to the word.
“See?” Mike said, tongue in cheek. “You’re
already starting to see things my way!”
They all laughed, even Brett, although he
cast a warning glance toward Mike before leaving the room and
heading to the balcony. “If you lied, I am so kicking your
ass.”
Pointing at Brett with a finger that shook
with suppressed laughter, Mike looked at the others as though
taking them as witnesses. His grin could hardly have been any
wider. “You heard it, too, right? He just said he hopes I didn’t
lie, didn’t he?”
Grinning at Mike’s antics, Daisy followed
after Brett. When she joined him, he was standing in front of the
closed French windows, looking out onto the balcony. Woods had his
back to them, and if he was aware of their presence, he did not
show it.
Brett’s hand closed on the doorknob, but he
didn’t pull the window open. Observing him closely, Daisy tried to
figure out why he was hesitating. She wasn’t used to seeing him
unsure of himself. “If you don’t want to go…” she said, leaving the
rest of it unvoiced.
“I do,” Brett said, then snorted quietly,
glancing back toward the dining room. “I’d have gone even if Mike
wasn’t playing with my head.”
He didn’t really believe what Mike had said,
Daisy realized. She doubted any of them did; it had taken Mike a
long time to come out to them, but he now felt comfortable enough
to joke about it.
“So why are you still on this side of the
glass?” she prodded.
Hands in his pockets, Brett half turned
toward her. She had rarely seen him wear such a serious expression.
“Have you ever been in love, Daisy?” he asked quietly. “Really in
love? With someone you could see yourself spending the rest of your
life with?”
Daisy’s first
instinct was to reply that she had. Of course she had, like she was
sure every single one of her friends had been in love before,
without needing the help of a seer to guide them toward the right
person. She couldn’t say it, though, not without lying. If her
friends had been so sure, they wouldn’t have been here tonight. As
for her, it had been a while since she had had anyone in her life,
and even then she had known it wouldn’t last.
She gave a small shake of her head. Brett
didn’t look or sound surprised in the least.
“Me neither.” He looked back toward Woods on
the other side of the window, and dropped his voice just a little
more. “What if he doesn’t have a vision to show me?”
He sounded really distraught at the thought,
and Daisy rested her hand on his shoulder to try to reassure him.
“Of course he’ll have something to show you,” she said, pushing a
smile to her lips. “He said everyone he ever read had their happy
ending.”
“Everyone?” Brett repeated, still clearly
unconvinced. He glanced at her, then drew the window open. “I guess
I should go and find out, then, huh?”
He squared his shoulders before stepping
outside. Daisy pushed the window closed again, although not
completely. She felt a little uneasy, and it wasn’t long before she
understood why. Even without meaning to, she had lied to Brett.
According to Woods, every person he had given a vision to had found
their happy ending, except for Woods himself.
Crossing her arms, she watched Brett offer
his hand to Woods, the jerkiness of his gesture when they shook
hand betraying his nervousness. His fists were closed as tightly as
his eyes when he leaned forward for the kiss that would start the
vision, and only after Woods had gently guided him to sit down in a
chair did his nervousness finally fade away. Daisy wondered what,
in his vision, could be making him smile so widely already.
* * * *
When Brett entered Daisy’s antique store, the
bell attached to the top of the door seemed to laugh, the sound as
clear as a child’s giggle. It would have made Brett smile even more
brightly if he hadn’t already been grinning.
The sales clerk started to approach him, but
before he could take more
“See?” Mike said, tongue in cheek. “You’re
already starting to see things my way!”
They all laughed, even Brett, although he
cast a warning glance toward Mike before leaving the room and
heading to the balcony. “If you lied, I am so kicking your
ass.”
Pointing at Brett with a finger that shook
with suppressed laughter, Mike looked at the others as though
taking them as witnesses. His grin could hardly have been any
wider. “You heard it, too, right? He just said he hopes I didn’t
lie, didn’t he?”
Grinning at Mike’s antics, Daisy followed
after Brett. When she joined him, he was standing in front of the
closed French windows, looking out onto the balcony. Woods had his
back to them, and if he was aware of their presence, he did not
show it.
Brett’s hand closed on the doorknob, but he
didn’t pull the window open. Observing him closely, Daisy tried to
figure out why he was hesitating. She wasn’t used to seeing him
unsure of himself. “If you don’t want to go…” she said, leaving the
rest of it unvoiced.
“I do,” Brett said, then snorted quietly,
glancing back toward the dining room. “I’d have gone even if Mike
wasn’t playing with my head.”
He didn’t really believe what Mike had said,
Daisy realized. She doubted any of them did; it had taken Mike a
long time to come out to them, but he now felt comfortable enough
to joke about it.
“So why are you still on this side of the
glass?” she prodded.
Hands in his pockets, Brett half turned
toward her. She had rarely seen him wear such a serious expression.
“Have you ever been in love, Daisy?” he asked quietly. “Really in
love? With someone you could see yourself spending the rest of your
life with?”
Daisy’s first
instinct was to reply that she had. Of course she had, like she was
sure every single one of her friends had been in love before,
without needing the help of a seer to guide them toward the right
person. She couldn’t say it, though, not without lying. If her
friends had been so sure, they wouldn’t have been here tonight. As
for her, it had been a while since she had had anyone in her life,
and even then she had known it wouldn’t last.
She gave a small shake of her head. Brett
didn’t look or sound surprised in the least.
“Me neither.” He looked back toward Woods on
the other side of the window, and dropped his voice just a little
more. “What if he doesn’t have a vision to show me?”
He sounded really distraught at the thought,
and Daisy rested her hand on his shoulder to try to reassure him.
“Of course he’ll have something to show you,” she said, pushing a
smile to her lips. “He said everyone he ever read had their happy
ending.”
“Everyone?” Brett repeated, still clearly
unconvinced. He glanced at her, then drew the window open. “I guess
I should go and find out, then, huh?”
He squared his shoulders before stepping
outside. Daisy pushed the window closed again, although not
completely. She felt a little uneasy, and it wasn’t long before she
understood why. Even without meaning to, she had lied to Brett.
According to Woods, every person he had given a vision to had found
their happy ending, except for Woods himself.
Crossing her arms, she watched Brett offer
his hand to Woods, the jerkiness of his gesture when they shook
hand betraying his nervousness. His fists were closed as tightly as
his eyes when he leaned forward for the kiss that would start the
vision, and only after Woods had gently guided him to sit down in a
chair did his nervousness finally fade away. Daisy wondered what,
in his vision, could be making him smile so widely already.
* * * *
When Brett entered Daisy’s antique store, the
bell attached to the top of the door seemed to laugh, the sound as
clear as a child’s giggle. It would have made Brett smile even more
brightly if he hadn’t already been grinning.
The sales clerk started to approach him, but
before he could take more
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