Page 22 of Ghost Note

“I didn’t have you down as a liar.”

“I learnt that particular skill from a guy who spent six years lying to my face about loving me.”

Danny’s face dropped, his hands balling into fists by his thighs. His nostrils flared, and he opened his mouth to speak when a commotion pulled our attention to the pub, where a woman wearing tight blue jeans, a fitted blazer, and white trainers was chasing a toddler out of the door. With her short black hair perfectly in place and a smile on her ruby red lips, she rushed after the baby as he giggled and tried to outrun what I hoped was his mother.

“Corey Ryan, you little monkey, get yourself back here!” the woman cried.

The toddler slammed into me with a thud, his arms wrapping around my bare leg, causing me to stumble to the side before I managed to turn around enough to steady myself. The boy chuckled wildly, throwing his head back and trying to hide between my legs, his head desperate to disappear under my dress, until the lady came to my side and peeled him away. He kicked out, resisting her embrace as she brought him up flush against her body with one arm wrapped around him, while her free hand bopped the end of his nose with her thumb.

“I’msosorry,” she said in a rush, her apology obviously for me, even as she looked at her boy. “Listen, kiddo. I know you think you can behave like that because your daddy is a rock star, but you can’t. You have to behave in these places, otherwise people will figure out what a feral child you are.”

Your daddy is a rock star…

I glanced at Danny, who was looking at nobody but me with a creased brow and a tight jaw.

Danny was a… father? This beautiful, little boy with wild black hair and innocent, chocolate brown eyes was his son. The stunningly beautiful woman beside me was Danny’s… what? Girlfriend? Wife? Mother of his child?

I felt sick.

The sight of all three of them made me step back into the road, pretty sure that my face had quickly drained of any colour it once held.

“Oh, my,” the woman said when she caught sight of me, her smile growing, displaying a perfect row of bright, white teeth. She glanced at Danny for only a second before she focused on me again, and her smile faded a little. “Youmust be Daisy?”

“I… I have to go.” It was all I could say as my mouth went dry. I rubbed my lips together to try to gain some natural movement, my eyes drifting to little Corey who was rubbing his eye with his balled up, chunky fist. I saw his mother in him so clearly, but I couldn’t place Danny there.

The door to the pub swung open again, and one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen in my life stepped out with an almost-finished beer in his hand. He wore ripped black jeans, a grey T-shirt, and tattoos ran up and down his arms.

“All I wanted was a pint! I haven’t had a drink in forever. Couldn’t you give me that, Corey?” The man walked over to the woman, who was still staring at me in wonder, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he glared at the little boy and held his drink up to him. “That’s all your dad wanted. One drink. You steal my woman. You steal my sleep. You steal my freedom. Now you want to deny me a beer! We’ve talked about this, son. I’m going to be a pain in your arse when it’s time for you to spend your adult life wiping mine. Don’t say Daddy didn’t warn ya.”

He drained his drink, gasping and wiping the back of his hand over his mouth before he dropped the glass to an outdoor table behind him, and he turned to face me.

“Woah, who’s the stunner?” He grinned, full of cheek and charm that made my cheeks blush. The woman next to him jabbed her elbow into his ribs in warning. “What the hell, Jules?”

Jules… the name suited her. She looked like she was made of precious gems.

Her smile was tight as she leaned into the guy’s side and whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened, and his lips parted when he turned to face me again.

“Oh… crap.”

“Crap!” Corey repeated.

“Ah, shit…” the guy groaned.

“Sha...iiiit!” Corey went on.

“For the love of God, Rhett, stop talking,” Jules cried, covering her son’s ears and flashing a warning at the guy called Rhett.

I was lost, staring between the three of them as they looked at me like they knew me. It was then that I turned to Danny.

Jules wasn’t with him. Danny wasn’t Corey’s father. But still, the emotions that had stirred in me had hurt, and that hurt lingered.

Like the memories.

Like the love I couldn’t get rid of.

“I have to go,” I said, too strung out from everything. Life. Florence’s death. Danny’s return. The humiliation I felt from last night. Ben calling things off. The humiliation I now felt at having strangers staring at me like they knew who I was. Had Danny told them how pathetic I’d been back then? How I’d begged him to stay or take me with him?

“Daisy,” Danny said, his voice somewhat pained as he dared to take another step closer.

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