“Yeah, I can’t get it to turn off.”
“Okay,” I say, looking at the curve of his shoulder. Down his bicep, forearm, hands…
Someone laughs, then Rhett gets up. When he comes into my line of view, I snap out of it.
Gus is staring at me with a knowing smile. “You okay there, Daisy?”
I clear my throat, my face burning. “Fine. Totally fine.”
“Right,” he says, dragging out the word. The shower shuts off, and Rhett comes back out.
“Hurry up so I can have my turn,” he says, shutting the door behind him. He gives me a curious look, then sits on the couch. After a few minutes, he and Gus are switching spots.
“So,” Gus says. “You like seeing me with my shirt off?”
I groan, hiding my face in my hands. “I’m sorry. That was so rude.”
“Not rude,” he says. “I kind of liked it.”
I peek at him through my fingers. “You liked it?”
“As you can see, women aren’t something we get to experience much. Only other woman we’ve seen over the years other than Agnes is that nosy neighbor. Ellen something or other.”
“Grannie is a catch,” I say.
“Oh, yeah, if you like being cursed. Totally.”
I smile, turning my attention back to the TV.
Wade never comes into the house to shower.
Chapter Ten
Rhett
Igroanthemomentthe hot water hits my skin, not caring how loud I am or who hears. This feelssogood. It’s been years since I’ve been in the shower—years. I’m not sure why we didn’t consider taking showers before Daisy got here. We snuck in to look around, we could have enjoyed it while we were here. But no, one-track minds because the only thing ever on our minds is this stupid curse and how to get rid of it… even though we’re all pretty sure there is no way to get rid of it. It’s beyond obsession at this point.
Though, that isn’t entirely truenow. Not since Daisy showed up. I have had other things on my mind since then—things I haven’t considered in years.
She’s beautiful and very simple. I like that about a girl. I was never into all the makeup and hairspray and boob jobs. I like a natural woman, and Daisy embraces that. Her hair is always a mess, there’s always smudges of dirt on her face or hands. Her shirts are baggy, and her jeans have holes in them. She isn’t trying to put on a show. She’s practical.
Gus has already gotten friendly with her, and I’m… trying. I’m not as sociable as he is, it’s not as easy for me to talk to people.
And don’t get me started on Wade. If he could have her banished, he would.
Gus thinks he’ll come around, but I’m not sure. He knows how to hold a grudge, and I can understand why he’s so upset. I see both sides of it.
But Daisy isn’t responsible for this. She wants to help. Isn’t that enough? Our lives are miserable as is, shouldn’t we take a little bit of joy when we can? If there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it’s a pinprick, we should go toward it.
Daisy could help us. She could. We just have to hope a little. I guess the good thing is we don’t need Wade for that.Gus is doing a good enough job with her, and I’m trying my best. Between the both of us, it should be enough to keep her wanting to help us. And if she by chance figures something out, we can bring that to Wade.
Right now, we need to focus on that safe. We need to get into it. We tried prying it open, and we were electrocuted. Gusba-cawkedfor two hours straight after that, so we didn’t try again. Poor guy… he’s so sensitive to the triggers. They go off even when he’s out of earshot of his trigger word. Wade and I aren’t as sensitive. We have to actually hear it before weba-cawk.
God, what a stupid thing to do.
Agnes really was a pain in the ass. But I’ll give it to her… what a way to curse someone.
Since I’m the third one to take a shower today, the water doesn’t last half as long as I’d like it to. It starts to get warm and then suddenly very cold. I hiss as I frantically turn the knobs back and forth, unable to figure out which way is off even though I managed it just fine for Gus. The water finally stops coming out, and I’m shivering when I grab my towel. A few feathers pop out of my skin, and I focuson staying human, which causes them to fall out and float to the floor. Sometimes they disappear. This time they didn’t. I pick them up and toss them into the trash, then dry myself off and put my clothes back on.
