Page 65 of Three's a Crowd
‘Let me take your coats,’ said the pretty, suit-clad girl on the desk. ‘And sign in here please,’ she added, motioning to the ledger. They wrote their names in it – soold skool– handed overtheir coats and climbed the winding stairs up to the next level, where the party was being held. The large room, which had a bar bang slap in the middle of it, was already thronged with people and Daisy felt the rush of warmth from so many bodies envelop her.
There was a sweet, musky undertone in the air – a mixture of all the different scents that everyone was wearing – which made her feel slightly heady. She didn’t recognise anyone there, she realised with a rush of relief, so she could always just have a couple of drinks with Claire and then make her excuses, if necessary.
Claire turned to her. ‘I’m just going to see if Russ is here,’ she said. ‘Will you be okay for a minute?’
‘Of course,’ Daisy said. ‘Go. I’ll be here, probably still queuing to get myself a drink from that very busy-looking bar.’
She smiled and winked confidently at her friend to assure her she wasn’t about to leg it if left on her own for two minutes.
She got in line for the bar and was standing awkwardly behind a big group of people who all seemed to know each other, feeling a bit lost and nervous, when Zach walked into the room.
It seemed like everyone around her turned to look at him, Daisy included.
Her heart gave a hard throb in her chest and she suddenly felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room and she couldn’t breathe.
She needed to sit down.
Unfortunately, the empty chair that had been to the right of her at a deserted table a moment ago had just been moved, so when she went to half-blindly sit on it, there was nothing there to meet her bottom. She stumbled, shocked by the lack of solid object that her brain told her was still there, then, unable to right herself in her heels, fell over onto the floor with a thump.
So, the first Zach saw of her was of her flat on her back, her floaty skirt up around her waist, flashing her knickers at him.
Her face flushed with embarrassment and she scrambled to sit up and pull her skirt down to her knees before starting to get up with as much dignity as she could manage, which wasn’t much, under the circumstances.
What were the bloody odds that he’d be here, at a random private party that she’d only agreed to go to at the last minute?
And how onearthwas she going to handle this situation?
After her last encounter with him, she’d fully expected never to see him again.
It seemed as though he was thinking the same thing because his face had registered shock when he caught sight of her, but, in his Zach-like manner, he’d quickly composed himself and strolled over.
‘Dizzy, fancy seeing you here,’ he said coolly, but with a glint of amusement in his eye.
It seemed like a long time since she’d heard her pet name. For some reason, she suddenly found she loved hearing it again, especially from him. It was their private joke. A thing that still bonded them.
A feeling akin to nostalgia washed over her, making her skin prickle.
He held out a hand and not knowing what else to do, she allowed him to pull her back up to standing.
Straightening her skirt, she took a moment to compose herself. ‘What are you doing here?’ she muttered, her cheeks still blazing hot.
‘A friend invited me.’ He was gazing at her with a contemplative expression on his face now.
‘What?’ she asked crossly, becoming even more uncomfortable under his intense gaze.
‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘I just wasn’t expecting to see you here. Especially not so much of you,’ he added, grinning at her now. ‘You haven’t changed since you were little, you know.’
‘Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?’
They were interrupted by a pretty girl with long, blonde hair gliding over and, ignoring Daisy, putting a proprietorial hand on his shoulder.
Daisy was annoyed to feel a familiar stab of jealously at the sight of it, but on the other hand, also recognised it as the perfect opportunity to get away.
‘Excuse me, I have to find my friend,’ she blustered, pushing past him before he could reply.
Claire was deep in conversation with a tall, auburn-haired man in a corner, so Daisy quickly diverted to the bathroom and sat on the flipped down loo lid with her head in her hands, trying to straighten herself out.
‘Breathe,’ she whispered to herself, taking deep gulps of air into her lungs until her head stopped spinning.
