In Safe Hands (Search and Rescue #4)(13)
“No procedure. I mean, I just wait until the outside door closes before I unlock this one, but there’s no other…” She shook her head, taking a step back so Lou could enter. “Sorry. I’m babbling. Come in. I’m not normally so scattered. It’s just been a weird day so far.”
Lou grinned. “Well, you have one up on me, then, since I do babble, pretty much constantly, and I don’t need a strange day to make it happen.”
Her fingers shook a little as Daisy relocked the interior door, and she tried to mentally force them to stop. Was she that far gone that a new visitor made her quiver like a Chihuahua?
“I’m okay with babbling,” she…well, babbled, before she bit off the rest of the words that wanted to come pouring out of her mouth. “Would you like something to drink? Coffee or…” Mentally, Daisy inventoried the beverages in the fridge and held back a wince. “Water? I’m sorry that there’s not much of a selection.”
“Water would be great.” Stepping out of her boots, Lou hung her jacket on the coat rack next to the door. “Today’s my day off, but I normally work at a coffee shop. I don’t drink coffee when I’m there, but I still think I absorb the caffeine through my pores, or something. Anyway, I’m normally wired enough that I don’t need to add a stimulant to the mix.”
Daisy wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she focused on digging a bottle of water out of the fridge.
“Thanks,” Lou said, taking a few steps closer so she could grab the bottle. “Your kitchen is amazing.”
“My dad just completed remodeling it about a year ago. It took forever for him to finish, since he kept having to leave to go to job sites. After living in half-constructed hell for that long, I’m still grateful just to have a working sink.”
“Your dad lives here with you?” Lou explored the room unashamedly, running her fingers over the mosaic tiles that made up the backsplash.
“Yes. Well,” Daisy corrected herself, “when he’s not out of town, working on a job.”
“Construction?”
“Alternative energy systems. He installs solar panels, wind turbines, things like that. His clients are really spread out, though, so he just parks the camper close to whatever job he’s working on at the time. Right now, he’s in Connor Springs. He’s due back tonight, actually.”
Lou cocked her head, giving her an unreadable look. “Connor Springs is only twenty miles away.”
Dropping her gaze, Daisy busied herself with making yet another cup of coffee. “I think he likes being at the job site at night. That way, he can keep an eye on his equipment.”
“Okay.” Lou’s voice was gentle—too gentle—and Daisy cleared her throat, determined to change the subject.
“Are you really a lawyer?” When Lou looked startled, Daisy explained, “Chris mentioned something about that.”
“I made it through law school.” Lou said “law school” with the same amount of disgust most people reserved for “cockroaches.” “I even passed the bar. I never practiced, though. I decided I’d rather have the money, power, and prestige that comes from being a barista in Simpson.”
Daisy snorted a laugh and was immediately embarrassed by the piglike sound. “I have you beat for least prestigious jobs.”
“You work?”
She tried not to be offended at the surprise in the other woman’s voice. After all, it had been a long and arduous search for a way for her to make money without leaving the house. “Yep. I sell things online. Antiques and collectables, mainly. Dad goes to the auctions and estate sales, and he brings back boxes and boxes filled with…well, mostly junk.” She gave a small laugh. “Dad doesn’t have a clue about old stuff, and he doesn’t have any interest in learning about it, either. He texts me a lot of pictures, and I text back with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. I clean and repair what I think will sell and then list it online.”
“Nice,” Lou said, playing with the cap of her water bottle. “Ingenious, really. There probably aren’t that many jobs that don’t require at least some outside time.”
“Nope, there really aren’t.” Her smile felt a little forced as she gestured toward the living room with the hand not holding her coffee mug. “Do you want to sit down?”
“Sure.” As Daisy led the way, Lou continued, “I have to say that your house is not what I expected. In fact, you’re not what I expected.”
Although she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know, Daisy couldn’t resist asking, “In what way?”
Lou settled on one end of the sofa, tucking her socked feet underneath her. She was so relaxed, as if she’d been there a hundred times before. Sitting on the other side of the couch, Daisy was envious, unable to even imagine possessing that kind of confidence.
“Well, you’re hot, for one.”
Lou’s comment caught Daisy in the middle of taking a sip of coffee. It took some effort not to spray the mouthful across the room. “Excuse me?”
Her expression must have revealed her reaction, since Lou laughed. “When I think ‘shut-in,’ I think old and ugly, and you’re definitely neither. I also imagined you dressed like an Amish woman, but I’m not sure why.”