Daisys decision, p.5
Daisy's Decision, page 5
He thought about the conversation about her house. What had prompted him to have such a ridiculous conversation with her? It didn’t fall into the purview of his business to know to whom she made out her rent checks. And he had acted all uppity, saying he didn’t know if he owned that property or not, as if he owned so many properties he couldn’t keep them all straight. Which was true. The number of builds had exceeded his personal ability to track without an assistant and a computer years earlier. He could give minute details about current jobs, but he mentally set aside past projects to make room for new work. Even so, he had come off to Daisy like a braggart, which was well out of character.
He closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of his seat, and sighed. Had he done something so terrible that it had no hope of getting fixed? Should he call her back?
Feeling decidedly drained of energy, he started back on the road toward the job site. Despite looking forward to this, he finished with the job as quickly as possible. The house looked fantastic, and the interior craftsmanship rivaled anything he had ever supervised before. He sent himself a note to talk to Brad about giving the men on that project a bonus for their hard work and finishing ahead of schedule, then headed back to his office.
When he got there, he bypassed his office on the eighth floor where the residential division lived and headed straight for the tenth floor and the commercial project managers’ offices. A clerk hopped in the elevator before the door shut and said, “Good morning, Mr. Dixon.”
Most people at their offices couldn’t tell the Dixon brothers apart. By the end of the day, they stood separate by their clothes. Most of the time, Ken enjoyed that anonymity. Despite that, the fact that Daisy had always been able to tell him apart from his brothers pleased him on some fundamental level that he couldn’t name, generating a feeling for which he had no words to explain.
He went straight to Jon’s office and walked in without knocking. His brother smiled as he set his phone down. “Yo, bro.”
Like Ken, Jon wore his wavy brown hair short. Today he wore a blue collared shirt with a gray striped tie that he’d loosened at the neck.
The project managers did not have huge offices. The intent of the room was to provide quiet and privacy. He had room for a plans table, a couple of bookshelves, and two chairs in front of his desk. If he wanted a meeting with more than two people, he’d have to go to a conference room.
Ken’s office was much bigger because he ran an entire department. He briefly wondered if Jon knew Brad planned to promote him soon.
“Yo, yourself.” Ken threw himself into the chair across from Jon’s desk. He decided to just go straight to the issue at hand. “So, here’s some news. Daisy Ruiz canceled our second date tonight.”
“She figured out what a big fat nerd you are already, huh? Smart girl. Did you wear your ComicCon shirt on the first date or something?”
Ken felt his heart twist in his chest. Could that explain things? Had she classified him as a huge nerd? Jon’s face fell as if he realized his teasing hurt him. “Why?”
“No idea. She suddenly had other plans.”
Jon waited. Finally, he asked, “Did you agree on a different night?”
“Tried. Got a ‘we’ll see’.” He rubbed at his eyes, exhaustion draining him. “I’m trying to nail down where I went wrong. We had a great time the other day. Been going over it in my mind. Did I say something or do something…?”
Jon leaned forward. “You’ve never really done a lot of dating, I know. It’s hard to figure women out, brother. Really kind of impossible.” Ken felt a little knee-jerk objection to the words but then realized that Jon spoke the truth. Brad had pined for his love, Valerie, and never wanted to date. Jon had dated and played and had fun, and never wanted to settle down. Ken wanted a woman who appreciated him and understood the way he thought but never really pursued any kind of relationship. He told himself he found contentment inside his own skin, in the quiet of his own mind, and had no need to make space for anyone else. His family could fill any other kind of need he had. But, spending time with Daisy the other night really opened a well in his heart that he didn’t know existed, and he suddenly realized how very alone he was all the time. Jon continued. “Why don’t you go see her in person? Let her look you in the eye and tell you what day works for her? It’s easy to hide behind a text message.”
Ken stared at him, processing the idea. Finally, he stood and slapped the top of Jon’s desk. “I think I’ll do that.” He glanced at his watch. “I’d go right now, but I have a one o’clock.”
