Gus opened the door with just his towel on, on purpose. I know he did. He’s totally into her and it’s clear she’s into him. But… I can’t do things like that. I take the towel with me as I leave the bathroom. Daisy and Gus are sitting on the couch, very close to one another.
“Where do you want me to put this?” I ask, holding up the towel.
“In the laundry room.” She points to the room by the back door. I toss it in the hamper in there, then come back to sit on the couch.
“Thank you,” I say.
“For what?” she asks, smiling at me.
“The shower. It’s been a long time.”
“Any time you want it, it’s yours. And my offer still stands with you sleeping inside. You may turn into ch—uh, I mean birds, but that doesn’t mean you have to be treated like animals. Though,” she laughs. “I did begGrannie to bring the horses and cows in when I was a little girl because I felt bad they were outside all the time.”
“That’s cute,” Gus says, putting his hand on her thigh.
She looks at it, then back at the TV, her cheeks going red.
I’m not sure what we’re watching on the TV. I never liked TV much, even when I was younger, so I didn’t watch a lot of movies. They keep chuckling though, so I assume it must be funny.
“Oh, shoot,” she says, glancing at the clock on the wall. “I didn’t realize it was so late.” She gets up. “I hope you’re staying for dinner tonight. I took out steaks.”
Gus and I share another look before looking back at her and nodding.
“I’ll help you,” Gus offers.
“I’m going to talk to Wade…”
“Tell him he’s invited too,” she calls over her shoulder.
Gus smiles at me as he follows her into the kitchen.
I won’t lie… I could get used to living a normal life in the house with Daisy. I’m just so worried about getting ahead ofmyself and it all being pulled out from under our feet when we least expect it.
Wade is by the barn, standing with his hands in his pockets.
“You missed out,” I say, stopping beside him.
“It’s just water.”
“Hot water, Wade. It’shot. And it feelsso good.”
He glances at me. “I’m not going to be friendly with her after what she did.”
“She didn’t do anything, you should probably remember that. And you haven’t been nice to her, and she’s still offering you things. So…”
He scoffs, glancing out at the grazing cows.
“I’m only going to say one more thing, and I hope you really think about this. If this is going to be our life forever, if there is no cure for this curse? I’m going to take whatever good I can get. If that means a few weeks of hot showers, home-cooked meals, and sleeping on a couch, I’m taking it. And maybe you should too… it may be the only good thing we get in our lifetime. And we have our grandpas to thank for that—no one else. So, if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at them.”
With those words, I walk away.
Chapter Eleven
Daisy
Rhett,Gus,andIwork together seamlessly to get dinner together. Rhett sets the table and cleans up the mess while Gus and I prep and cook. We’re plating the food when the back door opens. I hide my excitement as best I can, but a smile creeps onto my face when I realize it’s Wade coming into the kitchen.
“Hey, Wade. Glad you’re joining us,” Gus says. “You want abeer?” Wade’s eyes widen and they flick to the fridge. “Yeah.” Gus laughs. “She has beer.”
