Daisy's Choice (A Tale of Three Hearts) Read Online Free PDF Page A

moment. And then you left town and came back without explanation. After two years of my knowing you and never seeing you with a single person, it is a little strange. I'm not stupid. Something keeps you locked away. Danielle, you won’t even date.”
     
    “ That’s ridiculous. I’m a grown woman with a daughter. I have priorities. Okay?”
     
    “ Sorry. Sure. But the day I arrived here you said this was your dream. You deserve success. All of it. I just want to get us there.”
     
    “ I’m not trying to get rich. I’m just trying to take care of Amy.” Daisy sat forward. She rubbed out the pressure in her temples with her fingers.
     
    “ Too bad, you are rich. This place is the sought after spa on the West Coast. Right now, we only service the elite. But we can’t sustain like this. It’s not our destiny.”
     
    Daisy sighed. She didn’t want to continue with the same debate. Destiny? Clara, in her twenty-something years, had no clue about destiny. Nor did she understand the truth.
     
    “ Fine. I’ll take the meeting, and then we talk about it. Okay?”
     
    Clara winked. “It’s going to be great. You’ll see. This will change our lives. Forever.”
     
    Daisy watched her go. She shook her head. Forever didn’t seem long enough. She wanted her life changed permanently. Reaching for the mouse, she moved it and the screen saver swiped away. Her fingers quickly typed words on the keyboard: The Hollow Creek Tribune . She checked the local report for news on her father. Nothing. No news was good news. Right?
     
    ***
    “ Nooooooooooooo!”
     
    The deep gut-wrenching wail cut through Nina’s heart. She turned from the scene and pushed past Dr. Johannes, Bea and other members of the Johnson family to rush out into the hall. Dropping back against the wall, she sucked in deep breaths, but her lungs burned from a shared feeling of despair. Martha Johnson’s wails and the sobs of her daughters hit her hard.
     
    Charles Johnson, minister, counselor, faithful leader of First Baptist Church, was dead.
     
    He slipped away peacefully without fuss, but the heartache and grief left behind had ripped apart the seam of his family and this town. Nothing would be the same.
     
    Nina put her hand to her mouth and closed her eyes. She would have to call Pete. Call him now.
     
     
     
    ****
     
    Aiden faced the wind as he strolled away from his chauffeured car over the gravel parking lot to Ed's Diner. He yanked open the glass door. Bells and chimes looming above the threshold sang. Entering to the smell of fried meat and fresh brewed coffee, Aiden paused. His eyes swept the diner and the booth seats. The sign before him said he should wait to be seated, but the word 'wait' was missing the letter 'i'. Aiden smirked and walked through the diner.
     
    Mathew Sterling looked up halfway at his arrival. He rose, abruptly nodding respectfully and extending his hand. “Mr.… um... Mr. Keane,” he said.
     
    “ Sit,” Aiden advised, coolly taking to the barely comfortable bench seat.
     
    “ Ah, forgive me. I um… ordered. Would you like—”
     
    “ You said it was important. Daisy? Is she here?”
     
    “ Well, not exactly, sir.”
     
    Aiden narrowed his stare. “What does that mean, not exactly? ”
     
    “ We’ve been monitoring the hospital. Actually, we’ve hired some inside help. A woman by the name of Susanne Doyle. She works the nightshift," Mathew said, removing his notepad to check his notes. "She's related to Peter Doyle.”
     
    “ You hired Pete's family?”
     
    “ Yes, sir. And she’s received a nice stipend to stay loyal to us. The Doyle's are no fans of Daisy Johnson. She keeps tabs on the boy and also the reverend. She called and informed me that Daisy made a visit three days ago after or around midnight."
     
    Aiden tensed. He tried to hear the rest, but all he could see of the man before him was lips moving as everything went mute. All he could focus on was the fact she had returned. She