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She glanced up at him, needing more information than that to ease her inner tension. ‘Why did you break up with her?’
His mouth took on a cynical twist. ‘I found out the money was more important than the man to her. She’s with James Ellicott now. I don’t think he cares why as long as he has her.’
She knew of James Ellicott. The flamboyant billionaire was quite ugly compared to Ethan, his big physique made bigger by a beer belly, his sandy hair thinning on top and a large nose dominating his face. Regardless of his looks, he had acquired a beauty queen and a famous model as wives in the past.
‘Is your ex-fiancée very beautiful?’ she asked.
‘On the outside, yes. And she knows how to trade it. I was completely fooled for a while. I’m glad the wool was pulled off my eyes before I married her. Believe me, that relationship is stone-cold as far as I’m concerned.’
What she had with Ethan was still running hot, but…‘I traded myself for money, too,’ she blurted out, all her insides squirming horribly at that undeniable truth. She had no chance of a really solid relationship with Ethan. None at all.
He halted, turning to her, gently cupping her cheek and chin with his free hand, his gaze burning into hers with absolute conviction. ‘Not for yourself, Daisy,’ he said quietly. ‘Your character is so far removed from Serena’s, it’s like night and day.’ He lightly pinched her cheek and smiled. ‘Now smile back at me because we’re going to have a happy day together.’
She did smile back, intensely relieved that he didn’t see her as similar to Serena, despite their deal, which was still in force. It actually seemed he was dismissing it as of no account at all.
‘That’s my girl,’ he said warmly, and the possessive note in his voice sent hope soaring through her heart again, making Daisy determined to be happy, no matter what happened throughout the course of the day.
Ethan gave her a tour of the amenities provided for race-goers at Rosehill Gardens—every taste and classlevel catered for. There was a buzz of excitement everywhere, people partying, having fun. Some groups were wearing mad clothes and hats, adding to the colour of the scene. Many of the young women were wearing incredibly high-heeled shoes and Daisy wondered how their feet would fare by the end of the day. She was glad that her strappy gold sandals were not so high and easily walkable in because they were doing a lot of walking.
Eventually they met up with Ethan’s friends in the Champagne Bar. Charlie Hollier did a double-take when he saw her. ‘Wow, Daisy! That’s some transformation!’
She laughed. ‘Well, I couldn’t come to the Golden Slipper in jeans, Charlie.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Ethan drawled. ‘You always looked sensational in jeans, too.’
‘Okay, you guys,’ one of the women chided good-humouredly. ‘You can stop drooling and start introductions.’
Daisy, glowing from the compliments from both men, did her best to memorise the new names. Mickey Bourke fetched glasses of champagne for them and it was his girlfriend, Olivia, who raised the background question, her curiosity piqued by the men’s comments.
‘So where are you from, Daisy, and how did you and Ethan meet?’
‘I can tell you that,’ Mickey cut in archly. ‘Daisy was doing PR at the Magic Millions back in January and Ethan was so taken by her he almost carried her off. Had to stop him from making a fool of himself.’
‘January!’ one of the other women, Allyson, exclaimed. ‘But we haven’t seen Ethan with Daisy until now!’
‘Most difficult woman I’ve ever met,’ Ethan rolled out in a tone of mock exasperation. ‘First up she didn’t like me. Didn’t want anything to do with me. On top of that, I interfered between her and her boss and caused her to lose her job, which made me not only unlikeable but a total villain, as well.’
He threw up his hands and they all laughed at Ethan Cartwright in such a dilemma.
‘So then I had to turn myself into a hero and give her a job until she found another suitable PR position,’ he continued.
‘Supervising the renovations of his house,’ Charlie chimed in. ‘And let me tell you she was a stickler for detail. Didn’t let the tradesmen slip up on anything. They didn’t need any supervision from me until after Daisy left.’
