They walked along the garden and he placed the two empty glasses on the garden wall before leading her down the concrete steps onto the beach below.
He didn’t know how she was going to react so thought he’d just come out with it. ‘I’m leaving tomorrow morning,’ he said, not waiting for her to comment. ‘I’ve tried to drum up as much interest in the project as possible and now I have to get back to South Africa and do what I can to keep it going.’
Daisy’s step hesitated. ‘Tomorrow?’
He was relieved to see she looked disappointed at his news. Maybe there was some hope for him after all.
‘Yes. Mum is back now, so there’s nothing keeping me here. I owe it to my team to get back there and do what I can.’
‘Do you know how long you’ll be away?’ she asked, hesitating before adding, ‘I only ask because I know that Lydia misses you when you’re not here.’
‘I know. But she loves having you coming to her garden to paint.’
‘I suppose so.’
They walked on in silence for a bit.
Daisy cleared her throat. ‘I really should be getting back to my painting,’ she said. ‘But good luck with your project, I hope you’re able to rescue it.’
‘Of course,’ he said. ‘I’m only telling you now because I didn’t want you to hear it from someone else.’
She knitted her eyebrows together. ‘Right. Well, thanks, that was thoughtful of you.’
She gave him a brief smile and turned to go back to the steps leading up to the garden. Gabriel watched her go. He saw her hesitate, but she didn’t turn round, just stared up the beach towards where someone was standing at the water’s edge. He couldn’t tell who it was, but Daisy didn’t wave at the person so she couldn’t have known them. As the figure walked away it occurred to him that Daisy seemed a little rushed as she ran back up the steps, but then again hehadtaken her away from her work and she was obviously in a hurry to return to it.
13
DAISY
Daisy forced a smile on her face to greet the group of new arrivals entering the hotel. Gabe had been gone for over two weeks and she was still expecting to see him appearing around the hotel. Fi had just gone to fetch them both a coffee. It had been a busy morning, and she was glad not to have too much time to wallow.
She’d noticed that her father and his family had left a few days earlier than she’d expected. He hadn’t said goodbye, but it was a relief not to have had to go through the charade of being nice to him in front of his wife and son.
When everyone was checked in and given cards to their rooms, the guests left her to accompany the porters up to their relevant floors. She noticed a lady, whom Daisy assumed must be nearly eighty years old, standing with a much younger man.
‘Sorry for keeping you waiting,’ she said. ‘Can I help you?’
‘Yes, I’m Dolores Mulroon,’ the lady said. She had an American accent with a slight southern twang to it that Daisy loved. ‘My friend and I have booked adjoining rooms for one week.’
Daisy was used to seeing older women with younger men, and vice versa, but this couple really did have a large age difference. She tapped the woman’s name into the computer system and called up her details and then her friend’s. ‘Mr Swinton?’ The man nodded. ‘Yes, we havethe rooms you requested, overlooking the garden at the west side of the hotel. Can I take a credit card and your passports, please?’ She pushed two forms and pens towards them. ‘And if you’d please fill these in and sign them.’
The lady handed Daisy her credit card. ‘Thank you, Mrs Mulroon,’ she said.
‘Call me Dolores,’ she said. ‘Everyone does.’
‘Thank you, Dolores,’ Daisy said, taking the card.
All the formalities completed, Daisy nodded for the concierge to come and take over with their luggage and any restaurant bookings they might wish to make.
As soon as they’d gone into the lift, Fi arrived back at the desk carrying a tray with their coffees on it. ‘Blimey, good for her,’ she said.
Daisy frowned at her colleague. ‘Stop making assumptions. They could simply be friends for all we know.’
Fi blew on her coffee. ‘Surely you’re not that innocent,’ she said. ‘Right, never mind them – I want to invite you to something.’
Daisy sat back down at her desk, intrigued. ‘Go on then, what is it?’
‘You know my brother’s fiancé Paige is a shoe designer?’
