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‘Daisy, what do you mean you saw a ghost?’ Theo said. ‘Why were you so long? What happened?’

She could see his worry intensifying. With another deep breath in, Daisy forced her mouth into a smile.

‘Not a ghost, no,’ she said. ‘Just an ex.’

‘An ex? Who? Your ex?’ Daisy shook her head and Theo’s brow furrowed for an instant before the realisation dawned. ‘Heather? She’s here?’

‘Over in the luxury yurts,’ Daisy said. As much as she didn’t want to recall the situation, all the tension she had felt on the way back over about whether she should tell Theo was gone. That wasn’t to say she felt at ease.

‘You saw her? You spoke to her?’

Daisy nodded. ‘In the car park. I got lost and ended up at the yurts. I think she might have seen me there and followed me over to say hello.’

Theo’s expression was pinched as he blew out a long breath with a slow hiss.

‘Oh, wow. Well, was everything okay? How was she?’ He tried to sound casual, but Daisy knew him better than that.

‘Oh, she was great. I mean, she looked great. Very happy,’ Daisy said, recalling the way Heather had beamed so brightly, she was practically luminous. ‘Oh, and married.’

‘Married?’

‘Yes, at least she had the rings. So I guess so.’

‘Wow. Right.’

Theo’s jaw was hanging lower and lower with every piece of information Daisy told him. And she still hadn’t shared the biggest piece of news, but she knew there was no point in keeping it hidden.

‘She was pregnant too.’

‘Pregnant?’ At this, Theo’s eyebrows rose so high, they almost reached his hairline. Dropping his hands from Daisy’s side, he offered a short shake of his head. ‘Wow, well, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to talk to her with you. That’s brilliant news. Absolutely fantastic.’

‘It is?’

‘That she’s married and pregnant. Of course it is! I mean, she always wanted kids, and she has a smart head on her shoulders and is a damn good judge of character. There’s no chance she would have married someone if she didn’t think he was something special.’

His smile broadened, causing a light to glimmer in his eyes. ‘This is such fantastic news. I’m so happy for her. Really happy. She’s in the yurts, you say?’

‘Yes, it’s all the way over on the other side of the campsite,’ Daisy replied.

She had suspected Theo had made the comment because he, too, was worried about them bumping into her. But the next thing he said erased any such hope.

‘Well, we should go and say congratulations,’ he said. ‘It looks like it’s good news all around at the moment.’

33

Daisy didn’t want to go and say congratulations to Theo’s ex. She hadn’t wanted to see her in the first place. She didn’t want to be in the same campsite as her, or, if possible, the same country. And yet, Theo’s eyes continued to glimmer away. There was no denying he was truly happy Heather was there. Daisy didn’t know why it surprised her. He was the type of person who didn’t bear grudges, and any issues about how their relationship ended were to do with him and Daisy, not Heather. But still, that didn’t change the fact that Daisy didn’t want to see her. In fact, after the day she’d had, she didn’t want to see anyone at all, other than Theo.

‘You’ve just lit the barbecue,’ Daisy said as she glanced around her, finding a viable excuse why they couldn’t go. ‘We can’t leave it unattended, not with children running about everywhere. It would be a hazard.’

‘Oh, yes, of course, you’re right.’ Theo’s face altered slightly. It wasn’t like it fell completely, it just flickered a little, and Daisy could see the disappointment that he tried not to show. Guilt bloomed in her chest. Shouldn’t she feel grateful that she had such a lovely fiancé, he still wanted to maintain a friendlyrelationship with his ex? And it wasn’t like she was jealous of Heather, or worried that Theo would suddenly start regretting the decision not to stay with her. Heather was obviously very settled in her new situation. So why was it a problem if he wanted to go and catch up?

Drawing in a deep breath, Daisy pushed her insecurities as far down as she could before she spoke.

‘You know what, why don’t you go, and I’ll stay here with the barbecue,’ she said, forcing her cheeks into a smile as she tried to sound as casual as possible. ‘That makes the most sense.’

Once again, Theo’s expression shifted. His eyes narrowed slightly.

‘You’re sure? No, don’t be silly. I can’t leave you here. We came up to have a romantic weekend away.’