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“How are you adjusting to life in Diamond Bay?” Mitch asked as he spotted him on the weight bench for chest presses. The gym was empty at this time of the day, and they basically had the place to themselves.
“I like it,” he grunted as he pushed through his last set. He settled the bar back on the rack and sat up to look at his friend. “I appreciate you helping with my business permit, man.”
Mitch shook his head as they moved towards the free weights to do some biceps curls. “All I did was send an email confirming that we had worked military police together and that in my experience any concerns about potential illegal activity related to your shop were unfounded.”
Red nodded. “I still appreciate it.”
“No problem. I don’t know why Daisy was being such a hardass about it,” Mitch responded. “I’ve never seen her like that. She’s usually firmly on the side of bringing in as much business to Diamond Bay as possible.”
Daisy. His lips were still zinging from that kiss last night. That reminded him...
“About Daisy. I was able to talk to her some after the meeting last night and it’s clear that something, um, bad happened to her in relation to a tattoo shop. I think it was when she was a kid. She mentioned something about her dad and criminal activity.”
Mitch looked upwards thoughtfully. “Well, that would explain her reaction to your permit, like it was somehow personal to her.”
“Yeah, she admitted as much to me,” Red said. “And apologized, to her credit.”
They took a break between sets, each taking a drink from their metal water bottles.
“Daisy’s a good manager,” Mitch replied after he swallowed. “She’s honest and, as you saw, takes responsibility. She’s pretty creative for a lifelong bureaucrat. I think you’ll enjoy working with her now that this is over.”
“There’s more,” Red admitted to Mitch. “I think there’s something between us. I, uh, well, not to sound like a middle school girl, but I like her.”
Mitch’s head whipped over. “You two?” he laughed. “Talk about opposites attracting.”
“Maybe not as opposite as you might think,” Red told him, remembering the array of ink covering her body. “I’d love to know the story about whatever happened to her when she was younger. Do you think you could look it up for me?”
Mitch was shaking his head before Red even finished the request.
“Don’t do it man,” Mitch warned. “The records are probably sealed but even if they aren’t, you need to hear it from her. Take it from me, it will go very badly if she finds out you were running checks on her, no matter how curious you are or what your intentions are. I almost lost Penny because of that exact thing.”
Mitch continued, “If she trusts you, she’ll tell you eventually.”
Damn it. He knew Mitch was right, but he had a feeling that knowing what he was up against with Daisy would help him avoid fucking it up. He was drawn to her, in a way he had never experienced before. When they kissed last night, he had been overwhelmed with a sense of rightness. Red had known in that moment that Daisy was the woman who he had been waiting for his whole life.
He already knew that Daisy was prickly. He had a strong suspicion that whatever happened to her would make her even more cautious about dating a guy like him. Hopefully he would be able to get her to open up to him and tell him her story eventually.
Red knew he should play it cool and wait a few days, but he couldn’t help but call Daisy later that day. He liked her and was too damned old to be playing games.
“Daisy Hunnicutt,” she answered her desk phone, her voice cool and professional.
Red deepened his voice. “Yes, I would like to get a business permit for my animal testing lab.”
She paused suspiciously. “Red? Is that you?”
He laughed. “Yeah, it’s me. How are you today Daisy?”
He heard the smile in her voice, and it warmed him. “I’m doing OK, and you?”
“I’ll be doing better if you agree to have dinner with me tomorrow night,” he said, doing his best to sound flirty.
“Oooh,” she answered, sounding disappointed. “I have plans tonight. Another night?”
Red felt a sense of relief that she agreed to go out with him. He had been afraid that she would change her mind. They exchanged cell phone numbers and agreed to meet at the Crab Shack on the Promenade at the end of the week.
They exchanged a few flirty texts over the next couple of days. Red looked forward to Friday with an anticipation he had rarely felt.
He got to the Crab Shack fifteen minutes early. Daisy had warned him that it tended to be crowded on Fridays so there would be a wait. Sure enough, when Red got to the restaurant there was a good-sized crowd waiting outside.
Daisy arrived a minute behind him, her eyes widening as she took in the line. “Wow, I’ve never seen it quite this crowded,” she said as she accepted Red’s friendly hug. “How long’s the wait?”
“Looks like 45 minutes to an hour,” he informed her. “Should we think about another option?”
Daisy looked at him thoughtfully. “I think I have a better idea if you’re flexible. I have something I need to take care of.”
“Absolutely,” he answered with a smile “I’m up for anything.”
And that’s how he ended up flat on his back on Daisy’s living room floor.