But was she going to go through with it anyway?
Well, he had called herperfect.
‘I told you, Dad, you can’t just say things like that. This town takes it all too seriously,’ Hazel was saying to Mayor Kelly when Daisy tuned back in.
‘You’re right. Sometimes I forget the power I wield here.’
Hazel rolled her eyes at her father, but Noah nudged him playfully on the shoulder. ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’
‘So true, Noah,’ the mayor said, in all seriousness, and Daisy couldn’t help but laugh.
‘It’s fine. It’s really not your fault,’ she told him for themillionth time. Even though it really wasn’t fine. The mayor’s dream had added fuel to the curse fire, but him feeling bad about it really didn’t help her at all. The important thing was, she’d kept her spot selling flowers at the festival. They were always a big hit, usually selling out, and without that money, she wouldn’t be able to pay her bills this month. Things were getting desperate at the flower shop.
Hence, the reason she hadn’t completely rejected Elliot’s plan. If it got the town to shut up about this damn curse and got some weddings on the books, then maybe she should consider it.
‘Oh, hey, there’s your new boyfriend,’ Noah said with a grin, pointing to where Elliot was walking toward their little group.
As they all turned to stare at him, Elliot looked like he wanted to run in the opposite direction, but to his credit, he didn’t.
‘Hi, everyone,’ he said, coming to stand awkwardly beside Daisy. His hands were tucked in his pockets like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them, and a furious blush had worked its way to the tips of his ears.
Daisy looped her arm through his, taking charge of the moment. Elliot had done enough of that for the evening. Itwas her turn. If they were going to do this fake-dating thing, they might as well be convincing.
‘Hi,’ she said, tipping her face up to his. ‘Thanks for rescuing me in there.’
His blush deepened. ‘Any time.’
Hazel cleared her throat. ‘So… you two…’
‘Uh, yeah,’ Daisy pulled her attention from Elliot’s shy smile to the overly interested group in front of her. ‘It’s all pretty new so we were… uh… keeping things quiet.’ She felt bad lying to her friends but if too many people knew the truth, this would never work. And what would everyone think if they learned she’d faked an entire relationship? She shuddered at the thought.
‘Guess that’s over now.’ Hazel winced. ‘The crowd was a bit hostile tonight.’
Daisy shrugged, refusing to let everyone get to her. ‘Spring fever has them all rowdy again.’
‘It was very brave of you to out yourself to the whole town, Elliot,’ Hazel said. ‘It’s not easy being anonymous here. I would have held onto that for as long as possible.’
‘You’re too cute to be anonymous, Haze. Everyone would notice you right away,’ Noah said and Hazel pretended to roll her eyes, but she was smiling too hard to really pull it off.
‘Not that you’re not cute,’ Noah said, turning to Elliot. ‘And obviously,Iknew who you were.’
‘Uh… thanks. You’re cute, too?’ Elliot said with a laugh, and Daisy felt oddly pleased that he was getting along with her friends, like that mattered, like they were a real couple.
‘How’s your mom enjoying her stay?’ Noah asked.
‘She loves the house. You did a great job with the reno.’
Noah beamed. ‘Thanks, man. That means a lot coming from a professional like you.’
‘You saw the potential and ran with it. Putting on all new cedar shakes was a great call. Very classic New England.’
Hazel leaned into Noah’s side, giving him a little nudge and a smile that so clearly said how proud she was of him. Daisy thought Noah might burst with happiness. Which was lovely for him, but Daisy had a fake relationship to orchestrate. Or end. She wasn’t sure which.
‘She especially loves the small porch you added.’
‘I thought that would be a big hit,’ Noah said. ‘A great spot to sit out and look at the water.’
‘For sure. I caught her out there all bundled up yesterday. It will be gorgeous in the summer.’
