Forever Love at Wildflower Lock (The Wildflower Lock #4)

Chapter 5

5

As was normally the case when the girls went out for dinner, they got a bottle of wine to share between the three of them. Although when they finished it, they seemed less than keen to get another.

‘We’ve got to walk all the way across the fields back to Wildflower Lock and these wedges have pretty high heels,’ Bex said, as if this was a new piece of news to them.

‘Actually, yes, we should probably start heading back now, shouldn’t we?’ Claire looked at her watch. ‘It should be dark by the time we get back.’

Daisy was struggling to understand her friends’ obsession with darkness, but she wanted to go back too. Fingers crossed Theo would be home soon.

‘I take it from the fact you’ve both been drinking that you’re crashing at mine tonight?’ Daisy said.

‘I think that’s the plan,’ Bex replied, looking over at Claire, who nodded.

‘Yeah, we’ll stay at yours, whatever happens.’

There was something about the way the girls were wording themselves that Daisy just couldn’t make sense of. Even more puzzling was how they had been shooting glances across the table at one another all through the meal. Then again, it was only a month or so until her birthday, Daisy reasoned, so maybe they were planning something for that.

‘Come on then,’ Bex said, standing up and picking up Johnny’s lead from where it had been wrapped around the leg of the table. ‘We should get going.’

If Daisy had thought her friends’ attitudes during the meal had been peculiar, it was nothing compared to their behaviour on the walk back. To start with, the conversation had been based on Johnny and dogs. If Daisy was planning on getting another dog, or breeding from Johnny. What type of dog Amelia wanted and why Claire just couldn’t see it working. All the different dogs that men Bex had dated had owned. That type of thing, but the closer they got to Wildflower Lock, the stranger it became. Every time Claire went to speak, Bex would cut over her and say the opposite.

When Claire said, ‘I think we should speed up. We’ve been gone for quite a while,’ Bex immediately countered her.

‘I don’t think we need to speed up at all. I think it’s a good idea to walk slowly. Besides, I’m wearing heels. It’s easier to go slow.’

‘But maybe if you go a bit faster, you never know what might be waiting for you.’

‘Maybe nothing, if I go too fast.’

‘What are you two on about?’ Daisy said, utterly confused.

Immediately, the conversation flicked back to dog breeds, where it stayed for a little while longer.

‘How far are we from Wildflower Lock now?’ Bex asked just a few minutes later. ‘Ten minutes? Does that sound right?’

Daisy crinkled up her nose. ‘No, I’d say it’s another half an hour. You wanted to walk slowly, remember.’

‘You’re right, perhaps we should speed up.’

With the speed now a far brisker walk, the girls’ conversation continued, this time around a topic that Daisy had next to no experience in.

‘I think this time of year would be perfect to get married, don’t you? You’re guaranteed sun this time of year.’

‘Not always.’ Bex was there with her counter again. ‘A colleague of mine got married mid-August and their marquee totally flooded. But I guess it depends on where you would do it.’

‘What about you, Daisy?’ Claire said.

Daisy was currently looking at Johnny running ahead. He was generally a very good dog, and she had never seen him so much as bark aggressively at another, but the last thing she wanted was for a rabbit to appear in the field and for him to dart after it.

‘Daisy?’

Daisy turned back to the girls and found them looking at her with peculiarly locked stares.

‘Sorry, what did you say?’ Daisy asked, with Johnny now walking back to her.

‘We were talking about weddings. This time of year? What do you think?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. I’ve not really been to that many.’

Her previous life of moving from one job to another meant Daisy hadn’t really had time to form close enough relationships with work colleagues to be invited to weddings. And as for her home friends, there was only really Bex and Claire. Claire’s wedding now felt like it was decades ago, and as for Bex, Daisy couldn’t imagine her settling down any time soon.

‘You know, I was thinking about that wedding I went to the other year where they had owls bring the rings down the aisle. It was awesome. Is that something you’d do, Daisy?’ Bex said.

‘Me?’ Daisy replied.

‘Yes, or maybe you could use Johnny as a ring bearer.’

‘That’s a great idea,’ Claire said, clasping her hands in delight. ‘He’d look so cute with one of those little doggy bow ties on.’

‘Really, I think you might be getting a little carried away with things here. Theo and I have only been together two years, remember.’

‘I know, but you know, right? That’s what people say, isn’t it? When you know, you know.’

Daisy pondered the question, although she didn’t have to think about it for that long. Of course she knew. She had known before they had been together. When she had done everything she could to deny how much she felt for him, because the truth was it was terrifying to love someone that deeply. Because as soon as you did, it gave them the ability to hurt you. And while she didn’t think that Theo would hurt her right now, she’d never thought that about her ex either. The one thing her previous relationship had taught her was to expect the unexpected. You could never take anything for granted.

Bex and Claire were already talking about something else, but even though the conversation had moved on, the thoughts continued to mull around in the back of Daisy’s head, and as she pushed open the gate that led into Wildflower Lock, she couldn’t help but raise it again.

‘Do people really still believe in The One?’ she said. ‘In actual soulmates? It’s a pretty big statement to make, right, that with all the people in the world, you just happen to find the only one who is meant for you.’

‘I’m still looking for him,’ Bex said.

‘And I think that Ian and I are forever,’ Claire added. ‘I thought he was my soulmate at fifteen and I think that now too. There’s no one in the world I could ever imagine loving the way I do him. Or having as much fun with.’

‘I’m not saying I don’t love Theo,’ Daisy said, worried that they were misinterpreting what she was saying. ‘Of course I do. More than anyone. I’m just not sure I’m ready to commit to the idea of The One, that’s all.’

Behind her, Bex cleared her throat.

‘Any chance you might be willing to commit sometime soon?’ she said.

‘What?’ Daisy replied. ‘What do you mean?’

She looked at her friend, waiting for an answer, but Bex didn’t reply. Instead, her lips were pressed tightly together, and when Daisy moved her attention to Claire, she noticed tears were filling her friend’s eyes.

‘What is going on?’ Daisy said. ‘Why are you guys being so odd? This isn’t just because I said I don’t believe in soulmates, is it? You’ve been acting strange all day. Why did you come down today?’

Rather than replying, Bex simply nodded her head down past Daisy towards where the September Rose was moored.

‘What? What aren’t you telling me?’ Daisy said turning around. That was when she saw it. As the breath flew from her lungs, she lifted her hand to cover her mouth.

‘Oh my God,’ she said.