Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 156728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 784(@200wpm)___ 627(@250wpm)___ 522(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 784(@200wpm)___ 627(@250wpm)___ 522(@300wpm)
Maryanne’s hand stilled on her wine glass.
It was easier if she just blurted it out. “I’m not going back to work.”
The silence lasted exactly two seconds before Maryanne erupted. “¿Qué? No, no, no. Daisy, you need that job. You need the income, you need the structure, you need the—” She switched into rapid Spanish, her hands moving in sharp, emphatic gestures that made the wine in her glass tilt dangerously. She set it down and frowned. “Your mother did not raise you to be irresponsible.”
“I’m not being irresponsible,” Daisy said firmly. “I promise. Everything is okay.”
“How?” The single word landed heavily with sharp skepticism. “You can’t afford a place like this on what you make. I should know.”
Daisy exhaled and reached beneath her dinner plate, withdrawing a folded slip of paper. She slid it across the table but kept her finger planted on top. “I have something for you. But I need you to trust me.”
She looked at Daisy with that maternal eye roll that told her she was on thin ice. “Of course, I trust you. You’re like a second daughter to me.”
She lifted her finger and gestured to the check. “Open it. It’s for you.”
Maryanne unfolded the check as if it were a utility bill. Her eyes moved across the printed line, and her entire body went still.
“Dios mío.” The fervent words left her mouth as the check fluttered to the floor. “Daisy, what have you done?”
She retrieved the check and handed it back to her. “It’s for you.”
“I can’t take that.” She wouldn’t even touch it. “How do you even have it?”
“Yes, you can.” Daisy set it on the table. “And I can’t tell you—”
“One hundred thousand pounds!” She pushed the check toward Daisy with both hands, her fingers trembling. “This is dirty money. What have you gotten yourself into? Are you in trouble?”
“It’s not dirty money, Maryanne. It’s my money. And there’s a lot more than that.”
“Money does not fall from the sky—”
“Sometimes it does,” Maggie chimed in, earning a sharp look from Maryanne.
She turned and lowered her voice, as if she was no longer comfortable speaking in front of an audience. “Listen to me, mija, you get your things, and I will get you out of here—”
“Maryanne, I say this with love and respect. If you don’t accept my gift, I’ll never believe you trust me again.” She took her hands and squeezed. “I can’t tell you where it came from. I wish I could, but I can’t, and that will never change. But I swear to you on my mother’s honor that this money is legally mine, and I want you to have it.”
The mention of her mother did what logic couldn’t. Maryanne’s resistance crumbled inward, and her eyes filled with tears. “Why?” came the broken syllable. “Why me?”
Daisy held her hands firmly and smiled as her vision blurred. “Because you showed up. Every single time we needed you.” Daisy’s throat tightened. “ Even on the days we didn’t realize we needed help, you were there. You’ve been a good friend to us.”
Maryanne’s chin trembled. “She was my best friend.”
“I know. And she’d want you to have this.” Daisy pushed the check forward. “She’d want you to get out of that job and use it to start over. Learn a skill. Move somewhere better. Do whatever you want, Maryanne. It’s yours.”
She finally picked up the check with shaky hands. The wall of tears trembling in her dark eyes collapsed. She looked up at Daisy. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything. Just put it in your purse and have a slice of cake. We don’t have to make a thing out of it.”
Daisy understood the specific, devastating sensation of holding something in her hands that she’d been told her entire life she would never deserve, so she knew it would take some time for Maryanne to process. They were all adjusting to new situations and still learning to measure just how unfathomable their future opportunities could be.
It was wild to receive such a gift. Exciting and awkward.
But to give a gift… That was where the true satisfaction hid.
Jack got to experience that every year, on a scale so far beyond what Daisy could give.
Her heart tightened at the thought of him. Did he know what his generosity looked like up close? Did he ever stay long enough to see the impact he had? Or did he always disappear in the end, the way a dream thins at the edges and fades when reality presses back in.
Maryanne stayed for dessert, and they laughed over old stories that made the penthouse feel more like a home than any furnishing ever could.
“Thank you for tonight. I needed this,” Daisy told Maryanne as they hugged at the door.
“I should be the one thanking you, mija.” She dabbed away another tear. “And I will see you in two weeks at St. Crispin’s Cemetery.”