Page 47

Ezra had called her stunning. Anything but average. No make-up on, no effort made. Nothing but conversation between two strangers, not that they felt like strangers now. Of course, it could have been a false compliment, an attempt at flattery, but she didn’t think it was. Something about the sadness when he said it made her feel like it was the truth.

After several attempts to clear her throat, Daisy finally forced a sound out.

‘Who says I’m creative?’ she said, trying to distract from the last parts of his statement.

‘You are, right?’ Ezra replied, the eye contact now broken as they carried on walking. ‘I don’t know, I get that feeling fromyou. Like you’d need an outlet for the business and the stress of it. Maybe playing an instrument? Singing?’

At this, Daisy could help but laugh. ‘Oh, trust me, you don’t want to hear me sing. But you’re right. I’m a painter. I paint.’

‘See, I knew it. Perfect girl and taken.’

Silence swelled around them. Rain was splashing on the pavement as boats moved up and down the Thames. Daisy didn’t think she’d ever be able to look at the river again without remembering her own trip on there. Her own trip to see Theo, the man she loved.

‘I should get back,’ Daisy said, breaking the silence that had already settled. ‘Bex will wonder where I’ve got to. And I somehow need to get this guy dried off or she’s never going to let me into her flat.’

‘I’ve got loads of dog towels at mine. You can dry him off there before you go up to your friend’s, if it helps?’

Daisy contemplated the offer. She’d had such a great morning talking to him, but there was no denying the awkwardness that followed his words, and Daisy couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. If she’d mentioned Theo at the beginning of the walk, then they could have enjoyed all the same conversations without Ezra getting the wrong idea. But then maybe that had been the point, subconsciously at least. Maybe she’d wanted him to think she was single. Not because she had any intention of cheating on Theo, just because… just because… She wasn’t sure what the because was.

‘I’m sorry, I ruined things, didn’t I?’ This time, Ezra was the one to break the silence. ‘Ignore me, please. I’m just in a melancholy mood, that’s all. I shouldn’t have put that on you.’

‘Melancholy?’ Daisy said. ‘You don’t seem it to me.’

‘No, well, you kind of brought me out of it. Truth is, today is the one-year anniversary since my fiancée decided she didn’t want to marry me. In fact, she didn’t want to be with me at all.’

‘Oh, wow, I’m so sorry,’ Daisy said, not sure what other reaction she could give.

Ezra nodded and offered her a small smile in response.

‘I know this isn’t what you want to hear either, but I was planning on taking myself for a run in the rain, you know, just to complete the stereotype of the sad, lonely, heartbroken man. And then I opened the stairwell door, and you were there. And I guess… I guess… I thought fate was throwing me a bone, so to speak. But sorry, I’ve made you feel awkward, and I really didn’t want to do that. Honestly, you’ve made this morning so much better than I thought it was going to be.’

‘I’ve liked it too,’ Daisy said. ‘It’s been good. I think with my life on the canal, it can all get a bit claustrophobic. It’s nice to talk to someone different. Get a different outlook on life now and then.’

‘I know exactly what you mean.’

Daisy glanced again at Johnny. He was wearing his spare wet-weather coat that had been in the car when she’d driven to Bex’s, but it didn’t stop his head, legs and tail from dripping.

‘Does that offer of a towel still apply?’ she said.

A smile twisted on the corner of Ezra lips.

‘Of course it does.’

Daisy went to thank him, only to pause. There was another question she probably needed to ask him and there didn’t seem like any point in waiting.

‘I don’t suppose I could pinch some of your dog food too, could I?’

‘Jeez, break my heart then steal my dog food.’ Ezra grinned. ‘I’m sure I can manage that for Johnny.’

‘For Johnny?’ Daisy smiled back.

‘Exactly.’

64

Even after several minutes with a towel, Johnny still wasn’t bone dry, but his feet were clean, his fur was no longer dripping and he’d eaten a large bowl of Bruno’s dog food which would be more than enough to see him through the morning.

‘Thank you,’ Daisy said, as she prepared to leave Ezra’s apartment.