Page 20 of Prudence (Balfe Family #1)

I knew instantly who’d spoken from the Australian accent as I looked up and found Kayla smiling down at me. Derek, on the other hand, wore no wore expression at all. His gaze was cool and aloof.

“Hi, yes,” I responded, feeling harassed. “Good morning.”

“I’m Kayla. You were at the party the other night, right?” she went on casually, clearly not troubled at all that I was currently dealing with a spilled milk situation. “We never got a chance to be introduced.”

“Yes, I was there. It’s nice to meet you.” I was still overly aware of the milk foam splattered across the collar of my top. “I’m Milly.” I spotted a napkin holder on the nearby counter, but there were too many other customers in the way.

“Bloody hell,” Derek muttered under his breath before he gruffly asked the other customers to let him by and then snatched a wad of napkins from the holder.

I wasn’t sure what was happening when, a second later, he was in front of me, carefully dabbing my top clean.

I blinked up at him, my cheeks fiery hot as I tried to reconcile how gentle he was being despite the intense disgruntlement marking his features.

I could feel his heat, his looming height making me suddenly feel very tiny as he glared at my stained top like it had personally affronted him.

Perhaps sensing my attention, his gaze flicked up, and some kind of realisation passed over his features before he silently stepped back and dropped the napkins in a nearby bin.

“Thanks,” I whispered oh so quietly. Kayla wore a vaguely curious expression, presumably wondering why Derek would go out of his way to clean me up instead of just handing me a napkin and letting me do it myself.

I was wondering the same thing, but then again, old habits die hard, and it was exactly the sort of thing he’d do for me back in the day. Merely a reflex, I told myself.

“How are you liking your stay so far?” I asked Kayla while ignoring the intensity of Derek’s stare.

Her expression lifted. “Oh, I’ve been having a wonderful time.

Derek has been kind enough to show me around the neighbourhood.

” I’ll bet . “I’m guessing you two already know each other?

” She glanced between us, and Derek made no reply, just stood there silently like someone who’d completely forgotten how to make small talk.

“Um, yes, we do. Derek and I are old friends, but I’ve been living in London for the last eighteen years. I just moved back.”

“Really? Wow, that’s a long time to be away. What made you move home?”

“I wanted to be closer to my parents. They’re getting older now, plus I was offered a job at—”

“Why don’t you order for us, and I’ll help Milly outside?” Derek cut in while deftly taking the latte tray from my hold. Kayla blinked at him then bobbed her head.

“Oh, sure. What would you—”

“Breakfast tea,” he answered before she could finish the question, and then he was ushering me out of the building. A second later, we were on the street.

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.

“How did it go?” I asked as we sat down at the table to eat the fish tacos I’d made for dinner.

“It was … not what I expected,” she answered carefully after taking a hungry bite.

I frowned. “How so?”

She blew out a breath and set her taco down.

“Well, the girls in my classes just seem very clicky. I went out of my way to talk with some of them, but they were kind of reserved. It’s like they all have their friends already and aren’t interested in making any new ones,” she said glumly, and my heart pinched.

“I’m sorry. I know it can be hard starting over.”

“I’m not complaining. I’m glad we moved here. I could see how London was draining you, and you’ve seemed so much more relaxed these last few weeks, Mum.”

“You shouldn’t be worrying about me,” I said. “You’re the priority. If you’re not happy, I’ll do whatever I can to fix it.”

Deirdre sighed. “I know you will, but it’s not your job to fix every little hurdle I come across. I’m supposed to figure things out on my own sometimes. Besides, it’s only been a day. I’m sure my classmates will warm up to me eventually.”

“Of course, they will. It’s impossible not to like you, and if anyone doesn’t, then that’s their flaw, not yours.”

She chuckled. “All right, no need to go overboard. These tacos are really good by the way.”

“Thank you. I found the recipe online.”

“Well, make them a dinner staple because they’re a winner.”

I smiled and returned my attention to eating.

Sometimes it perplexed me how mature Deirdre was, but I suspected it was a trait she’d partly inherited from me.

When I was her age, I never wanted to make a fuss either, always focusing on my parents and siblings’ happiness over my own.

The difference was I went out of my way to make sure Deirdre didn’t have to take over household duties like I had.

It wasn’t my parents’ fault that they struggled financially when I was a teenager, but I still tried my hardest never to fall into the same traps they had.

It was why I’d always been obsessed with saving and responsible financial planning.

“I was thinking of driving over to Portmarnock later to go for a swim. What do you think?”

Deirdre shook her head. “I’m too tired, but you should go. You haven’t swum since we got here, and I bet you’re missing it.”

She wasn’t wrong. Derek Balfe had instilled a love of swimming in me.

It was one of the things we’d done together every week back when we were friends.

Over the years, I’d kept it up, and though I was by no means going to be breaking any records, it was my preferred form of exercise.

The only pool in town was the one at the Balfe Hotel, the one I’d used as a teenager with Derek, but I had no intention of revisiting that place.

Besides, I’d resolved in myself that I would go out of my way to avoid him, and there was little likelihood of him using the swimming pool in the next town over.

Well, if I could eat my words, I would have.

Later that evening, as I finished up several laps and was climbing from the pool, I felt the hair prickling at the back of my neck again.

I snapped off my swim goggles and headed in the direction of the changing rooms, keeping my head down so as not to lock gazes with anyone.

I was being paranoid. Surely, Derek and I hadn’t ended up in the same place twice in one day?

Just as I was thinking it, I walked right into a wall.

No, not a wall. A chest. A very muscular, very broad male chest. I knew the withering dark gaze I was going to encounter before I even looked up.

Swallowing down a gulp and highly aware of every inch of my bare skin covered in droplets of water, I lifted my eyes.

As expected, he did not look pleased to see me.