Chapter 2
J ust as Daisy had clicked the vacuum cleaner off, wound the lead back up and chosen a yellow wine gum, her phone buzzed in her cardigan. Tugging it out, she glanced at the screen. A message from the other new, good thing in her life. Her heart did a little flip and a big, old, kill-me-now flop.
Miles: Hey. Just wondering if the girls are at Annabelle’s tonight?
Daisy stared at the message for a second and her stomach gave a flutter that she immediately told to calm down.
The Miles and Daisy story had continued and was doing well.
Oh-so-very well. After the initial uppity part where Miles had vanished and Daisy had thought she’d been played, their relationship had zoomed along at a very fast pace.
Dare she think it, but they were well and truly an item.
After deciding he’d not only fallen in love with Daisy but also Pretty Beach and who could blame him, Miles had rented a small flat in Pretty Beach to see how he’d get on.
He now spent a lot of time going up and down to London on the fast train and juggling his time between the city and the beach. Some might say not a bad life to lead.
Despite the fact that the Daisy and Miles story had very quickly clicked into place, Daisy had kept him at arm’s length from the twins.
She might be in love, lust or whatever else you wanted to call it, but where the twins were concerned, she was ruthlessly, brutally, mama-bear protective.
Though Miles had met Margot and Evie a few times here and there, to all intents and purposes, Daisy was keeping him separate from the girls.
Where the twins were concerned, she had to be rock solid sure about everything and she was not in any way prepared to budge.
Miles had not seemed to have a problem with any of that.
He’d said, in actual fact, that he’d thought it was fair enough and a good idea.
It had all worked quite swimmingly. So far, so good.
With the candle Annabelle had given her still flickering away beside her, Daisy tapped out a quick reply.
Daisy: Yes, they’re staying over tonight. Ballet tights, toothbrushes and cuddly bunnies all packed and ready for later. Why?
Miles: I was thinking I could pop over and bring dinner? Something easy. Nothing fancy. Just us and a takeaway? Up for it???
Was she up for it? Ha. Was she ever, my friend.
Daisy: Just us sounds lovely. You bring dinner, I’ll supply the bookshop ambience ;). And maybe some gin and defo good conversation. Lol xxx
Her phone buzzed again immediately.
Miles: Good conversation? That’s a big promise. I’m not after conversation… I’ll bring emergency backup wine in case you go quiet. x
Daisy: Haha. You should be so lucky. x
Miles: I consider myself a very lucky man.
You’re not the only one, Daisy thought.
Daisy: What are we having?
Miles: Thai???
Daisy: Yum.
Daisy popped an orange wine gum in her mouth as an image of all the times she’d sat alone in a rented property, not able to afford a takeaway anything arrived in her brain. How times had changed.
Miles: Thai, it is. I want to see if you’re still pretending you can use chopsticks. x
Daisy: Rude. I happen to be excellent with chopsticks now, thank you very much. I watched a video.
Miles: Impressive. I’ll expect a full demonstration. I’ll be there around seven.
Daisy: See you later. I’ll be the one faffing about lighting candles and fluffing cushions.
Miles: I’ll be the one carrying too many takeaway bags. I might bring ten bunches of flowers.
Daisy laughed at her phone at the mention of when Miles had turned up at her door with ten bunches of flowers as a peace offering when they’d first been going out.
Rereading the message thread, she smiled and her heart flipped.
For all her efforts to keep things measured and sensible and not let her feelings run away with themselves, it was hard not to feel a tad giddy about it all.
The pair of them just got each other. Miles, so far, had never made things complicated, never pushed and was all around just calm, nice and balanced.
He knew when to step in and when to leave her be and somehow, he managed to always turn up, text or call just when she needed a bit of lightness.
Daisy: Bring napkins and wine. x
Miles: Bossy, but noted.
Daisy: It’s called being organised. You’re lucky to have me. x
Miles: I am. See you at 7.
Daisy slipped her phone back in her pocket, smiled at the empty shop and glanced around.
Fairy lights twinkled, the candle flickered and she had what would hopefully be a good day and evening ahead.
Right away, she was already looking forward to the evening.
Just her and Miles and something easy. A perfect evening as far as she was concerned.
These days, she didn’t want for much. As she moved behind the counter and picked up a little vase of garden flowers her mum had brought over, she then went about the bookshop faffing to her heart’s content.
As she tidied, cleaned and pottered, she pondered and mused the shop, her girls, Miles and her very comfy little heart.
Life really was rather good. Settled is what she’d been after for years and it had arrived. Was it going to stay the same?