Chapter VII
VII
DAISY
Daisy thought she would never see him again.
In a city of over eight million people, their paths to cross would be more cruel than coincidence.
But less than a month after she saw his engagement announcement, while she was drinking a cup of tea and mulling over her dinner plans, he walked into the office.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” she muttered, sinking into her chair. It didn’t go unnoticed, and Edie cast her a concerned look.
“You alright there, pet?”
“Fine,” Daisy replied, avoiding her gaze. “Just spilt a bit of tea on myself, that’s all.”
It was a lie, and as Edie studied her, she sensed it hadn’t been a believable one.
Daisy was certain he’d been in their office before, multiple times, but that was before.
It had been easier then, when she didn’t know who he was; it allowed her the luxury of not imagining him, of not fantasizing about their paths crossing in a crowded bar, or spotting him drinking coffee in a café, of his eyes finding hers and being glad that life had brought them together again.
Logan walked to the front desk and stood there, engaged in discussion for a while.
He was dressed in a suit and yellow tie, and his hair had been cut to the shoulder.
She wondered then: what if? What if she’d replied to his emails after the bar?
What if she’d swallowed all of her self-pity and done something bold for once?
Deep down, she knew that Idris and she weren’t the endgame kind of love, but he was enough. Love, after all, grows. It isn’t something that can exist without nurture. She could make it grow, she’d told herself, even if the soil was never right to begin with.
She watched as he crossed the room and headed into Russell’s office, feeling her cheeks warm when Edie cleared her throat.
“Right,” Edie said, interrupting her thoughts. “You wanna tell me why you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“It’s nothing.” Daisy sighed and shook her head. Although she trusted her, Edie wasn’t known for her discretion, and the last thing she needed was to become a topic on her lips. “It’s just someone I thought I’d never see again.”
Edie raised an eyebrow, but before she could pry, the phone on her desk rang, pulling her attention away.
Daisy sighed, covering her face for a brief moment. She shouldn’t have been surprised he was there. Russell had been talking about the charity golf game Logan was involved in all week, and unless she resigned from her job, it was going to be impossible to avoid him..
Twenty minutes later, the door opened. She fixed her eyes on the screen, willing him to walk straight past her desk and out the door. But fate wasn’t that kind.
“Daisy.”
Her fingers stilled over the keyboard, and she took a breath before looking up. “Logan. Nice to see you again.”
He smiled. Not the wide, lopsided grin she remembered, but something more polite and reserved. “Russell tells me it’s your birthday.”
Her stomach dropped. She glanced at Edie, but she was still occupied on the phone, blissfully unaware of the silent mayday call.
“Would you like to grab lunch?” he added after a slight pause.
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
Daisy exhaled sharply. “Maybe because you’re engaged.”
“And you have a boyfriend, don’t you?”
“Yes, so?”
His jaw tightened, but the smile remained. “It’s just lunch. It’s not as if we’re about to have a raging affair. Remember,” he said, lowering his voice, “according to you, we aren’t even friends.”
The sound of his voice sent a shiver down her spine, making goosebumps creep up her arm. It wasn’t as if Idris had planned anything special; he hadn’t even acknowledged the day's significance.
“Just lunch?”
His smile deepened, just a touch. “Just lunch.”
She pushed herself up from the chair and stood, her hand reaching for her coat. As she slipped it on, slowly and purposefully, it struck her—the way time hadn't eased the hold he still had on her, and she couldn't help but wonder if he felt it, too.
He took her back to the one place she never thought she’d set foot in again, The Horseman. This time, though, there was no bubbly, red-haired woman behind the bar. She’d been replaced with a sour-looking man who looked like he’d rather be any place but there.
“She moved,” Logan said, as if reading her thoughts. “A while back now.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged, sliding off his jacket. “It’s an unavoidable fact of life. People come and go.”
“I know,” she said softly. “It’s often the best ones, too.”
He looked at her then, his eyes lost in thought. Finally, he smiled and reached for a menu, “Tell me, Miss Daisy—how are you? How are you really?”
She hesitated, mirroring his movement, hiding behind the menu. “I’m okay,” she lied. “When’s the wedding?”
Logan went still. It was subtle, but she noticed.
“The shepherd’s pie is good,” he said instead, his fingers tapping against the table. “So is the steak and ale pie. And to answer your question, we’re getting married at the end of the month.”
Daisy blinked. “That soon?”
He nodded, but the movement felt uncertain. “Kate wants to do it before she leaves for Boston.”
Daisy’s grip tightened on the menu. “Boston?”
“She got an offer. It’s only for a year,” he added quickly. “I’ll visit when I can.”
She frowned. “Then why rush into it? The wedding, I mean.”
Logan exhaled through his nose, setting his menu down. “You’re asking a lot of questions.”
“Am I?”
“You are.”
They lapsed into silence again, and Daisy cast around for something to say to fill the void but she had to know. Slowly, she shifted her gaze back to him. “I just don’t understand. How do you know she’s the one if you haven’t been together long?”
His jaw tensed. “Have you never heard the saying, ‘When you know, you know’?”
“So, you admit she’s the one then?”
Something in his expression shifted—frustration, maybe. Or something else. “Are you trying to insult me?”
“How?”
“By sitting here, asking me about my relationship when I should be the one asking you.”
She blinked, caught off guard. “Asking me what?”
“Why the hell are you still with someone who treats you like—” He stopped himself mid-sentence, like he’d just realised how far he’d gone. “You know what, never mind. You love him, that’s all that matters.”
Her heart skipped, her breath catching in her chest as the words sank in. “You know nothing.”
“Really? Because I’m pretty sure everyone else in the bar saw the same thing I did.”
She didn’t want to have this conversation.
Not here. Not with him. Idris’s behaviour had only worsened over time, and she felt cornered.
She clung to the good moments, however rare and fleeting they had become, because she wasn’t ready to face the truth—that her relationship was on life support.
But she would never say that to Logan or admit it to anyone.
“Did you bring me here just to humiliate me?”
His jaw tightened. “No.”
“Then why?”
He didn’t answer, so she challenged him again.
“Seriously, Logan, why are we here?”
His eyes searched hers, and for the first time, she saw it—their connection for what it was.
“Because,” he said, his voice slow and deliberate. “Don’t you get it? Daisy, I…I needed to see you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I…I just did.”
Her breath hitched. She wouldn’t let herself react; to him, this was just a game, she told herself. Instead, she set the menu down and stood. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here.”
Logan reached for her wrist, but she pulled away.
“Daisy—”
“No.” Her voice trembled despite her best efforts to keep it steady. “I’m not one of your behavioural case studies, Logan. Stop playing mind games with me!”
Then, without giving him a second glance, she left.