Page 15 of The Life Daisy Devlin Designed
He nodded. “What would I have to do?”
Daisy chose her words carefully. “TV5 showcases the shortlisted houses for theirHome Design of the Yearprogramme, so if we make it onto the shortlist, we’d be interviewed. And I always prioritise the award projects, because they have to be finished on time.”
She held her breath as he seemed to think.
“I don’t see any problems,” he said finally.
Was that a yes! It sounded like a yes! She was going to redesign Granary Houseandenter it for the award!Play it cool, Daisy.
“Good, we’ll work towards that, then.”
The waiter came over with the bill and, as Daisy reached for it, Matt’s hand closed over hers. She managed to slide the bill towards her, her pulse racing as she pretended to study it.
“Daisy?”
She looked up.
“I’d like to get the bill,” he said.
“Ah, listen, I’ll just stick it on expenses.”
Matt looked amused. “Yeah, but you work for yourself.”
“And you’ll have enough expenses once the work starts.” Daisy put the company’s credit card on the table and flashed Matt a brief smile. “I insist.”
He sighed. “I could never argue with you.”
Was that why they’d never really argued during their five years together?
She’d always assumed it was because they’d always agreed on things. Now she wondered what else they remembered differently. Not that it mattered. She was getting to design Granary House, and Matt had agreed to let her use it for her awards entry. It was a sign.
Her smile widened. “You won’t regret this, I promise.”
He held her gaze longer than necessary. “Having my ex-girlfriend redesign my house? Yeah, probably not.”
CHAPTER 7
Daisy tried to calm her nerves as she drove slowly along the winding back roads of Wicklow towards Granary House the following Tuesday. After the initial excitement of landing the prestigious project, the reality of what she was taking on was starting to hit home.
She was going to be working for Matt. Redesigning what was clearly his dream home. And hers, if she could ever afford a place like that. She just hoped she could do it justice.
Now she had the job, she’d briefly considered telling James. It would normalise it, she thought, remind her that she wasn’t doing anything wrong. This was just work.
James had been on the phone, pacing up and down the sitting room, when she’d got home the previous evening. Judging by the scowl on his face when she’d looked in, she’d assumed it was a business call and had left him to it.
Eventually he’d come into the kitchen.
“Mum and Dad said hello.” He’d taken a beer out of the fridge. “Nothing new with them. Daniel and Fiona aremarching steadily towards world domination, so the pressure is completely off me.”
Daisy had known better than to argue. She had tried, unsuccessfully, to reassure James that he was as successful as his older siblings, both of whom had moved to England before she’d met him. Daniel was a doctor in London, and his sister lectured at one of the colleges in Oxford. Privately, Daisy wondered if James actually felt more overshadowed by his dad, who ran a huge property firm. Either way, it hadn’t felt like the right time to mention that she was going to be working for her ex-boyfriend.
Now she indicated left onto a small road, flanked on one side by the River Hevren. Shortly after she swung right through the large iron gates, and up the short driveway to the house.
Its grand, stone facade was covered with ivy, but Daisy knew it had undergone a lot of structural work under its previous owner. It included a sizeable kitchen extension and conservatory to the rear, which overlooked an easterly facing kitchen garden and, behind that, a half-acre of orchard and three acres of unused land.
The ground became gravel beneath the car wheels as Daisy pulled in beside Matt’s Jeep. Quickly, she exchanged her runners for pumps, and got out, her Mary-Jane heels sinking a little into the stones. She smoothed down the fitted forties-style skirt that clung a little too uncomfortably to her curves. Determined to make a good impression, she’d paired it with a cropped, hand-knit red sweater that she’d designed and made herself.
As she collected her bag and locked the car, Matt opened the front door.
