they’d make it to the states.
“Are you listening to me?” That question came through loud and clear. Daisy must’ve forgotten to murmur or agree with something her gramps had said. She looked at the floor.
“Sorry, gramps, they were making an announcement,” she said a bit sheepishly. She’d definitely been taught to respect her grandfather, and all of her elders, no matter what the situation. It didn’t matter how old Daisy got. She had no doubt whatsoever, that her grandpa would still give her hair a good yank if she wasn’t behaving. That thought made her smile . . . finally.
“I guess you’re pretty busy. It’s just been too long since I’ve seen you, and I’m very excited to have you home. This time, I hope it’s for longer than a few days,” her grandfather chastised.
Daisy had lived with her grandfather most of her life. She’d been an only child, and hadn’t realized growing up, what a blessing that had been. It meant she’d gotten the full attention of her grandpa, if not her parents. Sure, he’d had a life outside of her, but he’d also supported her in everything she’d ever done.
Her grandpa had attended all of her sporting events, school activities, and had been there for every special moment in her life. From all of the people she’d met since leaving home, she realized what a true blessing that was. A lot of parents had no idea what their children did outside of the home. She’d always been able to tell her grandpa anything. She should be able to now. But this time, she was failing — it wasn’t something she was used to.
Daisy had graduated college at the age of twenty, taking so many credits in high school she’d been halfway finished when she’d entered as a sophomore. Then she’d taken brutal course loads and gone on through the summers.
A lot of kids liked their time at school. She’d actually loved schoolwork, she’d just been ready to move on in life. She’d wanted a career, and had always carried visions of saving the world one building, one historic area, and one town at a time. The real world hadn’t been as kind as she’d imagined it would be.
She’d made enough with her writing over the past seven years to not need help from anyone, but just barely. She’d even managed to publish some great material as she’d traveled the world. But she still wasn’t making a difference.
Tired of pacing the terminal, Daisy found an empty chair between a man and woman who sort of appeared to be together, but didn’t look too happy with each other. She thought about reconsidering and just standing, but she was bone tired.
She sat and faced forward as her grandpa continued speaking.
“The Anderson’s are building a new housing area in town for seniors that’s going to have a recreation center, a coffee house and an indoor swimming pool. I’m so excited. I already put my name on the list. I just love the Anderson’s. They’re such good people, and they have new nephews who just happen to be single . . .” Her grandfather kept on going, but Daisy’s spidey senses were instantly tingling.
She knew all about the Andersons as her grandfather had been friends with Joseph Anderson for as long as she could remember. She’d rarely seen her grandfather’s friend, but her grandfather spoke kindly about him and that was all she needed to know about him. Joseph was practically royalty in the Seattle area, but she’d learned long ago that money didn’t make someone better.
She wasn’t worried about her grandfather moving. The land he’d been on had been in their family for three generations. She’d one day do something beautiful with the property, helping others, possibly making a community center. But that would come years down the road.
“Gramps, absolutely positively don’t even begin to think about playing matchmaker. I’ve had one disastrous relationship after another, and I’m tired of men thinking they’re the alpha and omega. I just want to figure out my path and do it without any men holding my hand. And there’s no way I’d want to date an Anderson with all of their money and egos that are bigger than their wallets.”
Her grandpa kept on going as if she hadn’t said anything. “Can’t wait for you to be home. You missed the holidays. But none of that matters now because you’ll be home for this year’s festivities. I’m so glad I’ll have you back. Your parents wanted