The Life Daisy Devlin Designed

CHAPTER 60

Laura was standing at the window, looking out at the street, when Daisy got to work that Monday. She was turned, half in profile, her tiny bump just about visible. Daisy stopped for a moment, wondering if it would ever be her.

She cleared her throat and Laura turned. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” Daisy smiled. “You have that pregnancy glow.”

Laura folded her arms. “Are you going to start getting mushy, babes? Not sure I’m up for it. Stephanie is already threatening to throw me a baby shower. The woman’s living in a Hallmark movie.”

Daisy walked across the room, and took hold of Laura’s hands.

“Listen to me, Laura Nealon. You are about to have a baby. And it will be the most special baby in the whole world, because you will be its mother! So if Stephanie, or anyone else wants to throw you a baby shower, you’re going to embrace it. Do all the good stuff and treasure all the memories!”

Laura blinked hard. “How long have you been saving up that speech?”

“I never thought I’d be saying it to you.”

“Fine, I’ll have the shower. But only if you come.”

“Nothing would keep me away.”

“And you have to be godmother. And promise that you’ll never buy a single sensible present.”

Daisy started to laugh. “It’ll make a change from buying for Rosie’s kids.”

“So, how are you? And how did your mum and dad’s anniversary party go? I would have loved to be there. “ Laura had been too sick to travel. “Did Kayley come through?”

“She performed two songs,” Daisy said proudly. “We recorded the whole thing, so Dad can look back at it anytime he wants! I swear, Mum and Dad’s reaction when she appeared on that stage was even better than the performance. Apart from the song James accompanied her on, which was pretty amazing!”

Laura’s eyes widened. “ Wow , I’m sorry I missed that.

“I’ll show you the video,” Daisy said. “She even hung around for a while afterwards. Stuck to Cokes all night, by the way.”

Laura grinned. “That should help squash a few rumours! So, was she the highlight of the evening?”

“Not quite.” Daisy stuck out her hand to show off the emerald ring. “It’s official: we’re joining each other’s family WhatsApp groups.”

“ Oh my God! ” Laura inspected the ring. “Vintage?”

Daisy nodded. “He proposed before the party!”

“And this is what you want? You’re sure? I mean, that night the four of us went out, the tension between you two was insane!”

Daisy flushed, remembering how angry she’d been with James that night, how secretly thrilled she’d been when she’d bumped into Matt. She’d seen it as another sign. It had been: a sign to sort things out with James, rather than expect Matt to be the solution to her problems!

“I didn’t realise how much I loved him until I said yes, Laura. And how much he loves me too! But the best thing is, he’s not one bit like Matt!”

Laura flashed her a stern look. “So that demon is completely exorcised?”

“Banished forever!” Daisy sighed. “I think things were supposed to work out like this. I mean, I’m sickened for James that he lost his job. And I hate what Matt did. But at least now I know what happened five years ago. I always felt ...” she swallowed hard. “I always doubted myself, wondering what I’d done to make Matt leave like that.”

“Well, now you know: it was all James’ fault.”

“Laura!”

“Joking!”

“But that’s why Brian has always been a bit weird around James, isn’t it?” Daisy met Laura’s eyes. “Hey, it doesn’t matter, they don’t have to be best of friends just because we are.”

“No.” Laura spoke slowly. “Daisy, there’s something I never told you, and I think I should have …” She stopped, her eyes sliding away.

Daisy frowned. “What?”

“Daisy, promise me you’ll keep in mind that I never, ever meant to hurt you?”

“Okay.” Daisy’s stomach cramped nervously.

Laura wrapped her arms around her slender frame. “That party, the summer Matt was away? I stayed that night. And the following morning, I bumped into Brian as I was coming out of the house.” She looked up. “It was just bad timing. He was passing the house on his way to that little pharmacy on the corner, remember it?”

“I remember it.” Daisy could hear her heart thumping.

Laura took an audible breath. “Brian asked me why I was there, and I should have just said I’d stayed over and crashed on the sofa, but I panicked and said that you’d stayed over, and I was bringing you some clothes so you could change.”

“Oh my God!” Daisy stared at her. “But ...”

“I didn’t say you’d been with anyone.” Laura looked anguished. “You have to believe me! But I guess Brian told Matt.”

“But that’s what I don’t understand! Why did Brian assume I’d slept with James?” What was she missing? “Wait, you told me you didn’t believe that Brian told Matt.”

“I know, I’m sorry. But Brian only told Matt what he assumed.” Laura spoke quietly. “One of James’ housemates told someone that James had a girl in his room all night; they just didn’t know who it was. And James never said.”

“Right.” It took Daisy a moment to understand. “That was you?” She choked out the words. “You slept with James?”

