Pushing Up Daisies (22 page)

Daisy sat on one of the only two seats in the living room. She looked around and smiled at all the boxes. Once, packed boxes had saddened her, but seeing Jacob’s made her happy. The sooner he moved out, the sooner she’d be able to move in.

She noticed him in the doorway and realized how much she’d miss seeing him. She didn’t even know him, but she loved looking at him. He and Adonis had to be in the top five of the world’s most beautiful men.

Jacob smiled as though he was waiting for her to invite him to sit down and join her. Unconsciously she licked her lips seductively and played with her hair. As he watched, the air between them filled with sexual energy. Daisy wondered if Jacob could feel it too. She looked into his warm eyes and was certain that he did.

“Well, aren’t you going to sit down?”

He crossed his arms. “No, I like watching you from here. Sometimes, when you’re too close, you miss the little things.”

Daisy laughed. He was right. “What exactly are you afraid to miss?”

“Nothing in particular. Everything in particular. I like watching you.”

Hell, I love watching you with your sexy self.

Daisy stared into Jacob’s eyes and suddenly felt the need to look away. He was reeling her in too much. She found herself ready to say yes to questions he hadn’t even asked. The game that they were playing was too dangerous, and someone would lose. That someone would be Adonis, and eventually her, if she gave in to Jacob.

“So, do you still want it?” he asked, sitting down across from her.

“The apartment?”

“Of course, the apartment. Was there something else you had in mind?”

Daisy paused a moment too long. “Well, no…”

“You mean yes, don’t you?”

“No means no.”

Jacob went to Daisy and took her hand. “Listen, Daisy. I don’t know what it is about you…about us—”

Daisy held up her free hand. “Don’t. I’m way too complicated for you. I’ve got too much baggage. Too many problems. I’ll run you off without even trying.”

Jacob laughed. “I can’t be scared off. I run
to
what I’m drawn to, not away. That’s always been my problem…going after what I want. Sometimes it can be a curse.”

Lord, don’t I know it.
“Well, trust what you know. Consider me a curse. I’m sort of involved with someone.”

“Sort of,
as in just beginning a relationship, or just ending one?”

“Beginning.”

“What if he runs off?”

“I don’t think he will. He hasn’t yet.”

“So, is he the reason you canceled our dinner?”

Daisy looked away. She had known that he’d ask eventually. “Yes, but not intentionally. We’d cut our ties a while back, and then I ran into him at the restaurant. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with both of you in the same place.”

Jacob rubbed her hand and studied her intently. For a moment, she wished that she wasn’t involved with Adonis. She desperately wanted to kiss Jacob, wondered if his lips were as soft as they appeared. Blinking slowly, she inhaled his breath as he exhaled. It was sweet and inviting. Her mouth watered.
Damn, what have I got myself into?

Jacob stood and pulled her up by the arm. He was just inches in front of her. She closed her eyes and felt his face in the crevice between her shoulder and head. He buried his nose in her neck.

“You smell delicious.”

I bet you
are
delicious.

She opened her eyes and stared directly into his. He was tempting. Too tempting. Before she knew it, she’d reached out and touched his hair. His soft curls spiraled around her finger and seemed to beckon her. Carefully, she pulled away, Ms. Christine’s warning playing in the back of her mind:
What looks good to you may not be good for you.

Jacob pulled her close again, cradling her face in his hands. He kissed her forehead, her nose, then brushed her lips.

Daisy reared back. “I can’t do this. I don’t even know you. I don’t know anything about you. And you don’t know me. I can’t throw everything away for lust. It seems huge right now, but it’s so small compared to life and love. Besides, you’re going to be my landlord. And your father’s my boss.”

Jacob laughed. “But I do know you. You just don’t remember me.”

Daisy looked at him as if he were crazy.

“I first saw you when you started working for my dad. I’d come and go, hoping to get your attention. We locked eyes one day.”

“Are you sure about that? Because I still don’t remember you. No offense.”

“You may not remember because it was some time ago, but I’ll never forget. You looked so beautiful sitting in the front of the flowers. I watched you faithfully. I knew then what I know now.”

“What’s that?”

“That you’re special, delicate. Just like your name. You deserve someone who’ll treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You shouldn’t be working. You need someone like me to take care of you.”

