The Life Daisy Devlin Designed

CHAPTER 24

@Celebwatch88 pretty wild that @KayleyLynch is gonna be spending three weeks in Ireland finishing her European tour and meeting Irish relations. Like has anyone told her that everyone in Ireland just hangs out in the pub? Sounds like a pretty bad combo for an addict IMO.

Daisy recognised Kayley Lynch as soon as she arrived at Granary House on Wednesday morning. The country singer, Matt and two men she assumed were with Kayley, were having breakfast on the patio.

Daisy tried not to stare. According to the singer’s Wikipedia page, she was twenty-eight. With her frayed denim jeans, pink T-shirt, long, sun-bleached hair and tanned skin, she looked more like an American student on Spring Break.

A brief look of confusion crossed Matt’s face when he saw Daisy but, as he got to his feet, his expression relaxed into a smile.

“You used your key! So, introductions! Daisy, this is Kayley Lynch and her team. Guys, this is Daisy Devlin, my interior architect.”

Daisy smiled brightly. “Lovely to meet you all. I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

“Hey, there!”

Kayley stood and Daisy ran a self-conscious hand over her skirt, as Kayley treated her to a brief, assessing look. She shook Daisy’s hand, her mouth stretching into a cool smile.

She should say something, Daisy thought. But right now she couldn’t even remember one of her songs! “You’re always on in my house!” she said instead. Which was true, even if she wasn’t the one who liked her stuff! “So, how long will you be in Ireland?”

“A few weeks. It’s the last part of my tour, so we have some time to play around.” Kayley gave a one-shouldered shrug and sat again. “I wanna meet up with some family, work on some new stuff.” She touched the large white stone that hung around her neck on a fine silver chain.

One of the men cleared his throat. “Todd Onati.” He stood, tall and solid, his thick, silver hair a contrast to his deeply tanned skin, and shook Daisy’s hand. “I’m Kayley’s manager.” His accent was similar to Kayley’s. “Matt’s been telling us how you’re organising for everything to be finished for us. We all appreciate that.”

“Well, we’re on schedule.” It had been heart-breaking to see the half-acre of orchard completely demolished before a giant rotavator could make it ready for roll-out grass, but it had been necessary.

“Awesome coffee, Matty, thanks,” said Kayley.

Matty? Daisy flicked a look at Matt, but his smile hadn’t wavered.

The other man stepped forward and shook Daisy’s hand. “Tim Meaney. I’m the publicist.”

Daisy blinked as she looked at the younger, fairer man. Late thirties, she’d guess.

“You’re Irish?”

“Cork city, never lost the accent!” He cleared his throat. “We’ll get out of your way. I’m sure you guys have a lot to talk about, and we want to explore the grounds.”

After they left, Daisy smiled a bit awkwardly. “I’m sorry if I crashed in – I didn’t know they’d be here. But it’s kind of exciting to have someone like Kayley Lynch here, isn’t it? I only discovered that my dad’s a bit of a fan!”

“Yeah, they got in last night.” Matt scrubbed a hand over his face. “I made bacon and eggs, but Kayley’s raw vegan, and the other two ate at the hotel. Fancy some breakfast?”

Daisy’s stomach growled.

Matt looked at her expectantly. “You can show me what you’re planning to do today while we eat, if it makes you feel any better.”

“It does.” Daisy sat down and closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sun on her face, as she listened to Matt in the kitchen. She wondered if she should try to talk about the kiss. Maybe she could work up to it.

Matt came back some time later with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon and two mugs of coffee. “The bacon was hot in the oven, but the eggs are fresh.”

“Thanks.” She picked up her knife and fork. “So, Kayley seems to make herself at home pretty fast. She’s already calling you Matty!”

He laughed. “I noticed. But I’d say settling in fast comes with the territory when you’re touring. Anyway, I’ve more important things on my mind this morning.”

He gave her an appraising look, and Daisy glanced away, her stomach clenching hard.

He wrapped his hands around his mug of coffee. “You know, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be welcome at your birthday, but I’m glad I went.”

She glanced back up. “Me too. Probably drank a bit too much, though.” Perfect cop-out, Daisy.

Ironically, she was pretty sure it was only her and Brian who’d enjoyed having Matt there.