“I’m so sorry, Daisy, I feel awful.” The words came out in a rush. “I promise you it only happened that one night. And you and James weren’t even friends at the time, remember?” Laura looked at her anxiously. “Maybe you should sit down.”

Daisy did as she was told, and Laura pulled her own chair over and sat. “Do you hate me?”

“I don’t know how I feel.” Daisy took a breath, then noticed Laura’s expression. “No, of course I don’t hate you. I just don’t understand why you never told me. Or why James didn’t either.” It hurt, she realised, that the two people she’d trusted the most had kept that from her all these years.

“Did you ever plan on telling me?” she managed.

“Daisy ...” Laura’s face had drained of colour. “We both had way too much to drink that night, and we never spoke about it afterwards.” She swallowed visibly. “I know I should have told you, but I felt shit that I’d cheated on Brian, especially when I knew you’d never cheat on Matt. And when Matt broke up with you, I didn’t think … I didn’t put it together, babes, you have to believe me!”

Daisy pressed the heels of her hands against her temples, and tried to think. “I still don’t get it. If Brian told Matt that, then Brian knew why Matt broke up with me. Did he not tell you?”

“Not for ages. And by that stage you’d met James, and I – ”

“You knew that if you said anything to Brian, he might start asking questions,” Daisy said. “And he might have found out that it was you who’d slept with James.”

Briefly, Laura closed her eyes. “It felt too late. I thought I’d cause more damage.”

Daisy struggled to take it all in. “Was that why you told me I shouldn’t get together with James?”

“No!” Laura shook her head. “I mean, when you guys started hanging out, I was afraid it was too soon after Matt had left, but you and James were a slow burn.”

“The opposite to me and Matt.”

“Right.” Laura picked at a thread on her skirt. “By then I was afraid to admit that I’d slept with him in case things got weird between us. And, yeah, I kind of thought James might even tell you when the time was right. I’m so sorry.”

Daisy stood and walked over to the window to stare into the street. Finally, she turned back to look at Laura.

“All these years! You knew why Matt left and you never said a word!”

“Daisy, I swear, by the time I found out, you and James were a couple – a proper couple. And Brian and I were married! ” Laura’s voice wobbled. “I know it was cowardly, but I couldn’t risk it.”

This was one of those sliding-doors moments, Daisy realised. She could be angry at Laura for keeping that night a secret. Or she could accept that she’d been in an impossible situation.

She looked at the vintage ring on her finger, its green stone bright in the sunlit room. Suddenly, she didn’t care that James had never told her, either. It had happened before they’d got together, and he’d chosen to protect Laura by saying nothing. In fact, things had worked out exactly as they were supposed to.

“It doesn’t matter, Laura, none of it’s your fault, it’s Matt’s. He just assumed the worst.”

“And then he broke your heart.” Laura’s eyes glittered.

“Yup.” Daisy managed a shaky laugh. “And five years later, I got to record him asking his famous American girlfriend to marry him.”

“I never really liked him.” Laura met Daisy’s eyes and they exchanged a quiet smile.

“I’m guessing Brian still doesn’t know?” Daisy said.

“That I slept with James that night? Jesus, no.”

“He never has to, not now.”

Laura sighed. “I told him about Matt, though. That it was his fault that things ended between you back then.”

Daisy wondered how to ask the next question. Better to be straight.

“Is that why Brian doesn’t like me? Because he thinks I cheated on his best friend?”

“Maybe.” Laura shrugged. “I never talked about that party because, well, now you know why. Anyway,” she looked a bit uncomfortable, “I kind of thought that you guys didn’t like Brian and he was just picking up on that. And I know Brian isn’t perfect. I mean, I told him that he was a dick to James that night in Pink Gin.”

Daisy gave a small smile. She doubted Brian would ever be her favourite person, but it was a lot of time wasted over misunderstandings. Judging by Laura’s expression, she was thinking the same thing.

“How’s James?” Laura said, finally. “Has he been looking for something else?”

“He’s looking. There’s nothing yet, but he’ll get something.”

“Any word from Alma?”

“Yeah, she’s not coming back. Her mother’s still quite weak so Alma’s organised to finish her college year online.”

They turned as Fionn arrived in, carrying a tray of takeout drinks in one hand, and a cake box in the other. He beamed, carefully placing the items on his desk, before flicking away his fringe.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I bought a cake: chocolate. Because we’re celebrating.” He blushed. “Well, I’m celebrating.”

“If you are, so are we.” Laura stood and walked over to peek inside the box. “Fancy! So, what are we celebrating?”

“Me submitting my final project. My tutor thinks I’ll get a First.”