Daisy pulled herself out of his arms again and smiled. She had no idea what kind of energy she exuded that made men think she was helpless. Jacob was as much of a joke as Jasper and Calvin had been. At one point in her life, she’d have believed him. She would have given in and let him manipulate her because she was attracted to power. But Adonis had shown her what real power was. He had loved her without needing to control her.

“I believe that you
would
take care of me. But I’ll have to decline. He’s—Adonis is too important to me.”

Jacob looked surprised. “Adonis, hunh? Well, if his name truly holds meaning, I’d better be careful. I studied Adonis in college. The myth, not the man.” Jacob laughed and reached into his pocket. “Here.” He handed her a set of keys. “I’ll be completely moved out the day after tomorrow. You can move in then, if you’d like.”

Daisy kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Jacob. Thanks for the apartment, and the very enlightening conversation.”

Daisy left Jacob’s apartment feeling both happy and ashamed. Up to the moment she’d realized he was no good for her, she’d come dangerously close to giving in to him. She’d never been tempted by two men before; she’d never wanted more than one. Although Jacob was breathtaking on the surface, he wasn’t Adonis. Jacob would have drained her; Adonis filled her. While she guessed that Jacob could rock her world sexually, Adonis had rocked more than her body. The man had gotten under her skin, and into her mind. He had made her want to utter the three words she’d sworn she would never say again. “I’ll tell him tonight,” she promised herself as she stepped onto the porch.

Daisy hurried into the house. She couldn’t wait to share her news with Gigi and Ms. Christine. She knew they’d both be happy for her. Her stay with Gigi had been good for both of them. They had been there for each other during their time of need; Daisy had needed a place to rest her head, and Gigi had needed support after her breakup with Marcus. But as close as they were, she realized that they both needed their own space. Too many women in a kitchen would eventually lead to trouble.

As Daisy hung up her coat, she saw Gigi sitting at the dining room table, holding her face in her hands. She was crying.

“What’s wrong?”

Gigi shook her head.

“It’s something,” Daisy persisted.

“Yes, but no one that you’re concerned about.”

“Why not? Who is it?”

“Ming Li. She’s in the hospital. She overdosed.”

D
aisy carried the last box into Jay’s room and set it on top of the others. She wiped her dusty hands on her jeans and glanced over her shoulder. Adonis’s and Ms. Christine’s loud laughter floated through the apartment. She hoped the walls were thick. The last thing she wanted was to give her neighbors a reason to complain about her.

She shushed them loudly and sat down on top of Jay’s bed. Relishing the sudden silence, she closed her eyes and said a special prayer of thanks. It had been a long time since she and Jay had had a nice place of their own. The room was too small to accommodate all of his belongings, but it would do. She didn’t care if his toys were scattered throughout the apartment, as long as they were together. Getting him back was all that mattered.

“You need any help?” Adonis offered from the doorway.

“No, I’m finished for now. I need to paint and buy him some new linens and curtains, the things he needs to make this room feel like his. But I guess you’ll help me with that, right?” She caressed his face softly.

Adonis rolled his eyes in mock disgust. “You sure know how to get what you want. You know I’ll help in any way I can, with a little persuasion. Speaking of persuasion, who did you work your magic on to get a place like this?”

Daisy froze. She hadn’t yet told Adonis about Jacob, or about renting from him. He’d be upset if she told him the entire truth. She’d tell him only what he needed to know. “My boss’s son rented me the apartment. He’s a professor, and he’s gone on sabbatical for a year. He needed a tenant, and I needed a place. I didn’t have to work my magic. You’re the only one that I work.” She kissed him on the cheek and hurried out of the room before he could ask more questions.

Ms. Christine slid a sofa against the wall. “There,” she said with one final shove. “Now, doesn’t that look better on this side of the room? It better, ’cause I’m not moving it again. I’m tired, and I have a plane to catch.”

Daisy hugged her mother. “Thanks, Ma. For everything. It looks fine right where you put it. I’m going to miss you.”

“Sweetie, you don’t have to thank me. But on second thought, if you really want to thank me, you can cook me dinner when you come home. I’ve been cooking ever since I got out here.”

“Sure, Ma. Whatever you want, you got it.”

“Good. I’ll have a list ready for you when you come home to visit. “Come on, Adonis!” Ms. Christine yelled. “It’s time to go.” She turned to Daisy. “I bet he’s lying down. Two days of moving tires anyone out.”

“I’ll get him, Ma.” Daisy headed for Jay’s bedroom.

