Chapter Ten
Daisy sighed as she looked out the window, the hotel disappearing from view as they rounded a curve. Her head was spinning from too much champagne, but with the kids tucked safely in bed, the stars shining down above her, and the magic of the night, she’d allowed herself the indulgence, just this once.
In fact, the entire night had felt like one indulgence after the other, beginning with the ring placed on her finger—even if it wasn’t hers forever. But it had been fun pretending that for a little while, this ring—and this man—were both hers.
Then there’d been the kiss followed by dancing under the stars. She couldn’t have imagined the night being anymore perfect.
She sank back farther into the seat, aware of Jack lost in his own next to her, and she remembered the kiss that had left her wobbly. And the warmth and electricity that sparked the moment their lips had touched, despite their audience.
Even now, with him just a few inches away, she wondered whether they could recapture that same spark, and more than anything, she wanted to close the distance, lean into his side, and accept his warmth and strength a little longer.
Just as quickly, she dismissed the idea.
What was she thinking? Soon, all of this would end and she’d be on her own again while Jack returned to his busy and important life.
Except this time she’d have something more—she’d have the money to finally start her own business.
That’s what she should be thinking about right now. Thoughts about empanada fillings and menu combinations, colors and textiles she might use to design her very own bakery.
Not Cinderella fantasies but real life possibilities.
Jack’s hand suddenly settled over hers, his thumb lightly skimming over it and sending a shiver through her. She couldn’t look at him, instead she closed her eyes, wanting this moment to last forever.
He seemed to understand, and for the next twenty minutes, they rode in silence, their hands joined together.
It was only when Rogers pulled the car into the driveway and got out to get the door, that Jack finally spoke. “Thanks for going with me tonight. I know it probably wasn’t easy, but you were perfect.”
“Perfect. High praise indeed. And you’re welcome. I actually had a great time.”
Rogers opened the door, and Jack released her hand and climbed out. He spoke to Rogers for a minute, something about the other officer taking Ollie outside before relieving Rogers for the night. Then Jack was back, helping her out.
The house was still when they got inside and made their way down the hall, the light from the kitchen offering enough of a glow for them to see. At the bottom step, she slipped her heels off, dangling them in her hand before taking the lead as they crept up the stairs. They stopped outside the kids’ room and peeked in.
A night-light was still on above Lily’s bed, a book resting on her chest as if she’d nodded off in the middle of a page. Daisy’s kids were also similarly asleep, although Paul stirred for a moment before flopping over to his belly.
Jack slipped inside and went to his daughter’s bed where he took the book from her chest and set it down. Then he leaned over, taking a moment to brush some hair from Lily’s face, before placing a kiss on her forehead. He paused, studying her, something that Daisy had done millions of times with her own kids, but seeing him repeat that familiar gesture brought a large lump in her throat.
This was a good man.
A warm, kind, generous man who loved his child. Who was there for his child, despite whatever pressing engagements he had. He was someone dependable, not to mention someone who made her insides melt whenever he looked at her.
Someone she could fall hard for.
Holy Mary, Mother of God…someone she was pretty much certain she had fallen for.
She watched him as he stared at his daughter, her heart hammering in her chest, before he flipped the light off and the room went to darkness. It took her a moment to make out his form coming toward her. He pulled the door closed behind him and turned to meet her gaze.
She couldn’t move.
“Are you okay?”
But she was unable to find words as she stared into eyes that she knew were bluer than the lake outside the window even though they were drawn in shadows now. He took another step toward her, and she stepped involuntarily back until she felt the wall behind her.
Her breathing was so loud now, and she worried that he could hear her heartbeat as it thrummed loudly in her chest. It was as if he saw something in her eyes, the way the glint entered his eyes, and he took another step so he was towering above her.
“Daisy.” But he didn’t say anything more as he raised his hand, caressing the side of her face. Then he kissed her, only this time it wasn’t a soft, tentative kiss like earlier tonight. There was no hesitation as his mouth swept over hers, hard and demanding, and she found herself returning the kiss with just as much passion.
She gripped his shoulders, the heel of a shoe still in her hand digging against her palm, but she needed the anchor that his strength provided as she felt like she’d be swept away from the rush of feelings that rolled over her.
Desire. Excitement. Nervousness. And most of all…something close to love.
It was as if someone pulled the needle back on an old record player.
What was she doing? God, this felt good, and she could easily just give into the passion and make this a night she’d always remember.
But just as much as she would remember it, she could very well feel regret.
She wasn’t Jack’s fiancée. She wasn’t even his girlfriend. She was his business partner. And if she wanted to continue to be his business partner, she couldn’t cross the line from professional to romantic, no matter how much her body—and maybe even her heart—was telling her to.
