Pushing Up Daisies (26 page)

“Are you kidding? You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what? Tell me what I don’t know.”

She stared at him. She hadn’t yet told him how she felt, although she had promised herself that she would. She decided to wait until later, until she could set the moment. She didn’t want to be in the bathtub when she told him that she loved him.

“Did the sex seem different to you last night…better?” she asked, trying to avoid his question.

Adonis smiled and kissed her softly. “It was better. Do you know why?”

Daisy shook her head.

“It was more than just sex.” He rose to his knees and turned Daisy around. He laid her down, holding the back of her head with one hand while he parted her legs with the other. Over the next few minutes, she told him that she loved him over and over again.

Daisy studied her face in the mirror and smiled at the afterglow. She couldn’t believe that she’d told Adonis she loved him. She’d never thought she’d be capable of loving someone else, of trusting someone else, after Jasper. But Adonis wasn’t just someone.

A cool breeze swept through the room, interrupting her thoughts. Adonis walked into the bathroom fully dressed and sat down on the commode to watch as she massaged Palmer’s into her skin. He handed her a robe, staring at her legs all the while.

“You like?” she asked, knowing full well that he did.

Adonis shushed her.

“What? You don’t want to help?” She lifted her leg and placed her foot high up on his chest.

Adonis stood quickly, grabbed her, and covered her mouth. “Ssh!” A serious look clouded his face. “There’s a social worker here to see you,” he whispered.

“Here? Now?” Daisy stamped her foot and tugged at her hair. She began to pace, and tears welled up. She looked helplessly at Adonis. “I’m so stupid. I should’ve know they’d pop up sooner or later. Now how am I supposed to explain us being like…like…naked? How can I prove I’m a good mom if I’m parading around the house with a man?”

Adonis brushed her hair out of her face. “Don’t worry. It’s okay.”

“But—”

He placed his hand over her mouth. “I straightened up the place before I let her in. She thinks I’m Jay’s cousin by marriage, which is true, and that I’d came by to check on you because you don’t feel well. So try to look sick. I didn’t want to lie, but I figured it wouldn’t look good, with your being undressed and all. I’ll be in the living room.” He closed the door softly behind him.

Daisy practically jumped into her nightgown and robe. She tousled her hair and rubbed her eyes, trying to make them look red. She’d had no idea that Mrs. Tompkins was coming over. Showing up unannounced was probably part of her job, catching people off guard to see how they really lived. Daisy grabbed a wad of toilet paper from the roll and headed for the living room, praying that Mrs. Tompkins was bearing good news.

As Daisy stepped into the room, she cleared her throat and wiped her nose. But then she froze. It wasn’t Mrs. Tompkins standing in her living room, but a woman she’d never met before.

“Hello,” Daisy greeted her, trying to summon a smile. All of a sudden, she really didn’t feel well. Her heart was pounding, and her skin felt warm and clammy. At least she knew that Mrs. Tompkins was on her side.

The woman in the tan suit smiled. “Hello, Ms….,” she began, looking inside the file in her hand. “Ms. Parker. My name is Edith Stokely. I’m Jay’s new social worker.”

“Oh, I forgot. Mrs. Tompkins did tell me that she wouldn’t be handling our case anymore.”

“Yes, she was promoted. I’m really sorry to bother you. Jay’s cousin here told me that you’re not feeling well. I’ll try to make this as quick as I can. May I take a look around your place?”

“Sure.” Daisy sat down across from Adonis. She wanted to follow Ms. Stokely, but she didn’t want it to look as though she was hiding something.

Shit!
She turned to Adonis and whispered, “The bedroom. The sheets—the smell—my panties.”

Adonis waved it away. “I took care of all that. Don’t worry.”

Daisy heard Ms. Stokely in the kitchen next, opening and closing cabinets.
What the hell is she looking for? I know that that’s not my refrigerator I hear opening.

Ms. Stokely appeared in the doorway. She looked in the file again, then began writing. “Okay, Ms. Parker. We’ll be in touch.”

“Ms. Stokely, when can I see my son?”

“I’m not really sure. I have to take this report back to my supervisor.”

“Is Mrs. Tompkins your supervisor?”

“Well, no. She’s the head of our division.”

Daisy nodded. “Ms. Stokely, maybe you can check with Mrs. Tompkins—”

“I’m afraid it’s not that easy. We have rules to follow, standard procedures that must be handled in a certain order.”

“Red tape, right? Wait here a second. Adonis, can you entertain Edith? I have to make a call.”

Daisy went into her bedroom and searched her wallet for Mrs. Tompkins’s card. She dialed her number and prayed that she’d be in the office. Daisy flipped the card over and found her cell phone number on the back.

“Hello, Mrs. Tompkins? This is Daisy Parker calling to take you up on your offer.” She explained that she wanted to see Jay. She related what Edith Stokely had told her about going through the required procedures. Mrs. Tompkins listened intently.

“You
are
over the division, right?”

