Page 38 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
Candace did not have an answer to Daisy’s question. She did not want much to do with herself after hearing Daisy’s side of that shameful night.
At the bonfire, Candace’s queerness exploded after years of repression. She had agonized over inviting Daisy, and even more so over what she would say if they were ever alone. Kissing her had never been a part of the plan. But it happened, and it was more incredible than she could have ever imagined.
Then, just like those fireworks, she fizzled out.
Candace had been a coward. Under the threat of her uncle’s condemning eyes, fearful that he would punish her and make her stay in Wonderwood, she threw Daisy under the bus. Candace lied. Yet, it had driven her to be more honest and open once she escaped.
Throughout college, and up until her recent drought, she’dhad an active sex life with several partners. No deep romances, since she had not had the time for anything beyond surface level when her career was her focus. Even so, that agonizingly brief taste of requited feelings with Daisy gave her the push to pursue who she wanted as an adult.
That moment, so many summers ago, changed Candace’s path for the better. It had been a life-defining, monumental event for her. For Daisy, it caused nothing but hurt. And Candace, somehow, thought she might have forgotten.
How stupid…
Garbage was a kinder description than she deserved. She liked to think that she was more than the vapid, oblivious girl so many people thought she was. But with this, the evidence was irrefutable.
Candace did something terrible, and no amount of growth she’d experienced since negated that. There was no excuse, no explanation good enough to justify the ridicule Daisy faced.
However, the words still needed to be said. Simple as they were, without frills or fuss.
Candace told Daisy, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I did to you and what you had to face because of me. It was wrong. I was wrong, and I would do anything to take it back.”
“... Okay.”
Daisy was impossible to read. Her posture was tight, her strong features set in stone. Even so, Candace swore she saw a softening in the woman’s smooth caramel eyes. It was all she needed. Acknowledgement, if not acceptance, would have to suffice.
Sucking in a deep breath, Candace released it in a shaky exhale. Idly, she admitted, “It was my first kiss too.”
Candace caught a dubious, interested eyebrow quirk before the woman’s face turned back to granite.
“Your first kiss with another woman, you mean.”
“No. In general.”
Daisy scoffed. “You’re lying. I heard you dated the prep’s football captain.”
“My uncle set us—no, he told me to date Lary. I never kissed him, though. He got grabby, and it gave me the excuse to dump him.”
Daisy seemed unconvinced.
“You don’t believe me? What reason would I have to lie about that?”
“I don’t know,” Daisy admitted. Sounding annoyed, she added, “You can barely call it a kiss anyway. I’ve had burps that last longer.”
Candace winced. She was not sure why, but the dismissiveness in Daisy’s tone was the deepest cut in this knife-sharpening conversation. She felt like a human whetstone trying to take the blows. But, comparing a kiss she’d dreamt about, fantasized endlessly over what would have happened if they went further, drove the metaphorical knife right through.
Evenly as she could, Candace got to the point. “So. If this kiss meant nothing and everything, where does that leave us? Where do we go from here?”
For a long while, so long that Candace was beginning to think she would not reply, Daisy kept quiet. At a deliberate pace, she nodded. Her voice was confident.
“You said you’d do anything to make up for what you did to me? Fine. Help save Bagel Bombs!. I can’t guarantee I’ll forgive you or be nice, but I can work with you. And, as much as I hate to admit it, you know what you’re doing.”
Candace’s spirit soared. She could not keep the smile from her face as she exclaimed,“Really?!”
“Yeah, but wipe that grin off your face. You get one more chance, and this time, I’m gonna ride youhard.”
Daisy seemed to know her phrasing was off the moment she said the words. The woman flushed, and her face scrunched as if she’d eaten something sour. Candace, however, did not miss a beat.
“Good. I’m counting on it.”
