“We were wrong,” Sage told her. “I’m sorry about Daisy and Jordan. I hope they work things out.” She smiled. “Then I could give you an example of a successful marriage.”
“But until then, we don’t know a single one, which means I can never marry Desean. Not that he would want me now. I look awful.”
“You look fine and do you really think he cares about a few bruises?”
“No.” Cassidy sighed. “He loves me. That’s why I fell off the mountain. He was proposing and I was backing away and suddenly there wasn’t any ground and I was falling.”
“At least you have a good story to tell.” She rose. “Stop texting me. I have to work and I need my sleep. If you don’t stop, I’ll turn off my phone.”
Cassidy flashed her a confident smile. “You’d never do that to me. You can’t. You love me.”
“Less and less each day, kid.” Sage kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
“Come back later. We’ll watch movies and talk all night.”
“No.”
“Sage, please?”
“Goodbye, Cassidy.”
Sage spoke as firmly as she could. If Cassidy continued to bug her, she was going to have to make good on her promise and turn off her phone.
“But I need you.”
Sage paused to look back at her. She smiled and said, “Read a book.”
* * *
Despite not having to be at the hospital until close to noon, Daisy woke at six in the morning, as per usual. One of these days, she was going to learn to sleep in.
She showered, pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt, and shoved her feet into a pair of Uggs. She checked her phone, hoping for a text from Jordan, but there was nothing. She’d seen him last night when he’d taken the kids to dinner, but a three-second “Hi, how’s it going” did not a marriage make.
She missed him. No, she missed them. She missed sitting across from him at dinner and hanging out as a family in the evening. She missed sleeping with him, and sex, not that they’d been doing much of that lately. Something she didn’t want to dwell on because it made her wonder if he was doing it with someone else and the thought of Jordan being unfaithful made her sick to her stomach.
The morning routine was familiar. She let the dogs out first thing. Esmerelda fed them and the cats later, after getting the kids breakfast. Theirs was a well-oiled machine and Daisy knew she was lucky to have so much help. Her schedule was constantly changing, but with Esmerelda around, she didn’t have to worry about things like getting her kids to school on time or making their lunch.
She opened one of the French doors off the kitchen and both dogs ran into the yard. She closed the door, turned and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Sage sitting at the table by the windows.
Daisy pressed a hand to her chest in a futile attempt to slow her heartbeat. She glared at her former stepsister.
“You scared me! What are you doing here?”
Sage turned to her. “Sorry. I’m trying to gather the strength to go home.”
Sage looked exhausted. There were dark circles under her eyes and her normally sleek and shiny blond hair seemed dull and in need of a good shampoo. Her clothes were wrinkled, her skin was pale.
“You look terrible,” Daisy blurted before she could stop herself.
Sage offered a faint smile. “I feel terrible, so hey, that’s something.”
“Are you sick?”
“Of our sister.” Sage rubbed her eyes. “Cassidy’s been texting me constantly. I mean every fifteen minutes. She wants me to come over and keep her company. If I don’t answer her, she calls and calls. I’m not getting any sleep, I’m dead on my feet at work, and if this doesn’t stop, I’m going to kill her and throw her body in the river.” She paused and looked at Daisy. “Do we have a river anywhere close?”
“Not really.”
“Figures.”
Daisy wasn’t sure what to do or say. Having Sage in her kitchen was surreal. Having her look so broken made the situation even more strange.
“Do you want some coffee?” she asked, going for the safest question.
“That would be great. Thanks. I would have made some myself, but you have seriously complicated equipment in here.”
Daisy smiled. “Just the espresso machine. There’s a regular coffeemaker in the butler’s pantry.”
“How silly of me not to check that.” Sage stretched out her arms on the table and rested her head on them. “Ignore me. I’ll drink my coffee, then leave.”
Daisy started the coffee, then went to the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of small glass jars of imported yogurt. She put two slices of bread into the toaster before choosing a ripe avocado and a tomato from the baskets on the counter.
Five minutes later, she placed the yogurt and a plate with avocado toast topped with sliced tomato in front of Sage, along with a cup of coffee and a small pitcher of cream. She took her usual seat at the end of the table.
Sage looked at the food and coffee, then at her. “I’m incredibly grateful. Thank you.” She sipped the coffee and sighed. “Exactly what I needed. Now about killing Cassidy...”
Daisy grinned at her. “You don’t want to do that. You’d feel guilty.”
“Not in the moment. She has got to stop bugging me.”
“She’s bored and she’s never been good at self-soothing.”
Sage picked up the toast. “I’m pretty sure she knows how to masturbate.”
Daisy laughed. “I meant self-soothing in the sense of entertaining herself when you’re not around. You’ve always been everything to her.”
Sage eyed her suspiciously. “Was that you being critical?”
“Just stating facts.”
Sage took a couple of bites of the toast. “You’re right. When she was with my mom and me, we pretty much let her get away with anything. It was easier. I’m sure you had plenty of rules for her.” Sage held up a hand. “I meant that as a fact, as you called it. I wasn’t being bitchy.”
“There were expectations,” Daisy admitted. “I was trying to do the right thing, but all I did was make her hate me.”
“She doesn’t hate you,” Sage said.
Daisy picked up her yogurt without speaking.
Sage sighed. “Okay, yes, she hates you and I honestly don’t know why.”