Page 29 of Milo
The waiter breaks my thoughts at that second, handing us each a menu and beginning to recite the specials. My phone pings from the table, and when I check it there’s a text from Niall.
Niall: Cora is making a noise like a little tugboat but still not crawling. I’m beginning to think she’s taunting us.
I smile and tap a reply.
Me: Be patient. If that’s at all possible. Try and remember how old you are and act like the sage elder you should be.
I grin at the thought of his face when he reads that. Almost instantly the phone buzzes.
Niall: I’m thirty-nine. Even Simon Cowell is older than me. Anyway, there’s many a good tune played on an old fiddle.
I shake my head.
Me: I’m not sure why anyone had to go to the trouble of making that homily up. Look at all the Stradivariuses around. It should be fairly obvious that old things play well.
Niall: There are so many replies to that statement. Just know that I have manfully suppressed my inclination to type all of them. Also, know that you will never be calling me Daddy.
I laugh.
Me: Even if I’ve been bad.
There’s a long pause before the phone buzzes again.
Niall: Have you?
I stare at the screen for a long second with my heart hammering and then reluctantly type.
Me: No.
The next text comes through quickly and I stare at the words, feeling heat rush through me.
Niall: Good boy.
“Milo?” Simeon’s voice interrupts me, and I jump and look up to find him and the waiter staring at me.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I say anxiously. “What did I miss?”
“The specials. Would you like the waiter to repeat them?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m fine. I’ll have the vegetarian lasagne, please. It sounds lovely.”
Simeon gives his order and the waiter smiles and leaves us. Silence settles at the table for a second until he stirs.
“You’re an extraordinarily attractive man, Milo.”
I immediately feel awkward. “Thank you.”
He smiles. “And you hate compliments too.”
“Not all compliments.”
“Ah, no. You didn’t mind Niall complimenting you last night.”
“That was about my job,” I say defensively. “And Niall is … well, Niall is different.”
“In what way?”
I bite my lip, looking around for a distraction. There isn’t one. I look back to find him watching me patiently, which makes me relax for some reason.
