“What about you? Any regrets?”
Violet knew, of course, all about her great love affair with their shared friend and cousin, Asher. Everyone caught wind of it during the first few months they dated. Perhaps that was what she most cherished in Asher; he tended to avoid drama. He was honest and forthcoming but only when the time was right. He neither kept secrets nor made great proclamations. Daisy learned a lot about how to successfully interact and socialize from him.
Daisy was staring at one of Violet’s beloved horses before she nodded and replied, “Everyday. Always.”
“Have you considered living here? Trying over again?”
“Everyday. Always. But then…”
“It’s too different for you both.”
“Yes.” Daisy stared off into the distance.
Violet touched her hand. “I’m sorry for that. But you have always been very different, Daisy. Not in a bad way, but a wonderful, bright, inquisitive way that extends to how you see the whole world. Of course, you’re different because you’re unique. You’re bound to do many diverse and unusual things, not just one thing in one place.”
She squeezed her eyes shut at her sister’s spot-on accurate description of her. The words echoed a voice she never forgot. “That’s exactly what Asher said to me all those years ago.”
“He was right.”
Always. But it didn’t ease the loss of him or make it hurt less.
Breaking both of their hearts, they agreed to end it. The gentle explanations to the family sufficed and most of the family members and friends let them be. Neither party bad-mouthed the other. Neither allowed any person to do so in their presence, either. They only spoke about each other with tenderness and care. Being away, Daisy had it far easier. She could not imagine herself going home and casually running into Asher. There was no way Asher Reed could end up being someone casual that she knew.
“Don’t come back, Daisy. I mean, definitely come back to visit the family. But the longer you’re away, the easier it will be for you to let go.” Asher also gave her that advice when they broke up. Daisy recalled how her tears fell and her sobs made it impossible to talk. Convincing herself to fully commit to her future as a law student was no more than a foggy memory to her now. Confusion and grief were her constant companions and had been for years. There was no getting over Asher Reed for Daisy.
She knew, in the core of her heart, that Asher experienced the same grief and misery as she did. It was a long, hard road before either could begin to forget their overwhelming love story.
Asher was right all along.
They only got together because of her persistence.
She wasn’t sure whom to blame for being right.
Choosing to attend the University of Illinois College of Law was the perfect excuse for Daisy to be far away. She could stay there safely away from Asher. A plethora of student loans became her motivation for working any hours when she wasn’t in class or studying. It was a grueling program, requiring strict discipline. And that’s what kept her sane. For four years, she studied and expanded her horizons. She grew up too. She attained maturity and poise. She became more confident in her commitment to the subject of law, and a career she failed to grasp before. She had a deep, rewarding sense that defending and advocating the law was her life’s purpose and what she was truly meant to do.
The former accusations of being flaky, flighty, and kind of a joke were over. Daisy earned the respect of her family and friends but her parents most of all.
“Knowing you gave up Asher to fully pursue this path, and I’m sorry it came to that, but we’re all very proud of you, Daisy,” her dad confessed during her second year of law school. No doubt, Shane was waiting to see if she stayed with it.
“Asher’s incessant pushing deserves the credit; he made me commit myself and do it,” Daisy replied.
“You still went ahead and did it. As your dad, I was thrilled to see you living up to the potential I know is inside you and reaching for all the things you want from life. More important to me is the latter. If settling down with Asher had been your choice, I naturally would have supported you. But this? The law makes you glow whenever you talk about it. It keeps you engaged and enthusiastic. I used to wonder if maybe life was just too easy for you. Maybe we all underestimated your need to be challenged before you bother pursuing things.”
She blinked and felt shocked when her dad said that to her. She never considered the possibility she might be above average in intelligence. But the farther she went with her studies, the deeper she wanted to go. She exceeded all the parameters of her assignments, not to get good grades but rather because she had to learn entire fields of study before she was satisfied. She found a subject she wanted to spend her life pursuing.
She proved herself to everyone. Being at the top of her class was where she shone like a diamond.
When graduation came, no one was prouder than Daisy for achieving a career that could absorb her unceasing restlessness. Her family promoted her success with parties, toasts, celebrations, hugs and plenty of gifts. There was no doubt she had their unconditional support.
Asher sent her flowers and a necklace with a locket. He inscribed it with her graduation year, and the note that came with it said, “Wishing you the world—Asher.”
Daisy fisted the small round locket and tears rolled down her face. It was so nice of him to remember her and write something sweet. He was not bitter. After the sacrifice they both made and subsequent consequences. Daisy put on the locket, which framed a minute picture of her and him inside it. For now, she would wear it. Maybe for always.
Asher never failed to see her full potential, which she’d underestimated. She had to have a dynamic job just to keep her pumped and engaged. Editing books online, all alone inside a house in the middle of nowhere was a recipe for disaster. She knew now she would have gone crazy.
Daisy’s career path spurred her with a zealous passion that eased the ache caused by lost love and tragic choices that were inevitable. She worked in downtown Chicago at a center that provided free legal counsel to women.
Starting with her first job, she met Palmer through an online dating site. He was a few years older than her and an investment banker. Their first date was pleasant. He was handsome and kind, motivated and ambitious.
The first time Daisy slept with him, she cried afterward. Startled and concerned, he apologized repeatedly, and she explained why. Asher. The only sexual encounters she’d had since Asher were a few intoxicated hookups. Sex with Palmer was the first time it mattered after Asher. She wasn’t trying to prove to herself she was over him, but it was all the same, a critical turning point. Daisy had to admit she was moving on. She lived in a large city and was working at a job she loved while freely expressing all the crazy parts of her personality. She even had a boyfriend in Palmer Cavato, who was very much the same as she was.
Asher’s days passed by working himself to the bone, i.e., until his muscles ached and strained. Between working for the Rydells and himself he never had a spare second. The house he bought needed to be gutted and he had to almost build it from the inside out. He dumped tons of cash into the money pit it turned out to be. But he relished the task and every moment he devoted to it. He knew so little and had to learn many skills, mostly by trial and error. He never hesitated to ask his dad, Jack or Ian Rydell, even the local hardware salesman for advice on any number of unforeseen repairs that cropped up in the course of the re-model. He watched how-to videos and applied them. He endured casualties too. He cut a finger while fixing a broken bracket on one of the tractors that required a trip to the ER for stitches. He almost got electrocuted while figuring out the new well system. He broke an arm by falling off the roof when he forgot to properly secure himself. That put him out of commission for so long, he was all but itching to get back on it.