The Life Daisy Devlin Designed

CHAPTER 2

Daisy’s phone was ringing just as she got home that evening. “Rosie? Just got home. I’m at the front door. Let me just get in ...” She was hit by a blast of music from the kitchen as she shouldered open the door. Hanging up her coat, she allowed herself a quick glance in the mirrored panels that fitted flush with the wall in the narrow hallway.

“ Okay, I’m in .” She had to raise her voice so she could hear herself. “So did you and Séan enjoy the weekend? I’ll bet you didn’t even get out of bed, haha .”

Rosie tutted. “Stop being so childish, Daisy.”

Stop being so annoying, Rosie. Her sister was the most uptight thirty-five-year-old on the planet. Their mother was more chilled-out than her! Actually, their mother was more chilled-out than anyone. Maybe she could just hang up? Except Rosie would probably accuse her of being childish again.

“Just messing with you, Rosie.”

Something smelt good, she realised. Maybe James had got home early and was making his Chicken Korma. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d made it.

“Daisy, are you still listening?”

“ Er , you were thanking me for helping to mind the kids at the weekend.”

“No, I wasn’t.” Rosie sounded indignant. “Penny told me you spent the whole weekend in town seeing your friends, and the only time you saw them was at meals or to sneak them chocolate.”

The child was being groomed in her mother’s image, Daisy thought. In fairness to her parents, they hadn’t been remotely bothered that she hadn’t hung around while Rosie and Séan had been off celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. They’d always been relaxed, but becoming grandparents had elevated them to a whole new level of Zen.

“Rosie, have you rung just to lecture me? Because you could have saved it up for your usual Friday phone call.”

Rosie huffed a sigh. “I’m phoning about the twins’ birthday next Saturday. I put a reminder in the family group.”

Crap, she’d muted the family WhatsApp group because it had been full of messages from Rosie instructing their parents about her kids, while she and Séan skived off for their dirty weekend. Daisy couldn’t understand why Rosie didn’t just message their mother privately about food intolerances, GAA practice and bedtimes, but her sister was a law onto herself. Now, she’d completely forgotten about the twins’ birthday. She’d never have gone down for the weekend, if she’d known she had to hightail it back down so soon.

“It’s in my diary. And I’m, er , Penny’s godmother.”

“Annie’s,” Rosie sighed.

“Right. And they’ll be four.”

“Five.”

Daisy stepped out of her heels and, with her free hand, tucked them in beside James’ shoes on the shoe rack under the coat rail.

“There’s a lot of noise in your house, Daisy.”

“ Um , yeah, it’s Kayley Lynch, you know, that American country singer?” Alma, the Swedish post-grad student who’d been renting their spare bedroom for the past two years, liked her.

Daisy really hoped James just happened to have her playing – they could do with a night to themselves.

“So, what do you think?” Rosie was saying.

About the noise? The party. Daisy stifled a sigh. “Yeah, we’ll be there, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried,” Rosie said. “I just wondered whether you’ll be staying over with Mum and Dad, or with us. We’ve plenty of room.”

“I know, yeah.”

Rosie and Séan lived in a six-bedroom bungalow, and Rosie was forever going on about road frontage and picture windows, and the fact that their kitchen was bigger than Daisy’s whole house. Daisy knew her sister was horrified by the fact that she and James shared their meagre fifty-five square metres with a complete stranger, just to help with their mortgage. Still, the thought of being under the same roof as Rosie and all her kids for even a night was too much. “It’s grand, we’ll stay with Mum and Dad. It’ll be nice for them to see James.”

“ Hmm , they were saying that you came down on your own on Friday night.”

“Yeah, well, James was working, and I wanted to catch up with friends. Sure, he’d feel like a spare tool hanging around.” That was definitely enough about her and James. “What would the twins like for their birthday?”

“Well, Penny likes books and Annie likes art, but keep it small, Daisy. You know Séan and I don’t like anything over-the-top.”

“There goes the Knuttel I’d planned to give Annie, so.”

“You’re hilarious.” Rosie’s tone was dry. “The party starts at two, but why don’t you scoot down a bit early, and help us get ready? We’re having a bouncy castle and face-painting on the day, and the boys are allowed to invite whoever they like – so fingers crossed for a decent bit of weather.”

Should she tell her that there was another storm forecast for this week, Daisy wondered. Nah, her brilliant sister could figure that one out for herself.

“Listen, Daisy, I have to go, it’s mad here. See you then, bye.”

Rosie hung up and Daisy rolled her eyes. Her older sister always pretended Daisy was the one trying to keep her from her vastly busy life. Although, to be fair to her, if she had four children under the age of eight, she’d be busy too. Or probably just dead from exhaustion.

Daisy slung her phone back into her skirt pocket and went into the kitchen, to see her boyfriend of five years twirling Alma out from his long, lean frame and back in again, like they were on some sort of country music dance show.

James caught her eye and they stuttered to a stop. “It’s Kayley Lynch.” He grinned sheepishly, pushing a hand back through untidy brown hair.

“I know, yeah.” Daisy tried her best to smile, but she strongly suspected it looked more like a grimace.

“Good evening, Daisy,” Alma said.

She was always excessively polite around her. She saved that Swedish warmth for James. Now Alma was giving her that penetrating stare she had, like she was judging how she looked. She wondered what the petite twenty-three-year-old with her pixie haircut and gender-neutral clothes in equally neutral shades, thought of her colourful, vintage wardrobe. Although she was pretty sure her clothes weren’t the only thing Alma was judging. Daisy sucked in her stomach, which at that moment gave a very unladylike gurgle.

