Page 18

D aisy

“When people mention lawyers, they don’t normally call them natural comedians, ” Daisy said as the live pianist transitioned to another song.

Reverie was the most popular and classy restaurant in all of Willowbrook.

It had opened a few years prior, and had gathered attention from outside of town.

Tourists came just for the elegant experience, not entirely sure why they felt at home the moment they entered.

Daisy knew the true reason quite well. Reverie was witch and warlock owned.

Small spells and gentle hexes were streamed constantly into the air, leading the patrons to always be at ease and enjoy the food even more than they expected.

The Witch Council Elders found themselves to be in a moral quandary in the matter of keeping the business open or not.

On one hand, Reverie happened to be manipulating the emotions and feelings of anyone who walked through their doors without their knowledge.

On the other hand, Reverie offered pleasure and happiness, lifting stress and raising spirits.

Either way, the business was still standing and welcoming patrons with open arms.

Ethan sat across from her, his long hair pulled behind his ears. He wore a suit, though it was more on the casual side. A flower poked out of his pocket. A shadow of peach fuzz grew along his jawline. He was ruggedly handsome, and Daisy doubted he was even aware of it.

“Well, most people don’t know me ,” Ethan teased before laughing at himself. “Let’s just say that my clients tend to find me on the amusing side.”

Daisy took a sip of her chardonnay, leaning forward curiously. “I’d love to hear about them.”

“My clients?”

She nodded eagerly.

Ethan laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “What for? Y-You don’t want to hear about those stuffy complainers, do you?”

Daisy tilted her head at him. There was something charming about his shyness, about how he was reserved and not entirely secure with himself. The date had only carried on for an hour or so and she was entirely enthralled, not daring to pull her attention away from him for even a split second.

“They know you,” she replied with a shrug. “I want to get to know you. Sounds like the right way to go for me.”

Ethan’s lips parted, the surprise evident in his face.

For a moment, Daisy retracted, believing she’d overstepped or pressed too hard upon him.

Had she managed to ruin the entire night before it really began?

It wasn’t like she wished for something like that.

Daisy shoved her thoughts away. The moment she dared to even think about wishes, the entire evening would come tumbling down.

She refocused herself on Ethan, giving him a small, embarrassed smile.

“Alright,” he finally replied, a smile pulling back at his lips.

Daisy held back her relief.

“One of my clients, we’ll call him John, came in the other day to discuss how he wanted to sue his previous employer,” Ethan began, his eyes lighting up as he began to talk about his work.

“I hadn’t met him in person yet, but I knew from my colleagues that John happened to have quite the ‘long face.’ Always sad looking.

So, I thought a good way to break the ice with your lawyer would be some practical jokes. ”

Daisy giggled, unsure of where the story was heading.

Ethan leaned closer to her, his voice lowering. “Well, I came into the meeting room, and John was already there. I came walking around his seat, gearing up to deliver the ice breaker my kids told me to do: instead of giving him a hand shake, go for his leg. ”

“W-What?” Daisy asked, already laughing. “I think your kids might’ve been trying to embarrass you, Ethan.”

“You know what,” Ethan teased, giving her a small wink, “I think you might be right.”

Daisy laughed again, this time raising her glass to hide the feverish blush spreading across her nose.

“Anyways,” he continued, “I came around and reached for John’s leg to shake, already halfway through introducing myself, when I realized…” Ethan sighed and shook his head. “John, unfortunately, was suing his previous employer due to negligence that led to him losing his leg.”

Daisy gaped.

“Yeah,” Ethan drawled. “But, before you start second guessing this entire date, I’ll have you know that John found it to be very funny.”

Daisy laughed. “Seriously?”

“Believe me, I was more surprised than you are now,” he said. “But he laughed it off and made some jokes himself. Needless to say, we get along quite well now.”

They laughed together as the busy restaurant carried on all around them.

When the laughter settled, their entrees arrived.

Grilled steak and luscious mash potatoes decorated the steaming plates, and a stunning and deeply savory demi-glace oozed across the food.

