Ransom(22)
No one else is entitled to judge your experience or your journey. “I know that you’re mad, Daltrey.” I try to keep my voice as calm as possible. “You have every right to be. But you also knew me better than just about anyone else in the world. So I hope you understand that if I did something like that, something so unlike me, it must have been for a pretty damn good reason.”
He’s silent for a long time. Finally, he sighs. “Will you tell me what it is?”
“I can’t.” The words come automatically, but they are true. There is no way I can explain, not right now. He starts to say something, sounding angry again, but I cut him off. “But I’d really like to be able to one day.”
He’s quiet again. “And I just have to accept that, huh?”
“No. You could decide you’re too mad to talk to me. I would deserve that, and it would be something that I would just have to accept.”
The silence is much longer this time. Just when I figure he’s going to hang up, he clears his throat. “I don’t want to be angry, Daisy. I want to talk to you.”
I release a relieved breath. Thank God. “I’m glad.”
“So, uh… what’s new?”
I laugh, the tension broken. “Not a whole lot. I’m in school, but not OSU.”
“Really? Your dad was cool with that?”
My dad wouldn’t have let me go to OSU if I went crazy and decided I wanted to. “Yeah, he was fine.”
“So where are you?”
“You’re not going to believe this one. I’m in Tennessee.”
“What the hell? Where’d that come from?”
I chuckle. “Things got a little crazy after you left. I like it, though. It’s quiet out here, and the mountains are pretty. I’ve really gotten into hiking.”
“Are you sure this is Daisy? Is this some crazed fan posing as the little girl next door who hated exercise with a passion?”
I snort. “Nope. But speaking of fans, how’s all that going? Where are you?”
He starts to tell me about the tour, and pretty soon, our conversation actually feels natural. I can picture him so easily in the cities he tells me about, performing with his brothers, the venues now quite a bit bigger than they used to be.
“You guys will be doing a stadium tour in no time,” I say.
“Yeah, right. I don’t think we’re quite the stadium-tour types.”
“Oh, come on. I bet you could convince Cash that a laser light show is just what you guys need.”
He laughs, and my stomach actually aches at the sound. God, I miss him.
“I might come see you,” I say in a rush, scared of how he might react.
He’s quiet on the other end of the line.
“Your show, I mean,” I say, a blush coming to my cheeks. “A few girls I met here are going to road trip to the east coast once school gets out and follow the tour. I thought I might go with.”
“Really?”
I can’t read his voice. It sounds kind of flat, disengaged. “Yeah. I mean, if you didn’t want to hang out, I would totally understand. I could just enjoy the shows with everyone else. But I’d really like to see you guys again.” I grimace. He’s giving me nothing to go with here. “On stage or, uh, off. If you want.”
The silence is deafening. Finally, he clears his throat. “I’d like that, Daisy. To see you. I hope you come.” But his voice is still flat.
“Yeah?”
“Of course. You’ll forgive me, though, if I don’t get my hopes up.”
I cringe, feeling ashamed. “I get that. You don’t have to trust me, Daltrey.”
“Will you let me know?” He sounds warmer now, with maybe a note of hopefulness. “When you decide for sure?”
“Of course,” I say quickly, feeling better right away. Maybe he really does want to see me. “Of course I will.”
Chapter Nine
Daisy
“We do not need those,” Karen says, crossing her arms and giving Paige a stern look. “I mean it. Put them down.”
Page pouts in the middle of the aisle. “Why not?”
I stifle a giggle at the look on Karen’s face.
“Why in the world would we need balloons, Paige? Seriously, give me one probable scenario in which a balloon would be necessary over the course of this trip.”
Paige thinks for a moment. I’m glad we decided to make this shopping run late at night, though the timing was due to Karen having to work the night shift at the grocery store. Wal-Mart is fairly empty right now, which prevents us from receiving the kind of attention we’d be getting otherwise.
We’ve spent the last hour picking out snacks and supplies for our road trip. Or rather, Karen and I have been picking out snacks and supplies. Paige has been choosing increasingly ridiculous items that she deems essential for fun on the trip. While Karen has been trying to ensure we’ll have the necessities, such as caffeine and tampons, Paige has picked up pretty much every shiny, pink, or noise-making item in the vicinity.