Page 5

‘We were talking about weddings. This time of year? What do you think?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. I’ve not really been to that many.’

Her previous life of moving from one job to another meant Daisy hadn’t really had time to form close enough relationships with work colleagues to be invited to weddings. And as for her home friends, there was only really Bex and Claire. Claire’s wedding now felt like it was decades ago, and as for Bex, Daisy couldn’t imagine her settling down any time soon.

‘You know, I was thinking about that wedding I went to the other year where they had owls bring the rings down the aisle. It was awesome. Is that something you’d do, Daisy?’ Bex said.

‘Me?’ Daisy replied.

‘Yes, or maybe you could use Johnny as a ring bearer.’

‘That’s a great idea,’ Claire said, clasping her hands in delight. ‘He’d look so cute with one of those little doggy bow ties on.’

‘Really, I think you might be getting a little carried away with things here. Theo and I have only been together two years, remember.’

‘I know, but you know, right? That’s what people say, isn’t it? When you know, you know.’

Daisy pondered the question, although she didn’t have to think about it for that long. Of course she knew. She had known before they had been together. When she had done everything she could to deny how much she felt for him, because the truth was it was terrifying to love someone that deeply. Because as soon as you did, it gave them the ability to hurt you. And while she didn’t think that Theo would hurt her right now, she’d never thought that about her ex either. The one thing her previous relationship had taught her was to expect the unexpected. You could never take anything for granted.

Bex and Claire were already talking about something else, but even though the conversation had moved on, the thoughts continued to mull around in the back of Daisy’s head, and as she pushed open the gate that led into Wildflower Lock, she couldn’t help but raise it again.

‘Do people really still believe in The One?’ she said. ‘In actual soulmates? It’s a pretty big statement to make, right, that with all the people in the world, you just happen to find the only one who is meant for you.’

‘I’m still looking for him,’ Bex said.

‘And I think that Ian and I are forever,’ Claire added. ‘I thought he was my soulmate at fifteen and I think that now too. There’s no one in the world I could ever imagine loving the way I do him. Or having as much fun with.’

‘I’m not saying I don’t love Theo,’ Daisy said, worried that they were misinterpreting what she was saying. ‘Of course I do. More than anyone. I’m just not sure I’m ready to commit to the idea of The One, that’s all.’

Behind her, Bex cleared her throat.

‘Any chance you might be willing to commit sometime soon?’ she said.

‘What?’ Daisy replied. ‘What do you mean?’

She looked at her friend, waiting for an answer, but Bex didn’t reply. Instead, her lips were pressed tightly together, and when Daisy moved her attention to Claire, she noticed tears were filling her friend’s eyes.

‘What is going on?’ Daisy said. ‘Why are you guys being so odd? This isn’t just because I said I don’t believe in soulmates, is it? You’ve been acting strange all day. Why did you come down today?’

Rather than replying, Bex simply nodded her head down past Daisy towards where theSeptember Rosewas moored.

‘What? What aren’t you telling me?’ Daisy said turning around. That was when she saw it. As the breath flew from her lungs, she lifted her hand to cover her mouth.

‘Oh my God,’ she said.

6

Daisy stepped toward the girls, her hand still covering her face. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was seeing. At least, she wasn’t sure she believed what she was seeing. And with each footstep, she didn’t know whether to stop or speed up.

A boat, in the location of theSeptember Rose’s mooring, was lit up, but she couldn’t understand how or why. But as she drew a little closer, there was no doubt to what she was seeing.

TheSeptember Rosehad been covered in lights. Fairy lights. They were wound around the windows and the hatch. Wrapped around the bow, and placed in rows across the roof, turning it into a canopy of lights. Thousands and thousands of bright white lights gleaming out into the night. As Daisy got closer, she spotted several candles balanced on the bow. Her pulse rocketed and her heart leapt in her chest. For a moment, she almost broke out into a sprint until a second later when she realised they were fake. No one in their right mind would put real candles on a wooden boat. Still, her pulse didn’t lower entirely. Why did theSeptember Roselook like that and who the hell had done it? Theo was working late – he had a swan emergency to deal with. Only why would he be dealing with a swan emergency at thistime of night? Even if it was on a canal, surely someone would have just rung Animal Rescue? That was when it all clicked into place.

Theo’s peculiar behaviour when he had come home, all the conversations on the walk back about when it was going to be dark and the girls ensuring she was away from the canal for a decent length of time. It was nothing to do with taking Johnny for a walk at all.

Daisy’s heart hammered in her chest as she approached theSeptember Rose. It didn’t feel real. None of it felt real. She swallowed back the lump that had risen in her throat and tried to steady her breathing. This couldn’t possibly be what she thought it was, could it? As she drew up next to the bow, her heart was all the way up in her mouth, and her knees had started trembling, too. Was she supposed to go in? It was her boat, her home, but at that moment, she didn’t know if she was meant to wait outside or if she even wanted to go in. It was all just too overwhelming.

For a split second, Daisy closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Then, deciding she was going to ask the girls what they thought she should do, she opened her eyes again, only for the front door of the boat to open.