Page 46 of Prudence
“Hello,” I greeted as he stepped into the lift.
“Ah, Milly, isn’t it?” he replied with a kind, wrinkly eyed expression. “You were at my wife’s birthday party a few weeks ago.”
“That’s right,” I replied tightly, nervously clasping my hands together.
A few moments of tense silence passed when Padraig said, “What brings you to—” Before he could finish the sentence, we’d reached the ground floor, and the doors opened. I quickly stepped off, not making eye contact as I lied, “It was nice to see you again.”
I swiftly strode away, relieved to have escaped the awkwardness. Padraig probably thought I was a complete oddball, but he likely had no clue that Nell was my aunt since we had different last names. I was passing by the reception desk when I noticed a couple who appeared to be in their late fifties arguing with the same receptionist who’d given me the key to the suite earlier that morning
“This is ridiculous,” the woman complained in a high-pitched voice. “We made the booking months ago, and we always stay in the Talbot suite.”
Her statement caught my attention, and I lingered near a large potted plant to listen.
“You have our utmost apologies, Mrs Long. There was a problem with our booking system, but management have asked me to gift both you and your husband a discounted stay as well as free dinners at our in-house restaurant every night.”
“Not good enough. I want to speak with the manager,” the husband put in.
“Of course. I’ll go get her for you right away.”
Deciding I’d earwigged long enough, I continued through the large lobby area and out of the hotel, all the while my mind raced. Guilt nipped at me because I had that couple’s room, and they were obviously looking forward to staying in it. Derek had clearly lied about the suite being the only available option for us, but why? Surely the man who’d had no problem blanking me for weeks wouldn’t feel the need to put my daughter and me up in the lap of luxury. Yes, he’d started to thaw towards me, and we’d come to an agreement to be civil for Deirdre and Gigi’s sakes, but that didn’t explain such a lavish gesture.
When I reached the beach and started my walk along the strand, I decided I’d confront Derek about cancelling that poor couple’s reservation. Honestly, I felt wretched and didn’t like the fact that he’d inconvenienced a pair of complete strangers, even if his intentionwasto help me out. I was going to inform him that if he didn’t change our room, I’d be leaving and making other arrangements. The problem was, he never turned up that evening. Instead, I received a text from him detailing the list of repairs that needed to be done on the house and the accompanying cost. The fee to replace the boiler was particularly stress inducing, but I knew it needed to be done sooner or later, so I tried not to fret over the money.
And in regard to the suite, I decided I’d wait until I saw Derek in person to discuss it, which just so happened to be the following evening, but it wasn’t at the hotel.
It was at Deirdre’s school for parent teacher evening. Since she’d only been attending St. Colmcille’s for a few weeks, I hadn’t been expecting to be invited, but the letter informed me it would be a good opportunity to meet her teachers and get a sense of how she was settling in.
I stepped into the wide assembly hall and immediately spotted Derek’s tall shoulders and dark hair. I would’ve approached him right away, but there was a problem, given heappeared to already have company, and that company consisted of several mothers who seemed to have cornered him in conversation.
Well, someone was certainly popular.
16.
Derek
Normally, Paloma and I took turns attending Gigi and Pablo’s parent-teacher evenings, but since she was away, the task fell to me. It wasn’t that I didn’t like talking to their teachers; it was more the other parents who were the problem. Namely, the mothers.
I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that I was considered a catch around these parts. Sure, they didn’t know anything about the real me or the things I struggled with, but on the surface, it seemed I held a certain appeal. I was a single father approaching his forties with a decent job, over six feet tall, a good physique and a full head of hair. Yes, those were all prized attributes, it appeared. If they knew what a wreck I’d been the last few months, all these mothers wouldn’t be gazing up at me with such dreamy expressions.
In my peripheral vision, I spotted Milly arriving, and the very sight of her arrested me. Her flawless skin and bright eyes, the way she seemed to have no idea just how stunning she was. Such was her effect on me that my resolve to keep my distance from her had withered away almost to nothing. I could feel myself shifting, my thoughts going to her constantly, my instinct to make life seamless for her prodding at me even though she wasn’t mine to worry or fuss over. I didn’t want or need to be feeling this way about her, especially at this juncture in my life, but I couldn’t stop it even if I tried.
Milly cast her gaze about the space, and a moment later, our eyes connected. She didn’t look pleased. I’d put her in the Talbot suite, and she wanted to switch rooms, but I’d told her it wasn’tpossible. To be honest, I wasn’t sure why I was being so bullish on the matter. Although to be fair, I didn’t feel much guilt over changing the Long couple’s reservation. They’d been coming to the hotel for years, and they were notoriously nightmarish to deal with, always being rude towards the staff, making endless inappropriate requests and complaining at even the most minor inconveniences. A part of me hoped that changing their booking might encourage them to start staying elsewhere. My poor staff definitely deserved a break from having to deal with them.
Besides, I wanted Milly and her daughter to have a spacious place to live while their house was being worked on, and none of our other rooms would do. I had this overwhelming need to eliminate her stress, and it was probably down to how I felt when I discovered the water damage to her house. Not only did it terrify me to think that something could’ve happened to Gigi while she was staying there, but I was scared for Milly and Deirdre, too. Against my will, I’d started to care for them, which was the exact reason I’d tried to keep my distance in the beginning.
Now it seemed I’d passed a point of no return because something in me refused to put her in any room other than the most expensive suite we had.
“How has Gigi been liking those tennis lessons?” one of the mothers—I think her name was Iona—asked. I was momentarily confused as to how she knew about the lessons then recalled it was another of the mothers who’d recommended the instructor. Clearly, they’d been discussing me and my daughter.
“I’m not sure tennis is her sport. Her interest has been waning.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Iona said. “Well, there are always other options. Does she have any talent for horse riding?”
My gaze caught on Milly’s curious blue eyes as she passed the circle of women surrounding me. I cast her a beleagueredlook, which was shorthand for “Save me!”—something we’d developed as teenagers. We’d always been adept at silent communication and reading one another’s facial expressions. I was rewarded with a sparkle of amusement as she continued on her way without a care.
Evidently, she had no plans to rescue me from my predicament. I mean, I was putting her up in the hotel and overseeing the work on her house entirely for free. The least she could do was approach me with a made-up emergency or a simple request to speak with me in private. Perhaps this was my punishment for being such an arsehole towards her when she first arrived. And yes, perhaps I deserved it. Just a little.
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask Gigi about that,” I said. “If you don’t mind, ladies, I have a couple more teachers to meet with.”
