Page 40 of Prudence
“No ‘buts.’ She’ll stay at the back of the venue to keep an eye on you, but you’ll be able to go to the front and dance and sing to your heart’s content. Deal?”
Gigi exhaled heavily. “Fine, deal. Milly’s much cooler than you anyway,” she went on with a grin. “She’ll fit in better at the concert.”
A smile pulled at the corners of my lips, but I didn’t scold her for being cheeky. It was a natural part of her personality I hadn’t seen in a while, not since her mother had gone on tour. It was nice to see a glimmer of her old self coming back, even if she had lied to me. “Oh, it’s Milly, is it?”
“She told me I could call her Milly,” Gigi asserted. “Did you know she and Deirdre have different last names? Deirdre goes by Morgan-O’Shea, but her mam is just O’Shea. Her parents were never married.”
Well, that was interesting. I turned to take the chicken out of the oven. “And where’s her father now?” I asked casually. “Does she see him much?”
“He lives in London. Supposedly, he’s a surgeon and works all the time. They made an arrangement for Deirdre to stay with him during the summer and school holidays, but the rest of the year is spent with her mam.”
“And her dad’s okay with that?” I couldn’t imagine only seeing Gigi and Pablo during the summer and for a few measly school holidays. I’d miss them far too much.
“I don’t know. Deirdre seems fine with it, though,” Gigi replied while reaching for one of the grapes in the fruit bowl.
I wondered what the relationship was like between Milly and Deirdre’s father. Was it amicable or combative? I couldn’t imagine Milly actively keeping her daughter from seeing herdad, not unless he was an absolute scumbag, and I didn’t see her dating someone like that in the first place. She was too good a judge of character. Then again, people could pretend to be decent at the start of a relationship before their true colours showed.
Okay, I needed to quit obsessing over Milly and her ex. Why did I even need to know? It was none of my business.
The next few weeks passed, and I saw Milly every couple of days, either when dropping off or collecting Gigi, or at meditation class. Sometimes we’d even cross paths at the swimming pool. We managed to keep things cordial but distant. When the night of the Purple Beatrice concert arrived, Gigi skipped off in a band T-shirt and ripped jeans, her hair fashioned in what she informed me were called “Space Buns.” I gave her a hug, made sure she had money in case of an emergency and then off she went to meet Milly and Deirdre at the train station. They were taking public transport because it was easier than getting caught in evening traffic and having to locate a parking spot in a busy part of the city.
About two hours passed before my phone rang, and Milly’s name showed on the screen. They must’ve arrived at the venue, and I decided she was probably just checking in.
“Hello,” I answered before a stressed sounding Milly replied, “Derek, we have a little bit of a problem.”
14.
Milly
“What kind of a problem?” Derek’s low, rumbly response filled my ears while Deirdre and Gigi paced nervously at my side. I was pretty sure poor Gigi was on the verge of tears.
“Well, we just arrived at the venue, but they won’t admit us because the person who purchased the tickets needs to be present,” I explained. “I don’t know how we overlooked it. I’d literally pay for three more tickets at the booth right now if I could, but the show is completely sold out.”
“Bloody hell, okay,” Derek replied, and it sounded like he was moving around wherever he was. I heard the recognisable jangle of keys. “I’m on my way. How long until the show starts?”
“Twenty minutes, but there’s an opening act so I’m guessing we have a little under an hour before Purple Beatrice are on stage.”
“That should be just about enough time for me to get there. Stay put. I’ll meet you outside the venue.”
“All right, but don’t break any speed limits,” I replied, worried.
Derek gave a quiet chuckle. “I won’t. See you soon.”
“Thanks, Derek. You’re a life saver.”
I hung up and turned back to the girls. Deirdre wasn’t quite as bereft as Gigi since she’d already seen the band live twice, but it warmed my heart how she’d wrapped her arm around Gigi’s shoulders, quietly reassuring her. It was clear the girl had really been looking forward to the concert, and I berated myself for not foreseeing how this could happen. I mean, I knew of people who’d been caught out in this exact same situation, and it stillhadn’t occurred to me. Gigi gave a small sniffle, and my heart went out to her.
Stepping close, I placed a hand softly on her arm. “Your dad’s on his way. He’ll be here by the time they go on stage. You won’t miss a single song. I promise.”
She blinked up at me, her wide brown eyes full of anxiety that she might not get a chance to see her favourite band live. I knew it was normal for a girl her age to get upset in a situation like this, but her distress struck me as intense. My words seemed to settle her somewhat, and she visibly began to calm down. To pass the time, I brought the girls to a nearby shop and bought them some drinks and chocolate bars to shore up their energy. I’d planned to take them for burgers after the show, but with the stress of being denied entry, they needed some sugar to calm their nerves.
We returned to the entrance to the theatre, and at long last, Derek arrived. I’d never been so happy to see him. He looked like he’d come straight from work, wearing dark slacks, a few buttons on his white shirt undone and the sleeves rolled up displaying a pair of indecently sexy forearms. On his wrist was an expensive-looking silver watch. I was distracted by his tan skin and sprinkling of dark arm hair while Gigi gushed, “Dad! You’re here! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Finally managing to drag my gaze away from his exposed arms, I dipped my head at him in hello before we all quickly hurried over to the usher manning the entrance. The queue from earlier was gone, with everyone inside watching the opening act. I could hear the upbeat pop music streaming out as Derek presented his ID with the tickets, and the guy quickly scanned them. Deirdre and Gigi immediately dashed through, heading for the stage while I turned back to Derek.
“It was so kind of you to rush in. I’m sorry if it put you out.”
“It didn’t. I was just leaving my office to head home for the evening when you called.”
