Page 29 of Prudence
Keeping my head down, I made my way out, but my nerves got the better of me, and I tripped a little before righting myself. The wobble caused some of the foamy milk to pop out of the openings of the coffee lids and spray across the collar of my jumper.Great, just perfect. I tried to retrieve a napkin from the bag with the pastries, but it was impossible without placing the lattes down. My fluster was getting the better of me as I glanced around for an available surface when someone said, “Oh, hello, aren’t you one of Nuala’s friends?”
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, evenit 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.
