Daisy & Baby

6 - Jerky, Bacon, & Other Things I Don't Want In My System

I slide the jerky across the table and try to give Daniel a genuine smile. I understand that the gesture was kind, but I don't understand the meaning behind it. Romantic? Fatherly? Friendly? Where do we fit in each other's lives?

"This was seriously the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me," I try.

He glances down at the bags then back to me.

"But I'm a vegetarian."

One corner of his mouth quirks up and he slides the jerky back. "There's nothing wrong with eating other vegetarians. That's really just one step away."

I laugh. "I don't think so."

"We'll work on it."

"What's that mean?"

"You just haven't found the right cut of meat." He spits into his water bottle then leans forward so that his hands are on my side of the table. His hands are stained black, like the dirt and oil is a second skin. One oil rimmed nail is a sick purple black color.

"What happened there?" I ask.

He looks down at the nail and shrugs. "One of the perks of the job."

We're back at the same diner as last week, trying to figure each other out over coffee and water. I have a direct line of sight of the bar area, where a couple of people watch the short order cook flip eggs and pancakes. Daniel's son is sitting there, too, talking with his girlfriend. I watch as she leans over the bar to kiss him before she collects someone's order.

"Your son doesn't have to sit there," I say. "He can sit with us."

"Nah, he likes to sit up there so he can talk to Emma every time she walks by."

"Do you guys come here a lot?"

"Sometimes."

Talking with Daniel is like befriending a wild animal. One step forward, five steps back, be patient, try again.

"So you know how I said I'm going to have to move?" I ask, trying to steer the conversation out of his territory and back into mine.

"Yep."

"That's because Jenna just got engaged. You remember her, right?"

He laughs. "She doesn't like my music."

"She hates your music. But, anyway, she's moving in with Jason in March. That's why I need to find something else."

"You can't afford it on your own?"

"Not even close."

"Hmm. Do they have one bedrooms in that complex?"

"Yeah, but I'm number five on the waiting list."

"Okay." He spits and swipes his thumb over his lower lip. Something about that action, the way it draws my eyes to his mouth, makes me think about our first kiss.

When Emma brings our food, I dig into a waffle with ice cream, strawberries, and chocolate on it. Ever since the morning sickness faded, I've been eating like a depressed girl in a romantic comedy. Ice cream, daily. Chips, cookies, mile high cream cheese, all of it.

He slides a piece of bacon from his plate onto mine. I push it away from my waffle with the handle end of my knife.

"You know, that jerky would be a lot better for you than ice cream for breakfast."

I glare at him.

He throws his hands up in surrender and smiles. Daniel may look a little mean most of the time, but he has an adorable close mouthed smile. It's like a virus and it infects me, too, until I'm smiling, until I feel a little flip-flop in my stomach which has nothing to do with my sugar high.