CHAPTER 6
Matt was waiting when Daisy arrived at The White Goose. She’d deliberately chosen the gastropub around the corner from the office, as they’d never been there together. Now, as she walked towards the table, he got to his feet, smiling.
Daisy managed a shaky smile in return, and wondered how it was possible for a man to be better-looking after five years.
He’d always been tall – at six foot three inches, he was taller than James – but he was broader now, filling out the dark blazer and white shirt he wore over blue jeans. It suited him, she thought. His dark curls were a little shorter, and his features seemed stronger and more defined.
But those dark-blue eyes and full lips were exactly the same. She remembered how it had felt when Matt had looked at her like she was the most important person in the world. She remembered exactly how he kissed. And how he made love. A surge of panic shot through her, and she had to resist the temptation to turn and walk out. Was she completely mad? Here she was, inviting Matt back into her life when she’d spent the last five years trying to forget him.
“Hello, Daisy.”
She swallowed. “Hi, Matt.” Now what? Should she offer to shake his hand?
Matt saved her by stepping around the table and pulling her into a brief hug.
Breathing in, Daisy got a whiff of soap and the merest hint of an unfamiliar aftershave. Just as quickly, he released her and stepped back around the table.
“Good to see you.”
“Yeah, and you.” This was pathetic. She wasn’t that twenty-year-old student who’d first fallen for Matt Deveraux, or the twenty-four-year-old woman left devastated when he’d gone to America for a summer, and had decided to stay. This was a business lunch and it was up to her to set the right tone. She sat down and waited for Matt to fold himself back into the chair, before offering a professional smile.
“Congrats again on buying Granary House. Although I was a bit surprised when I heard.”
“That I’ve bought an old house in the Wicklow countryside, miles from the nearest town?”
Matt grinned, and Daisy took a deep breath to steady herself. Matt’s family were from Kilkenny city and, like her, he’d rented in Dublin during college. The first time they’d met, she’d told him she was from Oranmore in Galway, and he’d laughed and said he’d forgive her for being a culchie because he loved her red hair.
“Surprised that you’re back in Ireland, too,” Daisy said. “Are you home for good?”
“That depends on a few things.” He glanced up as the waiter appeared to ask for their drinks order. Matt looked at Daisy. “I guess it mightn’t be appropriate to order rum and Cokes?”
Their drink of choice at the end of a night all those years ago. They’d slowly sip one each, stretching out the evening. Where was her self-control? This was not where she wanted her brain to go right now.
“Sparkling water for me,” Daisy said.
Matt nodded. “I’ll have the same, thanks.” After the waiter left, he said, “Your text was quite a surprise.”
Daisy’s forced a laugh. “Is that why you took four days to reply?”
“No.” Matt smoothed down the curls at the back of his neck in a gesture Daisy remembered. “I hadn’t considered redesigning the place. I’m still not sure if I want to. But I needed a few days to consider, so I wouldn’t be completely wasting your time. And I was being truthful when I said I’ve been busy.”
Daisy got the feeling that there was something else he wanted to say, but she wouldn’t push him. Their drinks arrived, and Matt picked up his glass. “Cheers!”
Daisy clinked her glass against his. James always refused to toast with water, she thought. Business lunch, Daisy: focus.
Matt gave a small smile. “You haven’t changed a bit, Daisy.”
“You have, sort of,” she blurted out, heat flashing to her cheeks as Matt gave her an amused look.
He laughed. “I probably don’t look quite as underfed as I did when I was twenty-five.”
As you did when you left . There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t ask them now, or she’d send him running straight back to the States.
“So, how have you been? Brian mentioned that you and James bought a house.”
So he’d asked Brian about her! Unless Brian had volunteered the information, which was unlikely. Brian’s favourite topic of conversation was himself. Matt, on the other hand, had always wanted to know everything about her. What she did, who she saw, where she went.
While a part of her wanted Matt to know how successfully she’d moved on without him, another part wanted to draw a very firm line under her private life. Matt had lost the right to know anything when he’d walked away. Still, client or no client, she couldn’t be rude.
“Yeah, a couple of years ago.” She tried to read his expression, but it was impossible.
