The Fae Book 2: Burr and Daisy

Chapter 13: Someday Isn't Good Enough

"So does that fairy trick usually make girls drop their panties or something?" Daisy was looking at me with something like scorn, maybe? But whatever it was, she was definitely unimpressed. "Because, I have to tell you, you might be losing your touch since I don't feel the slightest compulsion to rip off my clothes. While I may have succumbed to bad judgment twice with you, that is not happening a third time."

What?

Did I just hear her right? 

I had just revealed myself as the King of the Fae, told Daisy she was my True Queen, and she accused me of using it as a trick? Worse, she thought I showed this to women on a regular basis to get them into bed with me? That was the reaction she had? I would have thought she'd have a million questions, at least maybe oohed and aahhed at the show of the fairies. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, I just know I was expecting more of a reaction from her.

"Tuairteála agus sruthán!" Crash and burn! I was tempted to start plucking wings off the little fuckers.

When exactly had this day gone to shit? Was there more to her anger than me crashing her date? 

She hadn't seemed overly upset when I'd closed the bakery early. In fact, after ten minutes prepping in the kitchen for the next day, she'd left the bakery, a happy lilt in her voice as she called to let me know she was locking the back door. I was the one who was grumpy at the thought that she was heading to her place to get ready for a date. A date who wanted to ask her to move in, even if it was as friends, so he could help her with the baby. Fuck that noise.

I'd proceeded to pack up the leftover cookies, brownies, muffins -- whatever was left, I boxed it all up in the pink boxes Donna used. There were about ten boxes in all. Since I'd ridden my Harley to work this morning, I'd ordered an Uber after Googling the nearest women's shelter. The driver was nice and we talked about his six children all the way to the shelter. I'd never taken an Uber before, so it was a new experience. Vin, the driver, helped me carry the boxes to the door, and then he went back to sit in the car while I waited for the director of the shelter to answer the intercom I'd buzzed.

Before long, I heard a crackly voice on the intercom.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes," I said in my nicest, most non-threatening voice. "I'm dropping off some baked goods for the ladies here on behalf of Donna Camp of Nenn's Bakery. They're by the front door, and I just wanted to let you know before I take off."

The faceless voice thanked me, and I made my way back to the Uber. Vin drove me back to the bakery, and I tossed his extra tip into the front seat after he refused to take it. After thanking him for his help, I sketched a quick wave at the man before I headed for my bike.

Checking my watch, I saw I had less than an hour and a half before I had a date to crash. The fairies had filled me in on where the restaurant was and what time the guy was picking Daisy up. Hoping that signaled a change in their attitude toward me, I threw my leg over the bike seat and headed toward my rental.

Once I was home, I showered then threw on a shirt and some clean jeans, my mind on Daisy. How I'd never recognized that it had been on Daisy for a while I would just chalk up to my stupidity. I'd always been able to take Daisy's crush on me for granted; no matter what, no matter how long I'd been away from home, when I came back, there was Daisy with her big brown eyes and sweet smile, happy to welcome me home. Now? She'd somehow managed to not really speak to me -- at me, yes, but only when necessary -- but not really to me since I'd begun working at the bakery. I didn't have the first clue how to make anything I'd said or done right. An apology would be in order, but like Mom said, an apology was just words. After that, I needed to do, I needed actions.