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

Chapter 1

1

Sometimes, when Daisy May looked back on the last two years, it was easy to believe that she had packed more into those twenty-four months than the entire previous twenty-five years of her life. And it was all down to the September Rose: the wide beam canal boat she had inherited from her father.

To start with, she probably wouldn’t have got back into painting, had she not found her late father’s art supplies in the boat. She certainly wouldn’t have set up her own business – a coffee shop on the canal. She wouldn’t have met her boyfriend, and love of her life, Theo, and she most definitely wouldn’t have travelled across the country in a canal boat to see him.

There were other things, which weren’t so ideal. She wouldn’t have had to deal with a temporary, but still major, fallout with her mother. She wouldn’t have known what it was like to have your windows smashed in by a tree in the middle of the night, or be broken into by someone she believed was a friend. But however significant these incidents had felt at the time, they were all minor compared to what she had gained. Particularly now Theo had moved back to Wildflower Lock.

The twelve-month separation had been hard. As much as they had hoped they would be able to spend their spare time together, spare time wasn’t something either of them had much of. And so, when a job appeared on the waterways near Chelmsford, Theo had been quick to apply. Their hopes were answered when he had been offered the placement after a single telephone interview and now he had been back on Wildflower Lock for sixth months.

Things weren’t quite as convenient as they had been. The Narrow Escape – Theo’s boat – was no longer moored up next to Daisy’s, but on the other side of the canal, where the Ariadne had been. Giving up the Ariadne had been a difficult decision for Yvonne. She had lived on Wildflower Lock for decades and had a lifetime full of memories wrapped up with the water. But after a health scare during her trip across country with Daisy, she had decided to find somewhere a little more stable to live. So she had sold up and moved to Woodham Mortimer a few miles away. She still came down to the lock several times a week though, to see Daisy and Theo, not to mention Johnny.

‘Where is Theo?’ Daisy said, as she reached down and rubbed the dog’s head. Just like Theo and Wildflower Lock, Daisy could no longer imagine her life without Johnny in it. Although he was meant to be Theo’s dog, and went out to work with him every day, the moment Theo arrived back at the canal, Johnny would bound out of the van and run straight to the September Rose – or to wherever Daisy was. At night-time, they tended to sleep on the Narrow Escape , with Johnny at the foot of the bed, and on the weekends when Theo would help Daisy run the coffee shop, Johnny would sit on the hull, wagging his tail at the customers until Daisy or Theo could take him for a walk or at least offer him a quick belly rub. Life was as close to perfect as Daisy could ever remember. But that night, it felt like something strange was going on.

It was a Friday afternoon, and the weather was stunning, so Daisy had kept the coffee shop open a little later than normal. As such, it was gone six before she finally closed the shutters and called it a day. Normally, when the weather was this great and Theo knew Daisy would be busy, he opted to work late too so he could use the accumulated hours to spend more time with her when the weather wasn’t so great. Normally, he wouldn’t come in until after seven, but Daisy was just bringing in the chalkboard from outside when Johnny appeared and Theo was hot on his heals.

‘You’re on your own?’ Theo said. He looked surprisingly confused as he spoke, although why Daisy wasn’t exactly sure. It was true, the girls did come down and spend a lot of time at the canal, particularly now there was an empty boat to sleep in most nights, but Daisy always told Theo when they were planning on coming and this weekend it was Saturday and Sunday that they had arranged to visit.

‘Just you and me tonight,’ Daisy responded with a grin.

‘Right. Yes.’ Theo didn’t look as pleased by this remark as Daisy had expected him to. Instead, a slight pout appeared on his lips before he spoke again. ‘Are you okay to go over to mine and look after Johnny for a couple of hours tonight?’

‘Okay? Where are you going?’ Daisy said. ‘I thought you wanted to watch that new Julia Roberts film tonight?’

Theo glanced down the towpath. A slight sheen of sweat coated his brow.

‘Yes, I know… It’s only, something’s come up at work.’

‘And you don’t want to take Johnny with you?’

The pair normally spent every working hour together and every person who worked or lived on the canals knew Johnny by name. Daisy even suspected that several people came to the coffee shop just to see him. Although she didn’t complain. Customers were customers.

‘It’s a… a swan situation…’ Theo said, glancing down at his watch.

‘A swan situation?’

‘I don’t want Johnny to be there with them.’

Daisy crinkled her nose. Johnny wasn’t normally an issue around swans or ducks or any animals that he had encountered at Wildflower Lock, but clearly this situation was serious. Daisy couldn’t quite remember the last time she had seen Theo looking this flustered.

‘Okay, well, sure. I’ll just lock up and go over now.’

‘I can lock up,’ Theo said. ‘I’ve got keys.’

‘I thought you needed to go?’

‘I do… but it’s… You’re right. You lock up. I’ll go.’

Still feeling confused by the whole situation, Daisy headed inside to grab her keys and phone. Despite his apparent need to leave, Theo followed her onto the stern and waited there until she reappeared.

‘Any idea how long you’re going to be?’ Daisy asked as she locked the door.

Theo shook his head. ‘I don’t think I’ll be back until it’s dark.’

‘Really?’ Daisy said. The summer months meant it didn’t get dark until nearly ten. She couldn’t imagine what kind of swan situation would require over three hours to sort out, but maybe that was why Theo was the person who worked on the canals and not her.

‘Okay, well, we’ll just be at yours when you get back.’

Theo nodded, though it didn’t look like he was listening to her at all. Instead, he was staring at his phone.

‘Right, I guess I’ll see you later,’ Theo said as they stood on the towpath, although considering what a hurry he was supposed to be in, he wasn’t actually moving. Instead, he was staring at Daisy as if he were expecting her to move. And she was going to, but only across the canal to the Narrow Escape . It didn’t really seem like that far to go.

‘Can I have a kiss?’ Daisy said, given how that was the way they always parted.

‘Of course. Of course.’ It felt like it was the first time all afternoon that Theo was paying Daisy any attention, although his lips had barely touched hers, when he suddenly jerked away.

‘Oh, what a surprise,’ he said, a wide grin on his face. ‘Look who’s here.’