Page 72 of Pushing Daisy

To: [email protected]

Subject: Future Opportunities

Miss Wilks,

We are saddened to hear of your departure from your family business. However, as we have had an excellent relationship with you as our actuary and know that you have gone to great lengths to get us the support we need, we would like to remain your client and follow you wherever you may be headed.

Please let us know where we can reach you going forward. Our separation of business notice has already been forwarded to the appropriate people.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Astor Gromley

Executive Assistant

Wishing Stone

Wishing Stone is a massive client, and they’ve been working with her family’s company for years. And they want to follow her? To her nothing little start-up company? Holy fucking Hades. She’ll have to talk to them about costs as she doesn’t have the capital that her parents do. But they want her. They want her.

She picks up her tea and takes a sip. “At least someone does.”

CHAPTER 40

Daisy

“Thank you so much,” Daisy says, picking up her new phone from the shop counter. “I still can’t believe I ran my other one over.”

Signing back into her accounts as she walks back to the Acorn, she starts to realize how much she missed having her phone for these past two days. Like everyone else, her phone is usually an extension of her, so being without it feels like she’s been missing a piece of herself. But in some ways, it’s also been a bit of a relief, silencing some of the noise around her.

However, the timing couldn’t have been worse. With the event only a week away, losing a point of contact was less than ideal. A quick text to check in or ask questions is much easier than an email. As alerts start to ping on her phone, she sees the many missed texts from Sloan.

Two days ago:

Sloan

Hey. Sorry for running out again.

I…

I said I liked you, and it felt like you brushed me off.

Goddess, I don’t know why I’m saying this in a text.

And you aren’t even answering me.

… really?

Yesterday:

Are you really not going to talk to me?

Daisy? Come on.

I know you’re scared. But we could work. We do work.

I really should take the silence as an answer.

“Oh, no. No. No. No. No.”