Free Three Words: A Novella Collection by Lindy Dale

media like I did last time you had a ‘little fling’.
The fans like you single, Henry. When and if you do decide to date
again, in public, they’ll be expecting a little more than some
country halfwit in a pair of cheap stretch jeans.”
    Henry’s reply
was muffled but Daisy never heard it. She’d heard plenty enough to
let her know she could never be a part of Henry’s world. Picking up
her boots in one hand, she slid her jacket over her arm and crept
out to the limmo where Joseph was waiting. She only hoped she got
home before it turned into a pumpkin.
     
     
     
     

Chapter 9
     
    “ You got in a little late last night,” Mrs. Hanson commented
as she and Daisy stood behind her stall at the Antiques and
Collectables Fair the next morning. “You’re looking rather peaked,
if you don’t mind me saying.”
    Daisy regarded
the other woman and inwardly rolled her eyes. Actually, she did
mind her saying. She was well aware what she looked like. She
hadn’t had a wink of sleep because she’d been thinking about Henry
for the entire night and the mirror this morning had proudly
displayed what at pointless exercise that had been. The
dreaded dark circles had resurfaced with a vengeance and her skin
was all blotchy from doing the very thing she promised herself she
would never do again. Cry over a man. What exactly had been the
point of Henry getting her hopes up like that, of making her want
him when they both knew perfectly well she could never be a part of
his world? Georgia had been right. She was small town and he was
the universe.
    “ Yes. I did,” Daisy answered, snappishly.
    “ Were you out?” Mrs. Hanson probed, knowing full well that
Daisy hadn’t been ‘out’ for over three months and wanting the juicy
details.
    “ Well, yes. I was. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been coming home,
now would I?” Daisy couldn’t help being short with her neighbour.
She felt like shit. The fainting episode had been embarrassing
enough ~ she’d forgotten the effects rocking things could have on
her inner ears ~ but to be called a ‘country halfwit’ was even
worse. And Henry hadn’t even defended her. He’d just stood on the
other side of the door and let Georgia stomp on her when she wasn’t
even there to speak up for herself. It was so unlike the Henry she
thought she was getting to know and like.
    “ And such a big black car,” Mrs Hanson continued.
    “ Yes. It was,” Daisy stated, praying that would be the end of
it.
    Curling her
lip at Daisy’s lack of information, Mrs. Hanson turned to talk to a
customer about the price of a hideous pink jug. The customer wanted
to know her best price but knowing her neighbour, Daisy didn’t
think she would have such a thing as a ‘best price’. She was
tighter than a woollen jumper, shrunk in the wash.
    Daisy walked
to the other side of the stall and surveyed the shed. Row upon row
of stalls had been set up, stocking everything from high-end willow
pattern to rusty garden tools and teddies with body parts that had
seen better days. She could even see Mrs Evans across the way,
trying to flog off her crocheted rag rugs as vintage for three
hundred dollars each. Seriously, nobody had wanted them last year.
What made her think things had changed?
    A heavy sigh
of resignation escaped Daisy’s lips. Sometimes living in a small
town really was the pits. She got roped into all manner of
ridiculous things in the name of community spirit and being the
kind hearted person she was, she never said no. Today, she’d
promised to help Mrs. Hanson with her stall at the fair, which
would have been fine if she’d had an interest in old things but
from what Daisy could see most of this stuff was junk. Very
expensive junk. And after the events of last night, she was
beginning to wonder if she shouldn’t give up being nice altogether.
It always seemed like she was the one getting hurt. Frankly, she’d
had quite enough of being everyone’s doormat. Yes, she decided,
she’d