“ Aw , that’s fabulous.’ Daisy stood up and gave him a side hug. “We’re so proud of you, Fionn.” “Thank you.” Fionn swiped his little fingers under both eyes. “I’m pretty psyched! Aaaand , I have more news.”

“Did you get another job?” Daisy managed to keep smiling. “If you did, we’re delighted for you.” Now she’d have to advertise maternity cover for Laura. It’d be weird to be working with a complete stranger, though. And Fionn had fit in so well, it was hard to imagine he’d been part of the team for such a short time.

“No, nothing like that. I mean, your offer still stands, yeah?”

“Of course.” Daisy and Laura spoke in unison.

“ Whew! ” He grinned. “No, it’s just, I’ve made plans to travel for the summer with friends, but I’ll be back at the end of August. Unless you need me before that.”

Laura glanced at Daisy. “I’m not planning to stop working until the end of October, so that’s fine by me.”

“Go, have a great time, do everything you want.” Daisy smiled. “But I’m glad you’re coming back to us.”

“Me too.” He flicked his fringe again. “Now I just have to sort out somewhere to live.”

If there was ever a sign! “We’ll have a spare room going in our place now that Alma’s gone,” Daisy said. “If you want it, and if you wouldn’t mind renting from me and James.”

“No way, I’d love it! Can I afford it?” Fionn gave a cheeky grin.

“You can afford it!” Daisy said firmly.

“ Um , do you not have to run it past your boyfriend? I don’t want him to think –”

“James will be chill, Fionn. I know you – that’s a good start.”

“Are we cutting that cake?” Laura said.

Fionn blinked. “Absolutely, yeah, I’ll take it out to the kitchen and get some plates.”

“Come on.” Laura flicked her hands towards him. “I’ll help. I need a bit of a treat, now that I’m not drinking coffee.”

Daisy sat down and opened up her emails, scrolling down until she came to the one she’d been waiting for.

Dear Ms Devlin, thank you for your submission to this year’s Interior Architect of the Year Award. The long list will be announced on July 15 th . We will be in touch if your submission is successful. Good luck, The Association of Interior Architects Ireland.

Freya’s house was a strong contender. And she’d done her best: the rest was out of her hands. Her phone buzzed, and she hesitated when she saw Matt’s name flash up. Taking a deep breath, she swiped her finger across the screen.

“Hello, Matt.” She glanced towards the door.

“Hi, Daisy.” There was a pause. “This a good time?”

“I’m in the office. If it’s something to do with the house, I’ll ask Fionn to phone you.”

She could hear him sigh.

“It’s not the house. Look, I’m sorry for how things ended between us last time you were here. The whole thing with James wasn’t all your fault.”

Daisy almost laughed. “I didn’t think it was.” She didn’t bother to speak quietly now. “Anyway, you got what you wanted. There’s just something I don’t understand, Matt. Was it all just a game to you? The house, coming to my birthday party, that gimmick with the keyring – the night I stayed over! Be honest, because I really don’t care. I’m just curious.”

“It wasn’t a game, Daisy.” Matt paused. “It’s complicated. The truth is, I still had feelings for you even though I was angry when I believed you cheated on me. And then, when you told me you hadn’t … look, I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did. I never wanted to hurt you.”

And what about Kayley? If anything had happened between us – if I hadn’t called ‘stop’ that night – did you even consider that you could have hurt her too?

When Daisy said nothing, Matt’s voice hardened. “Did James deny what he did that summer? I’ll bet he did.”

Daisy made herself count to five. “If you mean the deal he made with Charlie, he didn’t, because there was nothing to deny. The three of you did well at the time. Now you’ve bought out a start-up that James’ company was trying to get. There’s nothing else to say.”

Matt gave a harsh laugh. “We both know there’s more to it than that, Daisy. But life’s too short, and I wanted you to know I’ve forgiven you.”

There was a weird buzzing in Daisy’s ears. “You’ve forgiven me?”

“I’d like us to be friends. I made that final payment, by the way – I wanted to clear all my debts. Look, I’m staying on for the summer, until the concerts are over. But I’m starting to miss my life back in New York, so Kayley and I will divide our time between here and the States.”

Daisy slid in behind her desk and opened the banking app on her screen, quickly tapping in the personal access code for the company’s bank accounts. Matt’s payment had cleared that morning. She released a quiet breath and focussed her thoughts.

“Here’s the thing, Matt. Friends don’t treat each other the way you treated me. They don’t assume the worst or go out of their way to hurt other people in that person’s life.”

“You mean James? That was just business, Daisy.”

“Which is exactly what you and I are, Matt: just business.”

“Ah, Daisy, don’t be – ”

“I take it you’re happy with the work on Granary House?”