She’d given in to the desires of the heart once before and look where it got her.
With reluctance, she slid her arms from Jack’s shoulders and stepped back into the known.
The safe zone.
“I…I just can’t, Jack,” she whispered softly, pleading silently with him for understanding.
He took her hands in his own, smiling down at her. “We’re both grown adults, Daisy. Both of us single. There’s no reason we can’t do this.”
She closed her eyes.
Be strong. You know that this is what’s right. For you, your kids, your future.
“Yes, we are.” She opened her eyes again. “But we’re also business partners, playing a part in order to achieve what we both want. Protecting our kids. Establishing our careers. Sleeping together would be crossing a line that would only complicate everything.”
“It would also be amazing.”
“Maybe. At least until we return to our own worlds and realize it was a mistake.” And she’d be left with a massive broken heart and her dream of having her own bakery a pie in the sky once again.
No. What was practical and rational would be for them to keep things as they are.
Instead of expressing disappointment or frustration, or even another attempt to convince her otherwise, Jack grinned, taking a moment to brush a wisp of hair from her face. He was taking this better than she’d hoped.
“I understand. You need time to get accustomed to the idea that you and I are inevitable.”
Or not.
He sounded so certain, though, and she smiled back despite the seriousness of the moment before slowly shaking her head. “Not inevitable. Believe me. There’s nothing I’d like more if it was just about you and me and this moment. But it’s not. There are just too many variables that it’s not something I can risk.”
“I understand.” He still grinned, and she wondered if she had spoken another language. He appeared so…upbeat.
“All right then. I guess I’ll see you in the morning?” she asked, pulling her hands slowly from his.
“Most definitely. Sweet dreams, Daisy.”
With a last glance back to him, she walked down the hall then into her room, where she leaned against the door as she caught her breath.
Because even now, with her body still tingling and her head filled with memories of tonight, she wondered how she’d had the strength to say no.
…
Jack woke up with a strange sense of renewed hope and happiness the next morning. Last night might not have gone exactly the way he’d hoped, but as he saw it, he had the rest of the week—hell, the rest of his life—to prove to Daisy that what was happening between them was real.
And was worth the risk.
He slid out of bed then threw on some clothes, laced up his shoes, and left his room for a quick run. Ollie was sitting outside his door, undoubtedly needing to be taken outside, and after finding his leash, they headed out.
The brisk cold air was just what he needed as he kept a steady pace running along the beach, Ollie at his side.
Sure, his spirits could be low. His disappointment acute that she’d rejected him. But he didn’t see last night as Daisy’s rejection of him. Because she wanted him as surely as he wanted her. Of that he was certain. No, what Daisy was rejecting was something else, something tied up in her old life and that asshat of a husband who’d made her question her own value.
He didn’t need a degree in psychology to know that she was afraid of what would happen if it didn’t work out. She’d trusted her heart before and look what happened.
Which was why he could be patient. He needed to show her that he wasn’t like her ex-husband. He wouldn’t ever leave her. And if she let him, they could both make each other happy, provide for each other in a way she probably had never experienced firsthand. They’d take care of the other.
A large log rested on the beach and he leaped over it with renewed vigor. He’d show Daisy how things could be.
Did he think there would be difficulties? Of course. He’d admitted as much to himself when he first met her and felt her draw. He was going to be a busy guy. He would have a lot of responsibilities in the coming months and years, and he couldn’t tell whether he’d have the time to always give her what she deserved. But he also knew that he didn’t want any of it, that it wasn’t worth it, if he couldn’t be happy.
And Daisy could make him happy.
A little while later as he reached the house, he looked up to see Officer Kenney watching him from the deck above, trying to keep an eye on him. He’d doubted the older man would ever have been able to run the beach, which was part of why he’d snuck out so early, so the guy didn’t feel guilty.
He nodded to the officer, who smiled a little warily and said, “Good morning.”
From over the man’s shoulder, he could see into the kitchen where Daisy was already whipping something up in a bowl.
And she was entirely alone.
He grinned as he threw open the door and went in. “Good morning.”
She looked up briefly and then back down at the bowl, a pink flush staining her cheeks. “Morning.”
Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, the end tossing about as she whipped—rather ferociously—the contents in her bowl. “There’s coffee ready.”
“Thank you,” he said, leaning down to unclip Ollie’s leash before heading over to the pot. He filled a mug, watching her as he did so. “Hope you slept well last night.”
“Quite well, thank you.”
“Ah. And here I was hoping that maybe you’d spent a restless night dreaming about what might have been. And maybe thinking something like…what have I got to lose? Maybe I can have everything I ever wanted.”
