The Holiday Swap: The perfect feel good romance for fans of the Christmas movie The Holiday

Chapter 5 - Daisy and Anna. Barcelona (#ulink_db26f517-701d-5dd5-82d3-f42a026e7d7a)

Daisy was wrestling with a wet and very randy Dalmatian, and trying to ignore her hangover, when Anna reappeared the day after ‘the proposal’ – practically bouncing with her news.

‘God, Daisy, what are you doing to that dog?’

‘It’s more a question of what it’s trying to do to me. He wants to bonk everything with a pulse. Just hold him round the neck and look stern can you?’

‘Like a Dalamatrix?’

‘Very funny.’ She grabbed the shower head while the dog was actually still, and soon had him soaked to the skin and lathered up. There were days when she really thought her dog-grooming business should cater for nothing bigger than a poodle, and nothing with balls.

‘Anyway,’ Anna hung on as the dog made a bid for freedom, ‘I came to tell you it’s all sorted. Your big adventure is on; you’re visiting Florence!’

‘I am?’ She stopped mid-lather, which was handy. If she’d still had the shower head in her hand, then Anna might well have been soaked.

‘You are.’

It sounded rather final. ‘Don’t I get a say in this?’

Anna relaxed her hold on the dog in surprise and it was halfway out of the bath, and she was drenched, by the time Daisy made a grab for its collar. ‘Well yeah, of course. I just thought you’d like the idea…’

‘Florence, that’s in Italy, isn’t it? I thought it was expensive there,’ she sighed, ‘you know I’m broke.’ Anna giggled and got a firm hold on the dog again, relief flooding her face. But Daisy hardly noticed. ‘I’d been thinking maybe I should go to France first on the ferry. You know, a little village.’ With cute cafés where she could settle down with a book. ‘And beaches.’

‘Daisy?’

The more she’d thought about going away, the more she wanted to do it. But she was afraid of different, too different. Maybe she needed to think this through – it was fine thinking she needed to live a bit, but she’d been thinking of starting off with baby steps.

‘I was thinking somewhere on the coast, and Florence isn’t, is it?’ She’d only just scraped a pass at GCSE Geography.

‘Daisy will you let me finish, you dafty? You’re going to see Flo the person, not the place. Flo, remember?’

Daisy stopped trying to scrub the spots off the dog and looked at Anna in confusion. ‘Flo? But she lives in Barcelona doesn’t she? Or has she moved?’

‘Yep she does, and no she hasn’t. It was you who mentioned Italy, not me.’

Daisy decided it would be a waste of breath correcting her. ‘That’s Spain.’

‘Genius.’ Anna grinned, pleased with herself. ‘Barcelona’s got a beach, and it’s better than being stuck out in the sticks. Anyhow, December is hardly sunbathing weather and it’ll be freezing in France.’

‘Have you actually mentioned this to Flo? I mean, I’ve hardly spoken to her for ages and I thought she had this hectic high-flying lifestyle.’

Totally unlike her own. Totally unlike any other inhabitant of Tippermere. They might have gone to the same primary school, played kiss chase with the same boys and even hit puberty and agonised over their A levels together. But there all similarities had ended abruptly. Daisy had stayed in the village and Flo had swanned off to Barcelona with her Spanish mother, who had decided that she couldn’t cope with the damp English weather any longer.

‘The last Facebook status I read of hers she was going on about this Michelin starred restaurant she’d been to, and how fab the magazine she’d set up with her boyfriend was.’ And she’d hinted at spring weddings on the beach. Weddings had been the last thing on Daisy’s mind (up to a few days ago), and her extent of fine dining with Jimmy was limited to the village pub. Which was very nice, but they didn’t tend to have ‘foams’ or ‘amuse-bouches’ as far as she could recall – unless you counted pork crackling. ‘I know we’re still friends, but it just looks so glam, her lifestyle. Are you sure she’d want me gate-crashing?’

‘Well, actually, I do speak to her now and again, and I did ask her, and she does want you to go. It’s perfect because she said you can stay at her place for as long as you want and—’

‘But doesn’t her boyfriend mind?’ She was pretty sure she’d screwed her face up in a way only animals found attractive, but she was positive Flo had posted pictures of a guy on Facebook: a very attractive, well-groomed, sophisticated kind of guy. So unlike the type you found in Tippermere. ‘I’ll feel a real gooseberry.’

‘That’s the “and” bit. She’s just split up with him.’

‘But I thought they were on the verge of getting married.’ Daisy, who had been towelling the dog, stopped.

‘So did she, and she caught him with somebody else.’

‘You’re kidding!’ That was nearly as big a shock as Jimmy waving a diamond ring in the air. ‘Really?’

‘Really, as in shagging her in the next hotel room.’

‘Oh no. What a bastard. Oh, poor Flo.’

‘So you’ve got to go. She needs somebody to talk to, take her mind off it.’

‘Needs me?’ Daisy’s stomach gave a flip, which could have been nerves or excitement. She wasn’t sure. A trip to Barcelona would be brilliant, and it would be lovely to see Flo again. See how the other half lived.

‘Yep. So I told her you can go at the end of next week.’

An involuntary squeal escaped from Daisy’s lips. ‘Next week? But, I can’t…’

‘Whatever you were about to say, you can. Jimmy said he’d give you December, so it’s perfect. You need to just get on with it, Daisy. You haven’t got time to mess about, before you know it Christmas will be here, and then what?’

A family announcement. Wedding dresses. Bridal bouquets. Oh God, that word ‘bridal’ it just sounded weird when it was applied to you instead of somebody else. She needed to do something, but how on earth could this work? Next week! ‘But what about Barney and Mabel? I can’t just leave them, and what if the pipes freeze? And…’

‘Jimmy can look after the place for a few days, and your menagerie.’

‘But I can’t ask—’

‘Yes, you bloody can ask him, it was his idea you do it, or,’ her eyes gleamed, ‘if you don’t want to ask Jimmy, you can ask Hugo.’

‘No!’ No way was she going to ask pompous, disapproving Hugo to look after her dog, or wilful horse.

Anna was waiting, grinning, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

‘Okay, I’ll ask Jimmy, I suppose.’ She was feeling guilty even before she’d gone anywhere.

‘Good. It’s only for a few days, well as many as you like. Daisy, stop feeling guilty.’

‘I’m not.’

‘You are.’

She was. ‘I haven’t even got a passport though, so I don’t see how I can go that soon.’

‘We’ll get you one tomorrow. Come on, before you chicken out. Flo needs you right now,’ Daisy thought she might be stretching the truth on that one, Flo had always had lots of friends when they were at school, ‘and she knows the city and all the in-places to go. Look, it’s an ideal opportunity with having somewhere to stay, it won’t cost you hardly anything. We can sort a flight dirt cheap and you don’t need many spends.’

‘I’m not chickening out, I’m just being practical. I’ve got lots of customers booked in and I can’t just abandon them.’

‘Oh Daisy, I’m not trying to force you if you really don’t want, I just thought… I can always tell Flo… well, I suppose I could go instead.’