“Yes, I am,” Mrs. Tompkins replied with a smile in her voice.

“So you can make it happen? I don’t want to get you into trouble with your higher-ups, but you know better than I do how much Jay needs me. And how much I need him.”

“Let me speak to Ms. Stokely.”

Daisy was grinning as she walked into the living room. She handed Ms. Stokely the phone, then listened gleefully as Ms. Stokely stammered and apologized. Daisy winked at Adonis and held out her hand for the phone after Ms. Stokely hung up.

Ms. Stokely smiled. “Ms. Parker, are you a God-fearing woman? Off the record.”

Daisy nodded. She wasn’t exactly religious, but she believed. “Yes.”

“Good, because you have quite a few angels looking after you—one being Mrs. Tompkins. Anyway, Jay can come visit you for a weekend. I don’t know what you’ve done, but keep doing it.”

“Believe me, I will.”

D
aisy had shopped until she could shop no more. She shouldn’t have spent so much money, but she didn’t care. Her son was coming home. It had been almost two weeks since Ms. Stokely had approved her, but apparently they’d had a little situation—namely, Jasper’s mother—to deal with first.

Mrs. Tompkins had called and told Daisy that Mrs. Stevens, after hearing about Jay’s weekend visit, had gone to court to try to stop it. Mrs. Tompkins assumed that Mrs. Stevens had counted on her money, her status as grandmother, and her social standing to help her. But what she hadn’t counted on was the judge asking Jay what
he
wanted.

Daisy hummed as she wrapped Jay’s last gift. It was spring, but she was singing Christmas carols, since Jay’s visit reminded her of how she usually felt on December 25.

Adonis wiped his hands on his pants. “I’ve finished hanging the welcome banner. Do you need any help?”

Daisy smiled. “No, this is the last one.”

He hugged her from behind. “No, it’s not.”

Daisy looked around the living room. “I could’ve sworn this was it.”

He massaged her shoulders. “I’ll be right back. I have some gifts for him out in the car.”

“You didn’t have to—”

“Yes, I did. I’m starting to feel like he’s as much mine as yours. I want him here just as much as you do.”

I am so in love with you,
she mouthed behind his back as he left the apartment. Ms. Stokely had been right; someone was definitely watching out for her.

When the buzzer rang, Daisy glanced at her watch. Her heart raced. Jay was scheduled to arrive at any moment. She ran to answer the intercom, pausing to fix herself in the mirror hanging next to the door.

“Who is it?” she sang.

“Girl, it’s us,” Gigi announced.

Disappointed, Daisy buzzed them in. “It’ll be fine,” she reassured herself. “He’ll be here any second.”

While she waited for them to come up, Daisy finished cleaning up the wrapping paper and strategically stacked the gifts around the cake.
It sure is taking Gigi and Ming Li a long time to get up here. They must’ve run into Adonis.

The bell rang.

“Just a second,” she called out as she maneuvered a box into position.

She opened the door to see Gigi and Ming Li standing there smiling.

“Hey, y’all.” Daisy hugged them and stepped aside as they came in, then saw in surprise that Adonis was standing behind them. “Sweetie, why didn’t you use the key?” she asked, taking some gifts from the pile in his arms.

He kissed her on the cheek and walked in.

Jay stood behind him, wearing the biggest grin she’d ever seen.

Daisy dropped the presents, and her hand went to her mouth. The whole room disappeared. She held out her arms, and he ran into them. She grabbed him, squeezed him, and kissed him all over his face.

“Hi, Mom.” He grinned, brushing the tears off her face before wrapping his arms around her neck.

Daisy pushed him back at arm’s length and looked at him. She ran her hands over his wavy hair and began kissing him again. Her tears ran freely when she saw how big he’d gotten, how handsome he was. Her baby had been growing up out of her sight.

“Ah, Mom. Not the waterworks, please,” he said, hugging her again.

“I missed you, Jay. I’ve missed you so much, baby. I’m so sorry they took you.”

“He is too.”

Daisy looked up to see Ms. Stokely smiling at her. “He told me about it on the way here. He told me everything. Now I see what Mrs. Tompkins was talking about. If it were up to me, we’d skip the whole court process and just let him stay forever.”

“That sounds good to me.” Daisy wiped her eyes and moved to hug Ms. Stokely. “Thanks for bringing him.”

“Happy to. Maybe next time it’ll be for good.”

“Would you like to stay for his party? I know it’s a little strange, but he wasn’t here for Christmas.”

“I would love to, but I have another case to attend to. Have fun, though. Who said Christmas only comes once a year? I have a feeling that Santa will be visiting you again real soon.” Ms. Stokely winked at Daisy and let herself out.

Daisy decided that she must be dreaming. She turned around slowly for fear that she’d wake up and find Jay gone. The past few moments seemed too good to be true. She swallowed hard when she saw Jay’s eyes light up as he dug his finger into the icing on his cake.
He’s so beautiful. And he’s mine, at least for the weekend.

