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)
I reached for the coffees. “I can take those.”
He stared over my head, refusing to relinquish them. “Did you walk or drive?”
“I drove. I was dropping off my—”
“Where are you parked?”
“Just down this way,” I threw a thumb over my shoulder, and Derek began marching in that direction. Frustration wound its way around my insides. On the surface, he might’ve been trying to do me a favour by carrying the coffees, but his abrupt high-handedness was pissing me off. It took me a second to catch up with him.
“You really don’t have to walk me all the way to my car. I can manage perfectly fine on my own,” I told him, my tone snappish. Derek’s gaze went to the wet stain on my top before rising to meet my eyes. God, he was still so handsome, even if he was in desperate need of a haircut and a shave. His expression seemed to say, Doubtful, before he continued walking.
Fine, so maybe I did need help, but he could at least be a little less gruff about it. A moment of tense quiet passed, and my anxiety had me needing to fill it. “Kayla seems nice.”
His only response was a low grunt.
“She’s a friend of your cousins’ from Australia, right? Your mam seemed so delighted when her sister showed up to the party. It was a pleasant surprise for her, I’m sure.”
Again, I didn’t receive a response. Up ahead, I spotted my car and felt a pinch of relief that this awkward interaction was almost over. I pulled out my keys and pressed the button to unlock the doors. Derek, seemingly having seen the lights flash, walked up to my red Suzuki then held the coffees in one hand before opening the door for me.
I lowered into the driver’s seat, placing the cinnamon swirls on the passenger side before turning back to grab the coffees from him. I didn’t expect him to be quite so close, and a sharp breath escaped me. His proximity allowed me to admire the gold flecks in his eyes, the ones I’d found so swoon-worthy as a teenager. His scent hit my nose. He wore a different cologne now, something rich and spicy, but the underlying scent was still the same. It had my mind rolling back to the old days. The smell of him gave me the ability to time travel. Almost.
I’d often wondered how differently my life would’ve turned out if I’d said yes that day on the beach. But I’d always stopped myself because if I had said yes, then I wouldn’t have had Deirdre, and that girl was my whole world. She was meant to be in my life. I wouldn’t give her up for anything, even it meant I never found a connection like the one I’d once shared with Derek. Being alone wasn’t so bad when you had an amazing daughter, friends and family to share your life with. Not everyone needed to be in love to find fulfilment.
I was caught in the inescapable snare of his gaze for only a few seconds, but it felt like longer. At last, I took the cardboard tray from his hold. “Thank—” I began, but before I could finish, he rose to his full height and silently walked away. Well, okay then. Why couldn’t he just be a normal person and exchange pleasantries like every other pair of old friends who’d by chance bumped into one another after a long time? Why did he have to make me feel like I’d wronged him in such a way that I no longer deserved even that?
Starting the short drive to my parents’ house, I tried to put Derek Balfe out of my mind. It was pure chance that we’d run into one another, but I doubted I’d see much of him going forward. It was a big enough town that you could avoid people if you just put in a little effort. Although, if he were a regular at Christine’s, then seeing him was unavoidable because I wasn’t prepared to give that place up. Derek would just have to deal with my presence even though it seemed to greatly displease him.
Mam and Dad were delighted when I stopped by with the coffees and sweet treats. I sat with them and showed them the picture of Deirdre in her school uniform that I’d snapped earlier. Then we chatted about the house I’d bought, which was a two-bedroomed townhouse. It was small but sufficient for us. It was also going to take some renovations because the previous owners hadn’t done much with it over the years. At least I had these months before I started my new job to hire contractors and make a start on updating the place.
Later that day when Deirdre got home from school, she didn’t seem as upbeat as she’d been that morning.