The lights dimmed and the grass became uneven, so I paused to take off my high heels. The sounds from the party grew fainter, the laughter now cut off by the high hedges. This place seemed to go on forever. I continued down the blue and white tiled steps.
The ground suddenly felt unsteady beneath my bare feet.
Oh, God.
I was standing on a beige tarp, the material stretching across a swimming pool. Water seeped around my feet, turning my toes into icicles. I turned back, but slipped on the unstable cover, not making any headway.
I was stuck, balancing precariously in the center of a plastic tarp that barely supported my weight, with rushing water meeting my calves and drenching my hem.
“Help!”
“Daisy?” It was Nick.
“You’ve got to be joking!” That was Morgan.
Now that I was closer, I could see she’d gone with the gown from Badgley Mischka. A good choice.
She looked stunning.
In contrast, I’d gone with a more modest look—that of Nick Banham’s jilted ex-girlfriend, dressed as staff with a dash of crazy.
Lights blared on and I squinted at the gathering crowd that had come to see me—the girl floundering in the center of the pool who wished she could walk on water.
“Daisy?” Nick called out. “What are you doing?”
“How embarrassing,” Morgan muttered loud enough for me to hear.
Ignoring her, and the gathering crowd filled with posh outfits and judgy faces, I kept my focus on Nick as I fought to keep my balance.
“Hi.” I was holding my shoes in my left hand, so I waved at Nick with the other.
“What is that girl doing?” asked an elegant-looking woman. She was staring at me with a harried expression.
“Oh, hello, you must be Nick’s mum?” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Her brows knitted together as she swapped a wary glance with Nick.
Tonight’s big “Dare” wasn’t going so well. This share-your-true-feelings-and-be-your-authentic-self moment felt like my worst idea ever. Doubt crept in like the water around my ankles.
But I forced myself to finish what I’d started. “Nick, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Daisy, don’t,” he said, his face twisted with worry.
“This is what best friends do,” I said breathlessly, trying to ignore the squelching around my feet. “I know we’re over. I respect that decision—”
“Daisy!” Max drew my attention toward him.
“Oh, hello,” I said brightly. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Oh, God,” said Mrs. Banham, moving closer to Nick.
Her embroidered silver high-slit dress shimmered beautifully under the lights.
What must I look like to her?
“Don’t move,” ordered Max.
Each time I saw him he took my breath away. His eyes were kind, but his sophistication was enough to make anyone feel inferior. Holding Max’s intense gaze almost made me forget this disaster.
Almost.
I’d been brave enough to come here—I wasn’t going to let my resolve weaken now. Not with Nick’s full attention on me.
“This is your family home?” I asked him.
His shoulders slumped as he realized that now I knew the truth. He’d never brought me here. Never introduced me to his family. Never admitted to the world we were a thing.
“It’s very nice,” I added. “You grew up here?”
He gave an unsteady nod.
I raised my hand to reassure him. “Nick, I need to tell you the truth about…”
Her.
Morgan’s narrowed hate-filled gaze locked onto me—morphing into something tangible, something that seeped inside and weaved vitriol around my soul.
This woman had ruined my life and she was about to decimate Nick’s—because that was what she did. The trail of evidence was devastating. Morgan was a Tasmanian devil whirling around and wielding destruction.
Only for Nick it hadn’t happened yet.
“Daisy, can you take a step toward me?” Max stood on the edge of the pool gesturing to me.
“I have to say it,” I answered in a rush.
“Daisy, they’re engaged,” Max said quietly. “This is their party.”
My gaze snapped to Nick for confirmation.
No…I can’t be too late…
I blinked through my tears, only now seeing the ostentatious diamond ring shining like a constellation on Morgan’s finger.
Max reached out to me again. “Grab my hand.”
“Careful, Max, you’ll fall in!” his mum snapped.
I tried to move toward the edge, but the tarp sank deeper with a jolt, the shock of the cold water too much for me to handle. My throat tightened and I let out a panicked wail as the cover gave way.
I plunged underwater…
My screams were muffled as I flapped my arms and legs, managing to break the surface, gasping and filling my lungs with air. I frantically started swimming toward the edge of the pool, with the plastic tarp bobbing beneath me.
A strong hand wrapped around my wrist and lifted me up and out, pulling me farther away from the side of the pool. The chill was paralyzing, making each breath I drew painful. I clutched my arms across my chest, refusing to look at the staring people and their gawps of horror. I couldn’t help but notice before looking away that Max’s mother had slapped her hands over her mouth…and Nick and Morgan had scurried away.
Max shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you dried off.”
“I’m sorry.” My teeth were chattering and my body was shaking.
I couldn’t move…couldn’t think straight.
Max lifted me into his arms, grasping me tightly to his chest, and carried me away from the pool. Water dripped off me, soaking his chest.
“I’m getting you wet.” I cupped my face in my hands.
