Chapter Two
Daisy looked around her apartment. It was feeling very empty now Marigold and Jake had left. They wanted to stay and look after her, but Daisy had assured them that she would be okay.
That was a lie, but Daisy was fed up with feeling so miserable. She didn’t want any pity, and with Marigold being heavily pregnant with three handsome guys doting on her, it felt like Daisy was inadequate. It wasn’t Marigold’s fault - Daisy was happy for her little sister - but it did feel like it was being rubbed in her face.
She was still struggling to comprehend what was going on. Nick and Elena weren’t answering their phones, and when Daisy went onto social media to contact them that way, she found that she had been blocked. It felt like they had planned it. On the day of the wedding as well. Were they trying to make the humiliation as bad as they could? Because it was working.
And to add all of that, Lee had to be home and see her in such a state. That just made the embarrassment feel worse. Her across-the-hall neighbor was a really nice, kind guy who was always making her smile. To have him see her like this made Daisy want to hide away from everyone, especially him.
She wished they had managed to get inside before Lee noticed. Then again, he would notice something was wrong when she didn’t set off on her honeymoon after the wedding. But, at least, Daisy would be a bit more composed about it.
Jake had told her that Lee had offered to let her stay until she got herself sorted if she didn’t get a place in time. That had left Daisy in a daze. Why would he do something like that? They were neighbors, nothing more.
You’re more than neighbors, and you know it. The chemistry between the two of you is not something to ignore.
That was the problem. From when they first met, Daisy had noticed a spark between them. That had left her unnerved, mostly due to the fact she was with Nick, and also because of the age-gap. Lee had to be at least ten years younger than her. Even if she was single, he shouldn’t even be someone to consider for anything beyond talking.
And yet it was there. Daisy had felt a little guilty about it, and for going to Lee’s bakery to talk to him while she had her lunch. But it was just a little crush, and from what Daisy knew, as long as she didn’t act on it she wasn’t doing anything wrong. She was with Nick, and she would never cheat on him.
Now she was single because Nick had been cheating on her. And Lee was still very much single.
Oh, God. She couldn’t accept his offer to stay at his place. She had to wait out as much of the honeymoon as she could and get herself a different place. Daisy couldn’t take Lee up on his offer to stay with him. That was asking for trouble. Being in close quarters with a young hunk who looked like one of those celebrity chefs, especially in his uniform…
Daisy knew she would crack trying to keep her hands to herself.
That made her feel even worse. She had only just been dumped, hours before the ceremony, and already she was thinking about another guy?
Her head had to be completely screwed. The shock of being dumped and cheated on was messing with her head. That had to be it.
Daisy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Then she did it again. What she needed to do now was to get some rest, and she could think more clearly in the morning. At which point, she would get the apartment sorted. Especially with putting her furniture into storage.
She couldn’t help but giggle a little. Nick might have only his name on the apartment, but everything in the apartment bar the television and his gaming equipment in the corner was in Daisy’s name. She couldn’t leave without taking all of her things with her.
Nick and Elena could get their own things. They weren’t going to be using hers.
Her wedding dress was on the bed, almost like it was mocking her. Daisy was tempted to rip it to shreds, but it was beautiful. Someone could make use of a second-hand dress. That could wait until later.
Changing into sweats, Daisy headed into the kitchen. She needed to get some normality and get used to the fact she was thirty-five and single again. And how to get herself completely separated from Nick.
Her cell phone started ringing, and Daisy barely glanced at it as she passed the kitchen table. Only to do a double-take when she saw Elena’s name flashing up. She was actually calling her now?
Daisy snatched up the phone and answered.
“What the hell, Elena?”
“Well, hello to you, too, Daisy.”
“What were you thinking? And on my wedding day! Couldn’t you have made it any worse with the timing?”
Elena laughed.
“Oh, sorry, but we decided that we couldn’t do it any longer. Sneaking around to see each other was getting silly, and Nick mentioned about you two moving across the country. I begged him not to go, that I couldn’t bear it if he left. So we decided that we would run away together, that he wouldn’t marry you.”
“And now you’re on the vacation that was meant to be our honeymoon?”
“We are! The Dominican Republic is gorgeous! We’ve been here a couple of hours now, and it’s amazing! I can’t believe we’re here.”
Daisy snorted.