Page 35 of The Life Daisy Devlin Designed
“Why do you ask?” Was this it, she wondered. Was this his roundabout way of telling her he regretted what he’d done, how he’d treated her? She braced herself for a confession, an explanation, but he simply shrugged.
“No reason. You got everything you wanted, right?”
Daisy bit back a snappy retort. It was partly her fault – she didn’t have the courage to ask him straight out why he’d left. She wondered how long they’d continue to dance around each other.
“I’ve been very lucky with the business.”Nothing like glossing things over.
In the silence that followed, Daisy could feel the atmosphere sour slightly. She couldn’t leave things like this.
“So howisCharlie?”
Matt gave a harsh laugh. “Married, three kids, bought himself a nice little place on the outskirts of Kilkenny city. Charlie always landed on his feet.”
The idea that his brother had decided on a complete career change because Matt had decided to stay in the States didn’t add up. She had a strong feeling that Matt was holding something back. But now wasn’t the time.
And, if she were being honest with herself, she felt rattled by the thought that Matt had recognised some sliding-doors moment in their past too.
She was the first to break eye contact. “I’d better get to the office.”
“Yeah, I need to get some work done too. Thanks for this morning, though, I enjoyed it.”
“My pleasure.” Daisy slid back into professional mode. “I’m glad you got to see a finished project.” She was pretty sure Mattwasn’t referring to Claire’s house. But she was equally sure that neither of them was ready for a deep-dive discussion.
It should be so simple: Matt was her past, James was her present.
But since Matt’s reappearance, her past and present felt like they were on some sort of collision course. And for the first time in five years, she’d no idea what her future looked like.
CHAPTER 16
Daisy got home early the following evening to get ready for drinks with Laura and Brian in Pink Gin, the new cocktail bar at Grand Canal Dock that Laura had suggested. Although it would have made more sense to go straight from work, she was half-afraid that James would either forget, or just not bother to show, if she’d arranged to meet him there.
Slipping out of her shoes, she ignored the sounds of the TV from the sitting room, and headed to the kitchen to make tea and toast. With a mug of tea in her hands, she went into the sitting room, and stopped to stare at the little scene in front of her.
Alma was sitting cross legged on the sofa, singing in Swedish, while James was sitting beside her, picking out the guitar chords like they were practising for bloody Eurovision!
Daisy felt a bit sick. James used to play guitar all the time. They’d first met at a party, where he’d been making his way through his full repertoire of Ed Sheeran songs, including her favourite, ‘Lego House’, and she’d sung along, not caring that she was a terrible singer.
Now, she couldn’t remember the last time he’d even taken the guitar out of its case! But here he was, accompanying their bloody lodger. Who, admittedly, had a very sweet voice. Except that wasn’t the point.
“James?”
The two of them stopped and looked around.
“Oh, hey, love, I didn’t hear you come in.” James ran a hand through his hair. “Are you home long?”
“Just in.” Daisy’s gaze slid to Alma. Was it her imagination or did she actually seem annoyed at the interruption? She found her hard to read sometimes.
“What are you guys up to?” She tried to smile, but her face was hurting.
Alma gave her a puzzled look, and Daisy suddenly wished the toaster would explode, so she’d have an excuse to leave quickly.
James cleared his throat. “Alma asked if I still played.” He shot the other woman a sheepish smile. “I’m completely out of practice, but Alma’s got an unbelievable voice, right?”
Daisy reminded herself quickly that she’d caught them in a duet – not in a tangle of naked bodies. “Yeah, I agree, unbelievable. So,uh, do you want some tea and toast before we go out?”
“We’re going out?” James frowned.
Daisy took such a deep breath she felt momentarily lightheaded.