“Brian told me Laura organised it.” He gave a lopsided smile. “I think she’d have preferred if I hadn’t shown up.” Before Daisy could say anything, he added, “I didn’t see James.”

“He was around.” Probably better they didn’t talk about James. And anyway, why had Brian said Laura organised it? The guy couldn’t bear to give James the tiniest bit of credit!

She drank her coffee, and wondered for the hundredth time if she’d seriously misjudged Matt. She’d always blamed him for what he’d done. Now she wondered if there’d been something she’d missed. She wished she could ask him straight out. Before her party, she’d tried to tell herself that she couldn’t afford to overstep that boundary. But now ...

“So, what are we doing today?” Matt said.

She blinked. Maybe he wasn’t going to mention the kiss, then. Maybe he’d already dismissed it as a birthday kiss – he might even regret it.

“Daisy?”

She smiled brightly. “Right, sorry. Colour schemes and final touches.”

He looked amused. “Did I not already agree to all that?”

“Those were the broad strokes.” She hoped Matt wouldn’t realise she’d deliberately drawn out the process. “Today, you’re looking at paper and paint choices in every room. There’s less than a month to Kayley’s concert, so it’s better to be prepared in case there’s a long wait for something. I’ve material samples, photos and testers to put up around the house, so you can visualise how it’ll look.”

“I already told you I trust you to make the right decisions.”

“But this is the part that most people find fun!”

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “You have me for the morning, but I have to meet a potential client after lunch.”

He smiled, holding her gaze for longer than necessary, and Daisy tried to ignore the chaotic flutters in her stomach.

Who needed to actually talk about a kiss, when the guy in question was looking at her like that?

She took a deep breath. “We should get started.”

She wished Granary House wasn’t being fast-tracked.

Once it was over, she’d have no excuse to see him. And no reason to torture herself anymore either. Only she didn’t want a return to the status quo. It was the only thing she was sure about.

The house was empty when Daisy got home that evening. She poured herself a glass of wine and sat down at the kitchen table, letting her mind wander back over the day.

Even though Matt hadn’t mentioned her birthday party again, Daisy had got the impression that they were edging closer to the discussion she knew they’d have to have.

Kayley had made a point of thanking Matt again before she’d left with the two men.

“The place is super-cute, Matty,” she’d said. “The band will totally vibe with it.”

Matt had seemed glad when they’d gone, and Daisy wondered if he was starting to get cold feet about letting out his house. He was probably dreading the further disruption, and the strong possibility that he might find the press camping outside.

Now, she heard the front door open, and braced herself for Alma’s return. But it was James.

“Hey, you’re home early. I’m knackered.”

He threw his keys onto the countertop, opened the fridge and took out a can of Heineken. Tearing back the tab, he collapsed into a chair.

“How was your day? Is Alma around?”

Daisy stared at him. “No, why?”

“No reason.” He drank some more beer, and winced. “I’m going to chill for a while, I feel like shite.”

“If you’re feeling that bad, maybe don’t drink?” Daisy flicked on the kettle. “You should have a Lemsip or something.”

“Yeah, maybe.” He took his beer and wandered out of room.

Daisy heard the sitting-room door close, and a moment later the sound of the TV rumbled through the house. She sighed, wondering if she should cycle up to the local takeaway for fish and chips.

She brought the Lemsip into the sitting room, and put it on the coffee table beside his beer. James looked up. “You’re a star.”

“I was thinking of getting fish and chips.”

“I can’t eat anything.”

“Oh.” Daisy sat down. “Is your stomach okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” James turned back to the TV. It seemed to be some dark, Scandinavian drama set on a remote island. He was probably planning on discussing it with Alma.

She sat down beside him. “Do you have a headache?”

“No.” He let his head flop back against the sofa. “Why did you go around telling everyone I had a migraine on your thirtieth, by the way?”

“I didn’t tell everyone.” She felt herself flush. “Mum asked where you were and I –”

“Why didn’t you just tell her the truth?” He sounded bewildered.

“Because ... who leaves their girlfriend’s thirtieth birthday party to go work, James? You’re not a bloody fireman!”

“Maybe you’d prefer me if I was.” James closed his eyes.

