Pushing Up Daisies Read online

  Daisy pushed herself up, her day-old makeup leaving faint traces of color on the carpet. “Who puts white carpet in a hallway, anyway?” she muttered, sniffing under her arms. I need to bathe. There was no way she’d allow herself to become like Jasper: tired and stinking.

  The telephone rang while Daisy was taking off her clothes in the bedroom. She picked up, but no one was there. My cell phone.

  “Hel-lo,” Daisy snapped.

  “Dai—um…what’s wrong with you?” her best friend, Gigi, asked. “You okay?”

  “Yes. I mean…no. Jasper didn’t come home again last night, and he hasn’t called.”

  “No? Girl, you’re having all kinds of trouble today. Men problems and phone issues. Did you know something was wrong with your phone? ’Cause I just tried to call twice, and some lady who claimed to be psychic kept answering—had the nerve to ask me which credit card I’d be using. I told her since she was psychic, she should tell me.”

  Daisy laughed. “I forwarded my calls. They’re psychic, so maybe they’ll tell Jasper he doesn’t have a home.” Daisy paused, spreading cleanser on her face. “So what’s up? You feel like going to Ming Li’s and out to lunch?”

  “Sure. I’ll meet you at her house in about an hour.”

  “Make it an hour and a half. Oh, and Gigi?”

  “Yeah?”

  “When was the last time you talked to Marcus? Did he come to your house last night?”

  “We were together until midnight. Why?”

  “Just asking. Listen, if he calls you, don’t say anything, okay? I’ll see you at Ming Li’s.”

  Daisy leaned against Ming Li’s bar, waiting for Gigi to arrive and for Ming Li to get dressed. Her eyes roamed the trendy Manhattan loft. She imagined how peaceful she’d make her surroundings once she got on her feet. But single life scared her. Daisy had never lived alone before and she wondered if she’d be able to handle it.

  Pouring herself a glass of chardonnay, she noticed black lingerie on the floor. At least somebody’s getting some. She sipped her wine, trying to remember the last time she and Jasper had had sex.

  A loud knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. “It’s about time. Seems like I’ve been waiting on people all day,” Daisy said as she opened the door for Gigi.

  Gigi stood there smiling, beautiful in her own way. Her caked makeup made her honey complexion look flawless, almost plastic. But there was nothing phony about Gigi. She posed, then modeled a catwalk spin, showing off her newly dyed hair and baggy gym attire. “Well, what do you think?”

  Daisy frowned, covered her mouth, and laughed. She pulled Gigi inside and bolted the door. “Get inside before someone calls the cops on you for disturbing the peace. New York has noise ordinances, you know.”

  “It’s not that bright,” Gigi said, patting her shocking red mane. “It’s vibrant, like my personality.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. It’s not bright. It’s loud.”

  “Whatever.” Gigi shrugged off Daisy’s teasing and hugged her.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll be fine. It’s nothing new, right?” Daisy avoided Gigi’s intense gaze, diverting her attention elsewhere. “Where’s Ming Li? She’s always holding us up.”

  Just then, Ming Li sauntered into the room, naked. She hopped onto a barstool, her long black mane swaying against her back. “I’m right here.” She grabbed a crystal decanter, poured herself a drink, and lit a mini-cigar before turning to her friends. “Want some?” she asked, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Damn, Gigi! What in the hell happened to your hair?”

  Gigi smirked, crossing her arms. “What happened to your clothes?”

  Daisy smiled sadly, her emotions getting the best of her. She forced herself to brighten, trying to cover her pain. “You know Ming Li doesn’t like clothes, Gigi. She’s Eve, remember?”

  “I’ll have wine too,” Gigi said, laughing. “That liquor’s too strong for me.”

  “Sweeties, if you two had what I just had, you’d say this was mild in comparison to Ian.” Then Ming Li noticed Daisy’s face. “Whoa…wait a minute. What’s wrong?”

  Gigi shot Ming Li a knowing look.

  “Jasper disappeared again?” Ming Li huffed. “Rhetorical question. I know the answer. What are you going to do?”

  The sound of a door closing reminded Daisy that they weren’t alone. “We’ll talk at lunch.”

  Ming Li shrugged. “It’s your pity party.”

  “Who’s back there?” Gigi questioned.

  “Ian.” Ming Li closed her eyes and pretended to swoon.

