CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

 

Daisy tuned out the sounds of her sisters whispering feverishly as she let Charlie lead her across the gymnasium. They stopped to say hello to Donna and some of the men who had been on the chess team with him. It seemed surreal to Daisy. Charlie was paying such close attention to her. He was asking about the café and told her how impressed he was when John had told him she had gone to college.

He handed her a glass of wine and gestured to an open table. “Would you like to sit and talk, or am I keeping you from someone?”

“No, you’re not keeping me from anything. I would love to catch up.” Charlie held out a chair, and Daisy sat down. She wasn’t used to feeling like the center of attention. As the middle triplet, she’d always been kind of overlooked.

“So, did you ever get married?” Charlie asked, taking his seat next to hers.

Daisy fought the urge to duck her head. It was rather embarrassing to admit she hadn’t been lovable enough for a man to stick around. She had taken time off from dating after having her heart broken, but then it just seemed the whole town had eventually decided they were to be spinsters. By that time, she just didn’t feel the desire to put her heart out there again.

“No. I never married. What about you?”

Charlie nodded. “Yes, I was married for forty years. Jan passed away twenty years ago, and that’s when I decided I should retire. I had given so much of my life to hospitals and patients that there I was, suddenly a senior citizen with no wife and two grown kids with children of their own, and I didn’t even know them.”

“You have grandchildren? How wonderful!”

Charlie took out his phone and pulled up pictures to show her. She saw his two sons and five grandchildren, now all grown with three children of their own. “Actually, most of my family has relocated away from Boston. They’re all spread out, but generally in this region. My eldest son’s family is in Cincinnati, and my youngest son is in Louisville. It’s one of the reasons I came back for the reunion.”

“It must be lovely coming back home to see your family.” Daisy managed to grin and finally allowed herself to feel a loss for what might have been.

“It is. I wanted to see how Keeneston looked after all these years. Was it still as nice as I remember? I’ve missed it here and have been thinking of moving back. I would be an hour away from each family so I’d be able to see them more.”

Daisy felt excitement the likes of which she hadn’t felt since they took down the international arms dealer. “You’re thinking of moving back? Well, I’d be happy to show you around town to help you decide.”

Charlie smiled and placed his hand over hers. “I’d like that, Daisy Mae. I’ve heard nothing but excellent things about your café. How about I meet you there tomorrow for lunch?”

Daisy sucked in a breath. “I don’t know about that . . .”

“Oh.” Charlie sounded crestfallen.

“No, it’s kind of silly, but it’s a tradition here. You eat at the café with your date when you’re declaring your intentions. It’s so old-fashioned, but it’s just kinda stuck. We like our quirkiness, and it helps us know who to place our wedding bets on.”

“Bets?”

Daisy nibbled her bottom lip. “I’m kind of a bookie,” she said hesitantly. As Charlie’s face went from shock to a wide smile, Daisy relaxed.

Charlie squeezed her hand. “Now that I’m up on the Keeneston customs, I’ll let you get back to the party. I’ve hoarded your attention, and there seems to be a lot of people who want to talk to you.”

Daisy let out a long breath. It was over. For an hour she had experienced hope, but it must have been the magic of the night that made her feel eighteen again to give her those silly ideas.

Charlie helped her up and escorted her to where John and Lily were staring open-mouthed as Violet danced with Nabi.

“It was a pleasure seeing you again, Daisy. And I look forward to seeing you tomorrow for our lunch date at your café.” Charlie sent her a wink before turning and walking away into the crowd.

Lily gasped and sent a look to John. “A date . . . at the café? Golly jeepers, Daisy Mae, what did you talk about? Don’t you dare, John!” Lily’s arm shot out and grabbed John when he had slowly been trying to sneak away. “She’s my sister, and it’s my gossip to spread.”

“Just admit it, Lily Rae, you’ll never be able to beat me,” John said, slipping from his coat and rushing to the nearest group of people to share the news that Daisy and Charlie were going on a date at the café tomorrow.

Lily tossed the coat to the ground and balled her fists. “That ol’ billy goat!” Lily looked frantically around before her eyes narrowed on the stage up front where the band played.

“You better hurry. At least you’ll win this since you didn’t get him to propose,” Daisy taunted. Her heart was light, and she felt like singing.

Lily looked at her watch. “I still have five minutes until midnight,” she called as she rushed the stage for the microphone standing on it.

Violet and Nabi headed their way as the band stopped playing. Lily pushed past them and snagged the microphone from the lead singer.

“What’s going on?” Violet asked a grinning Daisy.