Jon stood and quickly dashed out a text before slipping his phone into his pocket. “Eat yet? Want to grab something?”
“Yeah. Sounds good.” Ken gestured at the job binder on Jon’s desk. “That job in Marietta will keep you local for a couple of years.”
“I know. It’s time. I’m trying to convince the girl I had in Nashville to move here and keep working as my assistant.”
Jon had mentioned his Nashville assistant before. Ken had met her on the two occasions he’d gone to the job site. He knew she had a lot of natural talent for administrative organization. “What’s stopping her?”
Jon shrugged and opened his office door. “Youth. Fear of the unknown. She’s only twenty.”
They walked along the corridor, passing the project managers’ offices on one side and the sea of cubicles of assistants and junior project managers on the other. He couldn’t imagine turning down such a good job without having a good reason. “Great opportunity.”
Once in the elevator, Ken crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. He had something else he wanted to talk to Jon about. “We’re selling this apartment building next month. Closing on the sixteenth.”
“Wow. You’ve been there for a couple of years.”
“A lot of work. Probably would have been easier to knock it down and start fresh.”
“I know. I helped here and there, but just seeing the difference is awesome.”
The elevator stopped, and they stepped out into the busy lobby. Ken gestured toward the cafe, and Jon nodded. Ken thought about the news given on Wednesday. Brad and Valerie were going to have a baby. The thought filled him with all sorts of excitement and love. He couldn’t believe a baby Brad would soon enter the world. “Brad won’t be up for another big project. I’m trying to decide what I want to do next. Would you be interested in going in on an apartment with me?”
He stared at the menu. The eggplant sandwich looked good. While Jon processed what he asked, he went ahead and ordered. After they both paid and stepped back to wait on their food, Jon finally said, “I don’t know. I might want to build a house.”
With relief, Ken slapped him on the shoulder and nodded. “I’m swinging toward a house, too. But I didn’t want to have you expecting an apartment.”
“Nah, man. I think I just want to slowly build, take my time. Maybe by the time I finish, I’ll have someone to share it with.”
Ken pondered those words as they waited for their orders. “I know what you mean,” Ken admitted. “Thirty-two years old. Mom and dad were married twelve years already by our age.”
“Can’t rush God’s timing.”
His heart twisted painfully in his chest. “True. But, honestly, I’m ready whenever He is.”
Jon smiled and nodded. “Amen, brother.”
Ken stared at Jon for a second. “Man, I really like Daisy. Can’t get her out of my mind since our date. What’s going on with her?”
Jon shrugged. “Go find out.”
Wondering if he should eat quickly then cancel his one o’clock meeting, he nodded. He would go find out.
Tomorrow would start her seventh week of pregnancy. Daisy skimmed through the website about the baby’s development. It had a head and face. Tears filled her eyes at the idea that someone with a good enough microphone could detect the baby’s heartbeat. She glanced through the symptoms that she should feel right now and felt like she could just use the list as a checkbox for everything she had experienced. Only morning sickness wouldn’t get a check, and she figured she ought to feel thankful for mild nausea.
She needed to find a doctor, but she just didn’t know where to start. If she asked someone for a recommendation, that would begin the notification of her pregnancy. Could she handle that yet?
Maybe she could find a doctor based on online reviews.
She sighed and said out loud to herself, “You need to put your shoulders back and just talk to someone. Find a young mom in church and deal with the stigma.”
Would they allow her to continue to teach at the church? Years ago, in one of her father’s older churches, a woman had made a public confession of a sin, and a leader in the church subsequently asked her to sit out of the praise team for a time. She remembered her parents having long conversations regarding that decision.
She shut the lid of her laptop and closed her eyes as a tear slid down her cheek. “God, I did not behave in the manner that I know is right. I didn’t act in the way in which I was taught. It’s worse that I let myself be manipulated. But regardless of his actions and his sin, I was wrong with him from the beginning. Please, forgive me.”