The steak, Daisy noticed, was cooked to a brilliant medium rare, the brick red color shimmering with moisture.

“This is my first time at Reverie , ” Daisy said. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to the food.”

Ethan grinned. “I’ve become a pretty big foodie these past few years,” he mentioned. “So I’ve been looking forward to it, too.”

Daisy met his gaze and felt as though she would have melted beneath it. Pulling herself away sharply, she stared into her plate, clutching at her fork and ignoring the way her heart slammed against her chest.

“How does your business treat you these days?” Ethan watched her closely. “It’s looked pretty busy lately.”

Daisy gulped, containing her nerves after a quick sip of wine. “More than busy,” she said with a laugh. “More than we’ve seen in a while. I won’t call it anything but a blessing.”

“It can still be a lot to handle,” Ethan added. “Are you okay?”

Daisy looked up at him, her eyes growing wide.

There was nothing short of genuine interest in his eyes, and the notion was more startling than she realized.

She had long forgotten what it was like to have a stranger enter one's life with the intention of becoming something more.

It was a trust fall, one that Daisy found herself to be a bit rusty with.

“I’m handling it,” Daisy replied with a small smile that she hoped was reassuring.

The spell lingered in the back of her mind, but she didn’t dare give it the time it needed to overtake her thoughts.

“Anyways, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Seeing the patrons happy is more than I could ever ask for. ”

Ethan’s smile grew till dimples appeared on his cheeks. “You haven’t changed, you know. Since high school. You’re the same Daisy.”

“Oh, well,” she fumbled, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“I remember in English class one year, we had this huge project,” Ethan began, not even hesitating for a second.

“And no one else in your group was helping. They were talking, messing around, not paying attention. I was in the other group, but I-I saw your frustration get louder and louder. But when the teacher came by to ask how it went, you said: ‘I’m -”

“‘- Handling it,” Daisy whispered. She lowered her fork, ignoring how it clattered against the plate. “You remember that?”

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, a habit, it seemed, for when he got nervous. “I try to remember the important things,” he murmured. “And I remember you, Daisy.”

Daisy couldn’t count how many times that night that Ethan managed to render her speechless.

She stared across the table at him, the entire world fading away all around them.

He was all she could see, and there wasn’t any other way she wanted it.

Immediately she needed him to know how important he was to her, in case he was still questioning it.

“How are your kids?” she asked. “Daniel and…and Vivian, right? Vivi?”

Ethan beamed. “Exactly right.” The tension left his shoulders the moment he talked about his kids.

“Well, Daniel started college last year, so it’s his spring semester of freshman year.

Vivi is a junior at the same school. They’ve both excelled so quickly that it’s hard to believe.

Dan took a hankering to the debate team and has championships in the next few months. ”

“A debater, huh?” Daisy laughed. “I remember him being a shy youngster. Not much for crowds.”

Ethan’s smile grew wistful. “He’s grown so much since then,” he murmured. “You know, I…” His words grew quiet and trailed off.

Daisy reached, not even thinking when she grabbed onto his hand. “You’re okay,” she said. “Don’t talk about things you aren’t comfortable sharing. You won’t hurt my feelings, if that’s what bothers you.”

Ethan’s eyes trailed over Daisy’s face, the smile returning to his lips.

“I always thought Dan would be that small, reclusive kid,” he said.

“After his mom left, I didn’t think he was capable of change, or that I would be the one to bring it along.

But…pain comes, and pain goes. All we can do is keep marching forward.

Once the pain makes us stop, that’s when hope is lost.” Ethan chuckled, his cheeks growing flushed as he became embarrassed. “You know?”

“I can’t imagine a better father for Dan and Vivi.”

Ethan met her gaze, lips parted. “What?”

“You should give yourself more credit,” she said quietly.

“Not once did anyone in Willowbrook question the upbringing of those kids. You became the father they needed overnight. No matter what your wife left you with, no matter what way she left you. I never saw you crumble.” Daisy intertwined her fingers around his, giving him a tight squeeze. “It is beyond admirable, Ethan.”