  “That good, hunh? Wait a minute, who’s Ian? I thought you were seeing Ricky.”

  “I am seeing Ricky. And Ian. And Lucian—”

  “Lucian?”

  “Yes.” Ming Li licked her lips. “He’s Greek, and hung like a Trojan horse. Lucian Antonopoulos.”

  Daisy gulped her wine. “You’re sleeping with all three of them? Ricky, Ian, and Lucian Anta—whoever?”

  “As often as I can. Sometimes two a day.”

  “Oh, hell, no. Are you serious? I hope you don’t sleep with two at a time.”

  Ming Li pursed her lips.

  Daisy dabbed her mouth with a napkin. The outdoor restaurant was bustling, and Greenwich Village was in full swing, as crowded as usual for a hot summer weekend.

  “Girl, no. You didn’t throw his clothes out.” Gigi threw her napkin across the wrought-iron bistro table.

  Ming Li eyed Daisy and nodded. “Oh, hell, you did. Good for you. I told you years ago that that muthafucka wasn’t any good.”

  “I warned him before. Obviously, he didn’t realize that a threat can be a promise.”

  Gigi fanned her face. “If he was stupid enough to stay out, he deserved it.”

  “He’s your cousin.”

  “That he is. But you know we’re not close. If it weren’t for you or Marcus, Jasper and I probably wouldn’t speak. Still, you can’t say I didn’t warn you about him. I didn’t push you into his bed. You jumped in.”

  “Well, good for him,” Ming Li said. “Screw him, but don’t fuck yourself in the process. Know what I mean?”

  “Yes, I do.” Daisy nodded. “I also know it’s time I explored my options too,” she added with a sly smile.

  Ming Li returned the look. “Gigi told me some guy’s been hitting on you at the gym. What about him, Daisy?”

  Gigi sat back. “I don’t think I should be hearing this.”

  “I’m not the whore; Jasper is. I’m not going to mess with Chris the personal trainer.”

  “Oh, that Chris.”

  “You’ve met Chris?” Daisy asked.

  Ming Li winked. “A few times.”

  “Damn, Ming Li. Save some for the rest of us.”

  “There’s always Adonis.” Ming Li grinned.

  Just the mention of his name gave Daisy chills. She’d spent plenty of nights thinking about Adonis. He’d been the childhood crush she’d always wanted but never pursued. “Adonis? What about him?”

  “He’s here,” Ming Li said, nudging Gigi. “Right, Gigi?”

  “Shut up, Ming Li.” Gigi turned to Daisy. “You understand my position, right? With Jasper being my cousin, and Adonis my stepbrother…”

  Daisy’s expression dulled. She wished like hell that she’d thrown her insecurities to the wind and pursued the man she’d wanted, instead of settling for the one who wanted her. She’d never admit it out loud, but she’d always felt that she wasn’t good enough for Adonis. He had a certain air about him so that she’d found him unapproachable.

  “Yes, I understand,” she replied. “Family.”

  “Bullshit,” Ming Li said. “Jasper and Adonis aren’t related. They don’t share the same blood. And according to Adonis, they barely know each other. They met as adults.”

  Daisy shook off the thoughts of Adonis. Unrelated or not, it wouldn’t look right. She also had Jay to think about. “I’m putting Jasper out with a clean conscience.” />
  “And a job,” Ming Li interjected.

  “Uh-oh,” Gigi said. “You’re serious. You’re gonna do it this time.”

  Daisy threw her an angry look. “What do you mean, this time?”

  “You always say you’re going to put him out,” Ming Li said. “If you’re going to do it, do it. Think and do for yourself. What do you think he’s doing…playing golf? Please, you want to see Adonis again because Jasper’s game has gotten rusty.”

  “And put the degree to use. No offense, Daisy, but what is it that you do? I mean, really, I’ve only seen you plant flowers—for your house,” Gigi added.

  Daisy rolled her eyes and exhaled. “Unbelievable, Gigi. How could you not know what I do? We shared a dorm and you don’t know what I studied? How is that possible?” Daisy deadpanned, “How many summers did you help me spend my paycheck when I worked the landscaping job? For the last time, ladies, I have a degree in horticulture, not flowers. I’m an expert in plant cultivation and propagation. I specialized in floriculture, as well as commercial and residential landscape design.”