“It’s a tiny two-bed with no garden, but it’s in Dublin, and it’s all ours.” She took a deep breath. “How about you? Anyone special in your life?”
Matt shrugged. “A few girlfriends down the years. Nothing serious.” He held her eyes for a moment.
So he’d bought Granary House by himself! She cleared her throat. “How’s Charlie?’ She’d only met his older brother a few times when she and Matt had been together. At the time he’d been the quieter of the two, but Daisy had always got the impression that he was very straightforward.
Matt’s expression closed again. “I haven’t seen him in a while. Last I heard, he’s fine.”
Daisy drank some water as she cast around for another topic of conversation. “ Um , so what have you been doing in the States?”
“Working in IT for one of the big airlines.” He gave her a slightly odd look. “I thought you’d have heard.”
How would I hear, she wanted to snap. If Matt and Brian had kept in touch all these years – which seemed likely – then Brian hadn’t bothered to fill Laura in on the highs and lows of Matt’s life abroad. Although it was equally likely that Laura had decided never to mention Matt’s name again.
“I hadn’t heard, but that sounds pretty cool,” she managed.
“Yeah?”
There was a definite edge to his voice. It felt like they were stepping awkwardly around each other. He was probably as nervous as she was.
“So, what prompted you to buy Granary House?” she asked. “Hang on, did you get back to view it before you made an offer?”
Matt seemed to relax a bit. “Would you believe, no? I viewed it online and then chatted to the estate agent. I made an offer after the structural engineer’s report.”
Daisy knew exactly what the house had sold for, and she had a pretty good idea how much would be needed for its upgrade. Clearly, his career was going well.
She hauled her bag onto her lap and took out her tablet, quickly powering it on and finding the file on Granary House, with the 3D models for the redesign of the kitchen, reception rooms and master bedroom.
Obviously you don’t have to go with any of them – it’ll just give you an idea.”
“I really like the kitchen.”
“Modern rustic.” She was used to hearing praise for her work, but she felt giddy hearing Matt compliment her.
He nodded. “Looks like you had more than just a professional interest in it.” He glanced up. “Would you live there yourself?”
He’d always been able to read her, she remembered. Which didn’t mean she should let him slip right back into her life. She tried to bat away the question.
“Wouldn’t everyone?” Not James, she knew. Still, if money were no object, and she could convince her suburban-loving boyfriend to move to the country, Granary House would be her dream home.
“Some of us anyway.” Matt smiled. “And I just fell in love with this place on first sight. So, can I see some of your other designs?”
“Oh, sure.” She clicked onto the finished designs of Freya’s house, and Matt moved his chair around the table so he was sitting beside her.
Daisy forced herself to concentrate, which was difficult given his proximity. “It’s partly about the type of house it is, but also about what the client wants.”
He looked impressed. “If I were to get the place redesigned, I’d like to get the main house done first, and then the guest wing.”
Daisy frowned in thought. “As far as I remember, the guest wing is accessed from the hall in the main house.”
“Yep, dead handy. And it’s small, and a lot cheaper to heat. It really just needs some new kitchen appliances and a lick of paint.”
Their food arrived.
Daisy tucked her tablet into her bag as Matt moved his chair back around the table.
“So, what about your job?” She speared some pasta on her fork. “Will you work remotely?”
“The company I was working for did a merger a few months ago, and I took a decent payoff. But I’m consulting for them now.” Matt shrugged. “It means I can work from anywhere.”
Still, an old house in the middle of the Irish countryside was an unusual choice.
“You know Granary House used to be a bed and breakfast, don’t you?” she said.
He laughed. “Yep, but I’ve no plans to reopen it as a B&B. I’m only thirty, Daisy. We’re practically the same age, remember? Now seemed like the right time to come home and settle down, maybe have a family. I never really saw myself doing those things in the States.”
Daisy stared at him for a moment. He’d come home to settle down? It didn’t matter. She produced a small notepad and pen from her bag.
“Why don’t you give me a broad idea of what you’d like for the house?”
“Sounds good.” He sat up a bit straighter. “Where do we begin?”
“I’m slightly surprised you don’t want to start knocking walls down,” Daisy joked a while later. “Or have you really been paying attention while I’ve been going on about the house’s proportions?”
