Inside the safety of her bedroom, Daisy fretted about what had happened, and a knot of worry settled into the pit of her stomach. She’d ruined everything now, hadn’t she?
She’d said something very stupid, and even though she’d tried to cover up the part about the ring, she knew Vanessa would be even more suspicious and would probably be able to guess.
She stood by the window and looked out across the park in front of their house. Why did that stupid man have to get knocked down in New York? And why did her dad have to help him? If they hadn’t done that, then he would have given Vanessa the ring on Christmas morning, and everything would have happened the way it was supposed to.
Instead, everything was a mess. If only she’d taken better care of the Tiffany’s bags…
Suddenly Daisy thought of something. She remembered what her mum had said while she used to play with the necklaces and bracelets her mother had collected over the years, about Tiffany’s being a magical place.
Daisy had always been fascinated by her mum’s jewelry collection and all her lovely clothes and shoes, which she vaguely remembered playing dress-up with when she was small and Mum was still here. She knew her dad had kept some things in storage for her when she was old enough to wear them, and she couldn’t wait. Her mum had the loveliest things.
And she thought again about Mum’s exact words.
“There’s a sprinkle of Tiffany’s magic on every piece,” she’d told her fondly, and the man Daisy and her dad had spoken to in the store had said something similar.
Which meant that maybe everything from Tiffany’s was kind of enchanted—a bit like the enchanted forest in the fairy tales Daisy used to read.
So maybe everything that happened in New York had happened for a reason—sort of like in a fairy tale. Maybe the bags getting mixed uphadn’tbeen her fault at all.
Maybe it really was Rachel and not Vanessa who wassupposedto get the ring.
After all, if the ring fit her finger, then maybe Rachel was the one her dad was supposed to marry—like inCinderella.
Daisy’s heart raced with excitement. She would get her dad to find out if the ring fit Rachel, and if it did, then…
Suddenly realizing she was being silly, she shook her head, trying to shake the stupid thoughts away. She was old enough to know that life wasn’t quite like her storybooks.
Instead, her dad would go to Dublin, straighten everything out, and come back home with the ring. Then he would ask Vanessa to marry him, she would accept, and they would all be a family, like her dad always wanted.
That was the way it would work out, Daisy told herself, once again feeling a little empty inside.
Thatwas real life.
Chapter 29
“Ethan, hi!” a voice from behind greeted, and Ethan turned his head to see Rachel standing in the entryway of the kitchen, smiling at him. “I just heard you were here. Delighted you had time to come and see us.”
“I hope you didn’t mind my arriving unannounced. My meeting ended far earlier than expected you see and…” He trailed off, unwilling to get into too many specifics.
“Not at all. It’s lovely to see you again. And I hope Terri and Justin have been taking good care of you?”
He looked down at his near-empty plate. The paella was one of the most delicious he’d ever eaten, and the accompanying bread was out of this world. “Yes, they’ve been great. This is magnificent.” He wasn’t about to add that her colleagues had also been playing twenty questions upon his arrival. Remembering his manners, he stood up and offered his hand. “So nice to see you again.”
But instead Rachel gave a him a little hug, and she smelled like fresh dough and sunshine.
Then she took the seat opposite. “Please, finish your lunch. So how have you been? Happy New Year by the way.”
“Same to you. Is Gary here?”
She blushed furiously. “I’m afraid not. He needed to be somewhere else this afternoon, and of course we weren’t entirely sure when or even if you’d be coming.”
Hell! On second thought, perhaps he should have been more specific instead of trying to catch them unawares. “Of course, I understand.”
“He’ll be kicking himself though, as I know he really wanted to see you and thank you.”
“Oh well, not to worry.” Ethan had truly hoped to keep Rachel out of this, but now it seemed he had little choice. He took a deep breath. “I was wondering…” He glanced around the bistro, now a lot quieter since his arrival. “I know you’re working, but would you have time for a quick coffee perhaps? There’s something I wanted to discuss with you.”
Rachel looked so apologetic, he felt like a heel. “Oh, I’d love to, Ethan, but I’m covering Terri’s break just now, and then we’ve got to prep for the evening sitting.”