Daisy stared at him. What did that mean? She didn’t even have a thing for firemen! Well, not especially. “Of course I wouldn’t!”

“ Ummh .” He turned his head towards her and opened one eye. “You sure?”

What was he on about? “Are you talking about sex?”

“You think I want to dress up as a fireman?” James’ voice was dry. “Why, do you want me to?”

“ Um , well, it’s not that I don’t want you to.” James was looking quite interested, she thought. Or puzzled ... no, definitely more puzzled than anything. “I mean ...”

Daisy lapsed into silence. When had they last had sex? It had been weeks ago, maybe even a month! They were always tired or stressed. Or James was bloody working! Plus, the walls were so thin that Daisy spent most of her time wondering if Alma could hear them, which made it difficult to relax.

Anyway, it shouldn’t be about quantity. It should be about love and commitment, and seeing your girlfriend’s family and staying for her thirtieth bloody birthday party!

Maybe they should talk. Although she felt a bit talked-out after earlier! No, James was her boyfriend – she had to try.

She moved to the only other seat in the room: an antique armchair she’d fallen in love with, but that looked a lot more comfortable than it was.

“James, what’s going on?”

He sighed and swiped the hot drink off the table, grimacing as he took a sip. “I bumped into Brian today.”

Crap!

“He said you were dancing with some guy for ages at the party. He said you did the tango! And then I saw some photos of you and some guy on Rosie’s Insta.”

Frantically, Daisy tried to remember what Rosie had put up on Instagram. Nothing stood out, except for a few blurry pictures of her dancing with Fionn.

“You know what Brian’s like.” Good, she sounded normal. “Where did you see him?”

“He was in the deli in Sandyford, where I was getting my lunch.”

“Right.” God, she was going to sneak into Laura and Brian’s in the middle of the night and smother Brian with a pillow. Only then she’d end up in jail and James would turn to Alma for comfort. Laura probably wouldn’t be too happy either. She took a breath and held it for as long as she could, trying to slow down her pulse.

“So, did Brian say anything else?” She did her best to sound casual. “Did he enjoy the party?”

James rolled his eyes. “I don’t know.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “ Did you tango?”

“Yeah! The guy I was dancing with knew how, so I sort of followed him.”

James gave her a strange look. “Who was it?”

“Some friend of Brian’s. I forget his name.” Daisy turned and pretended to be interested in the TV.

“What the fuck were his friends doing at your party? I didn’t invite them.”

“Laura probably did.” Daisy felt herself go hot and cold.

“You’d think she’d have mentioned it.”

“She probably forgot, James. Anyway, it’s hardly a big deal.” She remembered something Laura had said. “It wasn’t too expensive, was it?”

“What?”

“You know, everything: the venue hire, the food, the whole lot.”

“No.” His expression was shuttered as he turned back to the TV.

Daisy heard the front door open. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything while I’m out?”

James sighed. “I don’t know – a bottle of 7UP?”

“Grand.” She looked at him closely: he seemed to be a bit flushed. “I wonder if you’re coming down with something.”

“Great, that’s all I fucking need.” He buried his nose in his honey-and-lemon drink.

Out in the hallway, Alma was putting her things away.

Daisy grabbed her helmet. “Hi, Alma, I’m going out to get some fish and chips. Do you want some?”

Alma smiled politely and shook her head.

“Good. I mean, fine.” Daisy flashed her a slightly manic smile. “ Uh , James is in the sitting room, but he’s not feeling too well, so it’s probably best if you leave him alone.”

Alma frowned. “Is it strep throat?”

“I don’t know.”

Alma looked solemn. “It’s highly possible, Daisy.”

Daisy took a breath. “Well, you’re unlikely to get it again. So there’s no need to worry about James.”

Before Alma had a chance to reply, Daisy left.

As she cycled up the road, she wondered if Alma could be right. Didn’t you get strep through close contact with someone who had it? James and Alma were bloody close!

James couldn’t be happy with the way things were, could he? She tried to imagine how she’d feel if James left. But even if they did split up, did she really want to take a chance again with Matt? Matt, who’d shown up for her on her birthday. Who’d shown her every day since his return just how much he’d changed.

She’d never before felt so utterly confused.