Kiss an Angel(22)

Madeline regarded Daisy good-naturedly. “I’m going to pretend to be happy about this, even though I’ve been lusting after him myself for a month.”

“You and half the world,” Jill laughed.

“Day-zee!”

She turned to see Heather calling out to her from the far side of the yard. “Hey, Daisy!” the teenager yelled. “Alex says you’re late. He’s really mad at you.”

Daisy was embarrassed. She didn’t want these new friends to know that she and Alex weren’t a love match. “He gets impatient; I guess I’d better go. It’s been nice meeting both of you.” With a smile, she turned away, but before she’d taken more than a few steps, something hit her between the shoulder blades.

“Ouch!” She whirled around and saw a half-eaten apple lying on the ground next to her. In the background, Frankie screamed with delight while Jill appeared embarrassed.

“Sorry,” she called out “I don’t know why he’s acting like this. You should be ashamed, Frankie. Daisy’s our friend.”

Jill’s words tampered Daisy’s desire to strangle the little beast. Instead, she gave both, women a small wave and set off toward the office trailer. She mentally corrected herself, remembering that she was supposed to refer to this trailer as the “red wagon.” Earlier, Alex had told her that’s what circus offices were always called, regardless of their color.

Heather fell into step beside her. “I wanted to tell you that I shouldn’t have been such a bitch yesterday. I was kind of in a bad mood.”

Daisy finally felt as if she were catching a glimpse of the real person behind the ill-fitting facade. “It’s all right.”

“Alex is royally pissed.” Daisy was surprised to hear a thread of genuine sympathy in Heather’s voice. “Sheba says he’s the kind of man who doesn’t ever stay with one woman for long, so don’t feel bad when he—you know.”

“What?”

“You know. When he dumps you.” She gave a wistful sigh. “It must be cool being his girlfriend even for a little while.”

Daisy smiled. “I’m not his girlfriend. I’m his wife.”

Heather came to a sudden stop, and her face grew ashen. “You’re not!”

Daisy stopped, too, and as she saw the girl’s reaction, she touched her arm in concern. “Alex and I were married yesterday morning, Heather.”

She jerked away. “I don’t believe you. You’re lying! You’re just saying that because you don’t like me.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Alex didn’t marry you. He wouldn’t do that! Sheba told me he won’t ever marry anybody!”

“Sometimes things change.”

To Daisy’s astonishment, Heather’s eyes filled with tears. “You bitch! I hate you! Why didn’t you tell me? I hate you for making fun of me like this!” She whirled away and ran toward the trailers.

Daisy stared after her, trying to understand the reason for Heather’s hostility. Only one explanation sprang to mind. The girl must have a crush on Alex. Daisy experienced an unexpected pang of sympathy. She remembered too well what it had felt like to be a teenager with no control over the actions of the adults around her. With a sigh, she set off for the red wagon.

Despite its name, the business office was white, with a splatter of colorful stars and the Quest Brothers legend. In contrast to the cheerful exterior, the interior was dreary and cluttered. A battered steel desk sat opposite a small couch covered with stacks of paper. There were mismatched chairs, an old file cabinet, and a green gooseneck lamp with a dented shade. Alex sat behind the desk, a cellular phone in one hand, a clipboard in the other. A single glance at that stormy face told Daisy that Heather had been right about one thing. Alex was royally pissed.

He abruptly ended his conversation and stood, speaking to her in that ominously quiet voice she was growing to dread. “When I tell you to be someplace at a certain time, I want you there.”

“But I’m barely half an hour late.”

His voice grew even quieter. “You don’t have a clue about real life, do you, Daisy? This is a job, not a hair appointment, and from now on, for every minute you’re late, I’m docking five dollars from your pay.”

Her face brightened. “I get paid?”

He sighed. “Of course, you get paid. That is, once you start doing some work. And don’t expect to buy diamonds with the money. Circus wages are about as low as they come.”

She didn’t care. The idea that she would actually have some money of her own was thrilling. “Just show me what to do. And I promise, I won’t be late again.”

Alex took her over to the ticket window set into the side of the trailer and explained the procedure in a terse voice. It was simple, and she caught on immediately.

“I’ll be checking receipts to the penny,” he said, “so don’t plan on borrowing any cigarette money.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

He didn’t look convinced. “Make sure you don’t leave the cash drawer unattended for even a second. This circus operates on a shoestring, and we can’t afford any losses.”

“Of course I won’t. I’m not stupid.”

She had the sinking feeling he was getting ready to argue the point, but instead he unlocked the hinged window. He stayed with her as she took care of the first few customers to make certain she had the hang of it, and when he saw that she wasn’t having any trouble, he told her he was leaving.