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)
About two hours passed before my phone rang, and Milly’s name showed on the screen. They must’ve arrived at the venue, and I decided she was probably just checking in.
“Hello,” I answered before a stressed sounding Milly replied, “Derek, we have a little bit of a problem.”
14.
Milly
“What kind of a problem?” Derek’s low, rumbly response filled my ears while Deirdre and Gigi paced nervously at my side. I was pretty sure poor Gigi was on the verge of tears.
“Well, we just arrived at the venue, but they won’t admit us because the person who purchased the tickets needs to be present,” I explained. “I don’t know how we overlooked it. I’d literally pay for three more tickets at the booth right now if I could, but the show is completely sold out.”
“Bloody hell, okay,” Derek replied, and it sounded like he was moving around wherever he was. I heard the recognisable jangle of keys. “I’m on my way. How long until the show starts?”
“Twenty minutes, but there’s an opening act so I’m guessing we have a little under an hour before Purple Beatrice are on stage.”
“That should be just about enough time for me to get there. Stay put. I’ll meet you outside the venue.”
“All right, but don’t break any speed limits,” I replied, worried.
Derek gave a quiet chuckle. “I won’t. See you soon.”
“Thanks, Derek. You’re a life saver.”
I hung up and turned back to the girls. Deirdre wasn’t quite as bereft as Gigi since she’d already seen the band live twice, but it warmed my heart how she’d wrapped her arm around Gigi’s shoulders, quietly reassuring her. It was clear the girl had really been looking forward to the concert, and I berated myself for not foreseeing how this could happen. I mean, I knew of people who’d been caught out in this exact same situation, and it still hadn’t occurred to me. Gigi gave a small sniffle, and my heart went out to her.
Stepping close, I placed a hand softly on her arm. “Your dad’s on his way. He’ll be here by the time they go on stage. You won’t miss a single song. I promise.”
She blinked up at me, her wide brown eyes full of anxiety that she might not get a chance to see her favourite band live. I knew it was normal for a girl her age to get upset in a situation like this, but her distress struck me as intense. My words seemed to settle her somewhat, and she visibly began to calm down. To pass the time, I brought the girls to a nearby shop and bought them some drinks and chocolate bars to shore up their energy. I’d planned to take them for burgers after the show, but with the stress of being denied entry, they needed some sugar to calm their nerves.
We returned to the entrance to the theatre, and at long last, Derek arrived. I’d never been so happy to see him. He looked like he’d come straight from work, wearing dark slacks, a few buttons on his white shirt undone and the sleeves rolled up displaying a pair of indecently sexy forearms. On his wrist was an expensive-looking silver watch. I was distracted by his tan skin and sprinkling of dark arm hair while Gigi gushed, “Dad! You’re here! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Finally managing to drag my gaze away from his exposed arms, I dipped my head at him in hello before we all quickly hurried over to the usher manning the entrance. The queue from earlier was gone, with everyone inside watching the opening act. I could hear the upbeat pop music streaming out as Derek presented his ID with the tickets, and the guy quickly scanned them. Deirdre and Gigi immediately dashed through, heading for the stage while I turned back to Derek.
“It was so kind of you to rush in. I’m sorry if it put you out.”
“It didn’t. I was just leaving my office to head home for the evening when you called.”
“Still, thank you for coming. The girls were about to have a meltdown if they couldn’t get in to see the band.”
Derek’s gaze met mine, his focus roving over my long purple coat and navy wraparound dress. I wore a gold necklace with a circular pendant that sat in the centre of my modest cleavage. It seemed to momentarily distract him before he forced his eyes back to mine. A faint heat rose in my cheeks as I swallowed and tried to suppress the strange way he was suddenly making me feel.
Maybe it was just his forearms.
“Well, I’d better get in there,” I said, breaking the thick quiet before Derek placed his hand lightly on my shoulder.
“Wait a second.” He turned and walked back out onto the street. I watched as he approached a tout who was trying to flog overpriced tickets. They exchanged a few words, and then Derek was handing over a wad of cash. He waved the ticket at me as he returned to my side.