“Now you’re dreaming.”
“Not in the least.” He took a drink of the strong brew, not minding the heat of it on his tongue. “Actually, my night was fairly restful since I knew I’d wake up to a new day. Another day of possibilities and of convincing this remarkable woman standing before me that we could be really good together.”
She shook her head, but there was a slight smile on her face. “You really are a dreamer.”
“I just know when something good is right in front of my face and I’m not afraid to do whatever I can to hold on to that.”
“Jack,” she said, her voice softening. “I meant what I said last night. You and I need to keep things on a professional level. There’s too much at stake to risk it on something that has no chance of actually happening.”
“There is definitely a risk, but I find that’s true in anything that’s worth having.”
She threw her head back and muttered something under her breath before pulling the glob of dough from the bowl and throwing it onto the counter, kneading it without mercy. “Jack. You’re a Harrison. You’re going to be the governor with duties and responsibilities I can’t even imagine. And you will be expected to attend galas and many more fundraisers with people who I probably sold coffee and Danishes to last week. And if I’m lucky, will be selling them more of the same in a few short months, albeit from my own bakery. This little arrangement, both staying at this beautiful home and doing such incredible things, has deluded us both into thinking that we have anything in common that will keep us together when it’s all over. This is like a vacation on steroids, and when we get back home and you go back to your life and I go back to mine, you’ll recognize that we made the right decision.” She pushed her fist into the dough, as if testing it, and continued. “How do you see this ever working out, Jack?”
“Just like it would work if you were any other woman I’m interested in. We would make time for each other. Get to know each other better. And someday maybe even make this whole pretend engagement thing real.”
“You make it sound so simple, but you know it will be anything but. And I can’t make snap decision about my heart like you—not anymore. I only do things after measured thought, after considering every possibility.”
“Such as…”
“Such as the possibility that in two days you find that you’re sick of the sight of me, and you want to get as far away as possible.”
She didn’t say, like Leo, but she might as well have since the implication was there. And it nearly shattered his heart to think that someone could make her doubt her own amazingness like her ex had, to the extent that she didn’t think she was worth the risk.
He walked slowly toward her, even as she eyed him warily. “I know everything I need to know about you, Daisy Sorensen. About how loving and generous and brave you are. How much you value honesty, hard work, and your own independence above everything. I also know how you make me feel when I’m with you. Whatever I don’t yet know about you I look forward to learning.”
He reached her, stopping inches in front of her but not moving to touch her since he knew she’d only flee again. “I’m as surprised as you by what’s developed between us. But you’re in my system now and all I know is that I want more. More of you, more of moments like last night when it was just the two of us, as well as moments when we’re all out there, your family and mine, fishing or sailing or even rappelling off the face of a cliff if the notion strikes us. I’m not asking for you to commit to me forever right now. Just…don’t say no. Not yet. I promise that the moment you’re not having fun, when you don’t think it will work, then I’ll respect your wishes and leave you alone.”
He saw the hope in her eyes as she bit her lip, and he knew she wanted to say yes but was too afraid to leap.
“Just…consider it. Today, keep yourself open to the possibility of how good we can be. Can you do that?”
She sighed and a second later, nodded. “I can try.”
That’s all he could ask. For now.
He grinned, taking that last step in front of her. He cupped her face and leaned down to caress her lips ever so briefly with his.
Yep. That spark was still there.
The patter of footsteps on the kitchen tile forced him to draw away to find his coffee cup again, and Daisy busied herself with whisking just as Glenda swept into the room.
“Good morning!” she practically sang as she caught sight of them. “I thought for sure you both would be sleeping until noon—after getting home as late as you did.”
Daisy froze. “I hadn’t realized you were still awake.”
Her aunt hesitated a beat too long in his opinion before she replied, “Oh, I must have dozed off somewhere after eleven, I’m afraid. So I don’t know exactly when you returned. How was the party?” she asked, walking past him to grab a mug that she filled with water and put in the microwave. As he’d learned, tea was her preferred morning poison.
“It was better than I had hoped,” he said and, looking at Daisy, winked.
She turned away, setting the dough back in the bowl and covering it with a dishcloth. Not apparently wanting to be idle, she grabbed some of yesterday’s leftover bacon and chopped it before putting into another bowl. It was hard not to admire the quick, precise movements she made as she worked, the happiness that made her face seem bright and carefree.
She was grating cheese as he leaned against the counter, watching her, when his phone rang from his pocket. He cringed at the caller ID, although he wasn’t entirely surprised.
“Hello, Stuart.”
“Good morning, Jack. It looks like congratulations appear to be in order.”
“Congratulations? I don’t follow.”