Since it was Friday, she had the entire day off of work. Intentionally setting the laptop aside, she rummaged through a drawer until she found a notepad and pencil.
Upstairs and into the spare bedroom, she looked at the never used desk. Originally, she’d run the charity out of this room. But when she moved into the strip mall, the desk in here gradually became the catch-all for the fringes of her life that had no place to go. Bags of Christmas gifts she didn’t know what to do with, books she’d ordered but not read yet, winter clothes that never made it into boxes—all piled on top of each other. With a heavy sigh, she contemplated the amount of work she needed to put into this room to make it a nursery and the amount of energy she just didn’t have right now.
Using the pencil, she opened the lid of the notebook and started writing things down:
Crib
Dresser
Changing table
Diapers
Suddenly overwhelmed, she thought maybe she’d tackle it another day. As she pulled the door shut, the doorbell rang. Coming down the stairs, she saw Ken through the door’s window. Her heart started skipping. She’d canceled their date tonight and successfully put him off from setting another one. Why was he here?
Since her car sat in the driveway, she didn’t think she could get away with not answering the door, so she took a deep breath, steeled herself, and opened the door. He wore a golf shirt with the Dixon Contracting logo on the left chest and khaki pants. He looked fresh and crisp compared to her yoga pants, purple tank top, and messy bun.
“Ken, hi. What are you doing here?”
He smiled a half-smile that made her pulse skitter and asked, “May I come in?”
She stepped back and opened the door wider. “Of course.”
He didn’t speak again as he came into the house. She shut the door behind him and followed him into the living room. He sat down on the couch and looked at the coffee table in front of him.
“Would you like something to drink? I have some lemonade.” He shook his head and tapped his knee with his thumb. She took the chair across from the couch. “Is everything okay?”
His hand paused, and he looked at her with serious eyes. Finally, he asked, “Did you have a good time the other night?”
She thought about the elegance of the meal and the conversation that flowed and the way he looked and smelled and… “Definitely. It was one of the best nights of my life,” she answered with sincerity.
“I did, too. I thought we hit it off really well. To be honest, I didn’t want the night to end.”
With a wistful smile, she looked down at her hands and realized how tightly she gripped them. She intentionally relaxed. “Me, either.”
“But you don’t want to go out again?”
Her heart begged for her to move across the room and sit next to him so she could feel his body heat, smell his aftershave, see the little green specks in his gray eyes. “I definitely want to go out again. I just can’t.”
His eyebrows drew together in a sharp frown. “Why not?”
Because I’m pregnant. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Giving in to the compulsion, she went around the coffee table and sat next to him, angling her body toward him. “I have always wanted to go out with you.” As she spoke, he shifted his body to face her. She took advantage of the opportunity to reach out and take his hand. “I used to intentionally put myself in a position for you to notice me. Silly schoolgirl dreams.” His eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe what she said. “Wednesday night was an actual—no-kidding—dream come true for me.”
“Then—”
“But I am nowhere near a place in my personal life to consider dating anyone new for a while.”
He turned his hand so that her palm rested against his. She could feel the hard callouses on his skin. “I don’t understand. What’s stopping you?”
Maybe she could give him enough information, but not all the information. “I was in a serious relationship until very recently. He wooed me with words of love and our future. Then a few days ago, I found out he’s married. Happily married.”
“Happily married?” Ken raised an eyebrow. “Clearly not.”
She shrugged. “Well, whether he is or isn’t doesn’t matter to me anymore. But I’m just not in a good place right now. It’s too soon. I’m sorry.”
