They would make this work.
She and Glenda each dragged a lawn chair closer to the kids then took a seat, each temporarily lost in their own thoughts.
For the first time in some time, Daisy was feeling optimistic for the future. She had little doubt that with the future governor’s name on the loan application, the loan would be as good as hers. And then she’d be one step closer to having her dream come true.
A million ideas ran through her mind of what she would do once she held that approval in her hand. Contact the owner of the small corner shop that had a for lease sign in the window for the past five months. Create a list of menu options she’d feature. And most importantly, put her notice in at the bakery where she’d been working for the past year and a half. A place that had first given her a little bit of herself back as she worked in a job that permitted her to do something she loved—baking. There was always something calming about the motion of creaming the butters and sugar, sifting the flours, then blending them together to form a delicious, mouthwatering confection.
Daisy had loved her job and loved the independence she’d gained when she finally made enough money to move her and the kids from her parents’ basement and into their own place more than a year before. But that was when the bakery had been under Gina’s kind and understanding guidance. A woman who, with four grown kids of her own, had understood the difficulties that arose working full-time and raising a family.
But after Gina’s husband suffered a heart attack last Christmas, Gina’d decided to sell the bakery and travel the country with her husband. The new owners, who also managed two other bakeries in the greater Salt Lake area, then put Shannon Murphy at the helm.
Shannon was as different from Gina as night and day. An ambitious rule follower, she didn’t take kindly to any deviation from the established business operations—especially the store’s schedule. Not when it came to requesting schedule adjustments for days off to accommodate doctor and dentist visits, parent teacher conferences, not even for days when Daisy’s kids’ temperatures unexpectedly rose past 102 and she had to stay home. Even being on this vacation was costing Daisy a lot, and she knew she’d be paying for it when she returned.
Then there was the fact that Gina had embraced creativity and introduced menu items that were out of the usual offerings of a bakery. With a mom who had taught her a few things about some of the specialty dishes and ingredients of her home country—Mexico—Daisy had incorporated many of those same ingredients into creating her own special recipes Gina had been happy to sell in the bakery’s front case. Recipes like her Mexican pumpkin bread with a hint of Mexican cinnamon and chili peppers. Or the chocoflan, a decadent layered dessert with gooey chocolate cake on the bottom and a rich creamy caramel flan on the top.
When Shannon came on, Daisy’d been working on making some adjustments to her favorite empanada recipe, mixing up the flavors and ingredients to create both sweet and savory varieties. But Shannon had a put a stop to that—at least in the bakery. She and the new owners preferred consistency and uniformity in the bakery menu. Uniformity that didn’t include any of Daisy’s own creations, no matter how successful they’d been with the customers, a few of whom had put in regular special orders every week until that point.
Ah. It was going to be a wonderful moment when she could walk into work and hand Shannon her apron and keys to the store.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when Natalie and Paul shouted their dismay after the ball they’d been throwing up and down the shoreline flew into the water. But their groans turned to giggles when the small Lab lunged into the water and, a moment later, popped up with the ball in his mouth. The older girls, however, seemed to be in a battle of who could look less impressed.
“What’s the story?” Daisy asked and turned to her aunt who wore a hat that was possibly even bigger than Daisy’s.
“Earlier, Lily said something about not needing to be babysat since she wasn’t a baby. Jenna took immediate offense, of course. Give it time, though. It will pass.” She smiled a little more mischievously as she returned her gaze to Daisy. “To think, even if for just a few weeks, I’m going to be able to have braggi
ng rights to my niece being engaged to the most powerful man in the state. Do you think he might stop by and say hello to the girls in my bridge club when we get back?”
“I think he might have a few other pressing duties he’s going to be handling—”
“But I can check my schedule when we get back and see what we can arrange,” Jack said, nearly sending Daisy jumping from the chair.
How long had he been standing there?
Damn. He really was quite a specimen. A fact she’d been trying to ignore for the greater part of the morning, especially when they were pressed into the close quarters of the study and she’d been sitting so close to him she could smell his clean, masculine scent as it wafted toward her. It was why she’d nearly raced out of there the moment she had a clear excuse to.
The sun reflected off the top of his hair, which was more a mess of dark brown and light golden strands than any one monochromatic color. His eyes were hidden behind the dark lenses of aviator sunglasses—thank God—but the glasses seemed to only highlight the strong angles of his face and the sensuousness of those lips that even now were curved into a smile.
In light khaki pants rolled up so the bottom didn’t brush against the sandy ground, a white linen shirt rolled up around his arms, he was…perfect. And combined with the Vaughns’ home in the backdrop, Jack Harrison had all the grace and confidence of a Kennedy standing on the shores of Cape Cod.
In cheap, well-worn Payless shoes and capris from Old Navy’s last sale, Daisy felt seriously out of her element. How was anyone going to buy into this ruse?
He glanced up and down the near-empty shoreline. “I’m glad this stretch of beach is private. We won’t have to worry about being pestered by any remaining reporters.”
Having spotted her dad, Lily sauntered over, her mouth turned down in obvious frustration. Tall and gangly with light brown hair and a spattering of freckles across her pale face, she was cute if a touch gawky, as all kids her age tended to be. Most of her physical traits bore little resemblance to her dad’s sturdy, strong, and almost golden persona, particularly his warm, easy smile.
Except her eyes. Brilliant and blue, they were definitely his.
“I’m so bored,” she said in a high whiny voice that Daisy well recognized. “Can we go hiking now?”
Jack looked at his watch and then up at the clear sky. “I think we could probably arrange that.”
Paul ran over—obviously having heard Lily’s request—as he asked, his voice high and hopeful, “Mom, can we go with them? Please, Mom?” A sentiment that Natalie repeated a second later, as they both held their hands out and pleaded with her.
“I think we should let Lily and her dad have a moment alone together. Besides, we don’t know how long the trail is or how hard it might be.” Not to mention that the thought of hiking through rocks, dirt, and tick-infested bushes sounded less than appealing.
“The trail is actually a favorite of ours,” Jack said. “It’s not at all difficult and circles up and around to a lookout that gives a pretty awesome view of the lake. Probably won’t take more than an hour to get there and back. You’re all more than welcome to join us.”
“That sounds lovely,” her aunt said first. “Unfortunately, my sciatic nerve seems to be acting up a bit, so I think I’ll take a pass and stick around here. But you guys should go have fun and I’ll hold down the fort.”