Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing: Book 4 (Magnolia Parks Universe)

Right, so — I would’ve gone to Christian’s launch either way. We’re friends and shit — helped me find Poppies and cleared my name, didn’t ask for a thing, just came along for the ride so I would have come either way.

But when I walked past a newsstand and saw ‘Magnolia Parks – Back in Britain!’ on the cover of The Sun, did it peak my interest a bit more? Maybe.

I walk into the place with Decks — it’s a pretty good vibe — think like, Positano in the summer, even though it’s winter here now.

He flits off to the bar, seeing some girl he’s on the tune with.

I look around, head towards the loudest table in the whole place, and then she’s the first thing I see.

Sounds romantic. It’s not. She’s just one of those girls with a gravity to them.

Watch her for a few seconds, sitting across from her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend and actually, she looks insecure which is wild because… she’s her.

The new girlfriend, she’s fit enough, wouldn’t kick her out of bed—but it’s not the same. And Magnolia’s sporting this little pout on her mouth that I’m interested in, because with a girl like her, beauty is currency. And she has it in spades, but here, it’s doing nothing for her.

I’m good at reading people. Always have been. It’s why I’m good at what I do, it’s why I have a team who’ll do anything I say. I know how to ask the right questions, know what strings to pluck to get the answers I want. It’s all just reading people.

And reading her, she looks sad.

I walk over, stop about a metre from her.

“Well, fuck—” I look down at her, pretend I’m just noticing her now. “Here’s trouble.”

“Julian.” Her face lights up a bit.

“Oi.” I nod my chin at her. “Get up and give me a squeeze—”

She tosses her arms around my neck and I slip my arms around her waist, don’t know why, but I lift her up off the floor and she lifts like a paper bag. Don’t hate the feeling of her in my arms, actually. Or her face being this close to mine.

Don’t like feeling sentimental about a person though, so I drop my hands down her body, trying to cop a feel and she locks eyes with me, gives me this playful smile, when last time I pulled this shit with her she smacked my hands away.

Interesting…

I stare at her for a couple of seconds; she doesn’t look away. I swallow heavy, fucking pull it together and put her back down on the floor.

“How’s New York?”

“It has its perks.” She blinks up at me.

I look past her to some geezer who’s in the chair I want to sit in. Cock my chin, tell him to move without telling him to move.

He does it quickly and Parks’ little eyes light up like it’s a party trick and she’s impressed.

I pull her down next to me. “Like what?”

Her mouth squashes together. “Like New York paparazzi don’t give a shit about me—”

“Bullshit—” I shake my head. “They’d follow you in droves.”

“No, actually—” She looks down at her nail, back up at me. “They have real celebrities there. They don’t care about people like me.”

Surprisingly, this seems to make her happy.

“What else, then?”

“Mmm…” She presses her thumb into her mouth as she thinks and I stare at it propped up. Swallow heavy again. “Horse-drawn carriages. My completely ridiculous neighbour, Lucìa. 5th Avenue. Central Park at midnight—”

I give her a look. “Central Park at midnight? You got a death wish?”

She rolls her eyes at me. “You’re one to talk, how was your little trip down through South America?”

I chuckle. “Pretty fun, actually—” I look past her, catch eyes with Christian, give him a nod. “He’s a good time.”

She glances over at him and snaps her head back, scowling.

“Yuck! What’s Vanna Ripley doing here?”

I sniff a laugh. “Pretty sure she’s doing your mate?”

“Still?” She blinks. “God, this place really has gone to the dogs.”

“Oi—” Ballentine leans across the table to get her attention. I stare over at him; we’re friends, I guess. Through Jonah. Something about him just shits me though. Today at least, had lunch last week with him and the boys, had a good time. But today I’m off him. Don’t know why.

She’s always been so hung up on him, it’s annoying. Also annoying is that he treats her like shit and she trails him around anyway — I’m not really listening to what they’re saying, something about Gwyneth Paltrow, and then I hear something — double take — throw my hat back in the ring.

I lean in. “Did you say ‘vagina steams?’”

Magnolia nods.

“With Gwyneth Paltrow?” I clarify.

She rolls her eyes. “Well, who else are you going to do it with?”

I pull my head back. “Who else would I do it with?” I nod my chin at her, lift my eyebrows.

She laughs, practically bursts into flames. I like that. Makes me feel good.

Ballentine shifts in his seat.

“What do you talk about when you’re getting your vagina steamed?” I ask.

“I mean—” She shrugs breezily, eating up all the air in the room. “What don’t you talk about? It’s all already on the table—”

“Are you on a table?” the new girlfriend asks.

Parks flicks her eyes over to BJ and I feel a tug of jealousy. “I’m sorry to say you didn’t fare particularly well during the vagina monologues.”

“Can’t imagine I would have.” He shrugs and they start nattering on again. Look away, talk to the girl on my other side.

She’s boring, pretty enough. Studying physiotherapy. I don’t remember her name. I don’t think I asked for it — bit unlike me, if I’m honest. But it’s not her I’m interested in talking to.

Feel like a fucking idiot waiting for Magnolia to give me her attention again so I decide just to take it.

“When are you headed back?” I toss my arm around her.

“I fly out December fifth.”

I nod, giving her a little smile. “Maybe I’ll come visit you—”

She grins. “You should.”

My eyes fall down her face, land on her mouth. “I think you could show me a pretty good time.”