  “Well, damn. Sorry,” Gigi retorted. “Point taken, but what does it mean?”

  “Seeding, cutting, layering, grafting. I protect plants from diseases and pests, and I am a specialist in all things flowers. You name it, I know it.”

  Ming Li cleared her throat, closed her eyes, and paused. She sat up erect and stared at Daisy. “You mean to tell me that you’re a scientist who can actually fathom cultivation, propaganda—propagation—propa-whatever, but you can’t understand why Jasper didn’t come home? Book smarts won’t help you, you need street smarts. It doesn’t take a degree to figure out that one. It’s simple. The bastard has grown an extra pair of legs and fangs, and he pisses with his back leg up. He’s metamorphosed into a dog—simple as that. He’s done everything except bite you in the ass to prove it.”

  Daisy glared and balled her fist under the table. Her heart picked up speed, but anxiety wasn’t the cause, anger was. Ming Li’s naked honesty hurt, but Daisy had to take it for what it was worth—the truth. She couldn’t deny it. Wouldn’t. And she refused to be mad at her friend for caring enough to express what she felt. “Can’t argue with that one.”

  “Flower degree or no flower degree, I still say you should let your education work for you.” Gigi smiled. “You plant a hell of a rosebush.”

  Ming Li pursed her lips and laughed. “Yeah, peddle those hybrid flowers you love to create. You could get a vendor’s license, you know? Go to the flower market and sell, sell, sell. Do something besides wait for Jasper, damn.”

  “Okay, I’ve got enough drama in my life without your criticism.”

  “No one’s criticizing you. We’re telling you the truth, and you should listen. And we’ve known him longer than you have. Besides, no one can be that good in bed. Don’t tell me he’s fucked you so hard that you’re seeing things—”

  “Ming Li!”

  “No, Daisy, you need to hear this,” Ming Li insisted.

  “Daisy, you’ve given him too much power. You get dressed in the morning just to sit around and keep his house. For what? So you have to depend on him? You already had one man raise you. What makes you think you need a second daddy?”

  Daisy crossed her arms defiantly. She wanted to curse at her friends, but she knew they were right. “Well, ladies, you can rest assured. Jasper obviously had a place to stay last night, so he can live there. And as far as working, I don’t know. He never wanted me to, and I didn’t have to. But that doesn’t matter now. He’s gone, and there’s nothing more to be said. A girl’s gotta do—”

  “You’ve always got us,” Gigi interrupted, smiling kindly. “Remember that.”

  “What now?!” Daisy grumbled, fumbling to find the ringing cell phone, which had awakened her for the third time. God, please? Make it stop. She sat up and immediately regretted it. Her lids felt twenty pounds heavier and she strained to keep her burning eyes open. Her temples pounded against her skull, threatening to explode. And her ears rang. And rang. And rang some more. “Too much wine. Much…too much…wine,” she whispered while digging in the sofa cushions trying to locate the dreaded digital device that wouldn’t allow her to sleep. “This better be good,” she answered.

  “Daisy, you up?” Gigi asked breathlessly.

  “No. I’m talking in my sleep. Call me back when I wake up…in about five hours.”

  “Goddamnit, Daisy. Get up! Marcus just called. Jasper’s in the hospital.”

  Daisy sat up and pressed her fingers against her throbbing temples, hoping to slow the pounding. But the drumming didn’t shift; it sped up, accelerated like her heartbeat. Moved in rapid, short successions like her anxious breaths. Breathe. Breathe. Goddamnit, breathe! She’d lost track of the inhale/exhale pattern and was forced to relearn it in seconds. Seemed like years. Panic made its way in with a slow crawl and a push so steady it dominated her hangover. “What?! He’s in the hospital? What hospital?” she managed to ask.

  “University…”

  Daisy raced down the Staten Island Expressway as rain spattered on the windshield. The slick roads and potholes added to her shakiness. She couldn’t make it to Jasper fast enough. “Lord, please let him be okay,” she prayed as her back tires slid, losing control for seconds, when she exited the expressway onto Lily Pond Avenue. Let me be okay too, she continued her plea as she fought to gain control of the vehicle. She chastised herself for acting in haste, for throwing out Jasper’s clothes, for assuming that he was cheating.

