A Secret Love (new chapter every weekend)

Chapter 4

Daisy tried not to gape at her surroundings while Jason gave her a tour of his friend's house. To say his friend was wealthy was an understatement. She was afraid to touch anything for fear of damaging it or leaving fingerprints behind.

Jason smiled at her expression. "You'll get used to it."

"I don't know about that," Daisy said. "I'd rather stay at your place. It's much more cozier."

"It's our place now, Mrs. Cooper," Jason reminded her. "And this is just temporary."

Daisy peered into another lavishly decorated bedroom and shook her head. What a waste. "What does your friend do for a living? What's his name?"

"It's Grant. He's a real estate developer." Jason led her into the office. "I know you work from home, so feel free to work in here."

"I'll think about it," Daisy muttered.

"I won't bother showing you the master bedroom," Jason said. "We won't be staying in there. Grant told me to take whichever room I wanted."

He placed his hand on the small of Daisy's back and steered her across the hall into one of the many guest rooms. "We'll stay in here. There's an attached bathroom. Why don't you grab your bag from the car and settle in while I check on dinner."

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "You cooked dinner?"

"Don't sound so surprised," Jason said, his eyes twinkling.

"I'm sorry," Daisy said. "It's just I didn't know that you knew how to cook."

"Well, now you know." Jason winked at her and headed downstairs.

Daisy retrieved her suitcase from the car, freshened up, and then hurried downstairs to the kitchen. She was excited to try Jason's cooking. She found him removing a pork loin from the oven.

"Just in time," he said.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Daisy asked.

"You can transfer the asparagus to a serving platter while I cut the meat," Jason said.

They worked side by side, Daisy watching him from the corner of her eye. Never before had a man cooked for her. She found this side of her new husband highly attractive.

Once the food was on the table, Jason poured them a glass of white wine. "I hope everything is to your liking."

Daisy glanced at the pork loin with mashed potatoes and asparagus. "It looks and smells delicious. You're going to wish you didn't cook for me."

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Because I'll want you to do it often," Daisy replied while she cut into the meat.

Jason smiled. "I will be happy to cook for you."

"I'll hold you to that."

"I'm sure you will," Jason said dryly.

Not another word was spoken until after dinner.

"What made you want to learn how to cook?" Daisy inquired, carrying her plate and wine glass to the sink.

"Joanna Paulson," Jason responded as he joined her at the sink. "I met her in college. I wanted to impress her, so I took cooking classes."

"Was she impressed?"

"I never got the chance to cook for her." Jason turned on the faucet and adjusted the temperature of the water. "Do you want to rinse the dishes, or do you want to load the dishwasher?"

"I'll load the dishwasher." Daisy opened the dishwasher door. "Why didn't you cook for her?"

"She died in a car accident." Jason ran a plate under the water before passing it to Daisy. "I heard she and a group of her girlfriends were heading back from a concert when a drunk driver hit them head on."

"What a horribly tragic way to die." Daisy placed the plate on the bottom rack. "Those poor girls and their families. Did the drunk driver survive?"

"No," Jason answered. "No one survived."

Daisy sighed, shaking her head. "So sad."

"Do you want to talk about something else?" Jason said.

"Please."

"I have a confession to make." Jason handed her a glass. "I told Kimber about us. She knew something was going on from the expression on my face. She promised she would keep our secret. I believe she will."

"I told Aunt Peggy," Daisy said. "She won't tell anyone."

At that moment, Jason's cell phone rang. He turned off the faucet, dried his hands on a dish towel, and grabbed his phone from the counter. He checked the caller ID. "I need to take this." He left the kitchen.

Daisy took over with the dishes. By the time Jason returned to the kitchen she had the dishwasher loaded and the leftovers put away.

"Sorry about that," Jason said. "The call was important." He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for finishing up in here."

"It's only fair," Daisy said. "You made me dinner. I should take care of the clean up."

"Well, I appreciate it." Jason gave her waist a gentle squeeze. "Let's move to the living room. There's something I would like to discuss with you."

Curious, Daisy followed him to the spacious living room, where they settled on the large leather sectional couch. "What do you want to discuss with me?"

"Your dad." Jason cleared his throat. "I know you're worried that something bad has happened to him."

"Wouldn't you be worried, if you were in my shoes?" Daisy said. "He's been missing for three months. I've tried calling and texting him. Nothing. His colleagues have no clue where he is. Mom and Gran are going out of their minds, fearing the worst."

Jason reached for her hand. "The call I got while we were in the kitchen was from a friend of mine. His name is Ridge Forrester. He's a private investigator. If you and your family is on board, I want to hire him to find your dad."

Daisy smiled at him tenderly. "I had forgotten how generous you are." She leaned in, brushing her lips against his. "I won't forget again. Of course, I want you to hire your friend to find my dad. I know Mom, Gran and Shawn will be on board. They want him home just as much as I do."

"I don't have to be in the office until tomorrow afternoon," Jason informed her. "Why don't we meet with your family in the morning and I'll run the idea by them."

"I'll give Mom a call now, see if she and Gran are free," Daisy said, getting to her feet.

"And I'll call Shawn," Jason volunteered.

Daisy cupped Jason's cheek and said softly. "Thank you. For the first time in a while I have hope that Dad will be found."

Jason grasped her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. Gazing up into her eyes, he said, "Anything for you, sweetheart."

Daisy's heart melted, and she wondered if maybe she might be a little bit in love with her husband. The thought did not terrify her.

A/N: Thanks for your support everyone. I appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)