“You know I always appreciated good proportions,” Matt said with a cheeky grin.
Daisy felt heat rise to her face.
He seemed to take pity on her. “This is where I want to live. It’s important to me that it feels right. And we’re on the same wavelength.”
They were, she thought. And they’d always complemented each other’s differences. She’d been more outgoing, and had made friends easier during college. Matt had been quiet, his only real friend back then had been Brian. And later, her and Laura. But he’d been happier when it had just been the two of them.
At the time, she’d been a bit disappointed that he wouldn’t come to Galway for weekends with her family and friends, but she’d accepted that he was shy. And maybe a bit self-centred, in the way a lot of people in their early twenties were. Still, his leaving had been a shock. There’d been no clues, not a single suggestion that he was unhappy. He’d never even hinted about staying in the States.
After they’d all graduated from college, she, Laura and Brian had gone straight into jobs. She and Laura had worked for other design firms to gain experience and build their savings. While they were working, Matt had opted to do a postgrad, and when he’d finished he’d headed to New York the summer Daisy and Laura had set up their company.
He’d told Daisy it would be a four-month internship. When he’d decided to stay, it had shaken her to her core, and left her wondering if she’d ever really known him.
Or how much she knew anyone.
He pushed his plate away now. “So, decision time.”
Daisy found herself holding her breath. Matt had already paid a lot for Granary House. She’d hardly blame him if he didn’t want to spend more money so soon.
He gave a lopsided smile. “You have the job, Daisy.”
“Brilliant!” She beamed, resisting the temptation to hug him. That would definitely send out the wrong message. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“Why wouldn’t we be?” Matt’s tone was light. “You get the chance to work on your dream house and I get the best interior architect in Dublin.”
“Right.” Daisy deliberately ignored the niggle of doubt. She couldn’t get cold feet now. She’d contacted him, she’d pitched for the job – now he was giving it to her. It didn’t matter that they had a history. “Once I see the house, and find out exactly what you want, I’ll be able to draw up plans and give you a quote.”
Matt rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “Hey, it’s just money, right?”
Daisy tried to gauge whether he was boasting, but he sounded more philosophical than anything. She opened her phone diary. “I could call out Tuesday, around eleven?”
“I bought a good coffee machine. Do you still drink lattes?”
“Oh, good memory. Flat white now, but latte is near enough.” She caught the waiter’s eye and motioned for the bill. “I’d better get back.”
“I’m glad you reached out,” Matt said with a grin.
“Reached out?” Daisy laughed when Matt gave a sheepish look.
“Is the house the only reason you got in touch?” he asked.
God, she wasn’t ready for that conversation yet!
“ Um , actually, there’s an annual competition for the industry. I’d like to enter Granary House.”
He nodded. “What would I have to do?”
Daisy chose her words carefully. “TV5 showcases the shortlisted houses for their Home Design of the Year programme, so if we make it onto the shortlist, we’d be interviewed. And I always prioritise the award projects, because they have to be finished on time.”
She held her breath as he seemed to think.
“I don’t see any problems,” he said finally.
Was that a yes! It sounded like a yes! She was going to redesign Granary House and enter it for the award! Play it cool, Daisy.
“Good, we’ll work towards that, then.”
The waiter came over with the bill and, as Daisy reached for it, Matt’s hand closed over hers. She managed to slide the bill towards her, her pulse racing as she pretended to study it.
“Daisy?”
She looked up.
“I’d like to get the bill,” he said.
“Ah, listen, I’ll just stick it on expenses.”
Matt looked amused. “Yeah, but you work for yourself.”
“And you’ll have enough expenses once the work starts.” Daisy put the company’s credit card on the table and flashed Matt a brief smile. “I insist.”
He sighed. “I could never argue with you.”
Was that why they’d never really argued during their five years together?
She’d always assumed it was because they’d always agreed on things. Now she wondered what else they remembered differently. Not that it mattered. She was getting to design Granary House, and Matt had agreed to let her use it for her awards entry. It was a sign.
Her smile widened. “You won’t regret this, I promise.”
He held her gaze longer than necessary. “Having my ex-girlfriend redesign my house? Yeah, probably not.”