Maximum Dare - Vanessa Fewings Page 0,74

to look at me. “We should make Heathrow in good time, sir.”

“Thank you, Carl.” I sat back and pulled out my phone, turning it off to keep myself from calling Daisy. All I wanted was to hear her voice. My heart ached to say the words I should have told her before I’d walked away.

I wanted to turn this car around and find her.

“Advise my mother that my phone died,” I said.

“I can charge it for you, sir, on the console.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I said, wanting to get out of London as quickly as possible.

Because Daisy lived in this city—and I didn’t trust myself to stay away from her.

“Welcome, Dare Club Members!” Ted stood on a chair at the front of the bar so he could see us all, peering down with the kind of respect usually reserved for heroes.

We’d gathered in the bar at the Waldorf Hotel, where it had all begun, taking advantage of the plush seats, flowing beverages, and endless supply of crisps and dips.

This was it—we’d proven to ourselves we could push our limits past what we thought possible. I’d watched my friends overcome their mental roadblocks, seen them make decisions that would change their lives.

I tried to focus on what people were saying around me, engage in conversation and ignore the fact that my mind and body felt numb.

Max was gone and he wasn’t coming back.

I hadn’t wanted to come to the meeting tonight.

Ted had insisted that being here was all about supporting our teammates and celebrating their breakthroughs. He was right, of course.

His speech was inspiring, and he teared up when telling us how proud he was of our accomplishments. He invited us all to move forward in life with what we’d learned, with our newfound courage. Our life coach had given us the tools we needed to chase our dreams.

Returning to university and finishing that degree seemed like a real possibility for me now. I felt an eagerness to see myself the way Max sees me. He’d given me more than affection…he’d given me a way forward, too.

Ted sat beside me. “How are you, Daisy? You’re a bit quiet.”

“I’m glad I completed each dare,” I said.

“Bet you never expected to tackle an Army assault course.” He laughed.

“I’m still aching.”

“I always knew you had it in you.”

Yesterday, we’d all met up in Beare Green where we’d tested our fitness and been put through our paces like military recruits. Most of all, we’d laughed our way over each obstacle. I was feeling sad that it was over, as this was our last dare, but all of us were still hungry for more adventure, which was the point, I suppose. We all promised to keep in touch.

“Keep doing what you’re doing, Ted,” I told him. “You’re changing lives. Giving people the courage to make big life choices.”

“That courage was always inside you, Daisy, just waiting for you to tap into it.”

“I’m willing to believe that now.”

“I’m glad.” He pushed to his feet, peering over toward the door. “That guy’s familiar. Do you know him? He keeps staring at you.”

I followed Ted’s line of sight, and swallowed hard.

“That’s Nick Banham,” he said in awe.

I hurried over to greet Nick. “What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t want to miss your big night.”

“I wasn’t expecting you.”

“My girl’s graduating from the Dare Club. Of course, I want to be here.”

When he reached for my hand, I pulled away. His gaze narrowed as he processed my need to take things slow.

I wasn’t ready for any show of affection. I needed more time. I felt like I was betraying Max, even though we were over now.

Within minutes, a crowd had gathered around us, football fans who had recognized Nick. Ted was beside himself, acting like the biggest fan boy, throwing me glances that said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I let Nick have the limelight. It took the pressure off me. I sat sipping my white wine quietly in an armchair.

On the back wall, the Dare Club’s logo lit up a big-screen TV. It was a man’s silhouette taking a leap off a cliff.

“What’s that?” I asked Ted.

“We’ve put together a montage filmed during the dares.” He nodded toward the screen. “This should be fun.”

There came a continuous flow of images, edited with dramatic music as a backdrop to our adventures, as the team members moved through each dare.

There was me sliding down the glass chute, me heading in for a night of ghost hunting, sharing my feelings on Instagram about my challenge