“Preservation Society?” Daisy asked, shaking her head in confusion.
“Wel
l, since I know you two are engaged, and this fellow is going to be governor in the next few weeks—fingers crossed—why, it’s just a matter of time before you’re going to be the First Lady of our great state.”
First Lady.
He glanced at Daisy, who, by the expression of shock on her face, had never made the connection until now of what her title would be—that is, if their engagement were real.
Julia Daniels didn’t appear to notice, however. “I’m sure there will be dozens of invitations pouring in for you over the next few months, but I want to be first in line.”
“I’m flattered by the offer, I am,” Daisy said, glancing over to him as if for help. “But I’m not certain what my schedule is going to be like in the coming weeks and months, let alone whether I’ll have a lot of time to join any, uh, boards, seeing as how I’ll still be working.”
“Oh,” Julia said, waving her hand in dismissal. “I’m sure this handsome fellow will be more than able to provide for you and those adorable kids. You aren’t going to need to worry about keeping a job, what with all the responsibilities expected of you, I doubt you’ll have the time.”
Daisy appeared at a loss, so Jack stepped in. “I support Daisy in whatever she wants to do,” he said, placing his arm casually around Daisy’s back, his fingers settling on her waist. She stiffened ever so slightly at the intimacy, but didn’t pull away. “Actually, right now she’s getting her own bakery off the ground, which, if you’ve tasted her food, you’d see it would be a shame for her not to continue with those plans. Besides, in this day and age, I’m sure any essential duties of a First Lady could be outsourced if Daisy didn’t have the time for them. I think what’s most important is that we’re happy. Don’t you?” he asked pointedly.
The woman looked startled. “Oh, of course. We all would want you and your family to be happy. I just think it’s been more traditional for First Ladies to find a noble cause to get behind and bring attention to. Why, the current First Lady has had a role on the preservation society’s board for the past decade and has been a champion of the arts. Of course, you need to do something that makes you happy,” Julia said, almost condescendingly, and patted Daisy’s arm. “But keep in mind, no one would think any less of you if you decided that in between watching those kids and running the governor’s social affairs, you’re too stretched to run a business. Believe me. When Stan opened his first store thirty years ago, I was lucky if I saw him one night a week, he was that busy.”
“Thank you for the advice,” Daisy said, all grace. “I’ll definitely keep your words in mind.”
“No problem, sweetie,” Julia said, almost preening. Instead of moving on, however, she began waving to someone coming out of the hotel. “Would you two mind holding still for one minute. Stan!” she called in a shrill voice.
Jack could see Stan coming, a tall, gangly guy in tow, and he managed not to groan. He’d just escaped the man’s suffocating presence to finally have a moment with Daisy and now he was going to have to converse with him again.
“Stan, this is Daisy, the soon-to-be governor’s future First Lady,” his wife said, and Stan took Daisy’s hand in an exuberant shake before nodding toward Jack in greeting.
Although there was no reason to still have his arm around Daisy, he found that he was enjoying their closeness, and he squeezed the side of her waist slightly. What he didn’t expect was her to jump and squeal ever so slightly.
Ticklish? He glanced down to see her biting her bottom lip, trying to recover. If the others noticed, they were good at disguise as Julia Daniels caught her husband up with the discussion, who seemed to agree with whatever she said.
“I hope you don’t find me too presumptuous,” Julia said, “but I would love it if maybe we could get a picture with you two?”
“Not at all,” Jack said and waited as the older couple sidled up next to them, turning wide cheesy grins to the camera.
“Perfect. In fact, I think it would be a shame, what with you two looking so darn handsome, if we didn’t take a couple of just the two of you.”
“Sure,” he said, after catching Daisy shrug slightly. The sooner he complied, the sooner these people would move on and leave Daisy and him alone again. Plus, he didn’t mind having reason to hold on to Daisy a little longer.
Two more shots flashed.
“How about just a little kiss?” Julia said slyly. “After all, you’re newly engaged and in love and everyone is dying to see you two together.”
The impromptu photo shot was finally getting interesting.
He cleared his throat as he glanced down at Daisy, her cheeks noticeably flushed. “I suppose a quick kiss would be okay…”
She smiled easily and tilted her head up, as close to permission as he could see. Her lips were warm and soft in the flash of a second they were on his before the kiss was over. They turned expectantly toward their audience.
“Come now. That’s the best you two can do?” Julia cajoled.
It wasn’t as if they hadn’t already discussed this possibility. Having to show some display in public.
He grinned, not trying to hide his own enjoyment at the prospect of satisfying his long desire to actually kiss Daisy. But if he was going to give her any sort of a decent kiss he needed to make a few adjustments.
His hand still around her waist, he pulled her closer, giving her a moment to adjust to their close proximity. He kept his eyes on hers as he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a more leisurely way than before.
Her eyes widened at their touch, something he could relate to as a current of electricity rushed through him. Instead of pulling away, however, he grew bolder. After all, the full soft lips he’d been thinking about kissing since he saw her were finally his, even if only under this forced public moment. Letting instinct take over, he applied more pressure until her mouth opened. She tasted sweet and fruity, like the champagne they’d been sipping, only better.