‘But did she look kindly on me for this rescue act?’ Ethan queried theatrically. ‘As far as Daisy was concerned I was just another boss. I remember very clearly her first day at the house when I was doing my best to charm her. She looked sternly at me and laid down the law—the master of the house does not dance with the staff.’ He rolled his eyes and pulled a sad grimace. ‘No dancing with Daisy.’
Everyone was vastly amused by his show of frustration.
‘This has to be a first for you, Ethan, having your interest in a woman turned down,’ one of his old friends from Riverview, Dave Marriot, commented, grinning widely. ‘Now you know what it’s like not to be an instant winner.’
‘And good for you, Daisy, keeping him on toast,’ his wife, Shannon, said approvingly. ‘Guys like Ethan get used to women falling in their laps.’
‘I didn’t deliberately keep him on toast,’ Daisy quickly slid in. ‘It just took me a while to realise he wasn’t so insufferably arrogant, not caring about anything but what he wanted.’ She smiled up at him. ‘I found myself liking him for lots of reasons. He didn’t even mind when I was beating him at tennis.’
‘You beat Ethan at tennis?’ Mickey crowed.
She laughed. ‘No, he won in the end. He made the mistake of going easy on me early on and the set went to a tie-breaker.’
‘I give you all fair warning,’ Ethan said. ‘The next tennis party I hold, Daisy and I are going to wipe everyone else off the court.’
‘Was that how you finally won her over, being a good sport?’ Olivia asked, looking thoroughly entertained by the story.
‘No. I was still the boss and Daisy has principles with a capital P.’ He sighed over her recalcitrant attitude, making everyone laugh again before he delivered the punchline. ‘I had to wait until she moved on to a new PR position at a publishing house. Only then did she consider it appropriate to let me into her personal life. Which is why you haven’t seen her with me before today.’ He tossed off a helpless gesture. ‘All her doing, not mine. As I said, a terribly difficult woman.’
It was a very clever spin on the real story and Daisy was deeply grateful that it made their relationship so readily acceptable by his friends. Who she was didn’t matter. They simply loved the idea of Ethan having to chase her for months to win what he wanted, which clearly made her quite marvellous in their eyes.
And made Ethan even more marvellous in hers.
There’d been no ego in that story. He had deliberately played her up and played himself down and she loved him all the more for it. The tension she’d been feeling about meeting his friends had been completely dissipated, and the foundation set for a delightfully happy day together.
They moved on to the Winning Post restaurant, the starched white linen tablecloths and classy settings adding their special touches to it. The floor was constructed in tiers, giving all the diners, wherever they sat, a clear view of the action out at the racetrack. For an even closer look at every entire race, a television set was attached to each table.
Directly below them was the parade ring where the horses circled around before moving out to the starting gates. At one end of that was the stage where presentations of prizes were made and other entertainment took place. Just beyond this area was the finishing line for each race. All the fences were lined with roses in full bloom. It was a great view with much to see and enjoy.
They had just sat down when they saw a helicopter coming in to land in the middle of the field. ‘James Ellicott making his usual entrance,’ Mickey remarked, shooting a quizzical look at Ethan who shrugged and openly said, ‘No problem. Daisy knows about Serena.’
‘And may I say I much prefer your current partner,’ Charlie said, grinning at Daisy. ‘I’m far more comfortable with down-to-earth than airs and graces any day.’
‘Yes, Serena does tend to put it on,’ Allyson commented with a warning look. ‘Don’t let her patronise you if she stops at this table to say hello.’
‘Just remember, you’ve got Ethan. She hasn’t,’ David pointed out.
‘And I bet James Ellicott is second prize in her book, so watch out, Daisy. Serena can be a bitch when she doesn’t get her own way,’ Shannon put in.
It amazed and warmed her that they were all on her side. While it might be out of loyalty to and support for Ethan, they did seem to genuinely like her.
The first course of their gourmet lunch was served, a delicious chicken and pistachio nut terrine, accompanied by a glass of a very good Chardonnay. Daisy relaxed and enjoyed herself. The mood of the party was highly convivial and Ethan was looking after her as though she really was a prize he’d won.