“Nice smell.” Daisy folded her arms. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Chicken Korma!” James came over and dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ve been teaching Alma how to make it.”

“I love experimenting with food,” Alma said.

Daisy didn’t believe that for a moment. The only thing Alma seemed to cook was spaghetti with Swedish meatballs. And soup. Which was fine by her, because they’d all agreed early on that Alma could use the kitchen to make her own meals.

“Alma decided she’d eat with us this evening,” James said.

There wasn’t a trace of apology in his voice, Daisy noticed. She’d bloody kill him! Still, it was just dinner. And Alma would probably go up to her room to work for the rest of the evening. She was a final-year postgrad in nuclear physics or something equally intimidating, and seemed to be able to study and party with equal intensity. Despite the fact that there were only seven years between them, Daisy always felt ancient around her.

As Alma checked on the rice, James set the table, and Daisy debated leaving them to it while she grabbed a shower. She wondered if they’d have to keep renting out the room after Alma finished in the autumn. James was always telling her that they couldn’t afford the mortgage, all their bills and have some savings, without the extra income.

“So, how was your day?” James handed her a bottle of beer.

“Grand, you know yourself. You?” Even after all this time, she felt like she was playing house in front of Alma, when all she wanted was to pile some curry into a bowl and eat in front of the telly.

He pulled a face. “Same as it’s been all year.”

Daisy flashed him a sympathetic smile. She’d met James when she was twenty-four, less than a year after Matt had simply walked out of her life. James had been twenty-seven, and had just started a small software company. Ironically, it had been exactly the same thing Matt had hoped to do.

At the time, Laura had warned her about being on the rebound. Although James had taken his time before asking her out, Daisy sometimes wondered if she had been on the rebound. How long did it take to get over someone, anyway?

Even now, she wondered had she simply not wanted to be on her own after Matt had left. It would have been hard, she knew, but everyone said that being single for a while made you more independent, more discerning.

Immediately, she felt guilty for thinking she mightn’t have ended up with James, if she’d been more discerning. James was such a good guy. Even if he was pretty distracted these days. She watched as he added some seasoning to the korma, beaming at Alma as she stirred it in. Definitely distracted!

“Oh, I nearly forgot.” James reached into his pocket.

For a brief moment Daisy allowed herself to imagine that he’d got her something. Before they’d bought their house two years before, they’d regularly surprised each other with little fun gifts. She suppressed a sigh as James handed Alma a small, unwrapped box.

“For your collection!”

Alma’s face lit up as she opened it and pulled out a plastic figurine with an oversized head. “A Funko Pop!” She flushed. “Thank you so much!

For a moment, Daisy thought she was going to launch herself into his arms. Instead, she grinned stupidly at him for another long moment.

Daisy forced another smile. Ever since Alma had told James that her big brother used to buy her Stranger Things Funko Pops – little figures with tiny bodies and giant heads – and how much she missed him since coming to study in Ireland, James had surprised her a few times by buying them for her instead. Alma had tried to pay him, but he’d always refused.

Daisy tried to ignore the niggling feeling that it was downright weird to buy gifts for someone who rented a room from them.

As James ladled out the curry into some mismatched bowls that Daisy had picked up from their local Oxfam shop, she mentally skimmed over the events of the morning.

After some persuasion, Laura had asked Brian for Matt’s new number, and Daisy had agonised for ages over what to message him. In the end, she’d simply texted: Hi Matt, I heard you were back. Congrats on buying Granary House. I’d love to pitch for its redesign, and would be delighted to give you a very competitive quote. Best, Daisy.

She’d checked her phone during the day, but he hadn’t replied. It had taken her until the afternoon to pluck up the courage to ask Laura to check the number with Brian. Laura had shot her a worried look, but she’d double-checked the number.

Daisy tried to rationalise Matt’s lack of response. Clearly, he’d never expected to hear from her. He might have even thought her pitch was an excuse to see him. Embarrassment curled through her. The last thing she wanted was Matt to think she was still pining for him. She didn’t want his pity. In fact, she wanted him to know that she was fine. Better than fine! She wanted to prove to him that she’d made a success of her life. In every single way that mattered.

Plus, she reasoned, working for Matt could spell total disaster! Or they might find that they were still madly attracted to each other, and they’d both managed to suppress it for the last five years. Which would be ... a total disaster, obviously.

At the same time, it was definitely a sign that Matt had bought a house she’d wanted to redesign for so long. Daisy was a firm believer in signs – she just hadn’t always read them properly. Once, she’d thought she and Matt had the perfect relationship. She’d envisioned a future where they might even marry and have a family. And look how that had turned out! Even now, she wondered how she’d missed those signs – the foreshadowing of a bombshell.

What if Laura had been right, and she’d made a huge mistake by contacting him?

But if Matt decided to ignore her text, it was probably for the best. Things hadn’t been great between her and James for a while, and having Matt back in her life might ... what? Make things worse? How would that be possible? Her stomach squeezed. In the past year or more, James had been subtly pulling back from their relationship. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d even had a proper conversation.

Daisy had tried to pinpoint exactly why, but the only thing she could think was that he regretted making the commitment to buy a house together. Even more worrying was that as he’d pulled away from her, he’d gravitated towards Alma. Daisy didn’t actually believe that James was cheating on her, but she’d definitely been sidelined. Because while James and Alma had connected over their Nintendo Switches, Daisy, whose own hobbies ran to knitting cute sweaters and upcycling vintage clothes, found herself completely excluded.

Which made her more determined than ever not to let her private life affect her career. She wouldn’t apologise for wanting a real chance at an award she’d gone for every year since landing her first job in the industry.

The reality was, she needed a win. And that had nothing to do with Matt.