She found him curled up on Jay’s bed. She smiled. He looked so peaceful, so tired. She hated to wake him. “Adonis, are you sleeping?” she asked, nudging him gently.

He stretched, looked up at her with sleepy eyes. “Yes. No. I’m up now.”

Daisy sat on the bed and rubbed his back. “Ma’s waiting for you. You should never have told her you’d take her to the airport.”

“I know. You should be taking her.”

Daisy knew what he was going to say next, and she didn’t want to hear it. She’d been able to avoid that conversation for the last few days. Moving had saved her. “I have a valid reason for not wanting to go. You guys are stopping by the hospital first. Why should I visit Ming Li, after what she did?”

“Women. I love y’all, but I can’t take y’all. If it were two men, we’d just talk about it—maybe even fight. But we’d get over it. Besides, you don’t know the whole story.”

“And neither do you,” Daisy said defensively.

Adonis kissed her on the forehead. “Don’t put me in this. You know where my loyalty is. I’m just telling you what Gigi tried to tell you…what your own mother tried to tell you. There’s more to the story.”

“I’ll think about it,” Daisy said drily, and returned to the living room to bid Ms. Christine good-bye.

Her mother hugged her. “Alright, baby girl. I’ll call you when I get in to let you know I made it.”

Tears welled in Daisy’s eyes as she squeezed her mother. She hated to see her leave.

Adonis smiled from the doorway. “Now I see why you don’t want to go, baby girl,” he teased.

Daisy frowned at him.

Ms. Christine turned and blew Daisy a kiss. “You’ll be fine. Pray.”

“Yes, pray,” Adonis urged her.

“I will, Ma. Adonis, make sure you lock the door behind you. I’m going to lie down.”

Daisy scrubbed the olive paint from her hands in the kitchen sink. She’d been working alone for two days, fixing up the apartment. She had just finished Jay’s room. Her back ached from all the reaching and squatting. She didn’t care what the advertisements said, the extendable, automatic-fill paint-brushes weren’t any easier to use. She glanced out the tiny kitchen window to see that snow had begun to fall. The first snowfall of the year always made her feel warm inside, and she began humming her own tune as she danced from the sink to the stove. Turning on the flame, she snapped her fingers and did a little dip. She removed the kettle and filled it with water. “Do you remember the twenty-first night of September?” she sang. “Love was changing the mind of pretenders, while chasing the clouds away.” She stopped, realizing how silly she must look, but then she remembered that she was by herself.
This is one of the perks of living alone.
Daisy began singing again.

Until the intercom buzzed.

She answered, but didn’t receive a response.

“Must’ve had the wrong apartment.” She went back to the kitchen.

The doorbell rang.

What the hell? Who got into the building without me buzzing them in?
“Must be Adonis,” she said out loud, going back to the door.
Ma must have taught him how to slip in.

“How’d you get in?” she asked as she opened the door.

Calvin Harris stood before her.

“Damn. How did you find me?”

Calvin smiled halfheartedly. “I’m a detective. It’s what I do for a living.”

“Well, detect this.” She swung the door closed, but Calvin stopped it with his foot.

“That’s very juvenile, Daisy.”

“And just popping up at someone’s house without being invited is…what? Being a respectable adult?” She sighed. “Just come in. I don’t need my neighbors in my business.” She walked into the kitchen to turn off the kettle, which had begun to whistle. Just when she was starting to have fun, the devil showed up.
His horns must be in his pocket.

She bumped into him as she turned to leave the kitchen. “Damn. I invited you to come in, not get on top of me. Give me three feet.”

Daisy had no idea why he was there, but it couldn’t be good. Except for the few hot months that they’d shared in college, nothing had ever been pleasant between them. “Have a seat.” She gestured to the sofa and waited for Calvin to sit down. “Well?” she asked impatiently when he did.

“I came here to talk to you about Lalani.”

“Lani,” Daisy corrected. “She prefers to be called Lani.”

“Okay, Lani.”

The intercom buzzed.

No one calls first anymore?
She went to answer it. “Who is it?”

“Mrs. Tompkins, the social worker from the hospital.”

Daisy buzzed her in, then hurried over to Calvin, worried. “Sorry, you have to go. Come back in an hour.”

“Not until we talk about Lani. I flew three thousand miles to have this conversation, and I’m not leaving until we do.”

