Page 29 of Prudence (Balfe Family #1)

Milly

A tension lingered between us as we returned to watch over the girls. Deirdre and Gigi looked like they were having the time of their lives. Their carefree joy as they sang along and danced to the upbeat pop songs had me smiling despite myself.

The crowd swelled around us, more energised now that the concert was in full swing, causing Derek to stand close behind me.

I felt his heat on the back of my neck, his tall presence almost shielding me from the excitement of the other concertgoers.

My face heated, and a buzz filled my ears at his proximity, and when a young woman who looked a little intoxicated moved by us, a plastic cup of beer sloshing about as she clumsily made her way past, I felt Derek’s arm go around my middle, pulling me close so the beer didn’t spill on my shoes.

His hand gripped my hip, causing a flutter in my belly.

When I chanced a peek at him, I saw he was smiling as he stared ahead, eyes on his daughter.

It warmed my heart because he clearly loved Gigi very much, and seeing her happy obviously meant a lot to him.

Suddenly, his gaze flicked down, his fingers flexing on my hip when he seemed to realise he was still holding onto me.

Had it been so instinctual for him to move me to safety?

It was like he did it without even thinking, and my pulse thudded at the thought.

He let me go, putting the tiniest bit of distance between us but still standing close, leaving me entirely discombobulated.

When the show was over, the girls hurried through the crowd to find us, both starry eyed and breathless.

“Dad!” Gigi exclaimed. “What are you still doing here?”

“I decided to stick around and see what all the fuss was about,” he responded indulgently, and Gigi grinned.

“Well, what did you think?”

“Amazing. I think I might buy one of those shirts they’re selling out front and become a proper fan,” he teased.

“No!” she giggled while Deirdre looked to me.

“Speaking of merch, can I …?” she trailed off, pressing her palms together, prayerlike.

“You can get one item,” I allowed, and Derek handed his credit card over to Gigi so she could do the same. The two of them raced to the merch stand while Derek and I followed after them.

“You’re very good,” I said, and he glanced my way, his look questioning. “With Gigi, I mean. You’re a great dad.”

Something vulnerable flickered across his expression, like it meant a lot to him to hear me say that. Then his jaw worked as he bobbed his head. “Thank you.” His voice was low, rough, and my heart pounded at the way he was staring at me, though I couldn’t quite decipher what his look meant.

A few minutes later, we were headed to Derek’s car.

Deirdre had managed to convince me to let her buy two extra items, and Gigi carried two bags stuffed to the brim with band merchandise.

I had a feeling Derek still felt guilty about her almost missing the show earlier, so he’d let her go wild with his credit card.

He brought us to a drive-thru burger place, all the while Deirdre and Gigi sat in the back and gushed giddily over every aspect of the show.

It was late, and I wasn’t too hungry, so I just ordered a portion of chicken nuggets to nibble on.

“Can Gigi stay over at our house tonight?” Deirdre asked pleadingly once we’d finished eating.

“Sure, if it’s okay with her dad,” I replied, and Derek met his daughter’s gaze in the rearview mirror.

“You have a tennis lesson in the morning,” he reminded her.

“I’ll still make it if you come pick me up.”

“All right, then. But don’t forget to set your alarm. I’ll be there at nine-thirty to collect you.”

“Thanks, Dad. You’re the best.”

When Derek pulled up outside my house, he climbed from the car, going around to help Gigi out and giving her a hug goodnight.

Watching him had my insides doing strange loops.

Seeing Derek be a dad obviously appealed to some part of my psyche.

When he let her go, the girls skipped inside while I hung back to say goodnight to him.

He stood leaning against the driver side door, his shirt sleeves still rolled up and exposing his distractingly muscular forearms, gazing down at me like he had all the time in world.

A beat of quiet passed as we just stared at one another before I finally spoke, “Thank you again for coming to the rescue tonight.”

His dark gaze gentled. “It was no problem.”

I nodded. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

I turned to leave when his voice stopped me. “Camille.”

Tingles tip-toed across the back of my neck when I heard my name pass his lips. It was the first time he’d spoken it since I’d come home, and I had to suppress a shiver at the way his deep voice caressed the syllables. “Derek?”

His gaze softened further as he said, “I didn’t entirely hate spending time with you tonight.” The faintest glint of humour sparkled in his handsome brown eyes.

