Though she adored what she did for a living, woke up every morning feeling like she’d hit the jackpot because she was so close to achieving her life’s goal of having a cosmetic line, there were times when she needed to get away. That wasn’t as easy as driving home from the office, because she literally slept in her office. The club was a hotspot for singles, a great place to flirt and relax and—most importantly—take her mind off Beckett.
Chapter Fourteen
“Are you sure we’re invited?” Beckett asked Quinton as they made their way into the comedy club.
“Yeah—it’s an open invitation.” Quinton scanned the crowd. He’d gone all James Bond with his hair tonight, slicking it up and back. The grooming made his normally frizzy red hair look downright cool.
“Do you guys come every week?”
“We used to come once a week, but it got to be too much. They bring in new comedians once a month, so we try to hit their performance.”
A woman walked by in a tight skirt and shirt that showed off her cut abs. She smiled at Beckett and kept on walking.
Beckett glanced down at the polo Daisy bought him as part of the shirt makeover episode. It was tighter than he was used to around the chest but didn’t hug his stomach like a workout shirt. The fabric was smooth and soft. He kind of hated himself for liking an overpriced piece of clothing so much. Material things didn’t matter to him—or so he’d thought. But this shirt … the shirt made him feel important and strong. Which was stupid, because it was just a shirt.
Because he was willing to admit that Daisy might know what she was talking about, he left his hair out of the elastic. It hung all the way to his shoulders now. He’d hardly noticed how long it had gotten. His beard was too long too.
Quint weaved in and out of tables like he knew where he was going. Beckett just tried to keep up as he took in the scene. Everyone was dressed to impress. By comparison, he looked like someone who’d just walked out of the jungle. He ran his hand down his beard, anticipating his next outing with Daisy. He was ready to get rid of the beard.
The crowd parted in front of him and Quinton, revealing Daisy and Vivian at a table, surrounded by guys. Daisy’s brown eyes were alight with laughter and she lightly shoved the guy sitting next to her.
Beckett wanted to rip his head off. He pushed down the primal urgency to fight and smeared on a smile. These were Daisy and Quinton’s friends, and he wanted to make a good impression so he’d be invited back the next time he was in town. When Daisy offered to keep his extra clothing at her house—which he’d figured out was her house and not Quinton’s—his chest warmed with the sense of coming home. In all the times he’d left the US, he’d never once had homesickness. Now, the idea of flying away was harder, with less urgency than before. Once he got where he was going, he was sure to lose himself in the day-to-day tasks. Getting there would be the hard part now.
“Hey!” Quinton stepped up to the table and began introductions. Several women floated in as they were talking, apparently just joining the group. Beckett shook hands all around. When he came to Trent, the guy hitting on Daisy, he squeezed his hand extra hard and dropped his smile. Taken off guard, the guy’s hand folded inside Beckett’s and his face clouded over. Beckett eased off, feeling bad for coming out swinging.
The guys gave up their seats at the table for the ladies and moved to the semicircle just behind them. Before Beckett could snag a seat behind Daisy, Trent put his knee on the chair.
Beckett really didn’t like him. He moved his gaze to Daisy and found her watching him. A small line formed between her eyebrows. It looked so out of place on her flawless face that he had the desire the smooth it away. She wasn’t dressed in her normal white clothing. Tonight she’d donned a green color that made every part of her shine, from her fancy hairdo to her strappy heels. His heart thrummed at those heels. Even sitting down, they made her lean legs look so dang long. He’d thought she was beautiful every day, but tonight she’d kicked it up to a whole other level. She shouldn’t be allowed to walk around in public looking like that.
Now, besides the primal need to tear into Trent, he had to fight the urge to tuck Daisy behind him and shield her from every guy in the room.
Where was a spear when he needed one?
The house lights dimmed indicating five minutes until showtime. Beckett sat three seats removed from Trent. The group of friends had obviously known each other for some time. They talked easily about work and their latest date and their kids or pets. A waitress arrived at Vivian’s elbow and asked to take orders.
“Where did you meet everyone?” Beckett asked Quinton.
Quinton shrugged. “I did my undergrad with Trent and Kyler. Savannah, Monique, and Katie are Vivian’s neighbors. And you’ve seen Bret, Julie, and Sienna at my clinic.”
