Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“Nuala, you look amazing,” I said as she moved in for a hug.
“You, too,” she replied with a smile, and I turned to Charli.
“And, Charli, you look great, too.”
“That’s very kind of you to say,” the American said with a wry grin. “Especially when I feel like an overstuffed sausage right now.”
“I remember the feeling,” I responded with a chuckle.
“Right, you have a daughter. What’s her name?”
“Deirdre. She’s fifteen.”
“Oh, wow,” Charli exclaimed, and I flushed slightly. Getting pregnant at twenty-one had not been in the plan, but I wouldn’t give Deirdre up for the world. As far as I was concerned, I was always destined to be her mother. I’d been living with Aunt Nell when I got pregnant, and it felt like karma somehow. I’d pushed Derek away due to her fears of me having an unplanned pregnancy, but it had happened anyway. The only difference was Nell had been the one to set me up with Colin. He was the son of a friend of hers, and she absolutely adored him. She even forked out for a live-in nanny when Deirdre was little so I could continue with my education. In her mind, Colin and I were perfectly matched, but she’d been dead wrong on that front.
“Yeah,” I said with a quiet laugh. “I’d just turned twenty-two when she was born.”
“Man, that was rude. I didn’t mean—”
I reached out to touch her arm. “It’s fine, really. It’s not a sore subject or anything.”
“Okay, well, let’s get you a drink, shall we?” Nuala suggested. “Then we can have that long overdue catch up.”
“Sounds perfect,” I replied and followed her into the kitchen.
About three glasses of wine later, I started to relax. I spent over an hour talking with Nuala and Charli, getting caught up on each other’s lives, and the two women put me at ease. It had been ages since I’d last gone to a party, but I was glad I’d come. There was a giant, four-tiered cake with a big “65”-shaped candle on top. Nuala informed me it was red velvet, her mam’s favourite flavour, and I was looking forward to a slice.
I decided glass number four would be my last and went in search of a refill when tingles suddenly prickled at the back of my neck. Derek. I knew it was him before I even turned around to confirm it. I’d always been hyperaware of his presence, somehow sensed it whenever he walked into a room.
I’d just filled my glass when I turned and saw him. Back when we were teenagers, he had an endless supply of smiles to send my way, but that was no longer the case. He was glowering at me. I swear it was like being caught in the stare of an angry tiger. He didn’t look anything like the boy I knew, the one whose features I could trace from memory. He’d changed and not in the way I’d expected at all. Sure, he’d aged, his handsome features lined with experience, but he also looked … well, tired was one word for it.
Don’t get me wrong, he was in good shape. He’d filled out, with his shoulders broader, arms more muscular, but his eyes were dull, his hair shaggy and overgrown. Plus, there was a week’s worth of stubble on his face. His shirt was rumpled, like he’d been wearing it for days. I barely recognised him.
“Derek, hi, how are y—” Before I could finish the sentence, he stalked by me and just strode right out of the room. Okay. Well, that was that, then. Perhaps he did recall proposing to me and the subsequent rejection. I didn’t imagine after all these years he’d still be sour about it, but stranger things had happened. Taking my glass, I returned to Nuala and Charli, feeling unbalanced from the tense exchange. If you could even call it an exchange at all.
“Everything okay?” Nuala asked as I joined them.
I sipped some wine. “Yes, I, um, I just saw Derek.”
She and Charli shared a look before Nuala replied carefully, “And how did that go?”
“Well,” I began, swallowing down the strange hurt in my throat. Why was his silent dismissal affecting me so much? “I tried to say hello to him, but he just glowered and walked right by me. He acted like I wasn’t even there.”
Nuala’s hand came to rest on my arm, giving a comforting squeeze. “I’m sorry. It’s nothing to do with you. My brother is just … He’s been going through a really rough patch these last few months. He’s not been himself.”
“Oh, I see,” I replied, relaxing slightly. So, his gruffness wasn’t about the rejected proposal. It was something else. I was curious to know what the rough patch entailed, but it was none of my business.
“Honestly, Milly, don’t take it personally. He’s been like this with all of us. I’m surprised he even turned up tonight. He’s been keeping to himself a lot lately.”