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)
“Hold on for a second,” she interrupted. “I didn’t say anything about them going alone.”
“But Gigi said …” My words fell off as I realised what was going on. My daughter had been trying to play me. “Okay, now I get what’s happening here.”
Milly was quiet a moment before guessing, “Did Gigi say I agreed to it to try and pressure you into saying yes?”
All I could manage was an irritated grunt of assertion as Milly gave a quiet laugh. “Oh, the wiles of teenage girls. A couple of years ago, the mother of one of Deirdre’s friends back in London and I discovered they’d lied to us about going to watch movies at each other’s houses. Instead, they’d taken the Tube to Leicester Square to visit M&M’s world. They were only thirteen. I nearly had a coronary. Thankfully, we were able to get to them before anything terrible happened.”
“Bloody hell, I would’ve grounded Gigi for a year if she’d done that.”
“Look, don’t be too hard on her about the concert. Deirdre is completely besotted with that band, too, and would do anything to see them live. It’s just the age they’re at. They don’t want their parents cramping their style. Anyway, I’m happy to go with them if you’re not up for it. I could just hang out at the back and watch over them from afar. That way, they can have fun without the burden of a parent watching their every move up close.”
I ran a hand over the scruff growing on my jaw. “That does sound like a better idea. I’ll buy the tickets.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan. I better go, but keep me posted.”
“Will do. Goodbye, Milly.”
“Bye, Derek.”
Slotting the phone into my back pocket, I returned to the kitchen and found Gigi sitting exactly where I left her, looking chagrined. “We’re not going to discuss the fact that you just lied to me, but don’t do it again.” Her face was etched in apology as she bobbed her head. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’ll buy the tickets tomorrow morning, and Deirdre’s mam is going to go with you—”
“Aw, but—”
“No ‘buts.’ She’ll stay at the back of the venue to keep an eye on you, but you’ll be able to go to the front and dance and sing to your heart’s content. Deal?”
Gigi exhaled heavily. “Fine, deal. Milly’s much cooler than you anyway,” she went on with a grin. “She’ll fit in better at the concert.”
A smile pulled at the corners of my lips, but I didn’t scold her for being cheeky. It was a natural part of her personality I hadn’t seen in a while, not since her mother had gone on tour. It was nice to see a glimmer of her old self coming back, even if she had lied to me. “Oh, it’s Milly, is it?”
“She told me I could call her Milly,” Gigi asserted. “Did you know she and Deirdre have different last names? Deirdre goes by Morgan-O’Shea, but her mam is just O’Shea. Her parents were never married.”
Well, that was interesting. I turned to take the chicken out of the oven. “And where’s her father now?” I asked casually. “Does she see him much?”
“He lives in London. Supposedly, he’s a surgeon and works all the time. They made an arrangement for Deirdre to stay with him during the summer and school holidays, but the rest of the year is spent with her mam.”
“And her dad’s okay with that?” I couldn’t imagine only seeing Gigi and Pablo during the summer and for a few measly school holidays. I’d miss them far too much.
“I don’t know. Deirdre seems fine with it, though,” Gigi replied while reaching for one of the grapes in the fruit bowl.
I wondered what the relationship was like between Milly and Deirdre’s father. Was it amicable or combative? I couldn’t imagine Milly actively keeping her daughter from seeing her dad, not unless he was an absolute scumbag, and I didn’t see her dating someone like that in the first place. She was too good a judge of character. Then again, people could pretend to be decent at the start of a relationship before their true colours showed.
Okay, I needed to quit obsessing over Milly and her ex. Why did I even need to know? It was none of my business.
The next few weeks passed, and I saw Milly every couple of days, either when dropping off or collecting Gigi, or at meditation class. Sometimes we’d even cross paths at the swimming pool. We managed to keep things cordial but distant. When the night of the Purple Beatrice concert arrived, Gigi skipped off in a band T-shirt and ripped jeans, her hair fashioned in what she informed me were called “Space Buns.” I gave her a hug, made sure she had money in case of an emergency and then off she went to meet Milly and Deirdre at the train station. They were taking public transport because it was easier than getting caught in evening traffic and having to locate a parking spot in a busy part of the city.