Page 64 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
Daisy blinked. The open, seething disdain she heard in Candace’s sweet voice was foreign. But, she had heard of Peter Perry’s lawyer Vinny Lamarka, and none of it was good. With his collared polo and high-waisted Dockers, he looked like a Church deacon riding his high horse. He tut-tutted them with a shake of his head.
“You’re a smart girl, Candy. I thought you’d pick your priorities better. You have a chance to make things right if you go tonight.”
“I’ve already told him, I don’t have time.”
“You should make time. Don’t forget what we talked about before.”
Whatever the threat meant, it made Candace shrink. Daisy saw red.
“This isn’t a Starbucks,” she growled. “Fuck off.”
Vinny let loose a joyless chuckle. “Feisty! Just wanted to pass along my concerns as a friend of the family. And, support a small business, of course. Have a nice day, ladies.”
While Tina continued to bustle around them, Daisy watchedCandace’s gaze follow Vinny until he disappeared into the boardwalk throng. She was good at keeping her composure, her expression schooled, but the shortness of her breath gave away her feelings. Daisy started to reach out, yet pulled back at the last second.
She deserves better.
Thick tension swirled between them. It was broken by Norman’s frank assessment of the situation. “Crooked bastard. Lawyers like Lamarka ruin the profession.”
Daisy snorted and refilled her favorite regular’s coffee. “I don’t care what he does or how crooked he is. Knowing he’s friends with Peter Perry tells me all I need to know.”
“He’s like Mike fromBreaking Bad.”
Daisy faced Candace, hands on her hips, and tried a joke. “YouknowI don’t know any shows outside ofThe Simpsons.”
“He’s my uncle’s fixer,” Candace explained seriously. “Anything that needs doing, Vinny handles. And don’t let his looks fool you. He’s more than happy to get his hands dirty.”
“What’s this thing he was harassing you to go to?”
Looking down at the new neon pink and green tile she had installed herself, Candace bit her lip.
“There’s a gala at the music pier tonight. My uncle wanted me to go as his date.”
“And you told him no.”
Candace lifted her gaze to meet Daisy’s as she nodded. With confidence, she promised, “I know what my priorities are.”
There were not many times in Daisy’s life when she could claim to have her breath taken away. Most instances had been caused by one singular woman. Candace Perry had a unique power, and now was no exception. Candace was choosingher,and everything in the world made sense again.
“You should go.” The words wanted to stay stuck in Daisy’s mouth, but she spit them out like the gravelly truth they were. “Things are going well for us… for Bagel Bombs!.You said before that your uncle would make things harder for us if he felt slighted. If you stand him up tonight, what’re the chanceshe’ll throw a tantrum?”
“High,” she replied with a tired sigh. Her arched brows pinched with worry and disappointment. “But what about helping you with inventory? We were finally going to order from that Vietnamese place, and I—”
“I know,” Daisy told her. Winking, she said, “It’s okay. I’ll take a rain check.”
“I won’t be able to stay too much longer, then. I need to go back to my room and change.”
“Their loss. I think you look perfect.”
This time, she brought her hand to Candace’s shoulder. Her thumb worked what she hoped were comforting strokes along the strap of the woman’s tank top. She’d been wearing their Bagel Bombs! branded merch ever since they ordered a new batch for the reopening, and it suited her. Everything suited her, really, but the fact that this was what she picked filled Daisy with the oddest sense of pride.
Daisy wanted to say more. Maybe offer some words of encouragement or lighten the mood. Before she could swim up from her thoughts, Candace got moving.
“Thanks, Daisy. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
It was the fastest she ever moved; in a blink, Candace was gone. Dazed, Daisy fell back into helping Tina with the onslaught of hungry customers. When Norman spoke up again, she nearly dropped the order she was bagging.
“Don’t you have an invite?”
