The Life Daisy Devlin Designed

CHAPTER 19

By eleven o’clock on Monday, Daisy had got an email from the landscapers to confirm they’d be ready to start on the Granary House grounds later that week.

James had spent the whole weekend working, emerging from his office to eat, before disappearing again for hours at a time. Daisy had even tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade him to come to the local food market on Sunday for a while.

It struck Daisy that apart from Laura she still didn’t have many friends in Dublin. Part of the reason was because she’d met Matt so young, and they’d quickly formed a tight unit with Laura and Brian in college. The other reason was that her college class had been small – thirty students in all – and many of them had emigrated after graduation.

If Alma had been feeling better, Daisy would have gone down to Galway. Instead, she spent Saturday morning in town, picking up storage for Freya’s house, and got home to find Alma dozing on the couch. After Alma woke up, she’d asked for chicken soup before taking herself off to bed, where Daisy had kept her fed and watered for the rest of the weekend.

Now, Daisy found herself struggling to focus on the day ahead. She looked over the long checklist she’d made for Freya’s house. All the heavy work had been done, and its transformation from a dark, stuffy, old-fashioned house to a bright, practical family home, full of warmth and character, was almost complete. She knew she should be pleased, but she couldn’t get past the uncomfortable feeling that she kept missing chances to fix her actual life.

She leaned back in her chair and met Fionn’s eyes as he glanced up and flicked his fringe across his forehead.

“I’ve finished those 3D models. I’m sending them to you now,” he said.

“Thanks, Fionn.”

He hesitated. “Is there anything else I can do? You kinda look like you’ve something on your mind.”

Either she had a ridiculously readable face, or Fionn was a mind-reader too.

“Actually, there is something.” Could she really ask their student intern to do this? “If I give you somebody’s details, could you do a horoscope?”

“Is this Matt Deveraux?”

A mind-reader definitely. He was on to her. “Eh, yes.” Blushing, she scribbled down Matt’s birth details. “It’s a feng-shui thing.”

“Absolutely. I’m on it,” he said, straight-faced.

“Right, thanks. Em , one more thing, Fionn? Don’t mention it to Laura.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Speaking of Laura, did she call?”

“ Uh , no. Maybe she’s on site somewhere?”

Daisy tried to think. Laura had mentioned she was being consulted on a new build, but she was pretty sure she hadn’t planned to view the house for another week. She suppressed a sigh. Deep down, she knew she wasn’t frustrated with Laura, Freya or even Alma! It was James. And Matt. Not to mention that work on Granary House was now being rushed.

Laura eventually arrived in, dumping a Louis Vuitton satchel and a bottle of Evian water on her desk.

“Right, what earth-shattering events did I miss?” She eased herself gingerly into her chair.

Daisy wondered if she was overdoing things. She hadn’t been training as long as Brian and, knowing Laura, she was trying to catch up.

“A guy called Ted Fields rang and left a message about a fountain,” Fionn said. “The one for the courtyard. He said you’d know.”

“Go on.” Laura unscrewed the lid of her water and took a careful sip. When Fionn hesitated, she added, “Out with it, Fionn! I’m not going to bite your head off.”

“He said it was delivered this morning and he wants you to arrange to have it taken back because it’s not big enough.”

Laura closed her eyes for a minute, and Fionn exchanged a quick look with Daisy.

“Screw him. If he calls again, Fionn, tell him I’m out on site and can’t be reached. I went over this a dozen times with him, but he doesn’t understand that bigger isn’t always better. Or tasteful. But why would he listen to the person he’s paying to make the right decisions for his house? Stupid man.”

Daisy frowned. “Are you feeling okay?”

Laura glared at her. “Why? Because I’m giving out about a client? Or because I’m giving out about a man!”

After the weekend she’d had, Daisy hadn’t the energy to pursue it.

“We’re having to push things hard on Granary House to get everything finished on time,” she said, changing the subject. “Kayley Lynch will be here in a couple of weeks. Matt says she’s planning to use the place for rehearsals and stuff.”

Fionn looked like he might faint from excitement.

“Kayley Lynch is gonna be here in two weeks? Just like, hanging around?”

“I’m not exactly sure how much hanging around she’ll be doing.” Daisy pulled a few loose threads off her skirt. “I’m sure she’ll have a pretty tight schedule. Is her tour going well?”

Fionn beamed. “Totally! Although she’s still getting a hard time in the press. But she could make a ton of money if one of the big streamers picks up her documentary.”

Laura looked bemused. “Maybe she could fall off the wagon again. That’d make things interesting.”

Daisy shook her head. “Dark, Laura, even for you.”

Laura grinned, then her expression changed and she hurried out of the office. Daisy and Fionn exchanged a worried look. When she reappeared a few minutes later, she looked pale.

“Were you out last night?” Daisy asked carefully.

“Of course not. I’m training for this marathon, remember?” Laura huffed. “It’s this training diet Brian has me on. I know it’s necessary, but I’m not used to all the carbs!”

Since when had Brian become a nutrition expert? And Laura was worse, agreeing to something like that just to keep the guy happy! But maybe that was the secret of a successful relationship? Maybe if she and James had a shared project, they’d feel less like housemates and more like soulmates. Although she was pretty sure it would take a lot more than a shared project to make things better between them.

Laura looked at her and Daisy had the uncomfortable feeling that she knew exactly what she was thinking about Brian. She rolled her shoulders, trying to ease out the tension. Running the company together used to be fun, a natural extension of their friendship. Even when she’d been with Matt, it had felt like her and Laura against the world.

Lately, it felt like there was a distance growing between her and everyone important in her life.

“So, what are you planning for your birthday?” Laura asked after a while.

“Are you going to have a party?” Fionn’s eyes lit up.

“With cocktail sausages and Rice Krispie cakes?” Laura’s tone was teasing, and Daisy laughed.

“James is taking me out for dinner.” She caught Laura’s expression. “I know you went to Malaga for your thirtieth, but ...” She shrugged. She and James hadn’t taken a holiday since they’d bought the house, even though the idea of renting out the room was so they’d have money for a few luxuries.

“How’s Alma?” Fionn asked quickly.

“ Hmm? Oh, yeah, a bit better.” She decided not to mention that James had gone out the previous evening and bought Lemsips, Vitamin C and a hot-water bottle with a fluffy pink cover. Daisy figured she’d have to be on her deathbed before James bought her a hot-water bottle.

“I wonder will Matt remember your birthday.” There was a slight edge to Laura’s voice.

Daisy tried to look disinterested. “If he does, he’ll just wish me a happy birthday. It’s not a big deal.”

“ Riiight …”

Fionn muttered some excuse and left the room.

Daisy sighed. “Listen, Laura, there’s nothing at all between Matt and me. This is about the house.”

“Bit of advice, Daisy? Leave it at that! Don’t look for anything else, or you’ll end up getting hurt again.”

Daisy said nothing. A few weeks ago closure had seemed pretty straightforward. Now, she couldn’t ignore all the signs pointing to change. And that meant taking a leap into the unknown.