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

Chapter 34

34

For a moment, Daisy simply stood there watching as Theo strode off to the other side of the campsite. Off towards Heather. Only once he was out of sight did she turn back to look at the lake. The clouds had grown denser since they had arrived, and muted the light of the setting sun, yet it was no less beautiful than it had been before. Each breath of air felt cleaner than the previous. Whether it was because of the altitude or the lake water or the lack of narrowboats, Daisy didn’t know, but it was undeniably different to the air she had grown used to at Wildflower Lock. And whatever the reason, she knew it would be impossible to capture in her paintings the way she really wanted to.

With her mind flickering away from painting, she glanced down at her finger to look at the ring. It really was stunning, but now, even more than ever, she was seeing Heather in it. She couldn’t help but imagine what it would have been like if it was this ring on Heather’s finger, rather than the large solitaire she had just seen. Was that really how she wanted to start her engagement? Feeling the shadow of Theo’s ex everywhere they went?

‘You’re not doing this, Daisy,’ she said to herself as she felt her mood slipping. She was in a beautiful place and she was going to make the most of it.

Pushing her shoulders back and determined to remain positive about the situation, she turned back towards the tent, ready to grab her sketch pad and start doodling away, when her phone started ringing.

Daisy groaned. It was lovely that the girls wanted to make sure she was doing okay, but she had spoken to them when Theo was in the supermarket and she really didn’t feel like filling them in on the latest development. Her plan was to switch the phone to silent and let it ring out. Only when she glanced at the screen, it wasn’t Bex or Claire’s name flashing boldly. It was Mum. For a second, Daisy considered sticking with her original plan and switching the phone to silent, reasoning that she could always send a message in five minutes or so saying she was in the shower. But no sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she dismissed it. Her mum would want an update on how everything had gone sooner or later, and would likely keep ringing until she got one. Especially if she’d had a drink. There was no point delaying the inevitable.

‘Hey, Mum,’ Daisy said, adding an extra layer of cheeriness to her voice. ‘How are you?’

‘Hey, love. I didn’t ring to tell you about myself. Now come on, how’s the trip going? Let me guess, Theo’s parents are as madly in love with you as we all are.’

Daisy lifted her eyes to the sky and the swathes of white clouds as she drew in a long breath.

‘It’s been interesting,’ she said, the idea of painting now completely abandoned.