Page 18 of The Only Way Is Up

The phone rang again a few more times then stopped.

‘I need to get going anyway,’ Tom insisted. ‘We’ll do this another time when you’re less busy. Thanks for the wine.’ He nudged a disgruntled Henry to the door.

Daisy shrugged. ‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘I’m sure I’ll see you around.’

‘Maybe,’ said Tom, colour rushing to his cheeks. He hurried out into the cold, giving Daisy a vague wave before disappearing around the side of the stables. She closed the front door shaking her head in confusion. What was all that about? Reluctantly, she picked up her phone. She’d already ignored two calls from Christian today. With a sigh, she pressed the button to return his call, willing it to go to voicemail.

‘Hey, babe,’ Christian answered. She could hear the rumble of traffic noise in the background. ‘Just in a cab back from a night out with the crew. Thought I’d try and catch you.’

Alone? Didn’t score a woman, then, she thought uncharitably. ‘Sorry I haven’t answered your calls,’ she croaked. ‘Been a bit under the weather. I’ve spent most of today in bed with a hot water bottle.’

‘Ah babe, I’m sorry.’ Christian dropped his voice to a whisper. ‘I could be your hot water bottle. I’d make it all better.’

Daisy shivered as a wave of heat coursed through her body. She was furious that Christian still could have this effect on her. She swallowed. ‘That’s tempting, but I feel like death.’

‘I could definitely get you in the mood,’ Christian persisted. Daisy could hear the provocation in his voice and knew he was getting turned on right now. Christian had a thing about cars; just being in one made him aroused. Sometimes while he was driving, he’d silently take her hand and put it on his rock hard crotch, wanting her to know that even at temporary traffic lights on the outskirts of East Barnet, he was thinking about having sex with her. Now she was irritated that he wasn’t taking her illness more seriously, even if it was fake.

‘It will have to wait for a while,’ croaked Daisy.

‘Hopefully not too long. I miss you. China’s fun, but not as fun as you.’

‘I miss you too,’ lied Daisy. ‘I’ll call you in a couple of days.’

‘OK. See you soon.’ Christian blew her a kiss and hung up.

Daisy put her phone on the sofa and lay back on the cushions, torn between relief that she’d got that out of the way and annoyance that he could still push her buttons in spite of everything. But there was something else nagging at her brain, something about their conversations. All their conversations. After nearly eight months of being together, hundreds of hours of incredible sex and a proposal of marriage, Christian had never once said he loved her.

PART TWO

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Tom grabbed a bucket from the shed in the corner of Justin’s vegetable allotment and rattled it on the fence of the goat field. Actually ‘field’ was probably pushing it a bit, it was more of a grassy enclosure with a shelter for Nancy to sleep in at night during the cold weather. The goat stuck her head out at the noise and trotted over, bleating a good morning symphony.

‘Do you want me to milk her?’ he called to Justin, who was forking steaming manure from the back of a trailer into a wheelbarrow next to the polytunnel.

‘No, I’ll do it.’ He glanced at Tom’s battered leather shoes as he wandered over, still breathing heavily. ‘Those boots aren’t made for milking. Anyway, I’ll probably miss her when I’m gone.’

‘You won’t give any of us a moment’s thought,’ laughed Tom.

Justin grinned. ‘I can already smell the sweet food and spicy men.’

Tom laughed. ‘How’s the book coming on?’

This question usually sent Justin into a state of high dudgeon, but today he smiled happily. ‘Better now Stella Crawford’s here. She’s written loads of cookbooks, so she’s helping me turn my nonsense into something coherent. She’s given me renewed hope.’

‘What’s she like?’ asked Tom. Daisy had lingered at the edge of his thoughts ever since their non-conversation over wine two weeks ago. News of the arrival of her mother in Shipton Combe had been an unexpected twist; Daisy hadn’t mentioned it, but to be fair he had only lasted all of about four minutes before he’d lost his bottle and run away. What. A. Dick.

‘Stella’s great,’ Justin smiled. ‘Funny and outrageous. And she’s got plenty of time on her hands to help me out, which I’m definitely not complaining about.’

‘You’d think she’d be spending her time with Daisy.’

‘Yeah, there’s some family beef there,’ said Justin, pulling a dramatic face. ‘I’m not getting into it. My life is currently beef-free.’

‘Probably best,’ Tom agreed.

‘I hope Daisy hangs around, though. Because then Stella might stay too.’

I hope Daisy hangs around too, thought Tom, the realisation taking him by surprise. He hadn’t consciously been avoiding her for the past two weeks, in fact he found himself looking for her around every corner, wandering the grounds with Henry in the freezing cold hoping he might bump into her. But after his disastrous visit to Willow Cottage, he wasn’t sure if he should bother her again. No doubt she already thought he was a hopeless twat, and she had enough on her plate right now without the local headmaster loitering around her yard like a teenager with a crush.