“Relax, Daisy,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
Feeling humiliated and disgraced, I glanced back at his family and friends…their expressions of pity and confusion would forever be seared into my mind.
Max carried me into the house, up a winding staircase and along an endless hallway. He walked into a bedroom and then straight through into a bathroom en suite. It had the kind of tile a girl could drip on without worrying about the damage.
Max stood in front of me and towel-dried my hair, peeking through my damp locks to give me sympathetic smiles.
I realized I had lost my high-heeled pumps in the pool.
“We have to get you out of your clothes.” He turned his back and faced the door. “Put this on.” He pointed to a bathrobe. “I’ll step out.”
He left the room.
Shaking from the cold, I pulled at the catch of my skirt and slipped out of it, then peeled off my blouse. I took off my underwear and threw all of the sopping wet clothes into the sink. Drying myself off with a plush towel, my thoughts returned to Max’s announcement.
They’re engaged.
I’d gone out in a glorious burst of humiliation. The memory of seeing Nick walking away hand-in-hand with his bride-to-be was scorched into my brain.
I heard a knock at the door.
“Are you decent?” asked Max.
I quickly pulled on the robe. “Yes.”
He came in. “That’s better.” Max threw me a smile I didn’t deserve. “Let’s find something you can borrow.”
He took my hand and led me out into the hallway.
“I’ll never live this down,” I muttered.
“Nonsense.”
“I ruined his engagement party.”
Max nudged open another door. “In you go.”
“I’m so embarrassed.”
“My brother has done far worse,” he mumbled, closing the bedroom door behind us.
I’d lived with a man I hardly knew. A man who had never really loved me. Trying not to think about it, I looked around at the elegant room’s burgundy
wallpaper and furniture plucked out of a Harrod’s catalogue. A mahogany dresser complemented the enormous canopied four-poster bed.
I tried to shake off my sense of disorientation. “This is your mum’s room?”
“We’ll find something of hers that will fit.”
“She won’t mind?”
“It’s like Selfridges in here.” Inside the spacious walk-in closet he rummaged through her clothes, all neatly arranged on velvet-covered hangers.
Some of the outfits still had tags on them.
“We’re spoiled for choice.” Max plucked out a satin gown to show me. “Check out her shoes.”
I stepped back, feeling uncomfortable with taking anything that belonged to her. Max was just being kind. No doubt wanting me dressed and out of here.
Sensing my unease, Max put back the satin gown and said, “She’ll be fine with you borrowing her things. She has a generous nature.”
I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, unable to make eye contact with him. I’d made the worst mistake of my life by coming here.
Max sat beside me. “Feel all right?”
“My high heels are at the bottom of your mum’s pool. As long as I live, I don’t think I’ll be able to top this humiliating experience.” Though, lately, I’d had a lot of embarrassing moments to choose from.
He patted my hand. “People tend to forget these things.”
“Not those kinds of things.” I suppose it didn’t matter now—I was hardly going to be invited back.
He shrugged. “Most people are only into themselves.”
“You don’t believe that?”
“I’m afraid I do.”
“But you’re not like that.”
He nudged me with his shoulder. “Some people make you want to know them better.”
I wasn’t falling for that. He’d told me before that he was leaving for São Paulo. He’d been the one to offer me money so I would go away.
The silence stretched on between us.
He reached over and pushed a lock of wet hair out of my face.
“Your mum must hate me.”
“She doesn’t know you.”
We both knew after tonight she’d be glad to get rid of me.
“Do you need a drink?” He chuckled. “Other than pool water?”
Chlorine was in my hair and my skin was coated with it. My sopping wet clothes were taking up space in his bathroom. I was a mess.
Then I saw his shirt and jacket.
“I’m so sorry.” I pointed to his chest.
“Anything to get out of this tux, Daisy. You gave me an excuse to change.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about Nick.”
“I didn’t know.” I shook my head. “I should never have come here. I wasn’t even dressed up enough.”
“You looked pretty.”
“I looked like a member of your staff!”
He cringed. “You did a bit.”
“At least you’re honest.”
“My worst flaw.”
“I failed him.” My lip trembled. “I let your brother down.”
Max wrapped his arm around me. “You can’t use yourself as a buffer so that the people around you have a better life than you.”
“I’d do anything to stop him from getting hurt.”
He stared at me. “Were you spying on them?”
“No! This was one of my dares.”
His eyes widened in realization and then he flinched.
“Obviously not the bit where I mistook a pool for the ground.”
He leaned back to peer at me with intense brown eyes, biting his lip as though to prevent himself from laughing. “Feeling better?”
“Yes, thank you,” I fibbed.
“Let’s go back.”
“What?”
“Why not?” He gestured towards the closet. “Find something you can dance in.”
I jumped as someone knocked on the door.
A female voice followed the sound. “Are you in there, Max?”
He got to his feet and strolled over to the door, opening it slightly. “Hey, Mum.”
“Is she in there with you, in my room?” she said. “That girl?”
