Chasing Daisy

splutter.
    ‘Bun tart. Haven’t you heard that term before? That’s what we call you girls.’
    ‘You call us bun tarts?’ I ask in horror.
    ‘Sure.’ He shrugs. ‘Don’t shoot the messenger,’ he adds calmly.
    ‘Hey, Luis.’ Holly comes out of the kitchen. ‘Whoa, you must be hungry.’ She looks at the plate I’m still holding. ‘I can’t believe you’re not going for some of my nice muesli.’
    He glances at it. ‘Hmm,’ he decides. ‘Maybe I will have some.’
    ‘So you don’t want this?’ I interrupt, nodding at the plate in my hand.
    ‘No, thanks.’ He actually has the audacity to wink at me.
    I irritably spin around and sweep the bacon and eggs from his plate into the bin behind the serving table. When I turn back, Holly is spooning muesli into a bowl.
    ‘Extra nuts?’ she asks.
    Luis nods pleasantly.
    ‘Did you hear what he just called me? Us?’ My voice sounds squeaky with annoyance.
    ‘No, what?’ Holly flashes Luis an apologetic smile.
    ‘Bun tarts!’ I explode.
    She laughs. ‘That’s our nickname, Daisy.’
    ‘What, yours and mine?’ I’m now very unpleasantly surprised.
    ‘No,’ she waves her hand dismissively. ‘All of us. All of the front-of-house girls. It’s the same in every team. It’s a term of affection.’
    ‘Well, I don’t know about that,’ Luis mutters.
    Holly hands him a bowl filled to the brim. ‘Do you want a protein shake to go with that?’ she asks.
    Luis glances down at his coffee and then cocks his head to one side. ‘Go on, then.’
    I stand there and glare at him.
    ‘What?’ he asks innocently.
    At that moment Will walks into the hospitality area and my expression must have changed dramatically because Luis sharply spins around to see who has caught my attention. I quickly try to cover up by tidying the serving table in front of me as I notice Will taking a seat with Tarquin and Frederick. I glance back at Luis and see a twinkle in his eye.
    Later that afternoon, I’m hard at work when I hear someone shout.
    ‘Oi, Daisy!’ Pete pops his head around the door.
    ‘What do you want?’ I shout back cheekily.
    ‘Are you coming out tonight?’
    ‘Why, what’s the plan?’
    He looks comically from side to side to make sure no one is within earshot. ‘We’re going for a piss-up in the city.’
    ‘Another one? Shouldn’t you be setting an example?’ I joke. ‘You’re the chief mechanic.’
    ‘Yeah, well, you’re the chief bun tart.’ He grins at me and I notice a couple of catering staff surreptitiously smirk at each other.
    ‘What is it with that term?’ I explode. ‘I heard it for the first time today and now everyone’s saying it!’
    Pete cracks up laughing. ‘Yeah, Luis told me your face was such a picture this morning.’
    Him again.
    ‘He’s not coming out, is he?’
    ‘Nah, he’s got some sponsorship event to attend.’
    ‘ Another one?’
    ‘Yeah. All the bloody time. He hates them.’
    ‘Too bad for him. I’ll come, then,’ I say, snootily. ‘As long as he’s not coming.’
    ‘I can’t guarantee he won’t turn up later . . .’
    We’re staying at a hotel in the city – all the mechanics are in the same one as us so we arrange to meet at the hotel bar later. Once again, Holly and I did the early shift, so Frederick lets us leave soon after we’ve helped out with dinner. Luckily, Klaus and Gertrude are not really party animals so that works out just fine.
    We go to a bar with a perfect view of the soaring Petronas Twin Towers, glowing white in the night. Even after an hour, I’m finding it hard to tear my eyes away from the strange Islamic-looking skyscrapers with their interlinking bridge, but when Dan gets a text from Luis demanding to know where we are, my attention is immediately diverted.
    ‘Don’t tell him!’ I beg.
    He just laughs while typing out a reply. ‘Why don’t you like him?’ he asks afterwards.
    ‘I don’t know how anyone can like him!’
    ‘What’s he ever done to you?’ he persists.
    ‘He almost ran over me and then called me a silly woman driver, for one thing.’
    ‘He’s only teasing . . .’
    ‘He is not!’ I respond hotly.
    ‘Okay, okay.’ Dan gives up.
    Later, when Luis emerges, I’m still in a mood. I don’t see the person behind him until he’s almost at our table.
    ‘Will!’ Pete shouts.
    I feel dazed, jittery, sick with excitement. While the lads all jump up to shake the drivers’ hands, I flash a glance at Holly. She rolls her eyes at