Chasing Daisy

notices.
    Dinner is a delight. We talk about anything and everything and I realise I haven’t felt so relaxed in a long time. By the time dessert comes around and Luis insists on ordering toffee apples and bananas with ice-cream, I really don’t want the evening to end.
    We walk out into the crisp night air and I look at my watch. It’s ten o’clock.
    ‘I should be getting home.’
    ‘Don’t want to come back for a coffee?’
    ‘No.’ I shake my head. ‘I’ve got a bit of a trek back to Holly’s. I don’t think I could stand it if it were much later.’
    ‘You could always stay over, if you like.’
    ‘No, no, I couldn’t.’ Could I?
    ‘Why not? I’ve got plenty of room.’
    ‘No, I’d better get back.’
    ‘Yet you persuaded me to crash at your nonna’s . . .’ He tuts and I continue to waver before he brushes me off. ‘Suit yourself. Shall I call you a cab?’
    ‘It’s alright, I’ll go by tube.’ I pause before adding, ‘Thanks for a lovely night.’
    ‘You’re welcome. Thanks for dropping round.’
    We stand and smile at each other for a moment. I want to give him a kiss on the cheek – at the very least – but we haven’t had that sort of touchy feely relationship in the past. I take a step backwards.
    ‘Well, bye, then.’
    ‘Bye.’ He turns to walk away. ‘See you next week,’ he calls over his shoulder.
    ‘For sure,’ I call back, feeling bizarrely deflated as I start to climb the steep hill back towards the tube.
    I think about him the whole way home. Holly’s bedroom light is on when I arrive and I knock on her door, desperately wanting to tell her about my evening.
    ‘Come in,’ she calls.
    ‘Hi!’ I excitedly push the door open. And then I see her face. She’s been crying again. ‘What’s wrong?’ I ask with concern.
    Her face crumbles. ‘He’s not going to leave her.’ And then she starts to sob.
    ‘What are you going to do?’ I ask, after rubbing her back for a few minutes.
    ‘I don’t know. I don’t think I could stand to see her get bigger and bigger and know that he’s going to be the father to that . . . that. . . little demon !’
    I make a face at the description, but obviously don’t pull her up on it. ‘So will you quit?’
    ‘No. Oh, I don’t know! It’s a bloody nightmare! Maybe she’ll lose it?’ Her eyes brighten up.
    ‘ Holly ,’ I warn, and she starts to cry again.
    Needless to say, I think any discussions about Luis are going to have to be put on hold for the time being.

 
Chapter 28
     
    ‘Will you come with me?’
    ‘Are any of the sponsors going to be there?’
    ‘Probably all of them. And Simon and Catalina. But seriously, who gives a shit?’
    ‘I do!’
    ‘We don’t have to talk to them. It’ll be fun. Go on.’
    It’s Saturday and Luis has asked me to go to a charity ball with him tonight. We’re in Japan for the penultimate race of the season. Holly has been miserable. She toyed with the idea of not coming to this race at all, but then managed to pull some strength from somewhere.
    ‘Do you think I should go?’ I ask her later.
    ‘Absolutely,’ she replies without a moment’s hesitation. ‘It’ll make a nice change from the usual bars and clubs we hang out in.’
    ‘What will you do?’
    ‘I might go out with the lads, get rat-arsed and shag Pete to take my mind off things.’
    ‘Holly!’ I crack up laughing.
    ‘I’m not joking,’ she says. ‘That’ll piss Simon off.’
    ‘Hey,’ I berate her. ‘Don’t mess Pete around. He’s a good guy and you’ll probably get him fired if you do something like that.’
    She takes a deep breath and chews on one of her thumbnails. ‘Alright, Mum. What are you going to wear?’ she asks after a moment.
    ‘I have no idea. It’s black tie, apparently.’
    ‘You should check out that shop in the hotel lobby. I saw some beautiful dresses in there while I was waiting for you to come down yesterday.’
    I’m strangely nervous by the time I get back to the hotel at six thirty. I pop into the shop Holly mentioned before going upstairs. There are indeed some beautiful gowns here, but a quick glance at one price tag tells me I’d have to break into my father’s 10 million before I could afford even a single sequin. I go up to my room, racking my brains to try to think of an outfit that would suffice as I get on with my hair and make-up. I’m just starting to wonder if I should back out when there’s a knock at the door. I open it to find the hotel