Page 22 of The Only Way Is Up

He looked down at Henry, who was panting by his side, and got a glare in return. Tom couldn’t tell if he was being judged for his lack of finesse with women, or for making an old dog run.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Daisy poured another glass of wine and took a few deep breaths. She couldn’t handle Tom Clark, not right now. She was too messed up, too vulnerable, too willing to offload her secrets – or, even worse, fall into the arms of the first handsome man who offered. God, how embarrassing. She’d been an incoherent mess. What must he think of her?

She hadn’t consciously been avoiding Tom for the past two weeks, but she hadn’t sought him out either. Well, not actively, anyway – it was hard not to glance up at his office window as she walked across the school grounds, or keep an eye out for his people-soaking car in the village. But she hadn’t been out much, to be fair – the weather had been awful, and she’d tasked herself with nailing a new recipe a day. There had been some days where the furthest she’d travelled was the school gates to collect another Ocado order. Most people round here grew their own food or went to the farm shop, but she was very much a city girl.

Daisy went to the bathroom and splashed water on her face, taking in the shadows around her eyes and the dry ends of her hair. Right now all she wanted was to talk to Ruby, who was both sane and oblivious to the mess Daisy was in. She answered after a few rings, but she was getting ready for movie night, the latest Fantastic Beasts film, which Ruby informed her was set in the Harry Potter universe but didn’t actually feature Harry Potter.

‘How’s Will?’ Daisy asked.

‘He’s fine.’ Daisy could hear the smile in her daughter’s voice. At least she was happy.

‘Have you seen him since half-term?’

‘Yeah, he’s cycled over a couple of times on Saturdays. We meet down by the woods and go for a walk. And he messages me after school every day, so it’s all cool.’ There was a finality to Ruby’s tone, like this was all the detail Daisy was getting.

‘Any thoughts on your birthday present?’

Ruby was quiet for a second. ‘I’ve had an idea, but I’m still thinking it through. Can I call you next week and confirm?’

‘That doesn’t give me much time, Rubes,’ said Daisy. ‘It’s only a few weeks off, and I’ve got Christmas to think about too.’

‘It’s not a big thing, I promise. I just need to decide if it’s really what I want.’

‘OK, fine,’ Daisy pouted.

‘Film’s starting,’ Ruby muttered. ‘I need to go, Mum.’

‘Have fun,’ said Daisy with a smile. ‘Love you.’

‘Love you, too.’

Daisy ended the call and sipped her wine, feeling calmer and more focused. Her marriage to Simon had been a disaster, but Ruby had made it all worth it. Their daughter was happy, secure and grounded, and it was up to Daisy to keep her that way. And how could she do that if she didn’t deal with Christian? It was time to put her Big Girl Pants on and write an email.

Christian

I’m emailing because to be honest I don’t want to talk to you in person.

I know about your personal trainer, the Soho sex club and the party in Romford. I don’t know how long you’ve been cheating on me, but you’re not the man I thought you were.

Our engagement is off, obviously. Please ask Benny to liaise with Katie on a public statement. I have no interest in being vindictive, so in exchange for me not airing your grubby laundry perhaps you could do me the courtesy of never contacting me again.

Daisy

‘The email’s good,’ Katie said an hour later. ‘Thanks for copying me in.’

‘I’m sorry; I should have run it past you first.’

‘You don’t need to consult with me on how to dump your fiancé, Daisy,’ Katie muttered. ‘To be honest, I’m surprised you were so restrained. I’d have sent someone round to chop his balls off with a rusty bread knife.’

Daisy snorted. ‘I have a lot of questions for him, mostly about how he thinks it’s OK to bang his personal trainer on Friday, then go to a sex club with two other women on Saturday, then go to an orgy in Romford on Sunday.’

‘This is the worst Craig David song ever.’

Daisy giggled, then started to cry. ‘I just feel so stupid and humiliated,’ she wailed. ‘How could I not know?’

‘Why do you think I only date women?’ Katie asked. ‘Men are awful. Well, I’ll take things from here – I’ll give Benny a couple of days to respond, then start hassling him. Does anyone else know?’