Daisy tucked Jay into bed after reading him a story. She kissed him on the cheek and stood in his doorway before turning off the light. She just had to study him again. He seemed so grown-up. She hoped that it was simply time that had caused him to grow up so quickly, not his living situation. She wanted to question him, to ask him if his step-grandfather had mistreated him in any way. But she decided not to, not on his first day home. She started to close his bedroom door, but his voice stopped her.

“Mom?”

“Yes, sweetie, what is it?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Jay. More than life itself.” She eased the door closed until she heard it click, then returned to the living room.

“Some party, hunh?” Adonis asked, patting the seat beside him.

“Yes, it was.” Daisy smiled, curling up next to him.

“He seemed to really like his gifts.”

“Yes, he’s easy to please.”

She laid her head on Adonis’s chest, and neither of them said anything for a moment. They knew the small talk was leading nowhere. While she wanted him to stay and share not only her bed but her happiness, he couldn’t. The way he squeezed her hand told her that he didn’t want to go, either. But they both knew that he had to. She’d never allow a man, even the one she was madly in love with, to share her bed while Jay was in the house.

Daisy sat at the kitchen table and played with her breakfast of turkey sausage and over-easy eggs. The night had flown by, and the reality that Jay had only one more day left was digging into her soul.

“Hey, Mom.” He appeared in the doorway.

“Hey, sweetie. Are you hungry?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I already ate. I had cereal while you were in the shower.”

“Oh, sweetie, are you sure? Wouldn’t you like a hot breakfast? It’s cool out.”

“Nope, I had four bowls of cereal.”

“Four? You were that hungry?”

Jay laughed. “Not really. It’s just that Grandma Stevens won’t allow me to eat cold cereal. She makes me eat oatmeal.”

Daisy winced. Jay hated oatmeal. “Well, here at home you can eat whatever you want, as long as it’s balanced. You can have cereal for dinner if you want to.”

“Thanks.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Can you take me to see my dad?”

Daisy winced again and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to go to the cemetery, but she had no right to deny him. “Sure, but we’ll have to wear jackets. It’s colder out than it looks.”

Trudging slowly behind Jay on the soggy grass, Daisy surveyed the manicured grounds and fresh flowers adorning the gravesites. If she had thought about it, she would have purchased an arrangement for Jasper’s grave. She smiled. Months before, the idea of bringing flowers would have been out of the question. But she’d long been over him. He was dead and couldn’t hurt her anymore. She stood back a distance and urged Jay to go on without her. A creepy feeling came to her as she remembered the way she’d pissed on his grave. Guilt tried to creep in, but she quickly dismissed it. He’d deserved a lot worse.

Jay ran over to her. “Mom, someone’s already there.”

Daisy grabbed him by the hand and led him toward Jasper’s oversize headstone.
See, you did this to him, Jasper.

“Camille?”

Camille turned around. She was holding one of the prettiest baby girls that Daisy had seen in a long time. “Hey, Daisy. I never thought I’d see you here.”

Daisy smiled. “And you would’ve been right,” she said, nodding toward Jay, “but he asked me to bring him.”

“I’m here for Camilla too. She never knew him, but it’s my responsibility to make sure that she knows
about
him…the good things, anyway.”

“That’s what good mothers do. Lucky for her to have a woman like you as her mother,” Daisy said sincerely.

Camille walked up to Jay and introduced herself as a friend of his parents.

“Come here,” she said, beckoning to Daisy with her free hand. “Let me show you something.”

Daisy slowly moved closer.

“Look at the resemblance,” Camille went on. “Isn’t it scary?” She held Camilla out next to Jay.

Daisy stared in disbelief at their pretty, flawless dark skin, slanted eyes, and deep dimples. “They look just alike, like they have the same parents.” She turned to Jay. “Go ahead and visit your father, baby. I’m going to be right over there.” She pointed to where she’d been standing earlier. “Let’s walk,” she said to Camille.

“Just a second, I have to get Camilla out of this air. My mother’s waiting in the Jeep. I’ll put her in her car seat, and then I’ll meet you.”

Daisy walked in silence, the vision of Camilla and Jay filling her mind. They looked too much alike, too much like Jasper, or Jonathan. Too much like the Stevenses.
They have some strong genes.
She glanced over her shoulder at Jay, who stood looking like a smaller version of his father.

“Okay.” Camille walked up to Daisy, rubbing her hands together. “It’s starting to get chilly.”

Daisy nodded. She’d asked her to walk because she didn’t want Jay to overhear their conversation. “Camille, can I ask you a personal question?”

Camille chuckled nervously. “Daisy, everything between us has been personal. Go ahead.”

“Why have you been so nice to me, so good to me and Jay? I mean, I was sleeping with your husband, living with him. I can’t say I would’ve done the same for you.”

“Yes, you would’ve. I can tell that you’re a good, caring person. Anyone who fights for someone else’s child without having been married to the parent has to have a good heart.” Camille paused. “I knew we’d talk about this one day; I just didn’t think it’d be so close to
him.
”