Page 17 of Imperfect Arrangement
Mistakes aren’t my thing. They know that.
I clear my throat, doing my best to look casual. “No mistake. I thought, since it’s the weekend, you might like to bring your friends along.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Daisy’s smile hasn’t slipped, which I consider a big plus. “That’s so?—”
“Weird,” Charles finishes for her, his tone dripping with suspicion.
His wife elbows him in the ribs. “I was going to say thoughtful. I’ve hardly spent any time with my friends since I returned home. Charles is like a helicopter over my head, not letting me out of his sight. I’m so excited. Thank you, Ray.”
While the noose of my guilt tightens a bit, Charles throws his arm over his wife’s shoulders, who’s practically bouncing off her seat. “I’m so glad you’re this happy, babe. But let’s please calm down…the baby might be sleeping.”
“It’s still a shocker watching you like this, Charlie.” Rowan grins, and, honestly, he isn’t wrong.
Charles used to be the guy who swore he’d never have kids or a family. Now he’s practically the poster boy for fatherhood, reading baby books and planning the nursery like it’s a military operation. His relationship with Daisy, which started as a fake marriage and then a surprise pregnancy, didn’t just change his life, it gave him a personality makeover.
Quill tugs on my sleeve, and when I look down at her, she’s holding a cupcake with yellow frosting shaped like sunflower petals with a black chocolate chip middle.
She grins and signs, “My favorite,” and takes a bite of the chocolate cupcake.
I glance at my daughter’s carefree smile, and the speck of yellow frosting sticking on her nose reminds me of the silver flower dangling from Willow’s wrist.
In this moment, with the cupcakes and warmth around us, I vow to do anything short of breaking the law to keep my daughter smiling. And a little undercover sleuthing isn’t illegal…right?
* * *
“We needto keep an eye on Quill’s reading material. She’s too young to be diving into books likeLittle Women, even if it’s the illustrated kids’ version.” I run a hand through my hair, still replaying the way she clung to every word.
“I need to take her to a bookstore for kids, one where she won’t wander off into some grown-up section. She should be reading about princesses or magical talking animals, not women fighting for their dreams against impossible odds. She’s my daughter. Every single one of her dreams is going to come true. Period.”
Grandpa Will chuckles like I’m being ridiculous. “Give her time to figure out who her father is. Now, if that’s all, I’ll head out. Good night, Raymond.”
“Actually, there’s one more thing.”
He pauses, turning back, and I see that knowing look in his eyes.
“I need you to go with the girls tomorrow. I promised Daisy a relaxing day, and I don’t want her stressing over Quill the whole time.”
The old man crosses his arms. “Sounds reasonable. Anything else?”
I rub the back of my neck, the nerves gnawing away. “Nothing more than usual. Just…keep an eye on Quill. And anyone she interacts with.”
His brow rises a bit higher, catching the unspoken implications. “So my presence has nothing to do with your sudden generosity in booking Daisy and her friends a day at the spa?”
“I booked it for Daisy and Quill. Her friends are…extra.” I dodge the real answer.
“So you wouldn’t care if Miss Pershing was there or not?”
I try for a casual shrug, but my pulse spikes, and a cold sweat creeps in. “Who?” I ask, feigning ignorance, though it probably sounds more like I’m choking on air.
“The woman you’ve been playing tug-of-war with over her family’s land,” he replies dryly. “The same woman who somehow got your daughter to speak when no one else could.”
Fuck. That one lands like a punch.
“We don’t know that for sure,” I say quickly, the words tumbling out before I can stop them.
Nice, Ray. Real convincing.
“So let me get this straight—you want me to spy on a young woman and your daughter?”
