“Charlie and Melanie are my cousins?” She had a huge grin. “I know. It’s weird. But yes, I consider myself part of the entire family. Ben and Melanie are my cousins. I don’t know if that came about by marrying Charlie or before. We got together so young.”
“How did that happen? Was it weird? I mean, you were not blood-related, but a part of the Rydell family and then, you’re one of them. How do you start dating them?”
“I know. It is weird when you try to explain it. But Charlie and I were clearly friends after I came here, and I later fell in love with him. I think because we were the same age and didn’t meet until age thirteen we never considered ourselves cousins. We had chemistry even then. But Ben? He was so much older and when he included me in the group of kids who hung around here, I did regard him as an older cousin. Then Melanie came so far after me, it was easy to see her as a cousin.”
“So, it depends on the way you view them.”
“Yes. I guess so. Why? Why are you asking?”
Did he dare? How could he articulate what he meant without spilling everything? “Daisy admitted she had a crush or something on me. Like she didn’t see us as cousins. We’d been drinking and I just assumed it was the alcohol talking. I mean… it’s Daisy.”
“Oh.” Cami shook her head. “It’s so weird getting old.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hearing that Daisy made a pass at you, and then realizing Daisy is already twenty-one. Charlie and I were eighteen and we thought we were so grown up. Now? Daisy still seems like a child to me. But, no. Wow, she is old enough. Okay, back to you. Sorry. Old person brain bomb. But anyway, you still consider her only a cousin, so you got grossed out?”
“I mean… kind of. Yes. I don’t know what I thought of her. I mean it’s Daisy. Daisy Rydell. Our uncle is Jack Rydell. And her uncle is Jack Rydell. I just… she’s Daisy. I don’t look at Lillian, Melanie, Rose, Iris, Violet or Daisy as a… a potential dating pool. That just seems gross and predatory. They are all attractive in their own ways. But I guess, yes, I saw them all as my cousins of sorts. When Violet and I started working the horses together, she was just… just Violet. My friend. My cousin. Daisy is five years younger. When I was twenty-one, she was just a kid, and I guess I still see her that way. She made a point to tell me she wasn’t a little girl anymore and not my cousin. No relative of any kind.”
“I’m thinking she realizes that and wanted you to stand up and take notice. What did you think about it?”
He hopped to his feet and started pacing her living room, looking confused. “I don’t know. Again, it’s Daisy. When I told her she drank too much and was basically intoxicated, well, that incensed her and she got pissed.”
“To say the least,” Cami said, her smirk barely restrained. “Never say that to a woman. I mean, about being intoxicated if she purposely said something personal to you.”
“But… it’s Daisy.” Totally mystified, he flopped down and leaned forward to stare at his shoes. “She had to be drunk.”
“Asher, what do you think about Daisy not being just a cousin? I gather it never occurred to you before. But seeing that you came here, questioning me about my status in the family and how I related it to Charlie, who very much was my adopted cousin since his dad is blood-related to my stepmom, you never questioned my relationship before. You never asked how I internalized my experience here at thirteen or how it affected my relationships, so I’m guessing you might have some heavy clouds in your mind.”
“I… do.” Running his hands through his hair, he shook his head. “Because my brain keeps telling me that it’s little Daisy.”
“She’s not little anymore. I think you need to start there and hear her point. She’s not even eighteen. She’s fully cognizant of what she said to you. Who she is. All of that.”
“Shouldn’t it be Violet? If I ever considered dating one of them, wouldn’t it be Violet?”
“No. Because it never occurred to you. You’re still getting past the cousin and adopted aspects, but something drives you to wonder more about it with Daisy. If it were clear in your head, she is only your cousin, then you would not be here, asking me about my cousin.”
“What… what would the others say?”
“What do you say? You have to decide that first. Worry about the others later.”
“Is that what you did?”
She shrugged and a small blush filled her face. “Yeah. Charlie kissed me and proclaimed how he felt at the prom. We were together then and never broke up. Everyone else had to get used to it. It was probably the only bold thing I did back then. I used to misbehave and break the rules, but I’d hide the evidence, so they didn’t know. I was never good at confrontation or just being who and what I was. Again, I had a lot to learn. But you are confident and sure of who you are. No one will question your decision.”
“But what if it goes wrong?” he asked sharply.
“What if it goes right with her?”
“I don’t… I don’t know… maybe. I mean, she is gorgeous.”
Cami cocked an eyebrow his way. “When did that occur to you?”
“Last night.”
“This happened last night?”
“Yeah. We went to the arena rooftop and were drinking and talking about what happened to Preston and Violet.”
“You took her up there alone?”
“Yeah. Mainly to talk,” he gave his sister a grumpy stare. Why did Cami make it sound like he treated Daisy to a candlelit dinner and then was surprised when Daisy felt romantic about it? “She asked what I witnessed with Preston.”
“But not to go up there?”
“No. Why?” he grumbled.
“You took her to the most romantic overlook of this ranch.”
“I took her to a private place to discuss a tragic, nightmarish event. She wanted to know what her sister had to endure.”
“Sorry. Yeah. You’re right. But that kind of conversation is intimate; and if she has feelings for you, I could see the place, privacy and connection, drawing it out of her. Especially if she’s harbored those feelings for a long time.”
“She said so.”
“Then I’d believe her.”
“I… what do I do?”
“Perhaps, you should talk to her while you’re sober. Ask her what she thinks. How she perceived you. And this time, regardless of how you feel about it, maybe try and believe her.”
He evil-eyed Cami and the amusement she was clearly having at his expense. “Okay. Maybe. Fine.” But still he doubted. “You don’t think it’s weird?”
“Well, I did marry my stepcousin so who am I to judge?” She gave him a little eyebrow wiggle of amusement.
“Fine. Have your fun with this. I feel completely strange and don’t want to be. Hell, Cami, I’ve tried to belong here for over a decade, and I think of this as my family. The Reeds and the Rydells, so heck, why not date one of them?”
“Well, you didn’t set out to make it your dating pool. You just told me that. But I think it’s worth a serious conversation with Daisy. If anything, let her down gently. But do it when you’re not drunk and don’t tell her she wasn’t feeling what she said she was. You are part of the Reed family. You are also part of the Rydells. But you are not blood-related to either and you met Daisy when you were thirteen. You weren’t raised with her and probably totally ignored her. So, it isn’t inappropriate. If that’s what you’re really asking me. No, it’s not. And yes, if there is something there, I think it’s all right to explore it further.”