“Please, Calvin. You don’t know what this—” The doorbell rang, interrupting her. “Shit! Okay, Calvin. You win. But please don’t say anything. Promise me that, and I’ll explain later. We’re related. Just go along with that.”

Daisy straightened her clothes and smoothed her hair. As much as she hated Mrs. Tompkins, she knew that she had to be on point. With all the energy she could summon, she plastered a fake smile on her face and opened the door.

“Come in, Mrs. Tompkins.”

Mrs. Tompkins nodded politely, stepped inside, and slowly looked around the apartment. “Hello, Daisy.”

“Ms. Parker,” Daisy corrected. If she couldn’t address Mrs. Tompkins by her first name, then neither could Mrs. Tompkins call her by hers. “How may I help you?”

“Do you mind if we sit and talk? It’s about Jay.”

“Follow me,” Daisy said, turning toward the living room. She looked at her watch and reminded herself to keep doing so.
If she thinks I have somewhere to go, maybe she’ll go back to the hole she crawled out of. Calvin too for that matter. Hell has to have noticed by now that its two biggest demons are missing.

“Mrs. Tompkins, this is—”

“Detective Harris.” Calvin rose from his seat to shake Mrs. Tompkins’s hand, then settled himself back down.

Stupid asshole. Now he’s going to have this nosy heifer acting even nosier, if that’s possible.
“He’s my cousin, visiting from out of town,” Daisy added quickly.

Mrs. Tompkins sat down. “Well, Daisy, I’ll get right to the point. That is, if you don’t mind me speaking in front of your cousin.”

“Oh, no, Daisy doesn’t mind. We’re a close family,” Calvin interjected.

Daisy had to will herself not to roll her eyes and Calvin out of his seat.

“Daisy, I’m no longer handling your case. But I managed to find out quite a bit while I was working on it. And I came here to apologize.”

“For what?” Daisy asked, taken aback.

Calvin sat up straighter.

“Well, first off, I know that Jay isn’t your son. I also know that he’s not your late boyfriend’s biological child, either. And for you to fight for him the way you are is wonderful. I’ve talked to a lot of people about you and Jay: the schools, the basketball coach, the doctors—”

“Mrs. Tompkins, Jay
is
my son. I’ve raised him almost single-handedly since he was in diapers. That’s what everyone fails to realize; I didn’t have to give birth to him to love him. If anyone questions who his mother is, they should just ask him.”

“I did,” Mrs. Tompkins said, nodding, “and he told me everything. How you struggled to take care of him, to keep a roof over his head. How you spent almost all of your money on his sneakers—”

“He wouldn’t know all that. I’ve always protected him from knowing too much. Some problems are only for adults to know.”

Mrs. Tompkins laughed. “You know, Daisy, for being such a good mother, you’re forgetting something. Kids hear more than we know. I believe they learn more through eavesdropping than they do in the schools.”

Daisy decided Mrs. Tompkins wasn’t so bad, after all, and shared the whole pitiful story of her and Jasper with her. Daisy glanced at Calvin, who’d turned into a human sponge. He was sucking up the whole conversation. She had almost forgotten that he was in the room. She didn’t have the time to save face, or be too private. Calvin and the whole world could know her business for all she cared, just as long as she got Jay back.

Mrs. Tompkins stood. “May I see Jay’s room?”

“Sure. It’s right back there.” Daisy pointed at the direction. “But let me ask you a question first. I’m sure you’ve found out information about other cases before. What was it that made you come here to talk to me, other than what you’ve told me?”

“Off the record”—Mrs. Tompkins laughed sadly—“I grew up in foster care. I was taken away from my mother and never returned. My case was a joke. My foster parents were a nightmare, and I had no real reason to be in the system. My mother’s ex-boyfriend called and lied about her, said that she’d abused me. My mother had never laid a hand on me—ever. Long story short, they took me away, and she took her life when she couldn’t get me back. I’ve been in therapy for years. A wonderful, caring psychiatrist we both happen to know asked me about your case, and it turned out to be one that I’d covered. Thank Camille.” Mrs. Tompkins walked to Jay’s room.

Daisy closed her eyes and tried to regain her composure. She knew how Mrs. Tompkins’s mother must have felt. She remembered Camille’s words: she didn’t want Jay sitting on the other side of a therapist’s desk in twenty years.

“One more thing,” Mrs. Tompkins said, returning to the living room. “About the stepfather…is there anyone you can get to testify?”