The Dating Plan(49)
Liam watched Daisy bustle around the kitchen making chai and heating up pastries from the freezer. A deep-seated longing for the past, when things had been easy between them, clogged his throat. How had he screwed up so badly? He missed her, not just romantically, but as a friend.
“The first time I had chai was the night my dad broke my arm.” The words spilled out, an attempt to bridge the gulf between them, to reforge the intimacy they had lost. “When my mom brought me to the hospital, I begged her not to tell them what really happened. Every time Social Services got involved, my dad took it out on her. She was afraid to take me back home, so I asked her to call your dad. He’d told me once his door was always open if I ever needed a place to stay.”
“I remember that night.” She stirred the chai. “You had two black eyes. I’d only ever read about people getting a black eye from being punched. I didn’t know it was real.”
“Dear old Dad did a real number on me,” he said. “It was the first time I tried to stop him from beating on my mom. Brendan wouldn’t do it, and I figured that at thirteen I was big enough to take him on. I guessed wrong.”
“I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been,” she said quietly, placing the pastries on a plate.
“I can’t imagine what I would have done without your family.” He traced a groove in the melamine counter. “I had some of the best times sitting around your table, throwing out math problems for you to solve or talking hockey with Sanjay and your dad.” He pointed to the dent. “Do you remember this?”
Daisy put the pastries in the microwave and took down two mugs from the cupboard. “What is it?”
“It’s where I dropped a bowl of pakoras when you walked into the kitchen wearing a tight green dress that Layla had bought for you because she was dragging you to a school dance. You were sixteen, and you looked amazing. Your dad and Sanjay went crazy. I think your dad threatened to lock you in your room forever, and Sanjay insisted you wear a winter jacket. Layla had to run interference. That was the day I realized you weren’t a little girl anymore and I couldn’t treat you like you were.”
She dropped her gaze, thick lashes brushing over brown cheeks. “I didn’t think you noticed.”
Liam chuckled. “I noticed. Maybe too much. But I couldn’t say anything out of respect for your family. If the thought of you going out in that dress made them crazy, imagine how they would have felt if I’d asked you out? I wasn’t the guy any girl could take home to meet the parents.”
She left him in the living room with his tea and pastries and went upstairs to change out of her dress. Liam had just gotten comfortable on the couch when Daisy walked in wearing a tiny pair of worn shorts and a Marvel superheroes T-shirt cut low to reveal the crescents of her breasts.
Liam’s mouth went dry and he choked on his pastry. No, she definitely wasn’t a little girl anymore, and the things he was thinking were definitely not appropriate for Mr. Patel’s worn couch.
“Are you okay?” She sat down beside him and those tiny shorts rode up so high all he could see was a long expanse of beautiful, firm brown thigh only inches away from his hip.
Fuck. He shifted on the couch, trying to hide his growing arousal. Maybe if he focused on the food, or the colorful elephant painting on the wall, or the chai in his hand, or work. Work was a good topic. There was nothing sexy about work.
“I’m good. Great. How’s work?” He sipped his chai, savoring the rich spices on his tongue.
Daisy frowned. “Um . . . Fine, I guess.”
“Good.” Her arm brushed against his when she reached for her mug, sending all his blood rushing to his groin. Liam choked on his chai and quickly put down the cup. “How’s it going with Brad?”
“Mia and Zoe think his ideas are out of touch with our target market.” She settled back on the cushion. “They came up with a branding proposal last year that focused on female empowerment, but Tyler wasn’t interested. It was gritty and real and featured diverse women being strong and fierce. Brad’s proposal is almost the opposite of their vision. He has no idea what today’s women want.”
Well, that dealt with the situation down below. Nothing like a good work discussion to keep things in check. “Did they discuss their proposal with him?”
“They’re afraid to lose their jobs.” She twisted her lips to the side. “Could you ask him to consider it? Or at the very least just hear them out?”
If she’d asked him to get rid of Brad, he would have done it. He trusted Daisy, trusted her judgment. She was quick, sharp, and fiercely intelligent. If she stood behind her colleagues, then their proposal merited a serious look. “Of course. I’ll speak to him first thing on Monday.”
Her face lit up with a smile, undoing the effects of the work talk in an instant. Dammit. He was here to support her, not indulge a fantasy he’d had since he was a teen.
“It’s strange to sit here with you and not play Xbox.” She put her cup on the table. “I don’t think we ever sat here together for anything else.”
“I’m game if you are.” He’d only ever felt her equal when they were on a virtual playing field. And since their work talk was done, it would be the perfect distraction from the sensual curves of her body, the softness of her hair as it brushed over his arm, and the tart sweetness of her perfume.