the art of loving ; lord tewksbury

thirteen

"Well, what are you waiting for? We've got a date to get to!"

Chapter Thirteen

  "A peach for your thoughts?"

  Daisy snapped out of her trance at the sudden voice, almost knocking over the untouched mug of tea sat on her bedside table. It was still full, almost to the brim, but the cloud of steam once hovering over it had long disappeared. Daisy didn't have to taste it to know it had become stone cold. She pushed it aside, away from the edge of the table to prevent it from falling.

  "Sorry?" she turned to the doorway of her bedroom. Grant stood leaning against the doorframe, a yellowish ball-like item clutched in his hand. He tossed it up in the air and caught it with ease when it fell back down, his lips stretching into a lopsided grin.

  "A peach for your thoughts," he repeated. Daisy scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Before she could ask her brother for clarification, he tossed the rounded object to her. Daisy reached her hands out, grabbing it in time before it could fly pass her head but just barely. She took a good look at it and noticed its thin, velvet skin. A sweet, fruity aroma wafted from it and into her nostrils, the pleasant smell providing her with much comfort.

  "Catch," Grant said a little too late. Daisy knew he did it on purpose, but she let it slide. She cupped the fruit delicately in her hands, treating it as if it were pure gold and admiring its beautiful colours.

  "It's a penny for your thoughts," she corrected her brother's earlier statement. Grant shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers, shrugging. "I know. But I had a peach, and you were in your own little world again so I had to adapt. Clever, huh?"

  "Very," Daisy answered. "Where did you get this?"

"You know the fruit cart down by the graveyard? There were baskets of these for sale this morning and no one was in line yet. Thought I'd bring some home for you. There are more downstairs if you want," Grant informed.

"How were you able to afford them? They must have cost a fortune," she said. Peaches were not all that cheap to buy, especially for the lower class like them. It was considered a luxury to have one in possession, and Daisy couldn't imagine what Grant must have done to obtain the load he had brought home.

But her brother's answer surprised her. He shook his head, moving to sit next to Daisy on her bed. "That's the thing. I didn't even have to spend a penny on them. They were given to me without any charge."

"Why?" the girl stared at him quizzically.

Grant shrugged. "No clue. But it was too good of an opportunity to say no to, so I took them." He nudged his head in the direction of the peach still in the grasp on his sister's hands. "They are your favourite, aren't they? Eat up."

Daisy turned away from him and lifted her hands to her face, the fragrant scent of the peach growing stronger as it was inches away from her mouth. She had only tasted it once—a few years back when her father had brought home an armful and Grant had stolen one from his stash for her to try. But the second she took a bite from it, she immediately recognised its familiar taste, as if she had been eating it for all her life. Sweet, with a hint of tanginess. The mixture tickled her taste buds. She sighed in content as she took another generous bite of the succulent fruit.