Daisy sat heavily on her bed. She was sure they weren’t supposed to give out staff details. She re-read the note, irritated that one of her colleagues had been careless enough to give a complete stranger details of her whereabouts, and decided to have a word with her when she next saw her. Now though, she needed time to gather herself and come to terms with the fact that Aaron had found her again. If he’d phoned here, then he knew she was living and working at the hotel. He was charming enough to glean information from the savviest of people, and Daisy decided that if she was going to get away from him, then she would need to find a way to do it that freed her from him forever.
14
DAISY
Refusing to let her new colleagues discover anything about her difficult past, Daisy put on a brave face and tried to push the image of Aaron threatening her at the dam to the back of her mind. The following evening, she was determined to enjoy the fashion show as she and Fi took their seats in the front row.
‘I didn’t expect to have tickets to sit here,’ she whispered, as they placed their bags on the floor under their chairs. ‘This is amazing.’
‘I know, it’s so cool.’ Fi giggled. ‘Paige is fabulous. She’s the only one who manages to keep Seb in his place, and I can always rely on her to put my side of an argument across if he and I have fallen out about something.’
‘Has he met Phil yet?’ Daisy hoped Fi’s brother didn’t take a dislike to the man she was so besotted with.
Fi shook her head. ‘Not yet, thankfully. Seb has been away and I’m trying to keep them apart for as long as possible. I don’t need him to come down on me all serious and bossy.’
‘I know he’s probably annoying at times,’ Daisy said, ‘but I’d love to have an older brother to look out for me.’ More than anything right now, she thought, but refrained from adding.
‘Yes, you’re right, but he forgets that I’m not a kid any more. I can make my own decisions.’
‘I know, and he’ll understand that one day.’
‘You think?’ Fi joked. ‘Ooh look, I think they’re about to start the show.’
The lights dimmed in the hall and lit up the runway. The chilled music changed to something far more dramatic and the show began.
Daisy was entranced. She hadn’t expected such a small island to put on something as professional as she’d seen in magazines. The tall, angular models strutted down the runway, their bodies showing off the local designs, their feet encased in the most gorgeous shoes she’d ever seen. She noticed that each heel had a letter P embossed on it.
‘Wow, those shoes are to die for,’ she cooed, aware that she’d probably never have money to purchase a pair, never mind having anywhere to go to wear them. ‘I can’t wait to see the shoes she designs for you.’
‘Me neither,’ Fi said. ‘Look at that jacket.’ She pointed to a fuchsia pink cotton jacket being worn by one of the models. ‘I can see me in that, can’t you?’
Daisy smiled. ‘Yes, I can,’ she said, able to imagine her elegantly tall friend in almost every outfit she’d seen being shown.
A chill ran down her neck and Daisy glanced across the hall, thinking she’d seen someone who looked very much like Aaron amongst the seated crowd. She peered to get a better view, but realised she must have been imagining it. She hoped she wasn’t going to start thinking she could see him everywhere she went. She loved this new home of hers and wanted to be able to explore all its beaches and walks, but knowing he could be around any corner was very unnerving.
The show ended and everyone stood to applaud the designers. Daisy watched as Paige walked down the runway, hand-in-hand with the clothes designer, both bowing at the end and smiling to their appreciative audience.
‘She’s great, isn’t she?’ Fi said, clapping harder asPaige walked past, giving her a wink when she spotted her and Daisy standing next to the runway.
‘Do you want to try and go backstage to see the outfits?’ Fi asked.
‘You have to ask?’ Daisy waited for Fi to go first and followed her, both trying to walk against the crowd as they slowly left the hall.
Eventually they made their way backstage, to be stopped by a burly guard. ‘Sorry, ladies,’ he said. ‘Only those with passes are allowed back here.’
‘It’s OK,’ Paige shouted, hurrying towards them. ‘These two are family,’ she said, hugging Fi and shaking Daisy’s hand. ‘You must be Daisy,’ she said. ‘Fi has told me so much about you. Didn’t we meet briefly at the Encore party?’
‘Yes, that’s right,’ Daisy said, pleased that Paige remembered her.
‘Follow me and you can come and try on a few pairs of shoes. You’ll need to get to them before my sister does; she’s determined to persuade me to give her at least one pair.’
Daisy couldn’t wait to try them on. She gasped in delight when they arrived at the selection of shoes and picking up a red patent pair, she examined them in awe.
‘Try them on,’ Paige said. ‘See how they feel to walk in. I like to think that my shoes feel as good as they look.’
Daisy slipped off her sandals and stepped into the skyscraper heels. She so rarely wore high heels that at first it felt slightly surreal to be so tall. She was almost eye to eye with Fi who had yet to choose a pair.
‘Well?’ Paige asked. ‘How are they?’
