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‘Marion!’Daisycried threateningly.
Sheput up her hands in surrender. ‘Okay, okay,Iget the message.I’msorry.Look, darling,I’llpop over toOnaRollfor some custard slices.Onme.Tohell with the diet.’
‘Makemine extra custardy.’Daisystrode into the office, collectedMarion’shandbag and threw it over.
‘Careful, darling, that’sPrada,’ she said as she caught it. ‘Toodle-pip.’Aftershe’d swept out, the shop immediately felt calmer.Marionwas a human whirlwind and it wasn’t always welcome.
Miaspotted the note inDaisy’shand. ‘Isthat this month’s order?’
‘Yup.Scarletgeraniums.Notvery exciting.’
Miagasped and flopped onto the stool. ‘Onthe contrary.Theymean sorry.Walt’sdone something stupid to apologise about.’
‘Don’tmost men?’Daisypointed out sourly, thinking ofNeville,Rickand nowBrett.Itseemed even their lovelyWalterwasn’t immune.
‘Ohmy eggs, it’s so frustrating not knowing the whole story,’Miaexclaimed. ‘Wonderwhat he did?’
‘Whoknows?Lied?Cheated?Talkedobsessively about himself, got drunk and fell comatose into his lemon tart?AnddidItell you he had a comb-over?’
Miawinced. ‘I’mso sorry,Daisy.Buthe was only one.Theremight be someone on there for you.Don’twrite all men off.They’renot all dorks.’
Daisyslammed the note down and leaned against the counter.Therewas a box of snowy white chrysanthemums waiting to be collected and she nearly knocked it off.Rescuingit as it was about to tip over the edge, she said sullenly, ‘Justthe onesImeet then.DidItell youRicktold me hisMissToothpastedoesn’tunderstand him?’
‘Noway!’Miawas aghast.
‘Way.Icouldn’t believe it.Heseemed so nice, so genuine.’Daisygrowled in frustration. ‘Theone time, the one time,’ she repeated, her voice rising to a crescendo, ‘Ididn’t make any prejudicial assumptions about someone and he turns out to be a love rat.’
Miagiggled. ‘He’sso not a love rat.’
‘Nobut he was heading that way.’
‘Wereyou getting vibes?’
‘Ohthere were vibes all right.I’lltell you about the vibes.Alongwith a lot of hand holding and gazing soulfully into my eyes, he even kissed my hand at one point.’
‘Ooh!’Mia’smouth fell open.
Daisyshifted irritably. ‘It’snot “ooh” at all.He’sgot a girlfriend, a longstanding one from the sounds of it and he was trying it on with me.I’mnot going there again.Idon’t want a repeat ofNeville.’
‘Neville?’
‘Iforgot you don’t know aboutNeville.Hewas the man who cheated on his wife with me.Fortwo years, and lied to me, saying he was single.’
‘Ouch.’
‘Ohyes, ouch.’
Miatwisted her nose ring thoughtfully. ‘Ican’t seeRickas anotherNevillesomehow.Helooks too trustworthy, too straight.’
‘Mmm.’
‘Ithink it’s the chinos.You’vegotta trust a man who wears chinos.Andthey look like expensive ones too.’
Daisylaughed for the first time since her disastrous date withBrett.I’lltake your word for it,Mia, butIdon’t intend to find out.Idon’t intend on having anything more to do withRickWhatever-His-Name-Isever again!’
Chapter Eleven
Saturdaysaw a whole van load of deliveries, including a wedding.Janoffered to man the shop andMiarode shotgun withDaisy, hopping out and delivering when there was nowhere to park.Oncethey’d done the wedding order, they could afford to relax a little; being late with wedding flowers was not an option.
