Read Online The Opposite of Wild by Kylie Gilmore - Free Book Online Page A

the kind of marriage she hoped for—thirty-five years of happily living and working together, a true partnership.
    “Could you put in an order for some lettuce wraps?” she asked.
    “You got it,” Josh answered, punching in the order on the computer. “Drink?”
    “Just a seltzer.”
    She sipped her drink while she waited, listening for any Daisy gossip. The bar was mostly filled with college students back home on break and some guys watching the Sox game on one of the two TVs. She spotted Travis O’Hare at the other end of the bar, staring at his beer. He resembled Ryan—same caramel brown hair and hazel eyes, but he was lean and sinewy while Ryan was taller and solid, filled out with muscle. She scanned the crowd near him, but didn’t see Ryan. Relieved, she returned to her seltzer.
    Her lettuce wraps arrived, and she took her time savoring the three wraps of southwestern-style chicken, corn, and tomato. She entered her meal into MyFoodBuddy and headed back to the kitchen to see if her parents needed help.
    The kitchen was controlled chaos as her father barked out orders and her mother worked as sous chef preparing salads and plating desserts. Three cooks worked frantically to keep up with the incoming orders. She waved to her dad and went to her mom’s side; she was slicing some chocolate cake and setting the slices on dessert plates.
    “How’s it going, Mom?” she asked. Her mother had long, blond hair and smooth skin—she’d been religious about sunscreen—looking much younger than her fifty-seven years. It gave Liz hope for herself as she aged.
    Her mother looked up. “Liz! Could you grab the whipped cream from the fridge?”
    Liz retrieved the whipped cream and handed it to her mother. “How’s it working out with Daisy?”
    Her mother artfully fashioned three spirals of whipped cream next to a chocolate cake slice. “She’s fine. You girls practically grew up here, so I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Her usually sunny mother let out a sigh. She finished the whipped cream and announced, “I’m on break. Rose, step in here.”
    Grabbing Liz’s arm, she steered her out the back door. It was a warm June night, and the sun lingered in the sky.
    “Everything okay, Mom?”
    “We need to find out who the father is.” Her mother spoke in a low tone for privacy. “It’s just not right not having him in the picture. At the very least he could send child support.”
    “I agree, but Daisy says he doesn’t want anything to do with the baby.”
    Her mother eyed her. “And you believe her? No, she’s being cagey about it. Won’t give me a name.” She threw her hands up. “All she’ll say is he’s on that baseball team.”
    “The Norwalk Tigers.”
    “I’m thinking of hiring a private investigator. We’ve got one right here in town. It’ll all be very discreet.”
    Ryan. “No, Mom! I’ll handle it, I promise. I’m going to go home right now and research the team.”
    Her mother’s lips tightened while she thought it over. “Okay, see what you can find. Then try to pin her down. You’re living with her. You should be able to get something out of her.”
    “I will.” She kissed her mother’s cheek and headed to her car. The last thing she wanted was Ryan snooping around in her sister’s business; bad enough she had to deal with him through Maggie.
    When she got home, she opened up her laptop and Googled the Norwalk Tigers. Twenty-six players on the roster. She clicked through, one by one, reading their bios and stats, looking at their pictures. She wondered if her nephew would be half Latino. That would be cool. She just needed a name from Daisy, and she’d take care of the rest. Maybe he could have a relationship with his son. Her nephew deserved the best she could give him.
    Now she just had to figure out how to get the info from Daisy without upsetting her. A lot of stress on the mother wasn’t good for the baby. She had to wait for the perfect moment. Lord, she hoped she