Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
While the girl wasn't even old enough to legally enter a casino, Daisy Rae was like a mother hen to all of them, with her ability to listen without judgment and soothe their frayed tempers with smiles and kind words of advice. The girl always seemed to know when she had to be affectionate and sympathetic, but the girl also didn't hesitate to ever-so-kindly chastise those who were truly out of line.
Only a rare being like Daisy Rae, whose vocabulary did not and would never include words such as 'ego' and 'vanity', could skillfully handle a law firm full of babies without ever losing her patience. It just came naturally to her, it seemed, and if that were the case...
Daisy Rae was gaping by the time Mr. Calder finished outlining the needs of his client. She looked at the older man searchingly, wanting to see if this was some kind of joke, but Mr. Calder only gazed back at her expectantly.
"I...I don't know what to say."
"Something along the lines of 'yes' would be a start."
"But...m-marriage..."
Olsen looked at Daisy Rae with sham disappointment. "I would have hoped you knew me well enough not to worry that anything about this won't be above board—-"
Daisy Rae was aghast at the thought of having unintentionally offended her boss, who had been nothing but nice to her. "It's not like that at all," she denied in a rush. "I would always trust you—-"
Her boss grinned. "I was joking, Daisy Rae."
"Mr. Calder!"
"But only about the part that I was angry," the older man amended. "The rest, however, is all true."
Daisy Rae's panic melted into relief, but this soon later turned into confusion and discomfort. She had always been the pragmatic sort, and so she had never cared to dream that her ordinary life could turn into a fairy tale.
And so for this to happen...
"May I have time to consider it?" she asked finally.
"Of course." Not only was Olsen was privately impressed that the girl hadn't immediately jumped on his offer, but her prudence also made him all the more convinced he had chosen the right person for the "job".
If Daisy Rae were to say 'yes', then Theo was sure to have the best mother in the world to look after him.
Chapter Two
Daisy Rae's mind hadn't stopped spinning since stepping out of Mr. Calder's office.
Or perhaps 'daydream' was the better word for it, even though the idea of daydreaming itself made her feel uncomfortable...and terrified.
Daisy Rae was seven when her parents passed away, and fourteen when she lost Helena. And now that she was about to turn twenty-one, Daisy Rae couldn't help but worry that something devastating was going to happen...again.
What was a seven-year itch for most people was more like a seven-year curse for Daisy Rae, and while she knew she was being foolish and superstitious—-
Please help me understand, God.
Daisy Rae liked talking to God every so often whenever she was troubled, and right now she really, really needed some help from the Big Guy.
Is this "job" truly for me? Is it something You want me to do or is this something I should run away from?
Daisy Rae had never even let herself consider marriage, but at the back of her mind, she had always thought that if she did marry, it would be for love.
But now this.
'My client's wife passed four years ago,' Mr. Calder had told her earlier. 'Their son is now seven, and is starting to ask questions about why he can't have a mother like his friends do. Since he was only three when his mother passed, he hasn't any solid memories of her, and I personally think that's a good thing for whoever his stepmother will be. There will be no need to compete with any ghosts from the past. His stepmother will be able to start with a clean slate, and as far as the boy is concerned, she will be the only mother he'll ever know.'
Mr. Calder had asked afterwards if she had any questions, and of which she only had one.
'I do feel bad for your client's son, Mr. Calder, but I don't understand why his father must find his next wife in this manner.'
'He doesn't believe he'll ever fall in love again, so he wishes to be as methodical as possible in finding his next wife and future mother of his son. He wants someone with integrity and kindness, one who will love his son as if he were her own.
Mr. Calder had looked at her pointedly, and only then did Daisy Rae realize he believed she was such a woman.
'My client is a good man,' her boss had stressed. 'Extremely well-off, not at all unattractive, and a loving father to his son. If you accept this offer, you will have nothing to ask for, and you will finally have the life you've always deserved.'