Sweet as Honey (The Seven Sisters) - By Caitlyn Robertson Page 0,58
a final squeeze and stepped back. “Want a coffee?”
“Sure.” She followed Daisy out into the kitchen. “Is Reuben here?”
“No, he’ll come up tomorrow.”
“Who called you?” Honey wondered.
“Dex,” Daisy said. She turned and leaned on the counter, waiting for the kettle to boil. “He told me everything. Said he wanted me to hear it from himself. I understand he gave the same speech to everyone else last night, before he came and found you. Apologised to everyone and said he hoped they would forgive him.”
“Oh.”
“He’s pretty sweet.”
Honey picked at a sticker that someone had left on the tabletop. “I guess.”
“He loves you.”
“I know.”
“You shouldn’t let him go, Honey.” Her tone—as usual—was slightly superior, scolding even.
“Says the woman who dumped the love of her life,” Honey said, unable to hold back the retort.
Usually Daisy would have answered with a snidey remark, but this time she just looked at her shoes. Honey cursed out loud, leaned on the breakfast bar and sank her hands into her hair. “I’m sorry. Ignore me. I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“It’s all right, it’s not you.” Daisy turned and made the coffee. “Reuben and I had a row last night.”
“Oh, why?”
She slid the cup over to Honey. “He says I always put my family before him.”
“He was angry because you wanted to come up a day early?”
“Yeah. He’s right of course. I do put my family first. I can’t explain to him how much I miss it up here.” Daisy bit her lip.
Honey stared at her, shocked beyond words at this uncharacteristic display of emotion from her sister. “We all miss you too,” she said softly. “But I thought you loved the city.”
Daisy looked out of the window. “I do. I like the lifestyle. The bars, the suits, the busy-ness of everyday life. It’s so…slow up here. And yet, when I come back, I feel like I’m coming home. Which is crazy really, considering we’ve only been here a few years.”
“I know what you mean. I feel the same.”
“But when I come here, I always see him and then…” Her words tailed off and she cleared her throat. “It just makes things more difficult.”
She meant Chase, Honey thought. Daisy still loved him. They were such an unlikely pair. But who could stop Cupid when he had his eye set on a couple?
Daisy smiled. “Anyway, enough about me. I’m going to run you a bath and do your hair, and then Koru’s coming to pick us up and we’re going out to lunch.”
“Shouldn’t I go to work?” Honey protested half-heartedly, finishing off the coffee.
“No, no. Dad’s asked Aroha to help out in the café and she’s also got a niece who’s a pretty good cook by all accounts, so they’re fine. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”
Daisy bullied her into the bathroom, then out of it again an hour later, helped choose her outfit—a pretty, long dress in a light blue that gave her skin a warm glow, and sat her in front of the mirror and proceeded to braid her hair the way she used to when they were girls. Honey wondered whether once again Daisy felt guilty for not being there when all the drama occurred. When Honey had left Ian, Daisy had been away on a trip to France, although she’d returned the moment she heard what had happened. It wasn’t her fault, of course—what could she have done if she’d been there? This really wasn’t something that someone else could sort out for her—not Koru, not her father, not any of her sisters. Honey had to decide her course of action for herself.
“So what are you going to do?” Daisy asked as if reading her thoughts. She was finishing off braiding Honey’s hair, and their gazes met in the mirror.
Honey opened her mouth to say I don’t know, but at that moment her phone—which she’d turned on again earlier—buzzed on the table. She read the text. It was from Dex.
Are you up yet?
I’ve been up for hours, she replied, finishing with a ;-)
Lazybones.
Yeah, that’s what happens when you ply me with alcohol.
LOL. You looked lovely sozzled. Miss you.
Miss you too.
She waited, wondering if he would press her to see if she’d made her mind up about Saturday, but the phone didn’t buzz again, and she placed it on the table. He was at work, so he was probably busy.
“Well?” Daisy pressed, wrapping an elastic band around the bottom of the braid.
“I don’t know,” Honey said honestly. “Wow, that looks nice.”