Chapter 33
33
Daisy didn’t want to go and say congratulations to Theo’s ex. She hadn’t wanted to see her in the first place. She didn’t want to be in the same campsite as her, or, if possible, the same country. And yet, Theo’s eyes continued to glimmer away. There was no denying he was truly happy Heather was there. Daisy didn’t know why it surprised her. He was the type of person who didn’t bear grudges, and any issues about how their relationship ended were to do with him and Daisy, not Heather. But still, that didn’t change the fact that Daisy didn’t want to see her. In fact, after the day she’d had, she didn’t want to see anyone at all, other than Theo.
‘You’ve just lit the barbecue,’ Daisy said as she glanced around her, finding a viable excuse why they couldn’t go. ‘We can’t leave it unattended, not with children running about everywhere. It would be a hazard.’
‘Oh, yes, of course, you’re right.’ Theo’s face altered slightly. It wasn’t like it fell completely, it just flickered a little, and Daisy could see the disappointment that he tried not to show. Guilt bloomed in her chest. Shouldn’t she feel grateful that she had such a lovely fiancé, he still wanted to maintain a friendly relationship with his ex? And it wasn’t like she was jealous of Heather, or worried that Theo would suddenly start regretting the decision not to stay with her. Heather was obviously very settled in her new situation. So why was it a problem if he wanted to go and catch up?
Drawing in a deep breath, Daisy pushed her insecurities as far down as she could before she spoke.
‘You know what, why don’t you go, and I’ll stay here with the barbecue,’ she said, forcing her cheeks into a smile as she tried to sound as casual as possible. ‘That makes the most sense.’
Once again, Theo’s expression shifted. His eyes narrowed slightly.
‘You’re sure? No, don’t be silly. I can’t leave you here. We came up to have a romantic weekend away.’
‘Yes, but we were going to be spending the first night of that with your parents anyway. Honestly, I don’t mind. Besides, I’ve been wanting to get a few sketches of the landscape down since we first turned up here. This way, I don’t have to worry about you disturbing me.’ She flashed a smile as she finished speaking, just so he knew she was joking.
‘You are amazing, you know that?’ Theo said as he wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her into him. ‘I don’t know what I did to deserve someone as amazing as you.’
‘I don’t think that’s true,’ Daisy said. ‘I mean, you started by doing all the carpentry on my boat. That was definitely a good place to start.’
Theo let out a deep laugh as he stared into Daisy’s eyes. It was the type of laugh that set her stomach into butterflies and left her thinking exactly the same thing – how did she get so lucky? Of course, it didn’t matter if Theo wanted to see his ex. It wasn’t like it was going to become a regular thing.
As if reading her thoughts, Theo stepped away from her and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
‘Heather’s over in the yurts, you say?’ he asked.
Daisy nodded. ‘Yes, they’re over on the luxury side of the campsite.’
‘Great, well, I’ll head over there now. It’ll give you some peace so you can get a couple of sketches done, and by the time I come back, the coals should have cooled enough for me to get on with the cooking.’
After one more long and slightly lingering kiss, Theo dropped Daisy’s hands, turned around, and headed off in the direction that Daisy had come from. Back towards Heather.