Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Daisy
T he sun shone brightly that day on the quayside. Daisy was sitting on a tea chest, kicking her legs against the wooden panel and slurping her coffee. She clutched her travel cup like a lifeline, terrified that her brothers were going to show up.
She was waiting for Warren to arrive. They’d arranged to meet at the warehouse. Erica had assured her that Archer, Jason and Luke were interviewing all day for the new conference and banqueting manager.
Warren had arrived on the island two days ago and had settled himself into her office. He’d spent the first day meeting with Erica to go over her accounts. The second day Warren had updated her, he’d spoken with her brothers for a way forward that would be seamless to the business. All of this was done via phone because she didn’t want him in her home. It would be better if he didn’t know she’d gotten married. Her brothers should know first .
Warren appeared irritated that he couldn’t see her, but she was still in honeymoon bliss five days after the ceremony.
She didn’t like that her brothers weren’t asking her to stay, but she accepted their decision. Warren was gentle when he told her.
Erica sat on the tea chest next to her and huddled into her coat as the wind blew in off the Atlantic.
“Still not used to Copper Island breezes?” Daisy asked as she bit into her apple.
“Honey, this is not a breeze but a gale. The wind is going to cut me in half,” she complained, frowning at the sky.
“Try standing on an oil rig,” Daisy quipped and grinned at her.
“I keep forgetting you’re a bad ass,” she said, nudging her shoulder.
“I’m not really.”
“You are. I can only imagine what it was like being the only woman on that rig.”
“I had my brothers to protect me.”
“You did, and you’ll get them back,” Erica said.
“I’m not so sure about that. Warren is making himself comfy in my office.”
“He is?” Erica said. “Why is he in there?”
“Warren told me he spent the afternoon with you in there going over your accounts.”
Erica stilled and then looked at Daisy. She took her hand and squeezed.
“Honey, I only review my accounts when I absolutely have to once a year, and January is not the month I look at them. I don’t leave things to the last minute.”
“But it’s next month you have to pay your taxes.”
“I pay my taxes immediately. Warren’s firm does my accounting straight away. I don’t wait until the last minute. They were filed last June and paid the same month.”
Daisy’s breathing came fast, and she rubbed her chest. “Why did he lie to me?”
“I wonder if he’s lying about anything else?” Erica said.
“Who’s lying?” Heidi asked as she sat on the tea chest on Daisy’s other side.
“Warren. He said he spent time with Erica going over her personal accounts. He said he was holed up with my brothers to see a way forward without me,” Daisy said.
“What?” Heidi said. “There is no way Jason would’ve had time. He’s been planning menus for our next group. They have special diets. He’s also been interviewing, and then he’s been with me because I want a baby.”
“Aww, really?” Daisy said and gave her a hug.
“Yeah. So Warren hasn’t been plotting your demise with your brothers. They may be pissed at you but don’t want you out.”
“Who wants you out?” Freya said, joining them and edging herself in between Daisy and Erica.
“I thought my brothers did, but it seems Warren has been telling fibs.”
“Maybe he’s in love with you?” Erica said.
“He’s missed that boat,” Daisy muttered. “I’m off the market.”
“Has Nate proposed?” Freya asked.
“I think he’s already done that,” Heidi said, lifting Daisy’s left hand. “Why are you wearing an engagement ring and a wedding band?”
All three women were staring her down with broad smiles.
“Umm… Oh look, there’s Warren. I want an explanation,” Daisy said and jumped off the tea chest .
“Daisy,” Erica called after her. “Who walked you down the aisle?”
“My mum,” Daisy shouted back, and she heard a collective audible sigh.
Daisy marched over to where Warren was approaching. He was all smiles until he clocked her expression. She hoped it was set to fury.
“Hey Daisy, I’m not late, am I?” he asked, pulling up his coat sleeve to check his watch.
“Why did you lie to me?”
“Lied about what?”
“About seeing my brothers, about seeing Erica in my office. I’ve had to work on a teeny tiny screen in my cottage because you were hogging the large monitor in my office.”
“I can explain…” he said, wincing.
But Warren didn’t say anything.
“I’m waiting.”
“Well, you lied to me,” he huffed. “Why didn’t you say anything about why your brothers weren’t talking to you?”
Daisy was wide-eyed. The man had coached her, trained her and made sure she had all the knowledge she needed to run Edward Hall accounts, but she didn’t answer to him. She certainly didn’t owe him any information about her private life.
“What?” she snapped.
Warren was getting red in the face. He folded his arms across his chest, bent at the waist and leaned in. He didn’t whisper.
He yelled.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were in contact with your mother? Why didn’t you tell me you knew where she lived? You should have told me you met with her recently.”