Lily tapped the microphone. “May I have your attention? It’s so lovely to see all our classmates and their families here tonight. I want to extend an invitation for you all to join us tomorrow at the Blossom Café for lunch. When Charlie asked Daisy for a date there tomorrow, I thought it would be fun for the whole class to be there.”

Violet and Nabi turned wide-eyed at Daisy who just smiled. “Who is this Charlie?” Nabi asked quietly, pulling out his phone.

“Charles Lastinger. He was a classmate of ours and had the biggest crush on Daisy in high school.” Violet giggled. “I guess he still has a crush on her.”

Nabi tapped on the phone’s keyboard and then looked up. “Ahmed’s running a check on him right now.”

“Nabi! Don’t you dare. You tell Ahmed to stop that or I’m cutting him off from chocolate chip muffins.” Daisy stomped her foot like a toddler in a fit of anger.

Nabi just grinned. “I don’t tell Ahmed what to do. Only Bridget does that.” The phone pinged and Nabi looked down at it. “He checks out.”

Daisy rolled her eyes. “I feel so sorry for Abigail when it comes time to date,” Daisy said, referring to Ahmed and Bridget’s daughter. It would be hard with a mother who trained police dogs and had served in the military. Add in a father who had been one of the biggest, baddest special operations men in the world and the poor girl . . . rather, the poor boys . . . didn't stand a chance.

“I am not Abby. I do not need you and Ahmed playing watchdog.”

Nabi leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. “It’s just because we care for you.” Nabi looked around and then winked at her. “You don’t think he’s going to call me out for kissing his woman now, do you?”

Daisy snickered as Violet snorted and John bellowed, “You cheated!” He lumbered up the steps and walked onto the stage.

“Oh no I didn’t, I just took advantage of an open microphone.” Lily crossed her arms over her chest and gave a sly smile.

“Sometimes you can’t win everything, Lily Rae,” John said and stopped in front of her.

Daisy nudged Violet. “And in fifty-one seconds I will have won our bet.”

Nabi crossed his fingers. “Come on, John, propose.”

Violet and Daisy smacked him. “Lily’s going to propose. Just watch. Forty-six seconds.”

John cleared his throat and reaching into his pocket. “Being a couple is about sharing each other’s victories and losses. There’s no one else I’d rather share mine with than you, and there’s no one I’d rather lose to you than you. So, Lily Rae Rose . . .”

The entire gymnasium gasped and leaned forward as John pulled his hand from his pocket.

“I have one of these for me, and one for you,” John said, handing a piece of paper to her. “On the count of three open it, and read it out loud. One. Two. Three.”

Daisy gripped her sister’s hand as they watched John and Lily open their pieces of paper.

“Will you marry me?” John and Lily read together at the same time the first sounds of the church clock down the street started to strike midnight.

Daisy looked to Violet who looked to Nabi. “Wait, who asked who?”

“YES!” John and Lily yelled with smiles spreading across their faces.

Nabi just shook his head. “They won, and we all lost. He found a way for both of them to propose, thus negating the bet.”

“Oh, look,” Violet cried, clasping her hands to her chest.

John pulled a small box from his other pocket and opened it to reveal a ring. Smiling, he pulled it out and slipped it on Lily’s shaking finger. “I love you, darlin’.”

“I love you, too,” Lily whispered before John enveloped her in a hug.

“I wonder if Charlie’s going to do that with you tomorrow?” Violet asked without taking her eyes from the stage. “Oh, Charlie,” she mocked in a high-pitched voice, dissolving into giggles as Daisy smacked her arm.

“I can’t wait to tell everyone about this,” Nabi said with a grin as he texted away on his phone.

 

* * *

 

In the early morning hours, Lily sat next to John on the porch swing. She rested her head against his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Edna had already been over to congratulate them as well as half of the town. Marcy and Jake Davies had already declared they would be hosting a cookout tomorrow night to celebrate their engagement.

“There’s only one thing that would have made your proposal better,” Lily murmured against his shirt and snuggled closer. “And that would have been to see everyone’s faces when they realized none of them could win the bet.”

John straightened. “My proposal. I believe you proposed to me.”

“Me? You are the one who proposed to me. It was your idea . . . and you had a ring.” Lily sat up and then noticed John was grinning at her. “Oh, you ol’ billy goat!”

“And you’re my beautiful rose blossom,” John whispered, lowering his lips to hers. “I love you, Lily Rae.”

“I love you, too. Will you now tell me how you find gossip out before others?”

“Ouija board,” John whispered into her ear, his lips in a grin.