“What are you doing here anyway?” she asked Gary. “I thought you said you had something on with Sean.”
“I did, and I just popped in for a sandwich on the way.”
That wasn’t especially unusual, but Rachel knew it annoyed Terri that he took advantage of free food because of their relationship. So that could have been what they were arguing about.
“How come you’re here, boss?” Justin asked. “I thought you were taking the day off.”
“I was bored.” She laughed. “Can’t keep away. Anyway, might as well give a hand while I’m here,” she said, looking at the pile of dirty plates on a nearby countertop. “But first, I might pop out and say hi to Ethan.”
“Ah, better leave it for the moment.” Terri grimaced. “Last thing I heard, he and the girlfriend were having a bit of a…discussion,” she said.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Seems the missus had a bit on the side that Mr. High -and-Mighty didn’t know about,” Gary added snidely, and Rachel wondered how he could possibly be party to this.
“Okay. Well, I’ll go and get changed, and maybe I’ll get the chance to say hello before they leave.”
“And I’ll go back out and check on tables—” Terri began, but she stopped in her tracks when there came a soft knock on the restaurant’s connecting door.
They all turned to see a young girl peek wide-eyed inside.
“Daisy, hi!” Rachel smiled, recognizing her immediately.
“It’s okay.I’llcheck on tables,” Terri said, giving the girl a light pat on the head as she passed while Gary just stood there, looking uncomfortable.
“Everything okay, sweetheart?” Rachel asked, going straight to her, but it was clear that the opposite was the case. She bent down in front of Daisy and took her hand.
The child’s bottom lip trembled. “I’m so glad I found you. Vanessa came back from the bathroom, and now she and Dad are fighting. I think I really messed everything up.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sure it’s probably just a silly disagreement. Adults do that sometimes. Please don’t think it’s your fault.” Rachel gently tucked a lock of Daisy’s blond hair behind her ear.
“No, it is all my fault. I told him everything.” Daisy began fiddling with the hem of her dress. “I told him what I thought about the ring.”
“What ring, honey?” Rachel asked, coming closer.
The little girl’s eyes were filled with tears. She hiccupped loudly. “The Tiffany’s ring was supposed to fit Vanessa, but it didn’t. Mum always said that she and Dad were a perfect fit, that when you found the right person, everything fit. But the ring doesn’t.”
Rachel pulled her into a hug. “I understand why you might think that, honey, but I suspect your mum might have meant something other than jewelry.”
But wait. Vanessa had a Tiffany’s ring too?
“My mum also said that Tiffany’s was magical, so maybe the ring didn’t fit Vanessa because she’s not the right person for my dad.” Daisy looked up mournfully, tears in her eyes. “I know she’s been keeping secrets from him. That’s why they’re fighting now.”
Rachel struggled to keep up with what was going on. “Adults often fight, sweetheart, even when they love each other,” she soothed, wondering what on earth was going on with Ethan and his girlfriend. Especially if he’d just proposed.
“It fit you, though.” Daisy sniffed, looking closely at her.
Rachel frowned. “What?”
“The ring, the one you got by mistake. Dad said that it fit you.”
Rachel wasn’t sure where all this had come from, but Daisy sure seemed like one very confused little girl. “Honey, what makes you think that? How would I possibly…”
Gary stepped forward. “Um, Rach?”
Rachel shrugged him off, a knot of unease growing in her stomach. There was something very off about what Daisy had said, about this entire situation actually.
“Something happened in New York, something really weird,” Gary continued. “I was going to tell you but—”