“You must not have pulled up the Tribune yet. You’re the feature story. Well, you and your fiancée, I should say. You’re front page of the local section and the comments have been exploding—most of them positive.”
“That’s…great.” He put his hand over the phone and spoke to Daisy and Glenda. “The Tribune ran a story this morning on us.”
Daisy and her aunt exchanged glances before Daisy got up, went to the laptop on the corner counter, and opened it up.
“It is great,” Stuart continued. “Keep this up and this next year will be a breeze. Even Aaron Leary has been quiet this morning, probably simmering in resentment.”
Or planning his next move of attack.
“Anyhow,” Stuart continued. “Everyone is clamoring to know more about the two of you, how the kids are adapting to becoming a family, how you two are going to adjust to life in the Governor’s Mansion, that sort of thing. I was thinking that since it’s the holiday, now would be a great time to be seen in town, doing things to celebrate the country’s birthday. I can notify a few of the media outlets where you’ll be so—”
“No,” Jack said firmly. “I already did the benefit last night. They got their pictures, clearly. Today is the Fourth of July, and I think I speak for Daisy and myself in that we just want to stay close to home and out of the spotlight for these last few days. Remember, this is our vacation, Stuart, not a publicity stunt.”
Stuart sighed warily. “Fine. But when you return home, there’s a number of events that you’ve both already been invited to and I’ve taken the liberty of accepting. I also have received three requests from major media outlets to conduct an in-person interview with you, as well as Daisy. Just to give that personal touch.”
Jack glanced over to Daisy, who, with her aunt next to her, was scrolling down the computer screen, her eyes wide. He couldn’t tell if she was pleased or frustrated by what was on display, and he wanted to end the call so he could feel the situation out.
“I’ll be back in town on Sunday,” Jack said. “We can go over the details then.”
“Can I at least nail down a couple of interviews for next week? I mean, we want to stay ahead of this story, show everyone how excited you are for the job, and give them a peek into your life as soon as possible.”
Jack sighed. He was trying to ease Daisy into the possibility of actually making a go of this thing, something that was going to take some time and perseverance. He was nervous about throwing her into the fray too early and possibly scaring her off. And yet…this was the reason for the engagement in the first place. To keep up positive public opinion. “How about I get back on that for you, say tomorrow?”
“Okay. Jack. You all keep doing what you’re doing and we’ll talk later.”
The line ended, and Jack meandered over to where the women were, setting the phone down as he leaned over.
There were only about six photos in total. The primary one, the one that immediately captured his attention, was from last night. At least they’d gone with the one of them both smiling at the camera, looking a lot more relaxed and unnerved than he’d felt. The others were of them at the park yesterday, along with a couple of them playing on the beach Sunday, when they’d taken a break from sailing and fishing. He hadn’t even seen the cameras around for those shots.
“You all look so beautiful and happy in those photos,” Glenda said, her voice suspiciously heavy with emotion. “Just like a family.”
“What do you think?” he asked Daisy, watching her face carefully.
“I suppose as photos go, these aren’t terrible. The kids are having a great time. I even manage to have my eyes open in all them. No. Those are fine. It’s just strange to see the history of my life printed in black and white for hundreds of strangers to read.”
More like thousands, but he didn’t think now was the time to clarify.
She started to slide down to the bottom where the online comments were available, but he placed his hand over hers to stop her. “Don’t read them. I guarantee you that for every fifty positive things you read about you and your family, it’s the one negative trolling comment that’s going to stick with you.”
He breathed easier when she moved away and closed the laptop. “You’re right. I’ll just look at this public debut as pretty much a success. At least they didn’t seem to hate me.”
“And why would they?” Glenda asked. “You have lovely, well-behaved kids, a kind heart, and you’re a responsible, hardworking woman.”
“They’re going to love you,” Jack added with absolute sincerity. “In the meantime, I want to take today and just do whatever the hell we want.” He looked around at the various bowls and recipes in various stages of completion and smiled. “You want to bake enough food for a Spanish armada, that’s fine with me. As long as you’re enjoying yourself. We want to do some more swimming or sailing, or even try paddleboating—then let’s do it. Then afterward, we can enjoy an intimate family dinner right here at the house, and then head down to watch the fireworks from the beach.”
All of which sounded pretty perfect to him.
He and Glenda waited for Daisy to respond. She took a moment, as if considering his suggestions, then smiled slowly. “I can’t think of a better day.”
From overhead, the stampede of feet told them that the kids were finally up and out of bed and about to descend on them. But for that moment, he and Daisy seemed to reach an unspoken agreement.
Today was just about them. About the kids. About the possibility of maybe, just maybe, becoming a real family.