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)
“Right, well, we’d better get going. The concert starts soon.”
“Lead the way,” Aidan said, and we all filed out of the house.
“We’re off now,” Nuala shouted up the stairs before there was an answering, “Okay, have a wonderful time,” from her mother.
I fell back and walked alongside Derek, while Aidan, Tristan and Nuala strolled a few yards ahead of us, chatting about the concert.
“You look beautiful,” Derek said quietly, his fingers lightly brushing mine as we walked. I wished to reach out and hold his hand, but I knew I couldn’t. We weren’t alone, and it would raise too many eyebrows.
“Thank you,” I replied in a whisper, my eyes flicking up to his. “You look very handsome.”
His lips twitched at my returning compliment, his gaze darkening ever so before he glanced away, clearing his throat as though it might also clear certain thoughts. A shiver swept over me as I wondered where his mind had gone. “So, how was the rest of your afternoon?” Derek asked.
I inhaled a breath, brushing away the fluttery feeling in my stomach at his mere proximity. “It was good. Staying at the hotel was a nice break, but I’m glad to be back under my own roof.”
“I can imagine.”
“What about you? Did your meeting go well?”
“It did.”
“It must be a lot of pressure, taking on your dad’s old role.”
Something serious flickered across his expression, and I recalled what I’d overheard Paloma saying to him, how she’d tried to reassure him he could handle running his family’s business. Had he doubted himself?
“It is, but the reality has been less intimidating than what I’d feared.”
“Were you worried about taking on the responsibility?” I studied the shadows and plains of his handsome face while I awaited his response.
Derek rubbed at the back of his neck, his eyes flashing to mine, and in a moment of unexpected honesty, he said, “I was terrified. You know, I never really got over being a worrier.” There was a small hint of self-deprecation in his words.
“I remember,” I replied fondly.
“Right, well, I kind of let my worries get the best of me. I was drinking too much, not sleeping, barely exercising. Some of it had to do with Gigi’s troubles, too, but I was spiralling out of control.” My heart clenched listening to him. “Then you …” he trailed off, and my eyebrows rose.
“Then I?”
His features gentled as he focused his gaze on me, his tender look stealing some of my breath. “Then you came back into my life and reminded me of all the reasons I needed to get back to who I was, who I am.”
Emotion caught in my throat. I didn’t know what to say. Finally, I reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m glad I … I’m glad I helped. Who you are is pretty amazing.”
His soft look transformed into something more heated, and I realised we were standing in place, gazing at each other while the tension thickened between us. The bubble was broken when Aidan called, “Hey, you two, catch up!”
We caught up to the others and found them holding a lively chat about whether Alanis Morrisette could be considered a staple musician of our generation.
“She was a few years before our time, I’m telling you,” Aidan argued. “My older sister, Marie Claire, was obsessed with her as a teenager, and she’s firmly Gen X.”
“But I feel like I heard her music a lot growing up,” Nuala countered.
“Right, but that would’ve been nineties nostalgia.”
“He has a sister called Marie Claire?” I asked Derek quietly. “Like the magazine?”
He smirked. “Aidan’s mother is a fashion fanatic. She goes to Paris every year for their fashion week.”
“Must be nice,” I said, remembering the giant house Aidan had grown up in where he’d hold parties when we were younger. He’d been known as one of the richest boys in town back then, but with his restaurants, he’d clearly become a success in his own right.
“Wow, looks like a sold-out show,” Nuala commented as we reached the entrance. Whatever tickets Aidan had managed to snag allowed us to bypass the regular queue and head straight for the VIP area.
“The event manager here is a regular at one of my restaurants,” Aidan explained. “He gets me tickets for all the best shows.”
“And this is the first time you’ve invited us,” Tristan responded, feigning offence. “Noted.”
“Hey, you’re lucky I don’t have a lady friend in my life at the moment. Otherwise, I’d have invited her, and none of you would be here right now.”
“You really know how to make us feel special,” Nuala said on a chuckle.
I felt a warm palm meet my lower back as we entered the VIP area close to the stage. Tingles danced along my spine when Derek leaned in and asked, “Want anything to drink?”
I sucked in a sharp breath because he was so close I could smell his spicy cologne, and it did strange things to me, I replied, “Sure, I’ll take a gin and tonic.”