| |
––––––––
“WHAT’D YOU THINK?” Brit signaled to the waiter to come take Daisy’s order, who had just dropped her over-sized knit handbag on the ground and collapsed into the seat across from Brit the next day at lunch.
This lunch spot was Brit’s favorite. With its outdoor seating at small round, wrought-iron cafe tables, it reminded her of Paris. The waiter strode by with his white apron and tight-rolled faded jeans and poured water into the glass in front of Daisy.
“What can I get cha?” He adjusted his black thick-rimmed glasses with the knuckle from his free hand and awaited Daisy’s answer.
“Um, what’s good here?” She hunched her shoulders and cracked open the leather billfold menu in front of her.
“Everything, trust me.” Brit and the waiter exchanged mutually appreciative smiles. “I’ll have my usual.”
“I’ll have the hummus veggie pita.”
Brit barely waited until the waiter had stepped away from the table when she asked again, “What’d you think of Vincent?”
Daisy took a moment to ponder this, flipping a beaded blond dreadlock over her shoulder in the process. “I think Vincent liked the CN Tower best.”
Brit laughed. “Daisy!” She pretended to slap Daisy’s wrist but didn’t make contact. “I mean what did you think of him as a person? And I think you’re wrong anyway. He loved running around the aquarium with you.”
“That was his second favorite part, I bet.” Daisy took a sip of her water and averted her eyes.
“You’re avoiding the question.”
Daisy let her guard down and opened the dam on her emotions. Brit had to brace herself for the barrage that came next. “It’s not that I don’t like Vincent. He seems really cool and so stylish. And I like that he has a religious background, singing in a church, because I really don’t, but I’m open to that. I’m sure he’s wickedly talented. I did listen to some of his music yesterday, and I can see some similarities with the two of us. It’s just—”
The waiter came back with Brit’s arugula salad and Daisy’s pita sandwich.
Daisy pointed at Brit’s smaller plate. “Is that all you’re eating?”
“I’m on a diet.”
“You don’t need to diet. You’re gorgeous. I would love to have an hourglass figure like yours.”
Brit blushed, but she waved her hand dismissively. “And I would love to be bite size like you. Probably should’ve skipped the candied walnuts, but I couldn’t resist.” Brit shoveled a bite of greens into her mouth before she circled back. “But you changed the subject. What were you saying?”
Daisy put her sandwich down, and a drip of olive oil slid down her wrist like a tear. Brit watched it as long as she could before she handed Daisy a napkin.
“Is everything OK, Daisy?”
Daisy took the napkin and dabbed her lips instead of her arm. “You’ve been so nice to me, Brit. I want to be completely honest with you.”
Brit held her breath. “You can be honest with me. What’s wrong?”
Daisy reached for her phone on the table and noticed the oil on her arm. She licked it up, and Brit’s mouth dropped open. It was a good thing Daisy was so cute and sweet.
Brit watched Daisy’s thumb ring and braided bracelets move as she flipped through whatever she was trying to find on the phone. Or maybe she was stalling.
Turning the screen around, Daisy held out the phone to Brit. The Facebook Messenger interface displayed on the screen with a dark brown face and bright white teeth grinning back at Brit.
“Isaiah’s been sending me messages,” admitted Daisy.
Brit took the phone and moved it closer to her face to get a better look. “It’s a nice picture of him. I like that lighting. What has he been saying?”
Daisy leaned her elbows on the table and futzed with the ties of one of her bracelets with her fingers, the nails of which were painted dark blue.
“You can read it. There’s nothing private there.”
It was mostly small talk, asking how Daisy’s day was and commenting on the weather. The first message was from the day after they had rescued Brit. Isaiah asked about how Brit was doing and said he had a nice night despite it all. No red flags, but something still nagged at Brit’s subconscious. Brit had big plans for Daisy, and unfortunately, this nice-ish liquor salesman was not part of them.
“So your secret is you’re talking to Isaiah?”
“I’m so sorry, Brit. I know you two aren’t that friendly towards each other.”
“But it seems like you guys are. Friends, I mean.”
Daisy stared blankly at Brit.
“There’s no reason you can’t be friends. Just try not to lead him on if that’s not how you feel.”
“Right,” Daisy said slowly. She freed a grape tomato from the edge of her sandwich and flicked it onto her plate. “That makes sense.”
“Isaiah seems like a friendly guy in general, but Vincent seemed really into you yesterday.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutely. Maybe it’s too soon to get into anything relationship-wise with him, but I’d love to hear you perform together. What do you think about opening for him this week?”
Daisy’s features burst into a grin that overtook her whole face. “I would love to perform on your stage. I’d open up for anyone to play there. Literally anyone.”
Daisy had begun diddling with her bracelet again, and Brit laid her hand on Daisy’s wrist to calm the nervous girl’s jitters. “Daisy, I wouldn’t let you open for just anyone. Believe me on that. You’re going to be huge someday. The Asian hip-hop Alannis. But you know, currently relevant.”
Daisy’s smile filled Brit with so much satisfaction that she didn’t need to finish her lame salad. Now to make sure Vincent was on the same page and get a hold of Mike to book her officially.