Chapter 25
25
‘I’m sorry. We’ll be back in five minutes,’ Claire said to a customer that Daisy couldn’t see.
She and Bex had put the phone on video call and a chalkboard sign in the hatch for the coffee shop, saying they would be back soon. Now they were squished together on the sofa so Daisy could see them both as they talked.
‘I’m sorry,’ Claire said, needing Daisy to repeat everything again. ‘So, he proposed to you with the same ring that he proposed to his former girlfriend, and you only found all this out because his mother – who we really do not like at all – told you this?’
‘Pretty much,’ Daisy said, feeling the weight sink into her stomach. ‘But he insists he gave me the ring because it was a family heirloom. It was his grandmother’s, and the pair of them were incredibly close. That’s why he wanted me to have it. But he’s said I can go and pick another if I want. Or he can choose another for me.’
‘It better be a bloody expensive one,’ Bex seethed. Any benefit of the doubt that she had previously offered Theo was gone, and now she was glaring at the phone. ‘I can’t believe he would do that.’
‘I can,’ Claire said.
‘You can?’ Daisy replied.
‘Yes, this is Theo. It’s like he said. That ring means a lot to him and so he wanted you to have it. Was it thoughtless? Yes. Did he mean to do it on purpose? No, of course he didn’t. He adores you, Daisy. He even sent us photos of the ring to make sure we thought you’d like it.’
‘He did?’ Daisy said. ‘When?’
‘Months and months ago. Honestly, Heather was the furthest thing from his mind when he was looking at that. I promise, the only thing he was thinking about was you.’
This new piece of knowledge shifted a little of the tension that had fixed around Daisy’s neck and shoulders. In her imagination, Theo had simply dug in the back of his drawers to find the ring he had used once to propose before. But if he had sent photos to Bex and Claire, that obviously wasn’t the case.
‘Bex, what do you think?’ Daisy said. Having one friend sitting on either side of the fence wasn’t particularly helpful. For a moment, she thought Bex was going to stick to her guns and say that Daisy needed to ditch Theo then and there, but she shook her head and let out a long groan.
‘You see, this is why I’m single. Because even the good guys go and do bloody stupid things like this. I just don’t have the patience for it.’
There was no denying that Bex’s impossibly high standards played a part in her ending relationships before they ever got too serious. But right now, no matter how selfish it was, Daisy didn’t want to focus on her friend. She needed their help.
‘But you think I’m correct in forgiving him, right?’ Daisy said, needing Bex to give her a clear answer.
‘I do. But… if he makes one more mistake, he’s out.’
Daisy laughed. The way Bex spoke made it sound like it was she who was in a relationship, but in a way, it was. Daisy’s friendships meant more to her than anyone, and she didn’t know how she would cope if they somehow became divided.
‘Where is he?’ Claire said, suddenly drawing Daisy’s attention to the fact that Theo had now been gone for over twenty minutes. It was certainly a lot longer than the minute he’d promised. She was about to say as much when he appeared in the doorway. Or rather, his legs appeared. The top half of his body was entirely obscured by various black bags and boxes that he was carrying.
‘I better go,’ Daisy said, feeling a need to get out there and help him before he dropped something. ‘But I’ll speak to you later, okay?’
‘Speak later. Love you loads.’
‘Love you too.’
A minute later, Daisy had hung up the phone, climbed out of the car and was rushing towards Theo.
‘What the hell is all this?’ she said, as she took one of the large bags from him, revealing his face and a large smile behind it.
‘Who needs a hotel,’ he said, ‘when we’ve got a tent?’