Page 73 of The Secret Holiday Kiss

There was a long, loaded pause. Sophie had hearts in her eyes, and Daisy wondered if they should have mentioned it to May first, because surely this wouldn’t stay quiet now. But mainly, she was replaying Avery’s words: I care about her very much. Would it be wrong to burst into tears in front of her brother, sister-in-law and no-longer-secret holiday more-than-kiss? The label needed a bit of an update.

Eventually, Harry nodded. ‘Daisy? Is this what you think, too?’

‘Harry,’ she said, regaining some of her composure, ‘my darling brother. It is not the nineteenth century. Avery doesn’t have to prove his intentions to you, and you don’t need to threaten a duel in the parkland at dawn. I’m touched by your protectiveness, and yes, Avery and I are getting on … really well, and we went into it knowing that it’s only temporary.’ She stopped, swallowed. ‘But I care about him too. A lot. And I offered to lend him the dressing gown.’

Harry stared at her for another moment, then he ran a hand through his hair and levelled them with a grin. ‘I’m happy for you both. Truly. Daisy needs to know that not all men are cheating assholes, and Avery, you’re a good guy. So, seeing as you’re already a guest, do you want to come for dinner tonight? I’ll cook, and you can stop sneaking around late at night.’

Daisy blushed. ‘You know about that?’

‘I heard some things. I thought Felix was trying to get in.’

‘Right.’ Daisy looked at Avery. ‘Do you want to come to dinner tonight? Stop sneaking around?’

‘I quite enjoyed the sneaking,’ he said, ‘but I would love to come to dinner. Thanks, Harry. Sophie.’

‘Do you think we should tell May?’ Daisy glanced at Sophie. ‘So she doesn’t hear it from … elsewhere?’

Sophie laughed. ‘I would promise to keep it quiet, but I don’t think I can. Not from May.’

‘May already knows,’ Avery said.

‘What?’ Daisy squeaked. ‘How?’

‘You think I could keep something like this from her? My sister knows everything. Besides, I put a lot of insulation in the loft space when I brought it up to code, but it isn’t exactly soundproof.’ He must have seen the horror on her face, because he laughed and pulled her into a hug, in the middle of the kitchen with Harry and Sophie watching on. She felt more exposed than she had done in a long time, and she didn’t even mind. When they broke the embrace, she realized that something had been niggling at her, and that the something was a lack of dogs in the kitchen.

‘Harry,’ she said slowly, ‘where are Darkness, Terror and Clifton?’

‘They’re in Harry’s study,’ Sophie said, filling the coffee machine while Avery went to cut bread.

‘But how did you …? Did you …? Have you been playing us this entire time?’

It was Harry’s turn to laugh. He got the apricot jam out of the fridge and held it out to her. ‘Avery has left his boots by the front door for the last two nights. We were waiting to see if you’d tell us, or if we’d have to drag it out of you.’

Avery looked at her, his expression amused and fond all at once. ‘Seems like my sister’s deviousness has been rubbing off on everyone. I expect the whole village knows by now.’

‘Great.’ Daisy feigned annoyance when, really, she couldn’t be happier. Chaotic mornings with her brother, Sophie and Avery were a lot of fun. She would have to make the most of them while she was here. It was a sobering thought, her mood dipping, but then Avery was there, wearing her too-short dressing gown, with his messy hair and his stubble and his grey eyes that truly saw her, and she couldn’t hold onto her sadness for long. Temporary Avery was better than no Avery at all.

Chapter Twenty-three

Daisy hadn’t used the formal dining room at Mistingham Manor since she’d been back, because the revamped kitchen’s large table was more than big enough for them all. The dining room was behind Harry’s study, tucked into a forgotten corner, and she had only given it the most cursory of glances when she’d revisited each of the rooms on her return.

‘What do you think?’ Sophie asked.

‘I think it feels like a Christmas dinner party.’ She was both charmed and nervous, because it was beautiful – decorated in silver and blue, with garlands hanging on the white walls, pillar candles on the table in shimmering cerulean holders, thick royal blue curtains over the window. There was a small tree in the corner dressed in pale blue and silver baubles, a large star glittering away on top.

‘Isn’t that what this is?’ Sophie said. ‘Harry’s made chicken parmigiana with rosemary potatoes and some kind of cranberry crumb.’

‘Jesus. Why?’ Daisy pressed her hands to her cheeks, wondering if she was about to have a full-blown panic attack.

Sophie laughed. ‘Because he’s been learning some new recipes, and because he cares about this.’

‘He cares so much about having his childhood best friend for dinner that he’s cooking up some sort of cordon bleu meal?’

‘Why are you so horrified at the idea of delicious food?’ Sophie grinned, but then it slipped into something more serious. ‘He wants you to be happy. He’s trying to be a supportive big brother.’

Daisy swallowed. ‘It’s all a bit … posh.’

‘Do you mean serious? You’re worried because you and Avery aren’t at the dinner party stage?’