His hand closed over hers and completely engulfed it. She wondered if she should feel threatened instead of suddenly very safe. “Look, Daisy, I’m not married. In fact, I’ve never even come close. Heck, I’ve never even had a serious relationship. Truth is, I only casually dated when my brothers insisted it had been too long since I had.” He stared into her eyes, and she found herself mesmerized by the shift from gray to green and back again. “What I’m saying is I’m not the same as this idiot you were with. And I would very much like to take you out tonight and treat you like you deserve to be treated.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, if only to stop the hypnotism. After taking a deep breath in through her mouth and very slowly releasing it out through her nose, she opened her eyes and said, “Okay. Let’s go out tonight. Casual?”
The smile transformed his face, and his eyes lit up as if a light shone behind them. “Casual. I’ll be here at six.”
She walked him to the door and shut it behind him, leaning against it with her arms crossed over her chest. “And just what was that, Daisy?” she asked herself. “Just agreed to go out with Ken Dixon? Oh, sure. Keep it casual, Ken? Oh, man.”
Daisy carried the cupcakes through the back door and set them on the kitchen counter, making sure the red and blue frosting she’d piped on each one hadn’t gotten damaged too badly during transport. “Mamá? Papi?”
“In here!”
She found her parents in the hallway. Her father, Marcus, wielded a mop. He was tall and thin with salt and pepper hair. He wore red pajamas and a dark blue robe. Her mother, Rita, wore a pink house dress and fluffy green slippers. She still had thick, black hair that fell in waves to her shoulders. She glanced at her over her shoulder. “The bathroom sink had a moment earlier. Thankfully, your uncle knew exactly how to fix it and talked Papi through it.”
Daisy grinned. “I guess all those years with a plumber for a brother paid off.”
“Happy Fourth of July.” Her mom gestured with her hand, and they walked back into the kitchen. “Thank you for the cupcakes. Are you staying?”
In a couple of hours, her parents’ home would fill with teenagers for a backyard pool party celebrating the holiday. In every church he’d served as a youth pastor, he’d had this annual Fourth of July party. Daisy had never missed one. “Actually, I have a date.”
Her mom raised an eyebrow. “Jason?”
Trying not to shudder at the sound of his name, Daisy said, “No. We broke up last week. This is with Ken Dixon. Remember him?”
“Ken Dixon? Of course! Although I’m not sure which one was Ken. I do remember the Dixon brothers, though. I even remember one time they switched their names just to mess with your dad. It was rather funny.” She cupped her mouth and said in a conspiring whisper, “Your Papi didn’t think so.”
Daisy chuckled. “Well, apparently, his family is having a big thing at Ken’s cabin on Lake Oconee. So, I’m going out there. I think he’ll even do a big firework show from the water.”
Her mom grabbed two coffee cups and headed for the carafe. Daisy did not tell her mother she didn’t want coffee because she didn’t want to explain why she didn’t want it. “So, how did you end up on a date with Ken Dixon?”
“His company’s donating the materials and equipment to build the house we’re raising on Labor Day. Our paths just kinda crossed.”
Her mom handed her a coffee cup then toasted her with her own and said, “I love it when God does stuff like that. Don’t you?”
Thinking of the way she’d likely disappointed God and how she deserved no special arrangements filled Daisy with embarrassment and shame. Her cheeks heated, and a bitter taste filled her mouth. “I do. Especially when you can look back and see it.” She set the untouched coffee cup in the sink and said, “I have to run. I have barbacoa in the Crock-Pot, and I need to make some tortillas to go with it. I was telling Ken about it last night, and he insisted that I make some for him. I’m going to surprise him with it today.”
Her mom grinned. “Cooking for him already?”
“Mamá!” She kissed her cheek and breathed in the familiar smell of cinnamon. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Have fun with Ken Dixon. You have to tell me everything. Can’t wait to hear about it.”
“Tell Papi bye for me. Have a good party!” Making a mental list of everything that she had to get done between now and the time she needed to head to the lake, Daisy went back out the back door and headed to the grocery store. She knew it would take an hour to drive there, and possibly more depending on traffic. Ken had assured her she could use the oven there to warm up her dish.