  She turned into the parking area at top speed. Her heart—her need—wouldn’t allow her to slow. She had to get to him. She pulled into a handicap spot without a second thought. She didn’t need a wheelchair tag; she was the sign, a walking billboard that screamed, “Mentally and emotionally handicapped.” Every bad thought that she could think infiltrated her mind. Stole her sanity. Please, she begged God again, let him be okay.

  As she ran toward the ER, the cold, wet cement reminded her that she wore no shoes. She had no purse. The only thing that she carried was worry for Jasper.

  “Excuse me,” she asked, pounding on the reception counter to get attention. “I’m looking for Jasper Stevens.”

  “Hmm, Stevens. Stevens.” The lady smiled and began searching what Daisy assumed to be an intake sheet.

  What the hell is she so happy about? Doesn’t she realize this is an emergency room? Emergencies aren’t funny.

  “Is he here?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t see a Jasper Stevens listed. But, then again, they just changed the sign-in sheets. New shift. Let me check in the back for you. What’s your name?”

  Daisy waited a small eternity for the woman to return. Three whole minutes. One hundred and eighty ticktocks on the hospital-issued clock.

  “We don’t have a Jasper Stevens in the back,” the receptionist said, and followed with a shrug. “I’m sorry…”

  “Alright. Thanks.” Daisy clipped her words. Frustration and anger replaced panic and worry as she turned to leave. Liar—Jasper’s a liar.

  “However…”

  Daisy did an about-face and looked at the receptionist as she blinked back tears.

  “A nurse from the last shift said that we did have a Jasper here earlier. She couldn’t remember his last name, though. He wasn’t her patient.”

  Daisy dialed, then spat wildly, frantically into her cell phone, “He’s not at University, Gigi. At least I don’t think so. First they said that they didn’t have a Jasper Stevens registered. Then they said maybe he was there earlier, but weren’t sure. They changed shifts. Goddamn shifts. And wouldn’t you know it, sign-in sheets too.”

  “Trust me, he was there, Daisy. The doctor interrupted me and Marcus’s conversation. But that doesn’t matter now. All you should focus on is getting your butt home and picking up his clothes—”

  “What?” Daisy asked, switching lanes and frame of mind. The previous night’s alcohol, lack of sleep, and bouncing between hurt, pain,
and worry had begun to take a toll. She’d forgotten which face to put on and when. Her mood became like a voice, everyone had two. There was the happy, polite one usually reserved for business, and then the real one. My problem is that I don’t know what real is anymore.

  “Are you listening? Get home! I just got off the phone with Marcus. He wants me to meet him at your house. If he’s on his way there, then Jasper’s on his way too.”

  Daisy’s heart raced as she rifled through the coat closet. No raincoat. She yanked the front door open, wincing at the sound of the mirror shattering behind it. She hurried out into the rain and began gathering the sopping clothes.

  “What can be saved?” she asked herself frantically. Maybe some of the silks, but the suedes had no hope. Neither did she. What would she tell Jasper?

  Once she had gathered all the clothes she could carry, she hurried back inside. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she mumbled, dumping the heavy, wet load onto the floor.

  Now for the rest, she thought with a sigh. She had no idea how she was going to get Jasper’s boxers out of the tree. And she still had to get the shoe from across the street in the neighbors’ yard. What if they’d moved it?

  Daisy gave herself a pep talk. She could do it. Had to. She sprinted across the street, feeling the cold wetness of her jeans on her thighs. No shoe to be found anywhere. She got down on her hands and knees, palms sinking into the soggy grass. Finally, she spotted the shoe under the bushes. As she reached for it, the sharp branches tore her skin. Daisy winced in pain, pulling back her hand. Blood trickled down her arm as she held up her wrist to examine her injuries.

  Daisy hurried back across the street, retrieving shirts, pants, and socks. After dumping them in the foyer, she went back outside and tried to rip a branch from the rosebush. She had to get Jasper’s boxers next.

  She moved under the tree and looked up. There they were, dangling. She counted silently and jumped, swinging the rosebush branch, praying that the boxers would catch on a thorn. No luck. She tried again. The branch snagged the boxers and broke in two.

  She gave up for the moment, deciding to get the remaining clothes first. As she ran toward the house with another pile in her arms, the wind blew the front door closed. She came to an abrupt halt, her wet feet sliding on the walkway, and fell face-first in a puddle of mud.