Daisy felt her chest swell with pride at Jessie’s praise—and then felt ridiculous. After all Connor wasn’t even her proper boyfriend. She began to wonder if she really needed to know about this side of him. It had been so much easier to dismiss him as a feckless charmer.
‘It’s nice to know he’s so good at his job,’ she said, trying hard to sound non-committal. ‘He must enjoy it, which is probably why he’s so successful.’
‘He does enjoy it. But I’d say what he enjoys most is the challenge. Which brings us to the fascinating subject of Connor’s love life. Which has never been remotely challenging.’
Daisy sipped her champagne, but the bubbles did nothing to ease the dryness in her throat. She really didn’t need to know about his past relationships with women. Especially as their relationship had a sell-by date that was fast approaching. Now would be a good time to change the subject.
‘What were they like?’ she asked. ‘The other women he’s dated?’ Blast, where had that come from?
‘Interchangeable and shallow,’ Jessie said, before Daisy could take the question back. ‘I was being a bit unfair calling them bimbos, though. Some of them have been very shrewd. The last one he dated, Rachel, being a case in point. I wasn’t at all surprised when she told Connor she was pregnant.’
Daisy bobbled her glass. ‘Connor has a child?’
‘Of course not,’ Jessie said. ‘She wasn’t pregnant. It was what you might call a very convenient scare. Just when he was trying to end the relationship.’
‘What did he do?’ Daisy asked, riveted by the topic despite everything.
‘To everyone’s astonishment he offered to marry her, to support the child. Even though Monroe and I both knew it was the last thing he wanted to do. When he told us she wasn’t pregnant after all, he looked like a guy who had escaped the executioner’s block.’
‘He didn’t want to be a father?’ Daisy said, feeling strangely depressed, even thou
gh she already knew Connor wasn’t the family man type.
‘I don’t think it’s quite that simple. I don’t know for sure, but I think he had a really tough childhood and his attitude to kids and family is very confused because of it. But one thing I do know is that he is petrified of commitment. He’s a property developer but as far as I know the place he’s rehabbed in London, the house next door to yours, is the first home he’s ever bought for himself.’
‘I see,’ Daisy said, feeling even more dispirited.
Jessie sent her a knowing smile. ‘Which makes it all the more bizarre that he’s put his ring on your finger less than two weeks after meeting you.’
Daisy glanced at the ring, which seemed to have got even heavier while they were talking. ‘Yes, but I’ve told you it’s not a real commitment. On his part or mine.’
‘Are you sure?’ Jessie cut her off.
Daisy blinked. Swallowed. Of course she was sure, because anything else didn’t bear thinking about. But somehow the denial got lodged in Daisy’s throat.
‘There are several things about this situation that don’t add up, Daisy,’ Jessie continued. ‘First off, it’s very noticeable how different you are from the other women Connor’s dated. You’re not shallow, or stupid, or shrewd. Second off, he treats you differently from the way he treated them. I mean, he walked in here with you on his arm and basically staked you out as his for everyone to see. He’s never done that before. He’s not the possessive type. Not till now anyway.’ Jessie took Daisy’s hand and held up the ring. ‘And this whole fake engagement thing. It seems a bit extreme. Why does someone like Connor need a fake fiancée? That I’d really like to know.’
‘He hasn’t said, not specifically,’ Daisy replied, and decided then and there she was never going to ask him. Because everything Jessie was saying was making her feel very uneasy.
‘Fine,’ Jessie said. ‘But I guess what I’m really saying is, I know Connor. And I think there’s a lot more going on here than either he or you realise.’
Daisy gulped in a breath, felt her heart pound against her chest wall like a battering ram. Now she really couldn’t breathe. This she definitely did not want to hear. Because she could see a great big chasm opening up at her feet.
One she had no intention of jumping into.
She pulled her hand out of Jessie’s grasp. ‘I’m really flattered that you’d think I’m special, or different,’ she said carefully, ‘but I’m not.’
‘To which I’d have to say,’ Jessie countered, ‘that if you really think that, you’re selling yourself short, as well as Connor.’
Daisy lifted her glass of champagne, ignored the way it trembled as she took a sip.
She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t afford to think for even a moment that this thing with Connor could be anything more than it was, because that way lay serious danger. She couldn’t afford to fall in love with a man who was petrified of commitment, for whatever reason. And she didn’t want to.
Jessie, she decided, was just a hopeless romantic, who clearly cared deeply about Connor and wanted him to be happy. But whatever Jessie might think about their so-called relationship, it wouldn’t change the outcome of their two-week fling. And Daisy was far too practical and well grounded to think it could.
‘There’s no big romance here, Jessie,’ she said, but her voice wasn’t quite as firm as it should be.
Jessie simply smiled and said, ‘Don’t be so sure.’