She holds my eyes, throws back her drink. “Oh, I don’t think you could keep up.”

Ballentine pushes back loudly from the table. He looks pissed off, watching her watch me. “Let’s get out of here,” he tells the girlfriend.

“Nice to meet you,” she tells Magnolia who just stares over at her for a few seconds. Makes me feel sad for her.

“Yeah, you too,” she says, eyes a bit heavy.

Ballentine nods his chin at her. “See you around, Parks.”

Walks away, turns back and mouths something to her.

I squint over at Parks. “Did he just mouth that he’s going to text you over his girlfriend’s head?”

She presses her lips together. “Yes. He did…” She folds her hands in front of her. “How terribly clandestine…”

“Like clandestine now, do you?” I elbow her.

She looks up at me, eyes unflinching. “I might do.”

I swallow. “Good to know.”

I’m going to pause here to say: I don’t get it. I don’t. I don’t get hung up on people — and to clarify, I’m not hung up on her. I think of her sometimes, that’s all.

Text her when I think of her. Which isn’t often, but just sometimes.

Just one of those people your head gets stuck on.

“So…” She clears her throat, looking nervous, maybe. “What’s this?” Takes my drink from my hand, lifts it to her mouth. Tries it. Tequila, straight and neat.

She coughs and I lick away a smile as she makes a disgusted noise. “We do not have the same taste in drinks.”

I take back the glass from her. Take a sip, watching her as I do. “Never have.”

She says nothing, just sits there, waiting for me to say more, chin in her hand, blinking slowly. Fuck. She makes me feel uneasy, but I love it. The power scale’s tilted in her favour somehow. Never had to work for a conversation a day in my life but she’s milking me.

I press my tongue into my bottom lip. “We could have other things in common…”

“Could we?” She picks a piece of lint off my shoulder.

Fuck. Swallow heavy again.

“Mhm.” I nod.

She lifts moderately interested eyebrows. “Pray tell…”

I glance around, shrug my shoulders. “We’re the best looking people here.”

She peers around and then nods thoughtfully. “Well, BJ’s left now so that is true…”

I scoff a laugh but I’m annoyed and I fancy her more than I did a second ago.

“What else?” She bites down on her thumb — fuck me.

Deep breaths. Casually lift my shoulders. “Think I’d have to show you.”

“Julian.” She bats her eyes. “If we were to take our clothes off and we had those same things in common, I’m sorry to tell you, but I’d be terribly disappointed.”

I laugh. She smiles.

A waiter hands her another martini and she flashes them a smile.

“How’s your sister?” She takes a sip.

The question throws me. “Yeah — I— uh—” Shake my head. Pull it together, don’t want to look like an idiot in front of her. “Do you know what happened?”

“No, not really…” Magnolia shakes her head. “I heard you weren’t speaking.”

I nod.

“I’m sorry—” She touches my arm. “I know what she means to you.”

“Meant,” I clarify.

Parks rolls her eyes. “Liar.”

“She’s got a boyfriend,” I say, I don’t know why.

Toss it into the pile of things I don’t understand about Magnolia Parks but I think she’s okay to talk to.

She nods. “I’ve seen them around. He’s really handsome.”

Scrunch my nose a bit. “Is he?”

“Yes!” She laughs.

“Fuck—” I shake my head. “You and my sister have a lot of overlap with the men you’re interested in.”

She fishes out the olive from her drink, bites it off. Leaves the stick in her mouth.

“Not exhaustively.”

My throat makes a choking sound I don’t appreciate, but I shake my head, smiling at her. “Can I take you home?”

“You mean ‘drive me home?’”

I laugh. “Uh — yeah.” I chuckle again. “Sure.”

“Julian.” She eyes me.

“Magnolia.”

She breathes out her nose. Shakes her head. “I just got out of something.”

“Just in time to get into my bed.” I give her a grin.

She rolls her eyes again as she shakes her head. “You’re an idiot, Julian Haites.”

I swallow, concentrate on making sure my face doesn’t show I’m disappointed she said no. “One of these days you’re going to say yes…”

She pulls a big, apologetic smile. “I don’t think I will…”

Put my hands on my head and breathe out. “You are my Everest.”

She gives me a little look and shakes her head. “People die trying to climb Mount Everest.”

I stare over at her. “Not afraid of dying.”

She breathes out a laugh, rolls her eyes like she thinks I’m an idiot again. No one thinks I’m an idiot except for her apparently and it makes me want her more.

She grabs her bag. Stands up. I copy her. Why am I copying her? “I’ll come visit you in New York.”

She tilts her head. “You already said that.”

“Well, I mean it.” I shrug.

She kisses Henry Ballentine on the top of his head without a word. Blows Christian a kiss. Glares at Jonah.

Flicks her eyes back to me. “You’ve said that before too.”

“Yeah but…” I roll my head back. “I was in a bit of a pinch.”

She squeezes Taura Sax’s hand then peers up at me. “A self-inflicted pinch, I presume?”

“Easy, tiger—” I give her a look. “But yeah, I guess.”

Magnolia laughs and the sound makes me smile. Which is weird so I stop.

“See you,” she says, brushing her mouth against my cheek, and then she walks away.

+44 7724 771 959
22:47pm

So how clandestine are we talking here

Hah.

Hotel rendezvous or more like…

I take you out for a bite and cop a feel under the table

Either, possibly.

Perhaps even both!

Right

Right.

Just tell me the time and the place.