Page 41
“It absolutely is.”
“No, the point is I’m trying to look professional, and my Mum’s in the comments reminding everyone I’m still her little boy.”
“I think that’s sweet. My Mum wouldn’t even take the time to watch something I did, not unless it benefited her in some way.”
“Ah, darlin’, that sucks.”
She shrugs. “It is what it is. I don’t let it bother me anymore.”
“I’ll happily share my mother with you; she adores you.”
“Thanks, I adore her too.” She pauses for a second before adding, “Did you sulk because you’re a sore loser?”
“Daisy, I was eight, and I sulked because my brother used to cheat.”
Her eyes widen. “I can’t imagine Bennett cheating. He seems like a straight-laced kind of guy.”
“Fine, maybe he didn’t. But it helped my wounded ego to think he did. He was the golden child, everyone’s favourite.”
“I can’t imagine your mum having favourites.”
“He was Granny’s favourite.”
“Are you sure you weren’t just salty back then because Bennett was better at board games than you?”
My brow furrows. “No. He was Granny’s favourite. They were like best friends. Every day after school, he’d get on his bike and ride over there.”
“You could’ve gone with him.”
I lift one shoulder. “Nah. I preferred lying on the couch watching cartoons and eating copious amounts of breakfast cereal straight from the box.” She laughs at my comment, and I like seeing this side of her. All those worry lines she’s been wearing the past few weeks have melted away. “Enough about me, you never answered my question,” I say, trying to steer the conversation away from my questionable actions as a kid. I’m trying to impress this woman, not turn her off.
“What question?”
“Do you still watch my videos?”
“I’m years behind, but yes. I think my favourite so far is the one where that old lady—I think her name was June—served you tea in the backyard when you finished making her yard beautiful. Those tiny porcelain cups in your giant man hands were adorable.”
A smile pulls at my mouth. “June. Yeah, she was something else.”
“She was sweet.”
“She was. She insisted I sit down for tea before I left. Said no one should work that hard without a proper cup of tea afterwards.”
Daisy smiles. “I liked that you did it.”
“Did what?”
“Stopped. Took the time and sat with her as if you had nowhere else to be.”
I shrug. “To be honest, I fucking hate tea, and those biscuits she served were so stale they might’ve been left over from her childhood. But sometimes all someone needs is your time. You’d be surprised how many lonely people are just looking for someone to talk to. June lived alone, so if sitting down and sharing a cup of tea with her made her feel less lonely, then it was worth it.”
Daisy’s eyes soften as she looks at me. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do. Kindness doesn’t cost anything, darlin’.”
Chapter 16
Daisy