Daisy took a step back. Everything was closing in, and she couldn’t hear what he was saying or anyone else because the blood rushing around her head was drowning everything out. Another flashback, and this time, it was in full technicolour. She was in the playroom with her toys and the yellow armchair hugging her rabbit toy. Her Aunt Cynthia was towering over her, arms folded and yelling at her.
Are you in contact with your mother? When was the last time you saw her? Do you know where she lives?
She remembered crying and running to the radiator under the window of her playroom and sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees and her face hidden from Cynthia’s gaze.
It was enough to bring her back to the present. Just in time to see Nate punch Warren in the face. Daisy scuttled back to the girls, and they embraced her in a cuddle.
“Are you okay, Daisy?” Erica asked.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she answered, not taking her eyes off Warren and Nate.
“How did Nate get here?” Daisy asked.
“He has all our numbers, and we have his. He insisted that if you spaced out, even for a minute, we were to send him an SOS. And here he is,” Heidi said.
She sounded utterly delighted with Nate.
“Why did Nate punch him?”
“I think because he triggered you.”
Warren got a punch in, a blow to Nate’s cheek, but Nate barely moved. They were the same size, but Nate hauled boat equipment around all day, and Warren sat behind a desk.
“You’re seeing this Neanderthal? He has oil under his nails,” Warren said. “You’re just a prick tease.”
A collective gasp went around the girls .
Nate wasted no time and punched Warren hard. Warren fell to the ground clutching his jaw.
“That’s my wife you’re calling a prick tease, you piece of shit,” Nate said through gritted teeth. “I should throw you in the dock water for a comment like that.”
“Married? As if… what the fuck does she see in you?” Warren growled.
Daisy left the cocoon of the girls and took a step forward, waiting for Nate to say something.
“Is it wrong that this is hot, two men fighting over a woman they’re in love with?” Heidi said.
“No,” Freya answered.
“Absolutely not,” Erica added. “This is totally filmworthy.”
Daisy walked to where Warren was lying on the floor and lifted her hand with her wedding band.
“Take a close look Warren. I have oil under my nails. Oil still stains my hands from working on the oil rigs. I don’t think it will ever go. And you know what? I don’t care. Why did you lie to me?”
“I love you Daisy. I thought you loved me. I thought that was why you wanted me to come to the island to rescue you from your small life here. I was going to take you away.”
“I didn’t want to leave. You made me think my brothers didn’t want me.”
“You told me they didn’t want you,” he countered. “I just didn’t correct you because I hadn’t seen them.”
Daisy looked at Nate, who was glaring at Warren and then back at the girls, who were arm in arm, all grinning at the scene.
“Go home, Warren. Get off the island. You’ve done enough damage.”
“But I love you, Daisy Turner,” he said emphatically .
“It’s Daisy Hill,” Daisy replied and threaded her fingers into Nate’s hand and dragged him away from where Warren sat on his arse on the quayside.
Once they were a few feet away, Daisy faced Nate, went up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
He returned the kiss, deeper, more passionate and lifted her off the ground. He kept her in his arms when he leaned back.
“You taste like a thunderstorm,” he said.
“Aww,” one of the girls said and sniffed.
Daisy turned her head to Heidi, who was wiping away her tears.
“Are you pregnant?” Daisy asked, remembering how Erica was when she was pregnant.
“Maybe,” she said, sniffing as tears dripped down her face. “That is the most romantic line I’ve heard anyone say.”
Daisy wriggled out of Nate’s arms, much to his amusement, and she ran over to Heidi to give her a cuddle.
“I’m going to be an aunty again,” Daisy sang.
“You are, but not for like seven months,” Heidi said and grinned at the girls.
“Hey,” Nate said gently.
Daisy moved away and went to her husband.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling.
“What happened?”
“He was yelling at me about Mum. It was the same kind of questions Aunt Cynthia was yelling at me on those days she locked me away. She was trying to find out where my Mum was living. I wouldn’t have known at the time she was living up in Scotland. Mum always met me on the mainland straight off the boat.”
“So you weren’t able to give her any information? ”
Daisy shook her head. “I remember just crying for two days every time she came in the room. I never thought she was going to let me out.”
Nate wrapped her in his arms, and she buried her face in his jumper. He wasn’t wearing a coat in the icy wind but was still warm enough to keep her snug.
“I got to get back to work,” Nate called over her head to the girls.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Erica called out.
“You want to come with me or stay here?”
“I think I’ll stay here. They’ll have questions about you being my husband.”
Nate laughed. “All right. I’ll see you at home for dinner.”
“You will.”
Nate kissed her soundly, sweeping into her mouth for a tongue touch and then left her standing on the dockside dazed but for entirely different reasons.
“You married him,” Heidi stated.
“Yeah,” Daisy replied, watching him saunter down the quayside.
She watched his arse move until he was out of sight.
“Freya has gone to get coffee. We need details and, if possible, a picture of the dress,” Erica said.
“I can do that,” Daisy replied, hugging them both.