“Yes.” Max glanced back at me with a smile.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Do you think that’s wise? Considering.”
“Considering…?”
“Seriously?” she hissed.
Max slid out to join her in the hallway and closed the door behind him. I heard their footsteps moving away.
The scent of a familiar cologne wafted up around my face. I was wrapped in Max’s robe and it felt fluffy and warm, so luxurious. Dipping my head, I sniffed the collar and was enveloped in his dreamy essence. This was like being engulfed in a Max hug—the kind you leaned into, never wanting it to end…
Pushing to my feet, I strolled over to the walk-in closet and peered in at the shoe cabinet in the center. I would feel dreadful borrowing any of his mum’s things. I knew she wouldn’t want me to.
I heard the sound of murmuring voices in the hall. I headed over to the bedroom door and pressed my ear against it, eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Daisy’s a sweet girl,” said Max. “Give her some time and she’ll settle down.”
“She can’t stay!”
“Keep your voice down, Mum.”
“She just can’t.”
“What’s the harm?”
“Think of your brother. It’s his party.”
He let out a frustrated sigh. “She’s been through enough.”
“No one forced her into that pool.”
“It was a mistake. She didn’t know it was a swimming pool. She fell in.”
“What if she sues?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s worried about Nick. That’s what this is about.”
“She’s only worried about getting him back,” his mum said, and then sighed. “You’re going to have to change. Your tuxedo is wet.”
I turned and headed back into the bathroom. Still wearing the oversized robe, I tried another door on the other side of the room. Mercifully, it opened to an empty hallway. Hurrying down the spiral staircase, I ignored the disapproving stares of a few guests and a handful of staff lingering nearby and made my getaway through the foyer and out into the chilly evening air.
Barefoot and looking as straggly as a drowned rat, I rushed toward the valet. “I need my car.”
After enduring his amused smirk, I waited—hopping from one frozen foot to the other—for what felt like an eternity before he drove my Mini Cooper around to the front of the house.
I climbed in feeling relieved, and quickly headed off down the driveway.
Maybe this dare had really been about getting an answer. Even if it wasn’t the one I’d hoped for.
I sent out a silent prayer that I’d never see any of those people again. Of course, after the way I’d behaved tonight I had a virtual guarantee.
I hadn’t wanted to see the disappointment in Max’s eyes…couldn’t bear to hear him say goodbye with an air of disdain. Even if I deserved it.
Mercifully, the gate swung open right away and let my Mini escape out onto the poorly lit lane. I leaned forward to better see the glow of my headlights on the dark road.
The only comfort I felt came from the heat blasting out of the vents and from being enveloped in a snuggly bathrobe that smelled like him…Max Marquis.
There are no such things as ghosts.
With this in mind, I strolled through the abandoned house renowned as one of the most haunted mansions in London. A strange way to spend a Friday evening, walking in my highly polished brogues down deserted hallways that had scuffed floors and paint flaking off their walls. This run-down Victorian residence was a faded beauty, but it had clearly not been forgotten. Apparently, the Dare Club directors had rented the property for their crazy escapades.
What was meant to be a hot spot for ghost hunters was conveniently situated next to Highgate cemetery.
Tours would no doubt go from one location to the other, with tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the afterlife in a shadowy figure that could be anything, really. Nevertheless, their photos would go viral as alleged proof that once we’ve shed our body our spirits live on for an eternity.
What a load of bollocks—as the English would say.
Somewhere within these rooms, Daisy had hunkered down for a night of being haunted to fulfill the demands of her next dare. I was surprised she was still in the club after the dumpster fire of last Tuesday when she’d almost drowned in my mother’s pool.
Daisy had posted this place on her Instagram page, surreptitiously leading me here with that photo of the red door belonging to the house at 7 Makepeace Avenue.
I carried with me her freshly dry-cleaned skirt and blouse and her high-heeled pumps—retrieved from the bottom of the swimming pool. It was my peace offering and a pretty good excuse to see her again, the thought of which caused my heart to start behaving like a jackhammer.
No, I’m just reacting to this environment, I told myself. It’s the possible threat of discarnate spirits that’s creeping me out.
I walked around a corner and saw a blur of movement. I let out a high-pitched scream, shattering the quiet.
It was Daisy, looking up at me in shock.
I leaned against the wall to recover, raising my hand to let her know I needed a second to remember how to breathe.
“Max?”
“Hey.” I straightened and tried to pretend I hadn’t just screamed like a girl.
She’d dressed for the occasion in jeans and an oversized sweater. Her coat rested on a blanket in the corner. There was something earthy about the way her hair was pulled casually back in a ponytail. With no makeup, she looked bewitchingly natural. It took my mind off the fact I’d almost been spooked to death.
“Are you just going to stand there staring at me?” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood.”
She didn’t look convinced. “How did you know I’d be here?”
Instead of answering her question, I held up the dry-cleaning bag and the shoebox. “I have these for you.”
Maximum Dare Page 10
