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)
“Kayla mentioned she’s looking for an apartment in your neighbourhood,” his mam put in. “I thought maybe you could show her around while she searches for a place.”
“Of course, I’d be happy to,” he said, once again much more cordial than he’d been earlier in the night.
The twisting feeling in my stomach had me abandoning my cake. It was late, and I decided I should be getting back to Deirdre. She was fifteen, but I still didn’t like leaving her home alone for too long. Standing, I went in search of Nuala to let her know I was leaving. It took a few minutes to locate her, but when I did, we hugged and promised to meet up again soon for lunch.
I made my way to the front of the house, tapping on my phone to order a taxi. It told me the car would arrive in five minutes, so I went outside to wait. Twenty minutes ended up passing, and still, there was no sign of my taxi. I cursed myself for not driving and considered simply walking back. My phone pinged to alert me that the driver had cancelled, and I blew out an exasperated sigh. I’d just ordered another when the front door opened, and someone stepped out. I ignored them until I heard a muttered swearword. I’d recognise that voice anywhere. Turning my head just a fraction, it was confirmed.
Derek stood right by the front door, and the chilly night air had nothing on the frosty, irritated look he bestowed me.
10.
Milly
I swiftly faced forward, unsure if I should greet him or simply ignore his presence. Trying to talk to Derek earlier hadn’t exactly gone well, and if the disgruntled looks he’d given me were anything to go by, he wasn’t interested in catching up. The idea smarted, but I could deal with it. I was a grown woman, and if people didn’t want to interact with me, that was their choice. I certainly wasn’t in the business of forcing my company on anyone.
I stared down at my phone. Where the hell was this taxi? Just as I silently asked myself the question, a fat raindrop landed on the tip of my nose. Great, and now, it was raining. Just what I needed. The jangle of car keys caught my attention as Derek moved past me. I watched as the lights blinked on one of the SUVs parked on the drive before he climbed in and started the engine. The rain grew heavier, so I took a step back under the narrow lip that jutted out over the front door. It didn’t provide much shelter, but it was better than nothing.
I expected Derek to reverse out, but he seemed to be muttering grumpily to himself as he swung the car around in an arc before stopping a few feet away from where I stood. Leaning over, he threw open the passenger side door and glared out at me. I stared back, heart hammering at the sheer intensity of his dark eyes narrowing in annoyance.
“What are you waiting for?” he practically growled. “Get in.”
I tightened my grip on my phone and lifted my chin. There was no way I was getting in that car. The brute thought he could rudely ignore me all night and then expect me to accept a lift home? Absolutely not. Memories surfaced of him offering me a ride in his car when we were teenagers, some sanctuary from the rain. I’d accepted the kindness back then because there’d been a softness in his eyes that had me instinctively trusting him. But that softness was no longer there. It’d vanished sometime in the years we’d been apart.
“No, thank you,” I responded evenly, and his frown deepened before he gruffly yanked the door shut and sped off. I watched as his car pulled out onto the road, shaking my head the entire time. I was deeply irritated by his behaviour, but I tried to remind myself that Nuala said he was going through something. It was no excuse for how he was acting, but it did cause the tiniest pinch of empathy to squeeze at my heart. I’d loved him once upon a time and the feeling had never really left me. I’d thought of him often over the years and would always care about him because of the closeness we’d once shared.
Not long after he drove away, my taxi finally arrived, and I climbed into the back.
A couple of days later, I was up early to take Deirdre to her first day of school. It was a trip down memory lane because she was attending the same secondary school as I had, St. Colmcille’s. Even the uniform hadn’t changed, and seeing her come out of her bedroom wearing the same calf-length skirt, jumper and blouse I’d donned for the majority of my teenage years had emotion welling behind my eyes.