Free Prelude of Lies by Victoria Smith Page B

life, Daisy.” He smiled and she saw the sincerity and fear in his eyes.
    “Just go out with me once. Let me take you away from this cursed campground and out on the town. We can get to know each other and figure out if there’s anything there.” Charming.
    Shit. What was she going to do?
    She liked Graham, and he was damn fine to look at, but a date? Crap. Did she even like him enough to think about it? Tucker obviously didn’t want her. Would it be wrong to take care of her own happiness for a change?
    “You need to give me some time, Graham. There’s a lot going on here and I’m not sure what to do about any of it.”
    “No problem. I’m not giving up. I think there’s something between us we need to explore. Think about it. You know where to find me.” He touched her face, leaving her more confused than ever.
    Hoping Sydney had calmed down enough to talk, she opened the cabin door and peeked inside. Sydney caught sight of her right away.
    “I can’t believe the nerve of him, showing up here after everything he’s done and then acting so innocent and clueless.” Sydney paced around the table in their cabin.
    “Don’t let him get to you. Violet has him wrapped so tight around her finger. He’s as horrible as she is. What did Jace want anyway?” She probably shouldn’t have asked that.
    “To talk. He wants to know why we’re going back on our verbal agreement with Violet. I swear, he acts like he has no idea what’s going on here.” Sydney shook her head.
    “Weird. Another tactic to spy on us, I’m sure.” She stood and grabbed the specifications for the contractors. “What are you going to do then?” She already knew the answer and wondered if her sister was being smart.
    “I’m going to call him and meet with him. On my terms. Not here, just in case he is spying. I’m going to be nice, polite, and do my best to figure out just what the heck he’s up to.” Sydney’s head hit the table again. “What happened with Tucker? I heard you yelling.” Sydney seemed to shake off her encounter with Jace, or at least she pretended to.
    “I have no freaking clue. Apparently, this whole project is supposed to help him find closure from me. Apparently, he feels conflicted after thinking he was going to be a father. Apparently, now he’s even more confused. Apparently, he now wants to be a father no matter how adamant he was about not bringing anymore children into a world with so many troubled kids already.” Now it was Daisy’s turn to bonk her head on the table.
    “And?”
    “Apparently, I have no fucking idea.”
    Daisy spent the rest of the day repeating herself to contractor after contractor. Sydney had disappeared with a crushing headache after the second man finished telling them that a casino would better serve the community. Daisy had politely thanked him and then crossed his name from the list. Even if his estimate undercut all the others, she would not hire him. She’d even told him to mail the proposal instead of dropping it off as she’d invited the other companies.
    With the extra ten grand from Gramps, they’d be able to do more than they’d thought. Depending on how the next inspection went, they very well could end up in the clear.
    Or not.
    One of the plumbing contractors had remarked on how terrible their wiring was. The electrician wasn’t due for a few more days. And then there was the pool, recreation building and main office to think about.
    Daisy tried to concentrate on the website she was designing. Checking for messages from prospective customers and updating their progress on the blog. Hopefully, their tiny web presence would help build a customer base. As soon as they knew an exact opening date, she’d finish the advertising.
    Maybe they’d have a full house by opening weekend.
    Her hopes crumbled by the time the sun went down.
    A thunderstorm rolled through, the first one since she and Sydney had moved in. There’d been light rain, spring rain, but not the