Discovering Daisy (Little Star Cruises #2)

Chapter Five

Daisy awoke the following morning to find herself a bit stunned by the unfamiliar cabin.

She sat up slowly, looked around, and then smiled upon remembering that she was in fact on the Little Star.

She hugged Hedy and said, “This is going to be the best day ever! We leave today!”

She brushed her teeth, put on some makeup, fixed her hair, and got dressed. She needed some Little clothes, but she’d worry about that later. Right now, she just wanted to get on the deck and see the excitement as passengers boarded.

She made her way to the boarding deck and smiled at the sight of passengers flooding onto the giant ocean liner. It felt strange to be carrying Hedy. Usually, she saved such Little trappings for the privacy of her apartment. But this was a cruise just for Littles and Bigs. She was hardly the only one with a stuffie in her arms. Some of the others were even already dressed for the occasion. There were plenty of baby doll dresses, shortalls and rompers, and a couple of onesies. It was also obvious some of the passengers had thick diapers on. Daisy couldn’t wait until she could join their ranks. She hoped to outfit herself soon.

There was a big breakfast station set up with bagels, juice, yogurt, and other snacks and beverages. She got something to eat and then found a place to stand, out of the way, watching as all the happy, chatting people boarded. The captain and Nelly were there, greeting everyone as they came onto the ship. It was a wonderful sight to behold!

But just like yesterday, when she’d seen the ocean for the first time, she couldn’t help but wish Wyatt was there, experiencing it with her.

She shoved such thoughts aside, though, deciding to soak in the moment. But she couldn’t soak it in for too long. Realizing the time, she hurried away toward the second deck where her shop was located.

She arrived to find a small but cozy space filled with the homemade toys she’d brought along in the boxes. The crew had not only moved them in, but also unpacked and arranged them. Everything was waiting for her just as the captain had said it would be.

“My own store!” she said with excitement. She hugged Hedy. “We did it!”

There were stuffies she’d handsewn, complete with cute outfits and accessories she’d made. There were some wooden toys she’d fashioned—a skill she’d picked up from her grandfather who had been an expert woodworker. And there were some other items—quite a few, actually—that she’d used a 3D printer to produce, all from her own unique patterns and designs.

Little Daisy’s Shop of Little Curiosities was now a part of the Little Star Cruise Line.

And it felt wonderful.

***

Daisy was surprised by how fast the customers started coming in.

The first few had arrived even before the ship’s horn had blown its deep wail, announcing its departure, and business had been steady ever since.

“Hedy!” she said, looking at her bear once there was a lull in the traffic flow. “At this rate, we’re going to sell out quickly! I need to make more toys!”

“Where will you make them at?” a voice asked.

She jumped and yelped, the voice startling her. She looked to see a handsome man standing in the doorway, smiling as he watched her.

“I, uh, didn’t know you were there,” she said.

He smiled wider. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

He pushed off the doorjamb and stepped closer, giving her a better view.

Gosh, he was handsome! At a couple inches over six feet, with a tone build that showed off well-conditioned muscles beneath his light blue t-shirt, the guy was something to look at.

He had dark hair, dark eyes, and a little dimple on his strong, pronounced chin. He was probably about forty or a year or two over.

The faint smell of his cologne reached Daisy’s nose. It wasn’t overpowering by any means, but just the right amount to be pleasant.

“This is your store? You’re Little Daisy?” he said, having obviously read the sign.

“Yes, sir.”

“And you made these toys?”

“Yes, sir. All by myself!”

He looked around. “That is truly impressive, Little Daisy.”

She giggled slightly. The guy stepped closer and said, “So how will you make more?”

“Well, Captain Reagan has some space set up for me here on the ship. I brought everything I had when I left Tennessee —that’s where I’m from—but I’ll be able to produce more even while we’re out to sea.”

She stopped talking. Something felt strange about telling this man so much about herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. It was just that, well…she didn’t know him.

And there was something inside her—that little voice that had warned her back at the bar yesterday when she’d had the flat tire—that told her not to get too close to this guy.

Surely that’s just your imagination. You’re still shaken after what those three jerks did back in Georgia. I’m sure this guy is fine. Besides, every passenger on the Little Star is vetted.

That didn’t mean they were all good people, she reminded herself. True, they had to pass a background check. But if a person was bad, passing that might only mean they hadn’t been caught yet.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes, sir,” she said.

“Did you say your bear’s name is Hedy?”

“Yes.”

“What made you pick that one? It’s certainly unique.”

She thought of telling him but stopped short. For some reason, it seemed too intimate. Even though it was just the name of her stuffie.

“I just liked it,” she said.

She felt bad for lying. But as Wyatt had mentioned, sometimes a little girl needs to tell a lie.

She smiled. The guy probably thought she was smiling at him.

Nope.

It was thinking of that sweet, hot, sexy cowboy that had her grinning!

She wondered how he was and where in Florida he’d gone. Of course, she wasn’t in Florida now. But maybe they could see each other when the week ended and she returned to shore for a couple of days before setting sail on the next cruise.

The man surveyed the items for sale and said, “You’re very talented.”

Daisy’s nerves eased a little bit. She was starting to feel more comfortable in his presence. Perhaps she was being too judgmental. She didn’t know anything about this guy. He was probably fine.

“Thank you,” she said. “I started bringing my ideas to life just for me. Then I branched out and started an Etsy shop. That grew to this. Captain Reagan somehow saw my creations and asked me to be a part of the Little Star. So here I am.”

“Well, I think Captain Reagan is a smart man,” the guy said. He flashed her what Daisy thought of as a million-dollar smile.

That was probably an accurate description, too. The guy looked like he had a million or more banked away. He had manicured hands. Manicured toes—she could see them thanks to the sandals he wore—and an easygoing air about him that was born out of a worry-free life.

Or that’s how Daisy summed him up in her mind.

She told herself she might be judging him again. For all she knew, he was as broke as her, he just hid it well.

“Thank you for letting me look,” he said before heading toward the door. He stopped and half-turned, casting a glance back at her. “Perhaps we’ll see each other again. Maybe we could even grab some dinner.”

He didn’t officially ask, but he was fishing.

Daisy smiled. “Maybe so.”

He nodded and then strolled out.

She wasn’t sure if she was glad he was gone or sad that they didn’t have an official date on the books. That’s because she didn’t know how she felt about the man. True, those warnings had sounded within her, but they were faint. Not screaming at her like back in the bar parking lot. But they’d still been there. Yet so was that notion that she was too quick to judge.

She was confused but decided it didn’t matter right now. He was just a guy who’d dropped in and chatted with her for a few minutes.

And not just any guy, either. He was a very handsome guy who’d dropped in and chatted with her for a few minutes.

What’s wrong, Daisy? You’ve already sold a lot of toys! You’ve also already met a hot guy. That was part of why you accepted the offer to come aboard the Little Star. You want to meet your Daddy! This is working out wonderfully.

She knew the answer to that question, though. She knew exactly what was wrong.

The hot guy who’d dropped in wasn’t the one who was on her mind.

The one on her mind was Wyatt McCall.

And she couldn’t stop thinking about him.