Chapter 30
30
Daisy was gawping. She knew she was, though in her defence, there were several reasons. First, she had spent the entire time since leaving Theo’s parents’ house trying not to think of this particular woman, and now found herself face-to-face with her. It was as if her worst fears had manifested. The perfect daughter-in-law, the woman Theo should have married, was there, standing in the car park only feet away from her. But that wasn’t the only reason Daisy was staring, because along with Heather’s perfectly curled loose ringlets, impeccable make-up and faultless taste in clothes, she was sporting something Daisy had never seen her wearing before: a very large baby bump.
‘Heather,’ Daisy said again. Apparently, the ex’s name was the only word she could manage.
‘Yup, it’s me.’
When Daisy finally drew her eyes away from Heather’s belly, her line of sight only moved slightly to her left hand, where two gold rings were sparkling in the evening light, one of which had a huge diamond in the centre.
As the silence stretched between them, Heather let out a light chuckle, breaking the tension that was even more pronounced than during tea with Theo’s parents.
‘It’s fair to say that quite a lot has changed since you and I last saw each other,’ Heather said. ‘I guess that if you’re here, it means that you and Theo are still going strong?’
Daisy wasn’t sure why her eyes immediately flicked down to her own left hand as Heather said this. Why her attention locked on Theo’s grandmother’s ring. Perhaps it was just a reaction to seeing Heather’s own ring, or maybe because she wasn’t sure how Heather would react at seeing it on Daisy’s finger. Still, there was no way she could hide it, and the minute she looked down, Daisy knew Heather’s line of sight followed.
‘Wow, so things are still going well,’ Heather said, her eyes widening at the gem. ‘Congratulations.’
‘And you too, of course, for the baby. And the marriage. And, yes, congratulations.’ Daisy could hear herself stuttering away and was pretty sure she sounded incomprehensible. But what else was she meant to say? Congratulations was the right thing, wasn’t it? Yes, she was sure it was, which was why she carried on. ‘It’s brilliant news. Wonderful. Absolutely fantastic.’ She wasn’t sure how she was going to stop or if she even could when, without warning, Heather stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her in a hug. Well, as tight as the bump would allow. When she stepped back, her face was beaming.
‘I really am so happy for you guys,’ Heather said. ‘I know it was a little weird there for a while, when Theo and I were still clinging on, trying to make things work, but thank goodness they didn’t.’
‘Yes, yes,’ Daisy said, not sure why the words were sticking to the back of her throat all of a sudden. Another silence started to swell and Daisy had a sudden sinking feeling that perhaps Heather was going to invite them to join her for a drink.
‘So we are staying in the yurts—’ Heather began, almost certainly confirming Daisy’s fears. So before she could say any more, Daisy cut across her.
‘Well, I should get our things from the car. We are only staying one night and Theo’s already cooking. I don’t want him to worry that I’ve fallen into the lake or something.’
Daisy chuckled, but unlike Heather’s light laughter, which sounded almost ethereal in its breathy effortlessness, Daisy sounded more like a chicken who had got its neck caught in a fence.
Still, Heather’s soft smile was nothing but polite. ‘Of course. Absolutely. Perhaps I’ll see you around.’
‘Yes, yes, of course.’
‘And don’t forget to send Theo my love.’
‘Right. Your love. Of course,’ Daisy said, then before Heather could say anything else, Daisy turned around and was practically sprinting the last few feet back to the car.