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “Calm down with the flattery, or my head might explode.”

His deep answering chuckle sent a warm, fluttery sensation through my stomach as he turned and climbed back inside his car.

He switched on his indicator, checking his mirrors as he prepared to leave.

“Derek,” I said, and he paused to look my way, his window rolled down.

Smirking, I went on, “I didn’t entirely hate spending time with you tonight either. ”

Shaking his head, I heard him laugh again as he drove away.

I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep that night thanks to the girls keeping me up until the small hours chattering away in Deirdre’s bedroom. Waking up with my alarm, I threw on a bra, a T-shirt and a pair of shorts before going downstairs in search of breakfast.

As soon I entered the kitchen, I heard a dripping sound before I saw the giant puddle of water that had collected on the floor. Worry seized me as my gaze travelled up, up, up to the ceiling where water seemed to be coming through the plaster.

Oh crap, not good.

I leapt into action, grabbing a mop and bucket from the utility cupboard as well as a sponge to try and dry up the area. My efforts were fruitless because the leak was still dripping, and I only ended up with wet hair and soiled clothes.

Panicking, I picked up my phone to Google an emergency plumber when, a second later, the doorbell rang.

I hurried to answer it and found Derek on my front step.

In my fluster, I’d all but forgotten that he was coming over to collect Gigi.

Looking gorgeous with his dark hair messily styled, his blue, short-sleeved shirt displaying his thick forearms, I felt like a hot mess in comparison.

Derek took me in, and I was suddenly aware that my top was plastered to my skin, my black bra peeking through the pale material.

Not to mention my nipples had beaded from the wetness, and my hair was all over the place.

Derek’s gaze travelled over every disastrously damp part of me, and I was pretty sure his jaw flickered in some kind of discomfort before he asked, “What happened?”

I winced. “Water leak. Um, you’re here for Gigi?” I went to the foot of the stairs, calling up, “Gigi, your dad’s here.”

There was an audible groan followed by movement as she evidently crawled out of bed.

I suddenly became aware that Derek was standing right behind me, his warm chest at my back. “Show me where the leak is coming from.”

I turned and peered up at him, rubbing at the stress ache that was swiftly gathering in my temples. “You don’t have to—”

“Show me.”

“It’s coming from the kitchen ceiling, but I’m not sure what the source is.”

At this, Derek made his way past me and strode right into the kitchen. “Bloody hell,” I heard him mutter. “Is your water mains under the sink?”

“I think so?”

Derek went to the cupboard beneath the kitchen sink and pulled it open.

I watched as he lowered to his knees and used a fair bit of elbow grease to turn off the rusty old valve that was stiff with age.

He rose back to his full height, his eyebrows drawn together in thought.

“I need to check your tank in the attic.”

I nodded and motioned for him to follow me upstairs.

When we reached the top, I was vaguely aware of my open bedroom door and the messy, unmade bed before I focused on opening the attic and pulling down the ladder.

Before climbing up, Derek turned to me, keeping his gaze trained on my face.

Again, I spotted that same flicker in his jaw.

“Go clean yourself up. I’ll call you if I need help. ”

A blush stained my cheeks because I obviously looked a mess. I was practically flashing him with my wet, almost see-through top, which clearly made him uncomfortable.

“Yes, good idea,” I said, embarrassed, and hurried to my room. I’d finished pulling on a dry jumper and some leggings when Derek called down, “Your tank overflowed in the night. Looks like the ballcock is broken. What room is directly under the tank?”

I scratched my head. “Uh, the bathroom?”

“Go check if there’s leaking water there, too.”

I went into the bathroom and discovered masses of water flowing from the ceiling, along the wall and down through the floor, which was obviously then leaking down into the kitchen.

The damage was massive, and I knew instantly it was going to be expensive, not to mention time-consuming, to fix. My blood pressure rose.

“The bathroom’s a disaster,” I said to Derek, stress evident in the high pitch of my voice as he climbed back down from the attic, moving by me to check the damage before swearing under his breath.

He pulled out his phone, appearing to scroll through his contracts and then hitting Call on a number and lifting it to his ear.

“Paddy,” he said. “How are things?” A pause as he listened. “Yeah, not too bad either. Listen, a friend of mine has a leak in her house. Tank overflowed. How are you fixed to come over and take a look today?”