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)
“Charli’s not interested in the likes of me,” Rhys responded dismissively before focusing back on the game.
I didn’t bother contradicting him even though he was dead wrong. It was better for the lad if he kept believing she wasn’t into him. Less trouble in the long run. “I need to go pick Milly up from her house, but Tristan will be leaving to head over to Aidan’s in a little while.”
“Cool, I’ll go with him,” Rhys said, and I went to get dressed.
By the time I parked outside Milly’s house, I feared I’d put on too much cologne and hastily tried rubbing some off with a couple napkins from the glovebox while also lowering the driver’s side window to air the space out. Once I was satisfied the car didn’t smell like the Giorgio Armani counter in some fancy department store, I climbed out and walked up to the front door before lifting the knocker. A moment later, the door swung open, revealing a girl who was the spitting image of Milly, except she was several years younger with much shorter hair.
She took me in from top to toe with a mischievous smile on her face and then folded her arms.
“And you are?”
“Hi. I’m Derek Balfe. I’m here to pick up your sister.”
The girl’s eyes bugged. “Milly? Really?”
I grinned. “Yes, really.”
At this, she turned and bolted up the stairs. “Milly! There’s a hot boy at the door for you!” My grin transformed into a smirk. At least I’d passed her little sister’s inspection.
“Jane! No shouting please!” came a male voice, ironically shouting, too, before Milly’s dad, Ryan O’Shea, appeared at the door. He was walking with crutches, a large cast covering most of his left leg. Milly had mentioned that he’d fallen off a ladder while trying to clear the gutters on their roof and broke his femur while also suffering a fractured tibia. When he was being treated at the hospital, he’d contracted MRSA, further lengthening his recovery time. It meant he was out of work, and given he was self-employed, it had put financial strain on the family. Milly’s mam, who worked at the local florist, had to take on a second job waiting tables at night.
It was one of the reasons I really wanted Milly to come to the party tonight. She’d spent most of her summer so far taking care of her sisters and father, and she deserved a night off. Her dad looked to be around the same age as mine, in his late forties or early fifties, with greyish dark brown hair and blue eyes like his daughters. When he clapped his gaze on me, his thick, bushy brows immediately drew together in suspicion.
“And you are?”
I almost chuckled at how he addressed me the exact same way Jane had, only with a much more suspicious tone.
“Derek Balfe, sir,” I said, holding out my hand. “I’m here for Milly.”
The man stared at my hand, frowned, then reluctantly let go of one of the crutches and shook it. “Milly never said she was going anywhere.”
“We’re attending a friend’s birthday party. It’s at the Finnegan house. You might know it?”
“Yes, I—”
Before he could finish, Milly came rushing down the stairs, her little sister hot on her heels. Her long hair fell over one shoulder as she pulled a burgundy-coloured cardigan on over her silky cream camisole, which was paired with a loose black skirt. It was a conservative outfit, given what I knew most of the girls attending Aidan’s party would be wearing, but she still looked stunningly beautiful, and I had to work to catch my breath.
“Dad, this is my friend, Derek,” she hurried to say. “We were just going—”
“To a birthday party, yes. I’ve already been informed,” her dad said, those thick brows not letting up with their frowning.
Milly stared at her father, her throat bobbing on a swallow as she awaited his approval. He looked to me once more then back to his daughter before exhaling a long breath and muttering something to himself that sounded a lot like, “Was going to happen sooner or later.”
At last, he told Milly, “Right, well, off you go, then. Don’t stay out too late.”
“I’ll have her home before midnight, sir,” I said.
Her little sister squeezed her arm giddily, and I had to suppress a smile as Milly shot her a look that said, Calm down already, before she grabbed her phone from the entry table and stepped outside to join me.
I made sure not to touch her because her dad was still watching us from the house, but I did go around the passenger side of my car to open the door for her.
“I’m sorry about them,” she said as she lowered into the seat. I went around the other side and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“No need to be sorry.”