There was a pause. “You know I am.”

“Good. You have the office number if you need to reach us again.”

“Don’t do this, Daisy!” Matt said. “You’re the one who always believed in signs. We’re back in each other’s lives for a reason. It’ll hurt both of us if cut me out.”

She hesitated. What if he was right? Maybe it would be better to at least be on speaking terms with him. Do you want to have anything to do with the person who deliberately hurt James?

“You know, Matt, that’s just a risk I’ll have to take.” She hung up as Laura came back, carrying slices of cake on two plates. Daisy looked at her. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough to be so fucking proud of you.”

Daisy turned the phone over in her hands, before putting it down on her desk. “It felt like the best decision I’ve ever made. Apart from saying yes to James, obviously.”

Fionn came in with the last slice of cake. “ Uh , if this is private, I can just – ”

“This is the office, Fionn,” Laura handed Daisy a plate, “and you’re part of the team. So, stop apologising. Excellent cake, by the way.” She turned back to Daisy. “Matt is a delusional narcissist, and you had a lucky escape.”

Daisy laughed. “I did, didn’t I? I actually feel a bit sorry for Kayley. She’s okay when you get to know her. Mind you, after Saturday night, the whole of Oranmore think they know her!”

“Hey, speaking of Kayley.” Fionn found his phone, and scrolled quickly to something. “She posted this on TikTok earlier today.” He handed it to Daisy, who turned up the volume and she and Laura watched a short video, starting with Kayley standing in front of Granary House.

“ Hi guys! So today, I just wanted to show you where Matty and I will base ourselves when we’re here in Ireland. This is Granary House. It’s a two-hundred-year-old Irish house that’s had an awesome makeover by an Irish firm called Discerning Designs .”

“Fuck me.” Laura turned to Daisy. “You know if this goes viral here, it could bring serious business our way.”

Kayley flipped the camera around and began a full tour of the house, chatting about her favourite rooms and pointing out various details.

Daisy stared, mesmerised. She’d walked through the house so many times, but watching it like this through somebody else’s eyes was like seeing it for the first time.

Kayley finished the tour in the walled garden. “ So, just past that wall are the awesome grounds where I was supposed to play before I got hurt the night of the storm. But I can’t wait to gig here as soon as my shoulder has healed. That’s it for now, guys. Love you all. ” She blew some kisses and the video ended.

Fionn took his phone back. “Sick, right?”

“Totally sick.” Daisy grinned.

“I mean, do we even need an award if we’re getting this sort of publicity?” Fionn said.

Laura glared at him. “ Oy! Watch it.”

Daisy rooted around her bag, and took out the key Matt had given her for Granary House. Popping it and a company card into a small, padded envelope, she wrote Matt’s address on the front and put it in the out tray. Then she grabbed her phone and headed downstairs.

Standing on the top step outside the front door, she rang Rosie. Her sister picked up on the second ring.

“Daisy, hi, is everything okay?”

“Everything’s grand.” Daisy felt a rush of affection for her. “I’m sorry to just call you out of the blue. I just ...’ She stopped. ‘I just wanted to say thanks for everything.”

There was a moment’s silence on the phone.

“Okay, now you’re really worrying me,” Rosie said. “Did you get some bad news? Hang on, have you changed your mind about James? I’m here for you, no judgment.”

Daisy leaned back against the wall. “Nothing bad, I swear. But I know you’d be there. I guess I just wanted to say I’d like to keep in touch a bit more.”

“Oh, class.” Rosie seemed stunned into silence again.

Daisy hurried on.

“I’d better go, I’m in work, talk to you soon.” She hung up, and immediately called James.

“Hey, you,” he said.

“Hey, yourself.” A warm breeze whipped her hair across her face, and she tucked it behind her ears. “I just rang to say I love you.”

“I love you too.” She could hear the smile in James’ voice. “Oh, that board games café you suggested? I’ve booked us a table for Sunday afternoon.”

Daisy smiled back. “It’ll be cool!”

“Daisy, don’t worry about anything, promise? We’ll be all right.”

“I know, I’ll see you this evening.”

Daisy hung up and scrolled through her phone, reading back through all the messages she and Matt had sent each other since his return. She selected them all and hit delete. Then she opened her contacts, searched for his name and hit the delete button again.

She stood for a moment, eyes closed and face tilted up to the sun. As an afterthought, she opened the MyStarScope App on her phone. Her horoscope for the day read: “ A fresh breeze is coming your way: go explore. You never know what exciting things await.”

“Which is as good a sign as any, Daisy!”

She beamed at the two men who shot her bemused glances as they passed by the door.

Then she tucked her phone into the pocket of her dress and went back inside.

THE END